Island hopping

In and around Denmark by sea.

Photographs: Heather Storgaard

Text: Heather Storgaard

Salt air, breeze and an excited holiday atmosphere – there’s little that screams summer holidays to me more than a Danish ferry. The age-old way to travel around the country is now less prevalent than it was a century ago, with bridges linking Jutland, Fyn, Zealand, and Sweden allowing tourists to drive all the way from Germany to Sweden via Denmark if they wish. But look away from our largest landmasses to the smaller islands of the Kingdom, and ferries can still offer the romance of travel in years gone by.

While it’s tempting to jet abroad for the summer, Denmark offers more holiday variety than you might expect at first glance. The country is one of the few in Europe where domestic travellers still make the majority of hotel visits. Clearly, the Danes are on to something with their home bird habits! If you want to join them at home this summer, here are some of my favourite island-hopping routes around the North Sea and the Baltic, taking in islands in Denmark and beyond.

Rømø – Sylt – Föhr

This trip takes you on a language and culture journey through the Danish-German border region, going from Danish Rømø to German Sylt and stubbornly Frisian-focused Föhr. The islands have long been closely connected and remain so to this day, with frequent and comfortable ferry connections. FRS Syltfähre connect Denmark with German Sylt, also known as Sild in Danish, sailing up to 32 times a day between the neighbouring islands. GOSCH, the successful Sylt-founded fish restaurant that’s now got outlets across Germany, is available on the ferry to offer tastes of Germany before you’ve even left Danish waters.

I first visited Sylt as a teenager and find myself drawn back to the region again and again. The islands are easy to explore by bike, with pristine beaches, German ‘beach-baskets’ and sweet houses flying past. Rømø has beautiful, broad beaches, while Sylt has everything a luxury-lover could want on an island with spas and award-winning restaurants. Oh Föhr, art lovers will relish the Museum Kunst der Westküste, also known as the Museum of West-Coast Art. On my recent visit, I was delighted to see mid 19th century art by Danish painter Janus la Cour in the exhibition space. His moving paintings of nature and striking light focus on the Alps and the coastal regions around Aarhus, particularly Helgenæs and Mols. It felt slightly like they'd curated a show just for me.

In addition to offering beautiful scenery, all three islands have a fascinating international history tied to the whaling industry, which is well worth exploring. Crew and captains from the islands sailed for Greenland and Svalbard on ships under Danish, German and Dutch flags for centuries, and enjoyed great renown for their skills at sea. The descendants of those sailors are sure to get you safely around the region. And if that’s not enough? Just keep going! Germany’s quirky North Frisian islands are your oyster – just remember your passport!

"While it’s tempting to jet abroad for the summer, Denmark offers more holiday variety than you might expect at first glance."

Als – Ærø – Langeland – Strynø

I wondered about whether to include Als in this island-hopping suggestion – the island is connected to Jutland by a bridge, so it’s easy to overlook the small channel that separates it from the rest of Sønderjylland. Nevertheless, there’s a local identity and charm to the place that sets it apart as an island. The trees run right up to the beach, and there’s a certain calm that I don’t find in mainland Jutland.

From Als’ aptly named Fynshav, small ferries sail to possibly Denmark’s most beloved holiday island, Ærø. With nature, fantastic local food and drink as well as numerous local festivals during the summer months, the island deserves all the love it receives from Danes and internationals alike. The old-fashioned wooden beach huts have become iconic symbols of the island. I visited for the first time last summer and could have stayed much longer. Free buses bring visitors around the island, and ferries go in all directions, linking it easily to wherever in Denmark you live.

Want to keep island hopping? Ærø to Langeland is the ferry for you! The island is home to the grand Skovsgaard, numerous beaches, and even a fort with a military museum. If you really want to explore Denmark’s history, Oehlenschläger’s Beech Tree is also a picturesque stop to make – it is said to have been the inspiration for the Danish national anthem. For a final stop, carry on to the tiny Strynø, an island full of historic buildings and two charming guest houses.

Bornholm – Ertholmene

Bornholm is a classic Danish summer holiday destination, with brightly painted houses and hollyhocks, but also boasting a unique landscape of rocks and cliffs unlike anywhere else

in the country.

Still, the brightly painted houses and hollyhocks that are typical of any Danish seaside resort can also be found on the Baltic island. However, I recently learnt that there was a little piece of Denmark that lies even further east than Bornholm. Ertholmene is a cluster of small islands that includes Christiansø and Frederiksø, both of which are inhabited. Only 84 people live across the two, but they manage to welcome a staggering 70,000 tourists every year! There’s a fun etymological history to the islands, too: their name comes from ærter, peas in English, relating to their tiny size.

I look forward to embarking on more trips this summer.