Holidays on Bornholm
Cliffs, time and sea air
Everyone can use a little Bornholm
When you step off the ferry or fly in over the rocky coast, something happens to the pace. Here you meet an island community where wild nature, strong traditions and close human craft come together.
Bornholm gives you the feeling of being truly far away, even though you can travel here from Copenhagen in around three hours by car and ferry via Ystad or in about 35 minutes by plane.
Whether you dream of cliff walks in the early spring sun, the scent of smokehouses on a summer evening or the raw, peaceful stillness of the winter months, the island calls for your presence.
A holiday on Bornholm is an open invitation to leave everyday life behind and let your senses wake up.
Plan your trip to Bornholm
Bornholm lies in the middle of the Baltic Sea, but the island is closer than many people think. You can travel here by ferry, plane, car, train or bus, depending on where you are coming from and how you would like to begin your holiday.
For many, the feeling of Bornholm starts already on the way here. On the drive towards Ystad. In the plane over the sea. Or on the ferry, where the coast slowly comes closer and the holiday is allowed to land.
When you plan your trip to Bornholm, it is not only about the fastest route. It is also about what best suits your holiday. Do you want to bring the car, so you can easily drive out to beaches, towns and viewpoints? Would you rather travel light and continue from Rønne by bus or bicycle? Or should the journey be short and simple, with a flight straight to the island?
However you travel, Bornholm is easy to reach. And once you are here, distances are short.
Did you know?
If you are travelling to Bornholm via Sweden, it may be worth looking into ØresundGO. The discount agreement for the Øresund Bridge is relevant for several types of vehicles and is typically already paid back after the first return trip to and from the island.
That makes it worth checking, whether you travel by car, on two wheels or with your holiday home behind you or with you.
Where would you like to stay on Bornholm?
On Bornholm, you can wake up close to the sea, in the middle of a town or with the forest just outside. That makes your accommodation part of the holiday, not just a place to sleep.
Maybe a holiday home suits you best if the days should have their own pace, with slow mornings and evenings on the terrace. Maybe a hotel, guesthouse or holiday centre is the easy base close to food, town life and experiences. And if you want to get closer to nature, you will also find nature-close places to stay, where the wind, the birds and the evening around you take up a little more space.
What matters most is that the place fits the way you want to spend your holiday on Bornholm. Then it becomes easier to feel the island, whether you stay for a few days or have plenty of time.
Choose your base by the Bornholm you want to wake up to
On Bornholm, a few kilometres can change the feeling of your holiday. In the north, you wake up close to cliffs, coastal paths and small harbour towns. In the south, you find the wide sandy beaches and the softer landscape. In the middle of the island, there are forests, quiet roads and more space around you.
It can be a good idea to choose your accommodation according to the mood you would like to have closest to you. Do you want to be able to walk to the water in the morning? Stay close to town life and places to eat? Or choose a place with plenty of room for play or for the dog?
Travel with pets to Bornholm
If you want to bring your dog or cat on holiday to Bornholm, it is a good idea to think about travel route and accommodation together. The direct ferry from Køge to Rønne stays within Denmark, while travelling via Sweden means you need to be aware of the Swedish rules for pets in transit.
On the island, you will find several pet-friendly places to stay, and there are good opportunities for walks in nature. Remember to check the rules for beaches, forests and leads, and always contact your accommodation before booking.
Getting around Bornholm
Once you are on Bornholm, distances are short. You can go from coastal town to forest, from beach to smokehouse and from cliffs to town life on the same day, without your holiday needing to feel packed.
If you have brought the car, it is easy to follow the small roads and stop along the way. If you are travelling without a car, you can plan your holiday around bus routes, bicycle rental and experiences close to your base.
In many places, it is exactly the short trips that become the best ones. A path down to the water, a small harbour, a view or a town you had not planned to stop in.
Bornholm is easy to approach, even when you do not want to do it all. Choose one area for the day and leave the rest open.
Holidays on Bornholm all year round
A holiday on Bornholm is not only a summer holiday. The island changes with the seasons, and so do your days.
In spring, the paths, forests and coast wake up. It is a good time for walks, cycling trips and the first pauses in the sun, while nature unfolds again.
In summer, life moves closer to the harbours, beaches and towns. There are markets, concerts, culture, smokehouses and long days when the next experience is rarely far away.
Autumn gives the island a calmer rhythm. The colours grow deeper, the air clearer, and the cliffs can still hold the warmth of summer. It is a fine time for trips, local flavours and experiences with a little more space around you.
In winter, Bornholm shows another side. The sea and wind take up more room, but so does cosiness. Go out into nature, seek out craft makers and warm meals, or let Christmas markets and small winter experiences slow the pace.
You can plan your holiday on Bornholm according to the season, but also according to the pace you need.
Christmas island: The Bornholm winter tip
In November and December, Bornholm takes on a special winter warmth. Around the island, you can find Christmas markets with local craft, Bornholm flavours, small stalls and gift ideas with a little more island character.
In Nexø, Bornholms Julemarked becomes a regular part of Advent, with wooden stalls, Christmas lights and the harbour close by. Elsewhere, you can meet Christmas in galleries, workshops, old farm settings or towns where the festive feeling fills the place in its own way.
That makes the Christmas markets a lovely reason to plan a holiday on Bornholm outside the high season. Take a winter weekend, go out into the fresh air and come back inside to warm drinks, craft and Christmas atmosphere.
Which holiday suits you?
On Bornholm, your holiday can take shape around the people you travel with and what you want to get closer to. Maybe it is a family holiday with sand between your toes, ice cream at the harbour and small adventures at child height. Maybe it is a couples’ holiday with plenty of time, good meals and evenings that need nothing more than sea air and each other.
If you are travelling without children, an adults’ holiday on Bornholm can make room for art, local flavours, small towns and trips into the blue. And if you prefer to be outside, nature is close almost everywhere. Coastal paths, cycling routes, shelters, forests and cliffs make it easy to let your holiday follow the weather, your body and your mood.
The good thing about Bornholm is that you do not have to stick to one kind of holiday. An active day can end slowly. A child-friendly holiday can still have calm. And a short break can feel like much more once you are here.
Find your way into the holiday
When you plan a holiday on Bornholm, not everything has to be decided in advance. It can be enough to choose a travel route, find a place to stay and have a handful of experiences in mind.
The rest may happen along the way. A beach where you stay a little longer. A town you fall for. A flavour, a view or a path that draws you on. On Bornholm, the holiday is close once you give it room.
Bornholm is easy to begin, but hard to be completely done with.
Did you know? On Bornholm, you can stand in the middle of time
On Bornholm, the landscape is part of the holiday experience. At NaturBornholm in Aakirkeby, you can experience one of the island’s special geological places. Here, the old bedrock of northern Bornholm and the younger sandstone layers of southern Bornholm meet so clearly that you can almost stand with one foot in each age.