Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The town economy, once rich with the windjammer trade, hit the rocks in
modern times. Kids 15 to 18 years old go to a boarding school in Svendborg;
many don't return. It's an interesting discussion: Should the island folk pickle
their culture in tourism, or forget about the cuteness and get modern?
Planning Your Time
You'll regret not setting aside a minimum of two nights for your Ærøskøbing
visit. In a busy day you can “do” everything you like—except relax. If ever
a place was right for recreating, this is it. I'd arrive in time for an evening
stroll, dinner, and the Night Watchman's tour (21:00 nightly in summer). The
next morning, do the island bike tour, returning by midafternoon. You can see
the town's three museums in less than two hours (but note that they all close
by 17:00 in summer, even earlier off-season), then browse the rest of your
daylight away. Your second evening is filled with options: Stroll out to the
summer huts for sunset, watch the classic sailing ships come in to moor for
the evening (mostly Dutch and German boats crewed by vacationers), watch
a movie in the pint-sized town cinema, go bowling with local teens, or check
out live music in the pub.
Note that during the off-season (basically Sept-May), the town is quite
dead and may not be worth a visit. Several shops and restaurants are closed,
the Night Watchman's tour stops running, and bad weather can make a bike
ride unpleasant.
Ærøskøbing is tiny. Everything's just a few cobbles from the ferry landing.
Tourist Information
The TI, which faces the ferry landing, is a clearinghouse for brochures pro-
moting sights and activities on the island, has info on other Danish destin-
ations, can help book rooms, rents small electric cars (300 kr/half-day, 500
kr/day, reserve a day or two in advance, available June-Aug only), and of-
fers Internet access and Wi-Fi (late-June-mid-Aug Mon-Fri 9:00-18:00, Sat
