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Nicknamed the sunshine island, this remote landmass is bursting with postcard-perfect fishing villages, white sand beaches, a thriving artistic community, and a restaurant so exceptional that food lovers pilgrimage to it from around the globe. There are mysterious legends worthy of Indiana Jones and a rich ecosystem that makes the island a paradise for foragers. If your guess is Hawaii, the Maldives, or Bali, think again. Because this is Denmark—and, more precisely, the Baltic island of Bornholm.
Bornholm has many claims to fame. A favorable microclimate ensures the most hours of sunshine in all of Denmark, while the white sand on the beaches is so fine Napoleon himself is said to have had an hourglass made to house it. It is also home to Denmark’s highest waterfall, the largest castle ruin in Northern Europe at Hammershus, and four round churches believed to have been built in the 12th and 13th centuries by the Templar Knights, who some say may even have hidden the Holy Grail and the Ark of the Covenant here.
Back in the day, fish—and herring in particular—provided the islanders with their livelihood, but years of overfishing in the Baltic eventually compelled them to pivot to tourism. And pivot they did. Despite having only 40,000 inhabitants, Bornholm attracts a whopping 600,000 visitors per year. Most come from Denmark, and neighboring Germany and Sweden, with the vast majority flooding in from mid-June to early August, although the locals assure me the good weather sticks around well into September.
Art buffs come for the exquisite light, and the centuries-old ceramics and glass traditions, while those with a more outdoorsy disposition are attracted by the excellent hiking and biking. A 75-mile coastal trail circumnavigates the island, while the 40-mile Højlyngssti path leads from the rugged granite cliffs of the north, through Denmark’s fifth-largest forest Almindingen, to the sandy beaches in the southeast. Also worth noting are Bornholm’s impressive eco credentials, which have seen it described as Europe’s greenest island, with a pledge to become carbon-neutral by 2025.
As for me, I am not here to paint, throw, or walk, but to eat. Specifically at Kadeau, the island’s only Michelin-starred restaurant. Opened in 2007 by two self-taught Bornholm-born schoolfriends, Kadeau started out as an unassuming beach joint that expanded to Copenhagen in 2011, where it was soon recognized by the folks at Michelin. Since then, the Copenhagen outpost has received two stars while Kadeau Bornholm received its first in 2016, the year the Nordic Michelin Guide ventured beyond the main cities.
Local, organic, and—to a large extent—foraged produce from Bornholm itself is at the heart of both restaurants. While the Copenhagen branch offers the kind of exquisitely precise New Nordic fine-dining experience we have come to know and love, Kadeau Bornholm is wilder, earthier, and totally unpretentious. It perfectly reflects the island that is the source not only of the ingredients but also the soul of Chef Nicolai Nørregaard’s delicate yet flavor-packed dishes that win the hearts of anyone who sets foot here.
“People come here just to eat at Kadeau,” says Patrick Hult, who runs Râzapâz restaurant and wine bar in Bornholm’s capital, Rønne. “They have found a way to put the essence of the island on a plate.”
Hult belongs to a generation of creatives who have settled in Bornholm in recent years. Like him, many of them return to the island where they grew up to escape the rat race. Fresh air, a safe place to raise a family, and a slower pace of life are among the reasons cited—along with a sense that the island was calling them back. Having spent a few days here, it’s easy to see why.
Here, find our selection of the best places to eat, sleep, and play on the Danish sunshine island, Bornholm.
Eat and Drink
Since opening in 2007, Nicolai Nørregaard and Rasmus Kofoed’s Kadeau has been on quite a journey. Between expanding to Copenhagen, being awarded three Michelin stars, and gaining a third business partner in Magnus Klein Kofoed, it has almost single-handedly put Bornholm on the world culinary map.
For his grandparents’ generation, Nørregaard explains that foraging during the growing months and preserving for winter had been an essential part of island life. “When the New Nordic food movement began, I went out and started looking for stuff,” he recalls.
These days, the “stuff” he finds is translated into some of the freshest, most beautiful, and perfectly balanced dishes you will ever see. Like the miniature skewer of tender, sweet-yet-tart carrot, bee pollen, and rhubarb root, and the fruit salad of frozen berries picked last summer in Kadeau’s garden. Just acidic enough, it mixes golden raspberries and red gooseberries with blackcurrants, plums, sweet cicely, elderflower, young candied angelica, and rosehips. Then there are the plump queen scallops, sourced from Iceland and adorned with plums and bright pink, orange, and red roses from Bornholm.
Named after a Bornholmish word that translates as “naughty boy,” Râzapâz is the brainchild of Patrick Hult. Hult spent more than a decade in what he calls the “Michelin mill” at the former best restaurant in the world Noma and a number of Copenhagen’s other fine-dining establishments before returning to his native Bornholm with his young family. Three years ago, he opened Râzapâz in Rønne. The vibe here is as casual as the island itself, inviting guests to relax on the sunny terrace over a sandwich or a tapas platter or get stuck into the daily five-course menu that includes small creative dishes like the tartare of salt-cured Danish beef, with crunchy almonds, as well as chives and fig leaves from the kitchen garden. There’s also an impressive selection of natural wine.
Another Bornholm native, Louise Kuhre worked for the Danish foreign ministry and lived in Hong Kong and San Francisco before moving back home. “I enjoyed San Francisco but didn’t want to raise my kids there,” she says. “I’d had such an easy childhood here—it’s safe and close to nature—I had to give that to my children.” Like many others, Kuhre started baking during the pandemic, but it didn’t take long for her creations to start gaining popularity. At one stage, when she was turning out up to 260 pastries a week from her kitchen, she decided to expand. Lucy’s Bakery in the town of Nexø currently opens only on Saturdays and mainly sells pre-ordered baked goods. Her Spandauers, or Danish pastries, with seasonal fruit like rhubarb, wild plums, or Bornholm figs, and croissants made with sourdough and organic yeast, are some of the best you’ll ever try.
Named after the family homestead on a hilltop in Wales—from where co-founder Jessica Andersen’s family emigrated to become some of the first settlers in Western Australia—Penyllan operates as a brewery, tap room, and store. Andersen moved from Perth in Western Australia to Bornholm in 2015 and, together with her Danish husband, set up this microbrewery in a disused fishing factory in the tiny village of Teyn in northern Bornholm. Specializing in barrel-aged beers fermented with a wild culture, all Penyllan beers are brewed by hand in 220-gallon batches and fermented with the brewery’s house culture “Garden Party” in the barrels—often on the wild fruits and berries that the locals bring in every fall. In the brewery taproom, which overlooks the fishing boats bobbing in Tejn harbor, eight Penyllan beers and blends are currently on sale, along with 24 additional options.
Smoked fish is to Bornholm what pizza is to Chicago, and the smokehouses with their traditional chimneys are the place to sample it. No town on Bornholm is prettier than Svaneke and no smokehouse, or røgeri, is more authentic than this one. The islanders will smoke anything from salmon to mackerel or shrimp, but the must-try local delicacy is the smoked herring sandwich, known as Sol over Gudhjem (which translates as sun over Gudhjem). A Bornholmish twist on the classic Danish open sandwich, or smørrebrød, it consists of generously buttered rye bread, topped with smoked herring, fresh onion, chives, radish, and the “sun”, in the form of an egg yolk. As for Gudhjem, it refers to the town in Bornholm where the sandwich was invented. The dish is not for the faint of heart, as you’ll have to filet the notoriously bony herring yourself.
Where to stay
Let’s get one thing straight: on the scale of luxury to rudimentary, Bornholm leans more rustic-chic than chic-chic, so don’t come here expecting white tablecloths or palatial accommodation. In terms of swanky stays, Nordlandet is the closest you will get. The hotel is set on the rugged northern coast of the island, with 24 rooms, jaw-dropping panoramic sea views, and more natural materials and pared-back Scandi design features than you can shake a sprig of wild berries at. There’s also a natural sea pool and a rather excellent New Nordic-style restaurant, serving local delicacies like steamed cod with mussel cream, and North Sea shrimp with grilled leeks and green tomatoes.
For an authentic Bornholm experience that goes back to the island’s roots, steer your course for the fishing village of Hasle and Tobias Woxholtt’s Varra Water. Woxholtt worked a high-profile job in sports and events in Copenhagen before returning to Bornholm. These days, he can mostly be found in Hasle harbor, rescuing old fishing boats from the scrap heap, and upcycling them for use as accommodation. So far, he has completed Ripa, a charming wooden vessel from 1962, with a spacious deck, a cozy captain’s room, and sleeping quarters for up to six people. Guests can book a licensed captain to take them out for a day on the water or use the port facilities that include a natural sea pool, diving platform, and sauna. “Bornholm was what got me through a lot of my projects in Copenhagen,” he says. “When I’m here I can breathe, and that’s what want to share with my guests.”
What to do
The high quality of Bornholm’s natural stonework clay has inspired generations of ceramicists and glassblowers—so much so that the School of Design from the Royal Danish Academy set up its glass and ceramics program here. This is what brought glassblower Maj-Britt Zelmer Olsen and ceramicist Sarah Oakman over from Copenhagen. One of the things that kept them here was the strong sense of community among the island’s artisans. “We see each other as colleagues all working together, not competitors,” says Oakman. Three and a half years ago, Olsen and Oakman set up Matter in an old shipyard in Nexø harbor. Today, the converted industrial space operates as a workshop, gallery, and store, where the two women’s beautiful, intricate craftsmanship is both exhibited and sold.
Bornholm’s culinary heritage is based around the long-standing tradition of foraging, and nobody knows more about the island’s many natural treasures than Thomas Guldbæk. One of Denmark’s leading experts in herbs and plant life, Guldbæk collaborates with some of the country’s top breweries, distilleries, and restaurants, including Kadeau. Private groups can book him for a foraging expedition along the Bornholm coast, before returning to the Gaarden center to prepare a meal based on the produce they’ve collected. Gaarden also offers a variety of workshops, including baking, fermenting, fish-smoking, sausage-making, and beer-brewing.
Getting around
A car is a must on the island, so most visitors either drive from Denmark across the Øresund Bridge to Sweden and catch the ferry from the nearby town of Ystad, or hop on one of the regular 30-minute flights operated by DAT from Copenhagen Airport and rent some wheels in Bornholm.