By boat and other Bornholm, Denmark Transportation Tips

'Mode': TO
Category: Ship/Boat
Getting TO/AROUND: If you don't have your own boat, don't despair! To get to Bornholm, you can catch various ferries. A popular one even for Danes departs from Ystad in Sweden (where most sailings are by fast catamaran which takes roughly 1hr20 depending on conditions). There are even direct matching trains (Bornholmer Expressen) from Copenhagen to Ystad now that the bridge between Sweden and Denmark has opened, making this the fastest route for Copenhageners. Otherwise, Danes not wanting to fly also have the option of a slower (6 hrs) conventional ferry from Køge south of Copenhagen, which also does a night sailing.

Should you come from more continental Europe, there are ferries from Swinousje in Poland and Sassnitz in Germany too.

All ferries (apart from some summer only services from Poland to Nexø and Swedish Simrishamn to Allinge) arrive in Rønne which makes sense as the biggest town has everything you might need to stock up on before venturing off on your island adventure.

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Website: www.bornholmstrafikken.dk

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Bicycle
Getting TO/AROUND: Cycling is a fantastic way to get around the island. You can bring your own on the ferry or rent one in Rønne harbour as you get there, but also in any of the other major towns and villages. Several hostels and hotels also offer bike rentals. Contact the tourist information through the link on the intro page to get updated companies.

The island's southern third from Nexø to Rønne, and including the great beaches, is flat and invites to fast cycling or tours for less experienced, whilst the northern part is more demanding but hey, I am not particularly fit and I still enjoyed it. My main tip is to start with buying "Cycling on Bornholm" as I think the English version of a good Danish booklet is called (also a German edition) and which gives you all the numbered cycle paths with short info on the places you pass and potential obstacles on the paths. Those obstacles aren't many though, the worst probably being the "cycle steps" we negotiated a couple of times and which you can read and see more about under Warnings. Around Gudhjem, the coastal path is along the main road and quite narrow but otherwise the paths are only on less trafficked country lanes or on dedicated cycle paths most of the time. There is good signing in most places (we followed route 10 around the coast) and close between parking places with amenities.

Bornholm aims at being one of Europe's top five cycle tourism destinations in a few years and I'm sure they will succeed. Everywhere is geared up for biking with proper bike racks and fairly considerate car drivers (there are always idiots). We also left our panniers on the bikes at all time without anything stolen as did most others when visiting museums etc. on the road. If you want to know more about our trip, just mail me or have a look at pedal_fool's travelogue. You can also browse the official cycle portal below.

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Website: http://cykel.bornholm.info/

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Other
Getting TO/AROUND: Horse and carriage is a popular way to see small parts of Bornholm in summer. The most well-known is maybe the tours starting from Ekkodalen near Aakirkeby. There is also the horse tram in Svaneke and if you would rather sit on a horse yourself than in a carriage, there are several stables advertising on billboards in the villages, especially around the Dueodde area and in the forest.

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