Langeland is not your obvious holiday destination. It’s quite small and tucked away at the bottom of Funen in Denmark’s far south. But cross over those bridges and you’ll discover beautiful landscape, an abundance of beaches and charming places to visit; perfect for a quiet, relaxed break. It’s a place where I have visited family for a number of years, so these tips include some local recommendations.

Exploring nature

Langeland translates roughly to “Long Island” in English and lives up to that description, being 60 kilometres long and only 11 kilometres at its widest point. Its small size means you’re never far from the sea. It’s a great place for walking, cycling and swimming at the beach.

A unique feature of the island is its “hat hills” or “hat-shaped hills”. These are long straight rows of low, round hills created by a glacier during the last Ice Age.

There are over 1,000 of them on the island that run in parallel rows from the north to the south. The “hat hills” can be seen more clearly on the southern part of Langeland because they aren’t covered by as many trees as those in the north.

You can cycle through Hatbakke Himlen, walk up to the highest point of the cliff at Dovns Klint, or walk around Fakkebjerg to experience them.

There are a variety of shelters on Langeland for those wanting to camp with their own kit, including floating shelters at Lohals harbour on Tranekær, with glass roofs for looking at the stars.

With 152 kilometres of beaches, you are not short of bathing options. Many have shallow water which is great for children, such as Drejet beach at Spodsbjerg and Emmerbølle Strand. 

Just a short drive from Langeland is the charming town of Svendborg. Here you can take the ‘M/S Helge’ ferry for a ‘hop on and off’ cruise around southern Fyn. The ferry stops at Vindebyøre, Christiansminde, Troense, and Grasten, before going back to Svendborg. The whole trip takes two hours without stopping.

Places to visit

Bogby Langeland Gården is a well-regarded non-profit organisation. As well as running as a farm, dating back to 15-1600, it also serves as a second hand furniture and interiors store. Inside the building you’ll find many treasures, as well as a room containing an impressive collection of 30,000 books.

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Skovsgaard Manor and farm is owned by Denmark’s Fund for Nature (Den Danske Naturfond). There are activities for children to learn about a working farm, as well as bio-diversity and the environment.

Tranekær Slot is located in the north of Langeland and was built in the 12th century. It is the oldest inhabited building in Denmark. Although the castle itself is not open to the public, visitors can visit the large English-style castle park.

Also at Tranekær is the castle mill (Slotsmølle), which you can explore inside and if you’re lucky, see how the mill works while flour is being ground. There’s a museum on the first floor and even an area to buy coffee and cake. It’s open Monday-Thursday during the summer, Tuesday and Thursday during September and October and then closes until Easter.

Then to really make your stay a memorable one, you can head to the south of Langeland and crawl through a prehistoric burial chamber.

Hulbjerg Jættestuen, 500 metres southwest of Fakkebjerg, is a passage grave dating from 3200 BC, the Neolithic Age.  Unlike many prehistoric sites, here you can actually crawl through the long passageway to visit the stone-built burial chamber.

The excavated objects are on exhibition at the Langeland Museum in Rudkøbing, the main town, including a skull that shows evidence of the only case of dental drilling known from prehistoric Denmark.

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Shops and places to eat

Rudkøbing is Langeland’s main town. It’s a cozy old market town with cobbled roads, where you can find some lovely little shops. The book shop close to the tourist office is a great stop off, to find maps and guides to the island, where the owner is happy to help with recommendations. 

Little Village People in Rudkøbing has classic Scandinavian sustainable clothing and homeware and is conveniently close to a good coffee shop and cheese shop.

For great traditional pastries, try the bakery in Humble and Stæhrs bakery in Tullebølle.

To experience freshly grown fruit, it’s worth stopping off at the fruit orchard Strandlyst, which is located by the sea with a view of the Langeland Bridge. 

Strandlyst is open all year and you can buy cold-pressed apple juice, cider, honey and jams from the farm shop. From July to April, you can buy sweet cherries, plums, apples and pears. 

Kaos is located in Lohals at the northern tip of Langeland and serves high quality food with a focus on local and international ingredients.

Bagenkop Kro at the south of the island has a great fish buffet. It’s very popular so worth booking in advance.