Things to do in Bornholm

Best time to visit Bornholm

• a note or something on   ✦ an occasion worth the trip

• May and June

  Greenest and quietest good weather; restaurants open from mid-May

• July and August

  Peak; everything open, book everything, best beaches

• September

  Harvest calm, still swimmable early in the month, easy bookings

• October to April

  Much closes; stark and beautiful for self-catering walkers, not for food trips

What's on

• Bornholm Culture Week September

  Concerts and events across the island

Best things to do in Bornholm

• Hammershus Castle Ruins

  Free

  Northern Europe's largest castle ruin on a sea cliff; walk the walls free.

• Kadeau Bornholm

  $$$$

  Starred island cooking in a farmhouse; the splurge dinner.

• Østerlars Church

  $

  Biggest of Bornholm's four round churches, with medieval frescoes.

• Gudhjem

  Free

  Steep harbor town with smokehouses and the Christiansø ferry.

• Svaneke Røgeri

  $$

  Benchmark smokehouse lunch: the full smoked-fish plate at the harbor.

• Hammerknuden

  Free

  Granite headland trail past Opalsøen; the wildest coastal walk.

• Døndalen

  Free

  Denmark's tallest waterfall in a wooded valley; best after rain.

• Svaneke

  Free

  Half-timbered town with brewery, chocolaterie and glassblowers.

Best restaurants in Bornholm

• Lassen's

  $$$

  Beach-hotel restaurant with five-course menu; visit even as a non-guest.

• Restaurant Det Røde Pakhus

  $$$$

  Acclaimed modern Scandinavian cooking in a red harbor warehouse.

• Pony

  $$$

  Nordlandet hotel's gourmet restaurant with sea-view dining room.

• Christianshøjkroen

  $$

  Old coaching inn with classic Danish inn cooking; good with kids.

• Det Gamle Posthus

  $$

  Traditional Danish dishes in the 1905 post office building.

• Vinøst

  $$

  Wine bar and bistro with French dishes from island produce.

Best coffee in Bornholm

• Svaneke Chokoladeri

  $

  Chocolatier on the square; truffles and flødeboller.

• Kalas Is

  $

  Harbor ice cream café with house-made local-milk ice cream.

Outdoor things to do in Bornholm

• Dueodde Beach

  Free

  Kilometres of white sand; the island's best swimming.

• Bornholm coastal cycle route

  Free

  230 km of signed routes; the Allinge to Gudhjem stretch is prettiest.

• Opalsøen

  Free

  Flooded quarry lake with the island's most dramatic swim.

• Almindingen

  Free

  Interior forest with Denmark's highest point and the Ekkodalen echo valley.

• Slotslyngen

  Free

  Coastal heather walk south from Hammershus with ruin-from-below views.

Best hotels in Bornholm

• Stammershalle Badehotel

  $$$

  Classic beach hotel north of Gudhjem with sea views and big breakfast.

• Melsted Badehotel

  $$$

  Smaller food-focused beach hotel south of Gudhjem.

• Hotel Gudhjem

  $$

  Simpler in-town hotel above the harbor.

• Nordlandet

  $$$

  Minimalist seafront hotel where every room faces the sea.

• Allinge Badehotel

  $$

  Small warmly run hotel with doorstep breakfast service.

• Griffen Spahotel

  $$

  The island's big spa hotel; good rainy-day reset.

• Fredensborg Hotel

  $$

  Rønne hotel known for its lavish seafood buffet dinner.

Is Bornholm expensive? What a day costs

A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room

What to book ahead

• Kadeau Bornholm: weeks ahead
• Christiansø: a few days ahead
• Lassen's: a few days ahead
• Restaurant Det Røde Pakhus: weeks ahead
• Pony: a few days ahead
• Stammershalle Badehotel: weeks ahead
• Melsted Badehotel: weeks ahead
• Hotel Gudhjem: weeks ahead

• Summer car ferries: weeks ahead
• Kadeau and Det Røde Pakhus: weeks ahead in summer
• Christiansø ferry for summer weekends
• Gudhjem beach hotels for July: 2-3 months ahead

Is Bornholm safe?

• Very safe island. Hazards are the unfenced cliffs at Hammerknuden and rocky north-coast swimming. Emergency: 112.

Bornholm travel tips: tourist traps to skip

• Sol over Gudhjem at tourist harbor cafés can be tired and pricey; eat at a real røgeri
• Rushing all four round churches; see Østerlars properly instead
• Harbor amber souvenirs are often imported

Getting around Bornholm: public transport and more

• Ferry from Køge or Ystad to Rønne; book cars ahead in summer
• Flights Copenhagen-Rønne are 35 minutes
• A car is close to essential for multi-day stays
• Bikes suit the north and east coasts

Who Bornholm suits

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