Experience Funen (Fyn)

Visit the birth home of Hans Christian Andersen

A string of beautiful, quaint market towns lie along the coast. Odense, the large market town at the centre of Funen, has been preserved and restored to appear almost as it did in cherished author Hans Christian Andersen’s day. The old towns of Faaborg, Svendborg, Rudkøbing, and Ærøskøbing still bear signs of commerce and shipping. Lundeborg to the southeast, the beautiful shipping town of Troense on Tåsinge, and Marstal on Ærø are also worth a visit.

Northern and central Funen offer both gentle rolling hills and smooth plains furrowed by deep valleys with lakes and bogs. Southern Funen’s landscape mostly consists of lush hills. Svanninge Bakker north of Faaborg and Egebjerg Bakker north of Ollerup are the best-known hilly areas on Funen. An island archipelago is located south of Funen: Langeland, Tåsinge, and Ærø are the largest of the multitude of islands and islets. Many islands are home to rare birds, frogs, and plants, and the archipelago is also populated by seals and porpoises.

Historic memories

Traces of Funen’s first inhabitants are readily visible in the form of stone dolmens and passage graves – a few of which you can enter, such as Mårhøj Gravhøj on the Hindsholm peninsula and Hulbjerg Jættestue on Southern Langeland. At Lusehøj near Voldtofte there is an unusually large burial mound from the Bronze Age. At Ladby near Kertinge Nor, you can enter into a mound containing remains of a Viking ship, and in Northern Funen you can visit the Glavendrup stone ship, which has a large rune stone at its base.

There are more manor houses on Funen than any other Danish province, approximately 125 in fact, 30 of which are open to the public in different ways. Some mansions have been used as royal residences, while others were monasteries. The impressive buildings decorate the island’s landscape, and several boast beautiful parks and interesting art collections. Egeskov Slot, Krengerup, Valdemars Slot, and Broholm are particularly noteworthy

Top 10 activities on Funen (Fyn)

1. Bike riding on Hindsholm, from Kerteminde to the tip of Funen
2. Hiking the sand spit to Æbelø at low tide
3. Enjoying a beach vacation on Hasmark Strand – perhaps Funen’s best sandy beach
4. Horse riding on the 75 km Riding route on South-of-Funen
5. Hiking along the Øhavstien along the coastlines of the South-of-Funen Archipelago
6. Trout fishing in Helnæs
7. Mountain biking in Svanninge Bakker
8. Taking a kid-friendly bike trip on Ærø
9. Sea kayaking or taking a tour by dinghy from Strynø
10. Wreck and nature diving in the South-of-Funen Archipelago

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