Bornholm – A Lovely Danish Island
Bornholm was recently voted number two best island in Europe by the readers of Condé Nast Traveller. An impressive recognition from the readers of one of the largest travel magazines in the world. I visited Bornholm for the first time with my school approximately 17 years ago, and I remember it as a lovely experience. I have since thought of visiting Bornholm again, and recently I went back and had a lovely time on the island. It was out of season, and the number of tourists visiting was very different than in the busy summer season. I travelled on the overnight ferry from Køge in Denmark to reach the island, and I left the island with Ystad, Sweden, as the destination. Geographically Bornholm is closer to Sweden but is part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
So what makes Bornholm such a special island? I think it’s not limited to one specific thing, but nature is the main reason to visit the island, in my opinion. I enjoyed a long walk near Hammershus, Scandinavia’s largest medieval fortification, which is probably the island’s biggest attraction. Christiansø is a smaller island close to Bornholm that is ideal for visiting on a day trip, as I did years ago on a school trip. This time I had the pleasure of visiting a local church, where I was invited for lunch afterwards. Food is another big reason to visit Bornholm, and there is something for different budgets, from a Michelin-starred restaurant with a focus on local ingredients to cheaper traditional restaurants. Before my trip to Bornholm, I had already enjoyed Svaneke Is several times, and I decided to visit their small ice cream café to taste some of the best ice creams we have in Denmark. Lovely and highly recommended. I would like to visit Bornholm again in the future and explore more of the great local food.
There are a number of great hotels on the island, with Fredensborg Badehotel probably being the best. I selected it for my two-night stay, and it was a great decision. The hotel exceeded my expectations with friendly service, a beautiful contemporary room, a very comfortable bed, and an impressive breakfast buffet, including several organic products.
For more information about Bornholm, you can visit Bornholm.info
