Have a Taste of Svendborg – and Make a Friendly Deal

Svendborg is one of the most charming shopping towns in Denmark, and Svendborg’s pedestrian streets are buzzing in a truly infectious way. Try visiting on a Saturday morning and be part of the crowd going from one specialty shop to the next and moving between market stalls on the town square. You also get the chance to observe the townspeople’s favourite pastime: seeing someone they know, stopping for some light conversation, exchanging stories of the past week, and then moving on to the next chance encounter. The people of Svendborg simply love to take their time and enjoy themselves.

Svendborg’s town centre offers charming cafés, busy pedestrian streets, and great shopping in a wide range of highstreet stores and specialty shops selling unique artisanal items as well as delicious gourmet products – and remember to explore the town’s side streets and hidden courtyards, too. Just make sure that you have plenty of time: you’re very likely to be held up by some nice music and cheerful conservation!

TOP-CLASS GASTRONOMY

Whisky and gin winning one international award after the other, organic ice cream from Skarø served on Singapore Airlines flights, top-class restaurants, and bold microbreweries. If your heart is beating for the culinary world, Svendborg is a great place for a visit.

Lunch With A View

Try getting a picnic basket at one of the town’s many delicatessen shops and head for Skansen, a picturesque meadow with freely grazing cattle located by the water on the opposite side of the Svendborgsund strait.

If you prefer an attentive waiter serving you delicious courses, there are a wide selection of cafés and restaurants lining the streets in the town centre. You can also find restaurants in the charming courtyards and even on a boat in the harbour. In Svendborg, you have every opportunity to please your senses.

Food In The Wild

One of the current culinary trends is gathering your own ingredients and cooking them over an open fire. Now you can learn how to do just that by participating in the Vildmarksmad (Wilderness Food) event, organised by local food society Kulinarisk Sydfyn. Learn new skills and enjoy a locally sourced meal outdoors and in an exciting social setting. For more information, go to visitsvendborg.com

Vibrant Culture on the Shipyard Island

The shipyard buildings – the oldest being from the World War I era – are now home to art galleries and artisanal workshops, as well as a bike repair shop, a concert venue, and the Danish Yachting Museum, to name a few of the occupants.

Along the quay, you can rent boats, play pétanque, or consume the contents of your picnic basket – or enjoy the metropolitan vibe at the beach bar while watching the sun set over the Svendborg skyline with a cocktail in hand. Quite often you will be accompanied by the newest addition to the Svendborgsund strait: a bottlenose dolphin who on a good summer’s day attracts hundreds of dolphin spotters to Frederiksø. Throughout summer, big pop and rock concerts as well as an ambitious opera festival also take place at the shipyard island.

The shipyard whistle still calls people to work, to lunch, and to close up for the night. It’s the oldest of its kind still in use in Denmark, but it’s not just there for old time’s sake. There are, in fact, still two active shipyards – one is a small yard making steel ships, and the other is a repair yard for wooden ships, one of the few left in Denmark – and their workers still heed the call of the whistle. Thanks to the two shipyards, visitors to Frederiksø still get to see the large steel ships and impressive schooners, the last of which have a long-standing connection with the illustrious Ring-Andersen shipyard. In that way, Frederiksø offers a unique mix of old and new, wood and steel, industry and culture.

Maritime experiences

Svendborg’s heart beats for the sea. Thanks to the location next to the strait and the centuries-long shipbuilding tradition, Svendborg is a natural starting point for maritime experiences. On the waterfront, there are restaurants and cafés overlooking the sea and the constantly changing traffic of freighters, ferries, wooden ships, and yachts.

Historic Sailing Ships

The bond between the old wooden ships and Svendborg is tied with a sailor’s knot. In fact, a lot of the ships were built here, and today, the wooden ships have their own pier next to the harbour’s historic yellow store houses. And the historic ships are not just there to be gazed at: the old schooner called Meta invites you on board for day trips to the archipelago islands or sunset trips in the evening. For more information, visit maritimtcenterdanmark.dk

Experience Svendborg From The Sea

Another way to experience the Svendborgsund strait is by taking ‘M/S Helge’, a former ferry criss-crossing the strait throughout summer. The scenic route starts at Svendborg Harbour and takes you past Vindebyøre, Christiansminde, Troense, and Grasten before arriving at Valdemar’s Castle. Check out the timetable in this magazine

Lundeborg

One of South Fyn’s best-kept secrets is located only a short drive up the coast from Svendborg: The exceptionally picturesque and charming fishing village of Lundeborg. The historic harbour environment is still actively used and its cosy feel is a rarity in present-day Denmark.

OLD TIMES & WINDS OF CHANGE

Old fishermen with boats and nets, experienced yachters, and sailing students from the schools in Oure make sure that the harbour remains active all year, and as a result, the old maritime traditions are still thriving. The harbour is suited for active sportspeople as well as those who enjoy life at a slower pace, and it’s a safe environment for both kids and seniors. Visit the shop displaying innovative local art and design, and enjoy some vegan ice cream or a cold beer – they go hand in hand in Lundeborg. The beach starts where the harbour ends, and the village also serves as the northern starting point of The Archipelago Trail (see page 46-47). If you are in an adventurous mood, Lundeborg is the perfect destination.

Accommodation

Lundeborg has charming B&B’s and camp sites where you can pitch your tent by the water’s edge. Visit the nearby Broholm Castle for gourmet dinners and luxurious castle breaks.

Naturama

Centrally located in Svendborg, Naturama has a major collection of taxidermied animals from Northern Europe. The animals are surprisingly life-like, even majestic, such as the towering polar bear standing on its hind paws, or the red deer whose roars echo around the exhibit. Naturama also has a number of living animals, which the museum guides present at various times during the day. In 2022, the special exhibition ‘Monsters of the Past’ will take you back in time to the fascinating animals that preceded the dinosaurs: gigantic insects, bizarre sharks, and sabre-toothed predators the size of polar bears and lions.

Exciting Indoor sights and Activities

There’s plenty of interesting things to do and see in Svendborg if you are looking for an indoor experience.

INDOOR SIGHTS AT THE HARBOUR The island of Frederiksø is Svendborg’s new cultural melting pot, as a large and varied number of cultural institutions have moved into the former shipyard buildings. After taking in a bit of culture, you can reflect on your experiences over a drink at one of the island’s many bars.

KOSTUMARIUM exhibits some of the many extravagant costumes worn by Danish actress and political provocateuse Anne Marie Helger throughout her career. There are changing special exhibitions as well, and next to the exhibition space, you can visit the workshop, which produces embroidery for costumes used in international movie, TV, and theatre productions.

ATELIER CLOT, BRAMSEN & BRUNHOLT opened its doors in 2021 as a branch of the famous Paris-based litographic workshop Atelier Clot. Visit for the fascinating modern art hanging on the walls in hand-made frames, the French hand presses, and the large copperplate press.

THE DANISH YACHTING MUSEUM is the place to go if you are fond of sailboats and saltwater. The museum has more than 130 different vessels, ranging from small dinghies and classic kayaks to historic boats, and also presents changing exhibitions with different themes.

THE DANISH WELFARE MUSEUM The museum is located in the most well-preserved poorhouse in the Nordic countries, which was in use from 1872 to 1974, and deals with an important part of Danish history in an authentic setting. Learn about everyday life in the poorhouse, how the residents lived, worked, and were punished, and hear the stories of the many people living on the dark side of society: the poor, the sick, the homeless, and the orphans. A visit to the poorhouse, which is part of Svendborg Museum, is a unique and thought-provoking experience.

EGEBJERG MILL Egebjerg Mølle Naturrum is located in the idyllic hill country known as Egebjerg Bakker. The old mill has been converted into an experience centre with exhibitions and stories about the characteristic ice-age landscape of South Fyn. The mill is open around the clock throughout the year! The prize-winning glass prism atop the mill, 110 metres above sea level, offers spectacular views of South Fyn and the archipelago.