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Bornholm - the Danish island not to be missed and a unique place to visit in Denmark!

Bornholm is a slow-paced Baltic island, west of the Etholmene Islands. Lying off the coasts of Sweden and Poland, Bornholm receives many hours of sunshine and the extraordinary, pure light has always attracted artists to the island. Bornholm presents the Danish landscape in a nutshell; it is hilly and fertile with fields and large forests. It's the only place in Denmark where you can walk out on craggy, granite coastline. Bornholm is a truly special island with a unique culture and history. See the famous round churches, both fortress and place of worship, and the island's many smoke houses, where you can sample regional delicacies.

Itinerary

Arrival by flight on own at Bornholm Airport. Pick up a rental car and drive to your hotel in Rønne. Hotel Griffen is situated close to Rønne's town centre on the island's west-coast. As a guest at this hotel, you have free access to the spa and wellness facilities (minimum age 16 years). The spa has been named after quartz crystals that are embedded in rock, found along the island's coastline. The decoration of the spa area is performed by the best artists of Bornholm. The spa area covers 1,000m2 of indoor and outdoor areas. Relax in the jacuzzi while you soak up the stunning sea view. Quench your thirst with fruit and drinks from the refreshments bar. Give yourself an energizing foot bath with the special sea salt blends. In the evening, drive to Allinge to enjoy a dinner at one of the best seafood restaurants on Bornholm (included), “Nordbornholms Røgeri”, situated in the centre of Allinge with a beautiful view to the sea and the rocks of Bornholm. Here you will enjoy a well-prepared and very popular seafood-buffet of home-smoked delicacies. After dinner, drive back to the hotel.

Accommodation at Hotel Griffen, or similar

Breakfast at the hotel. Today, you may start by driving north towards Hasle, a small fishing village, and continue through the beautiful landscape, to Hammershus (FOC). Experience the largest castle ruin in Northern Europe and the most popular attraction on Bornholm. The oldest part of the fortress was built in the early 12th century to consolidate control of the island by the Archbishop of Lund. Through many years, Hammershus was the stronghold of the island's various rulers. Experience the castle itself and the magnificent scenery at Hammerknuden. In the old castle yard by the entrance to Hammershus you will find an informative exhibition with several models of the entire fortification and details of the castle. You can also try on armor - but watch out, it's heavy. After your visit to Hammershus, continue the tour on the north-east coast towards Gudhjem. Gudhjem is one of Bornholms most famous towns. Come to Gudhjem and discover a highly distinctive Bornholm archipelago with beautiful houses, vigorous gardens and dramatic cliffs. You may take a stroll down the narrow streets and visit some of the local shops and restaurants. We recommend a visit to Baltic Sea Glass, situated just outside Gudhjem. Bornholm is famous for its glass-blowing art, and in 1991, the owners Jönsson and Hunner opened a studio in a converted egg farm. Today, Baltic Sea Glass annually welcomes 80,000 – 100,000 visitors to the studio. With a base in design and production of functional tabletop glassware, Jönsson and Hunner concentrate their energy in creating one-of-a-kind works for gallery and museum exhibitions throughout the world.

Accommodation at Hotel Griffen, or similar

Breakfast at the hotel. Check out and drive from the hotel to Bornholm airport. Flight out on own.

Breakfast at the hotel. Today we recommend a visit to Svaneke, where you may want to explore the well-preserved half-timbered houses, situated in the cliffs all the way from the harbor. The streets are turning and twisting and between the old stone fences you will find vigorous cliff gardens with for example mulberries and figs. Visit “Svaneke Bolcher” where you will see how they make hard candy the old fashioned and traditional way and you may mix and buy your own candy-bag to bring on your tour (not included). Your tour today includes lunch at “Svaneke Røgeri” which is a smokehouse, situated in Svaneke. Here you will enjoy a home-smoked lunch, called “Traditionel Solstrejf”, which is one of the most popular lunch-dishes on Bornholm.  The dish consists of a smoked herring served with a raw egg yolk, radishes, chives and rye bread. After lunch, continue to Nexø and Dueodde beach which is one of the best beaches of Europe. The sand is ultra-fine and inviting and the water is clear and clean with lots of sand bars, so there is both shallow and deep water close to the shore. Enjoy some time at Dueodde and drive back to the hotel in the afternoon/evening.

Accommodation at Hotel Griffen, or similar

Breakfast at the hotel. Today we recommend a visit to Østerlars Round Church (not included), situated near Gudhjem. Østerlars Round Church is the largest round church on Bornholm. The church has about 120,000 visitors a year and is one of the main sights on the island. Dedicated to St Laurentius, Østerlars Round Church is regarded as the oldest of the four churches at Bornholm, even though it is not known precisely when the churches were built. The church dates back to 1150, and was used both as a place of worship and for protection against enemies from the sea. The roof was added much later when the church had lost importance as a defensive structure. The Østerlars Round Church is normally open to visitors when there is no service and for a token charge (1,5 EUR) you can visit both the church and climb up to the rafters. Continue your tour with a visit to Bornholms Medieval Centre (entrance included). Here you can spend some time experiencing daily life in a peasant society from around 1350 to 1450. The Medieval Centre of Bornholm is a historical visitor centre that nestles beautifully in the hills just a few hundred meters from Østerlars Round Church. The Medieval Centre of Bornholm gives you a living, sensory experience by letting you see, smell and touch medieval scenes involving people, animals, houses, a watermill and a fortified rampart. Try out some of the foot soldier's equipment on the rampart, shoot a bow and arrow, and, at set times, hear a cannon and harquebus being fired. Everyday life is as realistic as possible and the reality also includes working craftsmen and peasants going about their chores. After your visit to the Medieval Centre, we recommend a visit to Bornholm’s Butterfly Park in Nexø (not included) where you will find a big tropical glass house bursting with a variety of sounds, smells and colours – produced by flowers, plants, birds and especially by more than 1000 large and bright coloured butterflies that fly around freely. In the impressive park you may witness the butterflies' fantastic change from egg to caterpillar and chrysalis – and finally the last change into a richly coloured butterfly. Parrots and other vividly coloured birds fly freely around the exotic plants.

Accommodation at Hotel Griffen, or similar

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