Bornholm in summer

Every year in early summer we go to Bornholm and we go to Bornholm so early because in the north of Mecklenburg the summer holidays have always started so early lately. The good thing about it is that then there is no vacation in Denmark and we have the Danish island almost to ourselves.

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The journey from Germany to Bornholm

The journey to the ferry is always exciting because you never really know what the traffic situation is, as there are a lot of Germans on the way to the island of Rügen and the island of Rügen is pretty full in summer. On the B96, if we have made it through to the Sassnitz ferry port, we then line up in a queue with cars waiting for the ferry. It is always exciting to see which ferry it is this time. We hope from Povl Anker, who has been serving in ferry traffic for 40 years.

When we are on the ferry, we look for a nice place, because you have to survive three and a half hours with children first and then it usually happens relatively quickly that we get a coffee or the children want french fries or something similar. The on-board shop and the on-board restaurant ensure that you are well looked after during the crossing and the ferry hardly rocks because the Baltic Sea is usually relatively calm, so the crossing is a nice experience for everyone and after three hours you can see on the horizon also the island of Bornholm and approaching the port of Rönne. Then it’s time to pack all your things again, stow everything in the car and get off the ship.

And when we then leave the ship, the summer vacation begins for us on Bornholm. The weather is almost always nice, it is early evening and we drive to our holiday home. We take a different holiday home almost every year in order to gradually get to know other regions or holiday homes. Depending on where you have booked, from a holiday home portal or privately, the key hangs in a small safe on the house or you can pick it up somewhere. But you always get your key in the evening and come to the holiday home of your choice. Yes, then we first take a look at the surrounding area and usually run to the beach. And then the vacation begins. Often we have brought the makeshift food with us so that you can survive the first day. Sometimes we go straight to a market like Dagli Brugsen or Netto Markt and buy a few Danish specialties there.

If you come to Bornholm in mid-June, you can take part in the summer solstice celebration with beautiful campfires and a party atmosphere.

You can see that nature on Bornholm is not quite as advanced as it is in Germany, this is due to the cooling Baltic Sea climate all around and that brings us to the great advantage of Bornholm: It just doesn’t get as hot in summer as in Germany. So you have a very pleasant climate because it doesn’t get as cold as in Germany. The temperature fluctuations are much smaller. Due to the cooling Baltic Sea all around, which is maybe 18 degrees, it doesn’t get much colder and not much warmer than 24 to 25 degrees.

Places to visit in summer

Snogebaek is a small picturesque village on Bornholm. The place is in the south of the island not far from Dueodde and there is an infrastructure here. There are shops, ATMs, a pizzeria with great pizza, e fashion boutiques, a steak restaurant, so everything you need. The next bigger place is Nexoe. The writer Martin Andersen Nexö named himself after this place and here you will find many more possibilities. There is a NETTO market, other discount stores, shops that are equipped as well as Rewe, bookstores, restaurants, so everything your heart desires.

In the early summer you should definitely take a tour to Gudjhem, because in the further course of the summer, even if the Danes and the Swedes and the Norwegians have vacation, it gets very crowded here – by Danish standards. In the first week of July, Gughjem is still calm and tranquil and preparations for the main season are only just underway. You can experience the same thing from mid-August when the Danish holidays are over again, you may still be free yourself and can be there.

You have to visit Hammershus in summer. Hammershus is the oldest knight’s castle in Northern Europe and the largest still partially preserved.The castle is located high in the north of Bornholm, above the island and from here you have an incredible panoramic view over the sea to the pea island but also over the island of Bornholm itself. The sunsets are phenomenal here. That’s why many people come here in the evenings. It is therefore essential to bring a few picnic items with you, perhaps a pad to sit on, something to drink and something to eat, and on clear summer evenings you can enjoy the view over the sea and the sunset.

In summer, the Medieval Center also has many offers for families. The Medieval Center is modeled on a medieval city and during the summer people live here like in the Middle Ages. You can visit the Medieval Center, go inside the houses and do archery and you can go on a treasure hunt. To do this, you register at the entrance of the Medieval Center and receive a treasure hunt backpack with equipment and this backpack also contains the tasks for the treasure hunt and with this treasure hunt you get to know the island of Bornholm very well in a few days.

Bathing on Bornholm

Swimming is possible all over the island. All around are bathing opportunities that differ, however. While you will find wide, sandy beaches in the holiday home area in the south, you will find more rocky bays, also with diving platforms in the north of the island, as this part of Bornholm is rocky and rugged.

Forest fire hazard

In summer it is quite dry on Bornholm, so that nature is more and more parched and the risk of forest fires increases. We have already seen several times that small forest fires occurred spontaneously and the fire brigade had to move out. The Bornholm fire brigade is quick and usually gets things under control. Nevertheless, one should be very careful with the fire. Since holiday homes are often located in the forest, even the flying sparks from a grill can lead to a fire.

Return from Bornholm to Germany

The ferries back from Bornholm to Germany often start very early in the morning, so you often have to leave the holiday home at 7 or 8 a.m. to get the ferry on time. It usually takes half an hour to get to the ferry. You don’t have to be there much earlier. It is of course ideal if you have rented the holiday home including final cleaning, so that you don’t have to worry about cleaning in the morning. On the ferry you can experience relaxed Danish travel for the last time, before you end up in the German traffic chaos on the island of Rügen and have to make your way back to your home town. It has proven to be very useful to simply spend another two days on the island of Rügen and then drive off the island counter-cyclically when the traffic is not quite as heavy.

Summer vacation on the island of Bornholm is a break from Germany and allows wonderful, relaxing summer vacation days, especially in the Danish off-season.