Our Visit to Svendborg, Denmark
It's easy to see why Svendborg is one of Funen's hidden gems.
Svendborg turned out exactly as we pictured it: peaceful, quiet, and full of that historic atmosphere we love.
For us, Svendborg was one of the last stops before heading to Zealand. Svendborg is second only to Odense on Funen in size, but with just 30,000 people, we expected a small-town feel. And in many ways, that's exactly what we got.
Something else we picked up on in Svendborg was the lack of international tourists. Most people seemed to be passing through, to catch a ferry to Ærø or continue to Tåsinge and Langeland. It felt like a few were actually there just to visit the town.
I'm not sure if it was because we got to Svendborg late in the afternoon or just because the town isn't that well-known, but it felt like we were the only ones there. While the sea was a little restless due to the wind, Svendborg was incredibly quiet, and definitely quieter than we had expected.
Since we came to Svendborg not just for sightseeing but also to relax, we really enjoyed the fact that we didn't have to navigate through endless crowds. Simply, it was nice to just soak in the quiet seaside atmosphere. So, here's everything about our visit.
Where We Stayed in Svendborg
By the time we left the castle grounds, we still didn't know where we'd be staying overnight. We'd started early, and after seeing so much in both Odense and Egeskov, we definitely felt pretty tired.
It wasn't only that. We'd also been really active the past few days. So we figured that tonight we could treat ourselves to a nicer place to stay (as long as the price was right, right?).
Since we'd agreed to visit Svendborg, that's where we started looking. It took Lucie just a few seconds to check the hotels, mainly because we only looked at the first place that popped up in the search, with just one filter turned on: on-site parking.
We were really happy with our room at Christiansminde Hotel.
Christiansminde Hotel came up first, and it seemed to tick all the boxes. The only slight drawback was that it was around two kilometers from the harbor and the old town. But we actually liked the idea of staying somewhere peaceful and getting a chance to stretch our legs on the way into town.
We didn't think twice and booked a room. It turned out to be a great call. The room was bright and spacious and had everything we needed after a full day on Funen. Best of all, it came at a fairly decent price.
Naturally, Svendborg's town center had a few great hotels too. The first one we liked was, fittingly, Hotel Svendborg (four stars, modern design, and so on). The other was Hotel Ærø, with charming traditional interiors and views over the harbor.
Hotel Svendborg looked really nice, too.
What's There to See and Do in Svendborg
For once, we didn't come to a new destination to tick off a bunch of sights. Instead, we strolled along the waterfront, enjoyed the sea views, watched boats in the marina, wandered through the Old Town, and simply savored the rest of the day.
It was getting late in the afternoon when we left our room and made our way to Svendborg's center. Despite the deceptively nice weather, we still threw on our windproof jackets to stay warm.
Christiansminde Strand
Because our hotel was right by the beach, we made a short stop there first. It was a beautiful, sunny mid-September afternoon, but the wind was pretty strong, so it felt chilly, and the beach looked cold and not exactly welcoming.
The sandy stretch itself was nice enough, but the weather didn't feel beachy at all. Even so, if you visit Svendborg in the summer, Christiansminde Strand is well worth walking to from the town center.
We had a view of the beach right from the porch of our room.
Walking the Christiansminde Sti
Because our hotel was two kilometers south of the center, we took a twenty-minute walk along the beautiful Christiansminde Sti trail to reach it.
The first stretch of the walk was especially charming. To our right was a lush green forest, and to our left, the deep navy-blue waters of Svendborg Sound. A few joggers and cyclists passed by, but other than that, the path was mostly empty.
The Svendborg Sound was simply beautiful in the late afternoon.
Roughly halfway through the walk, the peaceful views ended with an S-bend, and we reached the edge of Svendborg's port. It was about as industrial as you'd imagine, and while definitely not pretty, it was still pretty fascinating.
Svendborg's Old Town
Our first steps in Svendborg led us to the harbor, but we didn't stick around since we planned to return later. So we turned away from the water and walked into the historic center, which spreads out on a hillside (no worries, it's an easy climb) just above the harbor.
We had no idea where to enter, but then we noticed a fairly new-looking staircase. We climbed it, and it led us straight to Møllergade, the main shopping street in Svendborg's historic district. Along the way to Møllergade, we caught sight of a windmill in a residential neighborhood up in the northern part of town. It's roughly a kilometer from the harbor if you're in the mood to explore every last corner of Svendborg. Having already seen windmills in Skagen and near Rubjerg Knude Fyr, we were fine just seeing this one from a distance.
Historic houses and cobblestone streets - that's Svendborg's town center.
Since it was already quite late, most of the shops were closed, and the street was pretty quiet. There was the usual lineup of fashion boutiques, cozy cafés, bakeries, and restaurants, basically, exactly what we expected on a street like this. A few restaurants looked very nice, and I'm not going to pretend we weren't getting hungry, but we wanted to catch the rest of this area in daylight, so we carried on.
Even the main square didn’t have many people around.
With the historic center being so compact, we soon ended up at Svendborg's main square (Svendborg Torvet, as it's called in Danish). The highlight here was Vor Frue Kirke, a 13th-century church that looked quite similar to the ones we saw in Ribe and Roskilde. It's open daily from 8 AM to 6 PM, but we arrived too late to visit. Not far from the square, there's also another medieval church, this one dedicated to Saint Nicolai.
While the church was beautiful, the building that really caught our eye was Wiggers Gård, a historic half-timbered house inspired by Renaissance-style architecture from Aarhus. It wasn't the only building of its kind in the historic center, but the golden sign probably made it stand out the most.
The historic Wiggers Gård is located right on the main square.
Danish Welfare Museum
About 500 meters west of the main square lies one of the most fascinating museums in Svendborg, the Danish Welfare Museum (Danmarks Forsorgsmuseum).
We knew the museum was already closed, but we still made the effort to see one of the region's best-preserved poorhouses from the outside and read a few historical notes along the way. There wasn't much to see, of course, but we still learned something, though the museum exhibition would obviously do a much better job.
So much history lies hidden behind these walls.
So, if you're curious about Denmark's welfare history and how the poorest were treated in this country between 1872 and 1974, this museum is definitely worth a visit. Admission is 110 DKK for adults, and it's typically open from 10 AM to 4 PM, closed on Mondays.
At this point, we decided to head back, take in a few more of those cobbled streets and pretty houses, and then slowly make our way to the harbor.
Svendborg's Harbor
After leaving the old town quarter, we made our way back to the harbor. Since we ended up on Brogade Street, we had to cross the railway tracks first. It was easily one of the cutest crossings we'd seen in Denmark, but that's not why we picked this route.
Lucie having some fun at the harbor.
We stayed on Brogade all the way to the port and arrived at Svendborg Færgehavn. This is the ferry terminal where boats to Ærø, Drejø, and other islands depart.
Right in front of us, we saw a beautiful 19th-century warehouse, now home to a maritime center that hosts cultural events and organizes sailing trips with old wooden ships to the South Funen Archipelago. But we weren't really into that at the moment, so our attention quickly shifted right toward the old harbor.
The maritime center was another beautiful building down by the harbor.
Svendborg's Old Harbor
At this point, we turned right and walked to Svendborg's Old Harbor (Den Gamle Havn in Danish). The old portside district we just explored was lovely, but I have to say the Old Harbor was easily my favorite spot in Svendborg.
Walking around the old harbor felt like stepping back in time.
The port was full of both classic and modern sailing ships, and since we could walk out onto a wooden pier (Sejlskibsbroen), we got to enjoy the stunning views with traditional dock buildings in the background. Since we arrived around sunset, the scene was simply magical.
Danmarks Museum for Lystsejlads
After that, we made our way back and crossed over to the island-like part of the harbor. Before long, we found one of the most fascinating places in this area, the Danmarks Museum for Lystsejlads, which holds around 130 vessels and tons of information on Denmark's maritime history.
We didn't get to go in since it was already too late, which was a shame because the temporary exhibition on Danish Olympic sailing history looked pretty cool. (Update: as of 2025, the museum seems to be closed and is currently relocating.)
Well, at least we saw one of the Olympic sailing boats.
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Svendborg Sign
At the end of the pier, we came across the colorful Svendborg Sign, the usual tourist photo spot. We happened to be there around sunset, and the views of Svendborg Sound were fantastic. A bit to the left, the rusting shipyard stood as a testament to Svendborg's shipbuilding past.
While we were there, I asked Lucie to take a photo of me with the sign. When I saw it later in our hotel room, I realized she'd accidentally turned 'Svendborg" into "Vendbor.' So, here's my attempt, without either of us in the shot.
Yeah, the Svendborg sign definitely looked better with all the letters in the frame.
As twilight fell over the harbor, we found a nearby bench, sat there for a while, and enjoyed the last moments of daylight from the pier. The view of the peaceful marina with the sky changing colors was beautiful.
At times, it looked like a quick shower or two might happen, but fortunately, it didn't. The fading light urged us to move, as we didn't want to walk back in total darkness. We still had to walk two kilometers back to our hotel.
Which Islands to Visit From Svendborg?
We spend our time in Svendborg just within town since we simply lacked time to explore beyond, but that's how it often is when it comes to traveling.
Anyway, Svendborg makes a great starting point for discovering the South Funen Archipelago, which is known to be home to a few dozen small islands. From the harbor, ferries depart regularly, making it easy to reach a few of them.
The most popular island is Ærø, home to the picturesque town of Ærøskøbing (it looked stunning in photos), walking and cycling trails, beaches, cliffs like Voderup Klint, and beautiful views of the Baltic Sea.
If you're looking to go further off the beaten path, try visiting Skarø or Drejø instead. They might not be as popular as Ærø, but they offer plenty of peace and quiet if that's the kind of escape you're after.
We started the next morning with a stunning sunrise over Tåsinge Island.
Obviously, you can just drive over to Tåsinge (home to Valdemars Slot) via the Svendborgsund Bridge, or keep going even further to Langeland Island (where you'll find the historic town of Rudkøbing, for instance).
If you have a bit of extra time, we recommend visiting at least one smaller island. We managed to see Rømø earlier while still in Jutland (the only one we had time for), and it was a great stop. And we think either of these islands would be just as good.
Parking in Svendborg
Ahead of our visit to Svendborg, I had marked two parking locations on the map. The first one, Voldgade Vest Parkeringsplads, was a sizable lot situated roughly a 10-minute walk from the harbor.
The other choice was Parkering Svendborg, which was positioned even closer. Both lots were paid, but looked ideal for a short visit to Svendborg. Since we decided to stay in Svendborg overnight, we parked at the hotel. This was, of course, the best option, as they didn't charge any extra fee.
A couple more choices include Centrumpladsen and Jessens Mole, but since they're smaller parking areas, they can often be full.
Getting to Svendborg
Even though Svendborg is technically located on the island of Funen, it's very easy to reach from both Jutland and Zealand, as well as from Odense, the largest city on Funen. We started our day in Odense, then drove to Egeskov Castle, and from there continued on to Svendborg.
We set off for Zealand the next day via the Great Belt Bridge (be sure to check our guide, as there's a toll), stopping first in the picturesque seaside town of Nyborg before visiting Trelleborg Fortress.
This journey lasted around 40 minutes, the same as heading straight from Odense via National Road 9 (essentially a motorway). Since Egeskov Castle was on the route, the detour only extended our trip by about 10 minutes. From Svendborg, it takes roughly 2 hours and 15 minutes to reach Copenhagen in Zealand, whereas Kolding in Jutland is just over an hour's drive.
We drove to Svendborg in our own car as part of our big road trip around Denmark. If that's not an option for you, check out rental car prices here. And if driving isn't how you travel, Svendborg is linked to the rest of Denmark by rail, bus, and ferry (by the way, the train station's just 300 meters from the ferry terminal, so getting around is really simple).
Travel Resources
Here you can find links to all the travel resources we use and which you might find helpful when planning your next holiday.
Accommodation: When looking for accommodation, we usually search hotels via Booking.com or Hostelworld.
Tours: Although we love to travel independently, some places are better to visit with a guided tour.
We prefer GetYourGuide for its easy-to-use interface and solid reputation. Another great alternative is Viator.
Rental Cars: When going on a road trip, we always use Rentalcars.com, a reliable site for booking a rental car in advance.
Flight Tickets: When looking for flight tickets, you can search Skyscanner to find the best price.
Travel Insurance: World Nomads and SafetyWing cover against risks of travel.
