Fanø: The Island of Kites

Fanø, what the heck is that. Well..it’s an island off the west coast of Denmark.

Fun fact (btw these are veeery subjective): Did you know Ø means island in danish?

To get to Fanø we took a 3h direct train from Copenhagen to Esbjerg, and then we were lucky to catch immediately a bus and ferry without having to wait.

Things get serious when you have to take a ferry to get to your destination. I felt like Leonardo Di Caprio in The Beach (hopefully some of you have seen the movie and get the reference) to get there. The ferry trip is very short around 10 minutes, but if you go on the outside deck of the ferry you will get a ton of wind and a new hairstyle once you reach land. Not surprisingly, this island hosts the largest kite festival in the world every year!

Nature

On the island the main attractions are: the nature, go to the beach, bike ride across the island, and walk and explore the small villages.

As soon as you get to your summer house, you really start feeling you are a isolated from the rest of the world. It is a bit like staying on a small retreat and shut off from the world. You feel you are surrounded by nature. It is not uncommon to look outside the window and see a deer or some hare munching on some grass. There are also a lot of birds on the island. Fanø is located in the Wadden Sea National Park which is internationally known as a resting place for millions of migratory birds, and more than 10 million of them pass through the Wadden Sea twice a year.

First day: Tour of Nordby

The first day was a bit gray, but it turned out better in the afternoon. We spent our first day in Nordby. It was nice to walk around the narrow streets, old houses with thatched roofs and see the colorful gardens. There are not many attractions to see but it was nice to go into the little shops selling clothes or traditional antiques. One interesting thing we learnt by seeing the windows of houses was to see a pair of sculpture dogs on the window standstills – when someone is home they are turned inwards, while when someone is out, they are turned towards the road.

History tip: Faience dogs from England (also known as “Staffordshire dogs”) were a popular souvenir for sailors to give to their wives who stayed at home. Within a short time, the following tradition developed: The dogs were always placed in pairs in the windows of the houses. If the dogs’ line of sight was toward the road, it meant that the man of the family was at sea and the family was awaiting his safe return. On the other hand, if they looked into the room, the man of the family was at home.

Wandering the streets of Nordby made us hungry, so at lunch, we managed to find the most beautiful place called Haven Fanø. We were so happy with our choice and try some local Fanø sandwhich salmon. Fresh sourdough bread and not at all dry. We definitely recommend going there and eat in the little garden outside if you ever get the chance.

Next morning: Sønderho

We woke up and had breakfast on the terrace. One thing that we miss of Fanø was to enjoy eating outside. Whatever time of day, breakfast, lunch, dinner, we loved our terrace. Unfortunately it is a luxury we do not have in Copenhagen. After basking in the sun in our armchairs it was time to continue with the day and bike to Sønderho, a nearby village, around a 10 km bike ride.

Fun fact: Did you know Sønderho was named Denmark’s most beautiful village in 2011 and has 269 inhabitants?

Pro tip: If you are into good food and staying a summer overnight in a small little cottage there is Sønderho Kro, one of Denmark’s oldest guesthouses.

We were very excited to bike and get some fresh air. We had a relaxing 10 km bike ride but not all things went as expected though! Unfortunately, when we arrived we locked our bikes, and immediately found out that we took the wrong bike keys to lock our bike. After a couple of tries, we planned that we would have to walk back home after taking a tour of Sønderho and come back and collect the bike by car later.

In Sønderho we wandered around and enjoyed the slow quiet life. We loved to see the thatched houses, tiny streets which resemble a labyrinth and just enjoy the small gardens. We also managed to see the old Windmill which has been converted to a museum.

The return 2h hour walk felt endless back home under the sun. Our feet were hurting and swollen by the time we got back! 🥲

Third day: Beach

After the previous tiring day, we thought we would just go for a walk , perhaps on the dunes of the island. It took us about 30-45 minutes to get to Fanø Bad the closest adjacent village, just in time to have a nice cup of coffee before lunch.

The most fascinating thing about Fanø is the beach and the fact you can DRIVE on it. Yes, with your car! The beach is so wide and so flat that lots of people drive right to the front of the shore, park, and go for a swim.

On the beach, there were these cool three-wheeled go-kart called Blokart with a windsurf sail that we wanted to try. We foolishly booked a full hour timeslot, and by the end of it our back hurt and we could not feel our fingers anymore from holding the rope and steer the handlebar to make your kart go faster or slower. We were a bit disappointed with the pre-established circuit route and only be allowed to go in 8 , apart from that we were happy we tried it and it was a blast!

Dinner with grilling

After the blokart, we went to the supermarket to get some coal as we wanted to grill for dinner, and I saw this amazing device for old people (or lazy young people like myself?) and found it super interesting. It is a machine where you place your basket, and it will elevate it for you so you don’t have to lean down! I love these kind of things. I thought to myself that it must also be for all the people who tried blokart during the afternoon and have a broken back!

Conclusion: a “hyggeligt” island

Fanø is an embodiment of scandinavian hygge. Cosy cafes, charming old houses, bike rides, and long walks by the sea. In the evening there is less light pollution and you can enjoy the night sky. On the rainy days you can stay inside and have a warm drink. We absolutely loved it. You really manage to de-stress and slow down and focus on what is important in life, enjoy the little things and be present.

I made a little reel on instagram if you want to take a look to get a feeling of the island. Hope you like and follow if you enjoy reading the blog, it motivates me to keep writing these posts. See you on the next one!

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