Explore Aakirkeby
Time travel, royal power and wild nature
Aakirkeby, where the forest calls and the past speaks
Aakirkeby lies quietly tucked away in the middle of Bornholm. The town does not have the cliffs of the coast, but it is surrounded by forest, rift valleys and a landscape that makes the area a natural base for hiking, cycling and other outdoor activities.
From here, you are close to NaturBornholm, where the island’s geology comes alive, and to Almindingen, where the trails lead through forest and rift valleys, past rocks and close to the traces of old royal power.
Aakirkeby is more than a town. It is the gateway to Midtbornholm’s great nature stories.
Did you know?
In the age of the dinosaurs, what we now know as Bornholm lay far to the south in a warm landscape where sea and land met. Dinosaurs, crocodiles, pterosaurs and small early mammals lived here.
Today, Bornholm is the only place in Denmark where you can access layers containing traces of land-dwelling dinosaurs. Researchers know of around seven different types of dinosaur from Bornholm, based on finds including teeth and footprints.
Take a journey through time in Aakirkeby
In Aakirkeby, you can get close to Bornholm’s oldest stories.
At NaturBornholm, it is not just about looking at stones and fossils. Here, the island’s deep time becomes tangible. You can explore dinosaur tracks, earthquakes, ancient seabeds and the forces that have shaped Bornholm over millions of years.
That makes NaturBornholm a good place to begin, for children and adults alike. After your visit, you see the landscape around Aakirkeby with slightly different eyes. Hills, rocks and layers of earth are no longer just nature. They become traces.
Outside the town, the time travel continues. At Klintebakken, the granite of North Bornholm meets the sandstone of South Bornholm. Here, you can see for yourself the transition between the old granite bedrock to the north and the younger sandstone layers to the south.
Traces of royal power in the forest
Midtbornholm also holds another kind of history.
North of Aakirkeby, Almindingen spreads out. Here, Gamleborg and Lilleborg lie as traces of power, defence and life in the Middle Ages. Here, history is not kept behind glass. It lies among the trees, by the ramparts, in the ruins and on the trails through the forest.
Gamleborg is one of Bornholm’s oldest castle sites. Lilleborg later became a royal stronghold and today lies as a ruin on a rocky knoll in the forest. Both places are reminders that Midtbornholm was also an important centre of power and defence.
It is another way to meet history. You walk into it yourself. With the forest floor beneath your feet, birds above you and stones still left from a time when Bornholm was a strategic island in the Baltic Sea.
In the footsteps of old royal power
The story continues into the town itself, where the massive twin tower of Aa Kirke from the 12th century rises as a reminder of the time when Aakirkeby was the island’s powerful and religious centre.
The brick tower originally served as a real fortress against enemies, and the monumental building forms a beautiful bridge between the town’s streets and the historic landscape around it.
Ekkodalen calls
Not far from Aakirkeby, Ekkodalen opens up between forest and steep rock walls. Here, Midtbornholm feels wilder. The trail follows the valley through Almindingen, where the trees stand close and the rocks rise like dark backs in the landscape. It is a place where you feel Bornholm with your body. In the sound of footsteps on the forest floor, in the echo between the rocks and in the calm that settles when the town has faded into the distance. Ekkodalen is an obvious short trip from Aakirkeby, but it can also be the beginning of a longer day in Almindingen. From here, you can follow the trails onwards to viewpoints, castle sites and the vast forests in the middle of the island.
Come closerAlmindingen, at the heart of Bornholm
Almindingen is more than history, echo and rock walls. The forest is also a large outdoor recreation area in the middle of Bornholm. From here, you can begin the day in town, head out into the forest and still have the coast at Sømarken within reach.
In Almindingen, you can hike, cycle, run, ride or head out with a packed lunch in your backpack. The trails lead towards Ekkodalen, Lilleborg, Rokkestenen, lakes, viewpoints and the wild landscapes that make this area something special in the middle of Bornholm.
And if you are lucky, you may meet some of the forest’s most impressive residents. European bison live in Almindingen and move freely within a fenced area. The large animals give the forest an almost primeval weight, but remember to keep a good distance and follow the guidelines from Naturstyrelsen.
Around Rytterknægten, several of the forest’s trails and stories come together. Here, views, history and new ways to find your way into Almindingen meet, whether you arrive on foot or by bike.
Almindingen is also full of small surprises. One of them is Bornholms Brand Park, known as the world’s smallest permanent trotting track. Here, local sport, community and the forest’s special atmosphere meet in a way you only find here.
That is precisely Almindingen’s strength. Here, you can use nature actively without losing the connection to the history, the view and the shared experiences that have drawn people towards Rytterknægten for generations.
New life in the forest
At Rytterknægten, Bornholm’s highest point, the area has gained a new meeting point. Trailcenter Rytterknægten opened in spring 2025 and makes it easier to find your way into Almindingen’s many routes and tracks. Here, hikers, mountain bikers, school classes, families with children and locals who simply want to spend time in the forest come together. The trail centre lies by Kongemindet, where visitors have sought out the view for more than 170 years. The new centre builds on that tradition. The viewing tower still stands as a landmark, while maps, information points, a shelter area and a covered gathering space create new possibilities for spending time, learning and heading out into the forest.
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Local baking, town life and giant tarteletter
Aakirkeby is a natural shopping hub for all of Midtbornholm. Here, you will find everyday shops, specialist shops and small places to stop that make it easy to fill your bag before heading on into the forest, the landscape or towards the coast.
The town also has its own proud tradition of food craftsmanship. At Bager Dam, the crisp Bornholmerkiks are baked layer by layer with rye flour from the island and a recipe that has been part of Aakirkeby for more than 100 years. A small biscuit with a big local history.
The bakery also supplies the freshly baked tartelet shells for Ekkodalshuset’s famous giant tarteletter. A generous meal in the middle of Almindingen, which tastes especially good after a walk through Ekkodalen, between rocks, forest floor and fresh air.
Stardust in Sømarken
Can you capture the taste of Bornholm’s nature and lift it into international fine dining? The answer lies in the dunes by Sømarken south of Aakirkeby. Here, Kadeau Bornholm has created a restaurant that people travel for. Not despite its remote location, but because of it. Kadeau Bornholm has one Michelin star, and here culinary icon Nicolai Nørregaard, named Chef of the Year at the Gastro Awards 2026, reimagines the island’s wild ingredients, berries, herbs and proud traditions of preserving food. The sister restaurant Kadeau Copenhagen made history in 2026 with three Michelin stars, but the full Kadeau experience is still very much alive on Bornholm. Here, the restaurant has its original, grounded magic, closely tied to the nature it inhabits. This is where it all began. And this is where the story continues to develop. A gastronomic pilgrimage close to the sea, where you eat world-class food with views across the Baltic Sea and sand between your toes.
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Stay in Aakirkeby
You can use Aakirkeby as a calm base for an active holiday with hiking, cycling and trips into the forest. Or as a practical starting point from which you can head in several directions and still return to town when the day winds down. The special thing is the location. Here, you are not tied to one coast or one corner of the island. You stay in the middle of the landscape, close to the trails, the history, the tastes and the small detours that reveal new sides of Bornholm the more you explore.
Find good places to stay here
Use Aakirkeby as a base in Midtbornholm
Aakirkeby works well as a base, especially if you want to experience Bornholm from the centre of the island and head out in several directions.
From here, you can take a journey through time at NaturBornholm, follow the traces of royal power in Almindingen or find your own way into the wild landscapes around Midtbornholm. You can do it in a day, over a weekend or as part of a longer holiday on the island.
What makes Aakirkeby special is precisely the interplay. The town gives you a calm place to land. The surrounding landscape gives you somewhere to head out into.
And the closer you come to the landscape around Aakirkeby, the clearer it becomes how many stories are hidden in the middle of Bornholm.
Kyllingemoderen in the forest
By Christianshøjkroen in Almindingen lies Kyllingemoderen, a large wooden pavilion from 1929. It was originally built as an assembly hall and over time has hosted everything from communal meals and concerts to theatre and parties.
The unusual name quickly caught on locally. The building resembled the large tin funnel that was placed over chicks to keep them warm.
Today, Kyllingemoderen is still a gathering place in the middle of the forest. Among other things, Bornholms Sommerrevy fills the beautiful hall each year with life, laughter and local traditions.