48 Hours on Denmark's Island of Fyn

by Marcia Simon
all photos by Marcia Simon ©2024

Svendborg is located at the southern tip of Fyn (aka Funen in English.) photo by Marcia Simon ©2024

​To experience Denmark's nature and culture outside Copenhagen's city limits, take a few days to meander around the country roads, castles, archipelago and bike paths on the island of Fyn (aka Funen in English.)
 
Most tourists in Denmark don't make it past Copenhagen's city borders, and that's okay for a short trip because there are plenty of eye-opening adventures within the city. But, because Copenhagen's intriguing vibe puts it on the list of destinations threatened by overtourism*, getting out of town for a few days gives you a better overall perspective of the country's true landscape and culture.
 
There are plenty of options for a day or weekend trip to get away from the peak-season city crowds. Fyn is one of those options, and less than two hours by train or car from Copenhagen. Fyn is the island in the middle of Denmark, between the two main land masses of Zealand (the region that includes capital city Copenhagen to the east) and Jutland (to the west where you'll find the cities of Aarhus, Aalborg and the country's west coast sandy beaches.)
 
Denmark's well-connected system of trains and buses makes it quite easy to hop a ride from Copenhagen's Central Station to Odense, the anchor spot in the middle of Fyn (pronounced "foon" in Danish.) Odense, best known as the birthplace of fairytale author Hans Christian Andersen, is the largest city on the island and the third largest city in Denmark. Depending on your travel preferences, you might anchor in Odense with an ample variety of hotels and restaurants in the city or Old Town, and day trips and tours to see the highlights of Fyn.
 
Or... continue by train or bus, or rent a car or a bicycle, to explore the island on a deeper level, which is what I did on a recent trip. We rented a car in Odense and headed south, taking backroads for a stop at Egeskov Slot (Slot means Castle in Danish.)

​Built as a village manor house in the 1400s, Egeskov was transformed into a highly fortified fortress, commissioned by local landowner Frands Brockenhuus. The work was completed in 1554, and today Egeskov is considered one of the best-preserved moated Renaissance castles in Northern Europe. Brockenhuus was among the King’s inner circle of trusted advisors and one of the "most cultured" men of his time. He climbed the ranks to become commander of the Danish army. He died in battle during the Seven-Year War with Sweden.
 
Heading farther south, the two main ports with ferries to the outer islands at the southern tip of Fyn are Faaborg and Svendborg. We opted for Svendborg and stayed at the hotelaeroe.dk/en/Hotel Ærø.

​The location is ideal for a short walk to the ferry dock to visit the smaller island of Ærø, and to a fun outdoor dining area where you can enjoy a local craft beer or cocktail with a light bite while you watch the boats and slow island life at the water's edge.
 
The island of Aero has two places within a 10-minute walk of the ferry dock where you can rent bikes for a full day. A "regular" seven-speed bike is 100 DKK (about USD $15) or 250 DKK (USD $36) for an e-bike. We rode at a leisurely pace along the beach and rolling meadows, stopping often to take photos, pop into a distillery and enjoy a casual lunch. It was a delightful day, ending with a relaxed dinner at a cute Italian restaurant near our hotel back in Svendborg.
 
Heading back to Copenhagen, we stopped at three castles before leaving Fyn. One, Broholm Castle, is now a hotel and restaurant. 

Of the two other two castles we visited that day, one had been turned into an event venue for meetings, weddings and other catered events; the other was a private home. Driving toward the mainland, we crossed the Great Belt Bridge, the fourth longest suspension bridge in the world, that connects Fyn and Zealand.
 
Two and a half days didn't seem like enough time to explore Fyn beyond the surface. With more than 1200 km (746 miles) of bicycle trails, this seems to be a perfect place to pack light and let the day unravel. If island hopping is your thing, consider staying at a hotel on one of the islands in the archipelago.
 
*Overtourism refers to a destination that becomes so popular that its infrastructure can't efficiently accommodate the influx of people during peak travel season. In other words, spontaneity becomes less possible – your first-choice hotels and restaurants may be full, you wait in line for the attractions you've heard about, and vendors can raise their prices because they know people will pay.

Marcia Simon,  APR, CTA, is a travel writer and an IATA-accredited travel advisor specializing in Scandinavia.
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