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Danish Island
Photo: Beethoven9, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
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Visit the Eco Museum Samsø in Tranebjerg. The museum has several departments spread out across the Samsean landscape, and tries to communicate the cultural history of the island through activities, events, exhibitions and restored historic buildings. The headquarters in Tranebjerg are situated in an old restored half-timbered and thatched roof farm from 1917. It has been furnished and decorated as a Danish farmhouse from the 1850s (supposedly wealthy residents) and the garden has several activities going on throughout the summer months, including weaving, spinning and folk music arrangements. A part of the farm house has been dedicated to exhibit Samsø's pre-historic past, from the Stone Age to Medieval times. Other Eco Museum buildings on Samsø includes two old style mills, several different historic farm house types, an old post office, a blacksmith shop and archives on local history. Open from April to October all days. Some locations are only open in June, July and August. Interesting for both kids and adults.
Museum of Morgan cars from 1937 to 2017
Samsø Labyrinten
The world's largest labyrinth
This is the northernmost village on Samsø. It has a nice old-fashioned village charm, with timber framed houses, thatched roofed farms and a lovely central village pond with ducks. Superb options for eating and also hotels.
Nordby Bakker is a very beautiful landscape on the northern tip of the island. The rolling grassy hill slopes offers excellent vistas. It is a protected area and no agriculture is allowed here, except for a few grazing sheep, that help maintain the habitat free of tree and shrub growth. Good site for a picnic.
Visit the Energy Academy and learn more about how Samsø evolved into a community powered completely by renewable energy.
Samsø Festival near Ballen on the southeast coast, is an annual music festival and worth a visit if you happens to be around. A couple of other small festivals might also be worthwhile, including the Samsø Chamber Music Festival or the Children's Culture Festival perhaps.
Play some golf at the 18-hole seaside golf course at Besser. Very varied field with natural waterholes, rolling hills and a great view. Certified by the Peugeot Golf Guide as one of Denmark's 14 best golf courses.
At Nørreskiftegaard near Ballen, you can try horse riding.
You can enter the lighthouse and it has a café and souvenir shop.
You can have a look at the romantic Manor, and for a fee you can experience the beautiful English-style garden from 1870 here. The manor also rents out apartments and cottages all over Samsø for tourists.
Harbourside seafood restaurant with a cozy and quiet atmosphere. Enjoy your food and drinks inside or on the big open terrace. Bulgarian wines are a speciality of this place.
Smokehouse and restaurant with big terrace with a great view.
This restaurant also has take-away and they bring out all across the island for 50 kr extra. It is also a hotel.
A cosy lunch eatery with attached café, wine, liquor and gift shop in the center of Tranebjerg. Great open-faced sandwiches, plenty of seafood options, but also other dishes. Cakes and coffee and many luxury liquors to go along. Sometimes arrangements or musical events.
Lovely street food place on the harbour in Kolby Kaas. Great spot for sunsets. Ever-changing menu here, call in advance if you want to know, but in the summertime there will most likely be a lot of seafood! Paella, tapas plates, pan-fried fish, mussels, or occassional stone-oven baked pizzas.
Nice inn in the village of Nordby that also offers accommodation, just like every traditional Danish kro. The restaurant serves lunch and evening dinners. For lunch, try a serving of traditional Danish smørrebrød - they know what they are doing -, or one of several single meals such as stjerneskud or hakkebøf for example. The three-course evening dinners changes according to season, so call in advance to check up what is on the menu if you want to know beforehand. Also à la carte. Nordby Kro restaurant offers special take-away dinners, snacks, and meals, which is a great choice for a picnic. Check the website for details.
Lunch and evening dinners with traditional Danish food. Discotheque every Saturday night in the summer (above 18, show identity).
Gourmet restaurant with plenty of local produce. Lunch and evening menus.
Great quality lunch and evening menus every day of the week. Modern Danish cuisine with plenty of local seasonal produce, including seafood.
Ambitious restaurant focusing on products from the island.
Small seafood restaurant.
Try the Samsø Bryghus brewery and farm in Nordby. Here local organic brews of all kinds are produced from scratch. With more than 11 standard brews, you should be able to find a favourite. The many flavours of beer can be enjoyed in a nice attached café.The café also sells hot meals, cake and assorted organic and locally produced groceries such as wine, candy, vegetables, meat, and even yarn. The meat and vegetables are produced on the farm. Every Tuesday evening in the summer, you can participate in a beer tasting and guided tour. Reservation required (kr 100).
You can have a glass of wine or champagne on the terrace. It is also a fashion store.
Historic high-end seaside hotel from 1928 in Ballen. The hotel restaurant Restaurant Behrnt serves excellent gourmet food, mentioned in The White Guide (2015). Good choice for romantic weekends or mini-vacations. Several room type options.
Historic high-end and old-fashioned city hotel from the late 1800s in Samsø's capital of Tranebjerg. At Flinch's Hotel you can both eat and sleep. High quality dining. Good choice for romantic weekends or mini-vacations.
Small charming town-hotel in Nordby with both double and single rooms open throughout the year. Dogs allowed. The price includes breakfast.
Small rooms but huge common areas. This place used to be a school. Great dining.
You can rent one of the many summer houses on Samsø for an extended stay.
A camping ground near the town of Ballen on the east coast. Bring your own tent, rent or bring your own caravan or rent a small cottage. Most sites have sea view.
Beachside camping ground in the Sælvig Bay. Family oriented with playgrounds, space for kids activities and bicycle rental. Bring your own tent or rent a hut or a room. Open from April through October.
By ferry
From Jutland, you can take a small ferry from Aarhus to Sælvig, or a larger car-ferry from the port town of Hou south of Aarhus, also to Sælvig. The journey takes an hour.
By plane
While it is possible to take a taxi flight from Roskilde Airport to the island's small airfield, the vast majority of travelers take one of the island's three ferries.
Cycling
Samsø is ideal for cycling. All ferries to Samsø have room for bicycles, but book a special ticket on-line in advance to make sure they have extra space for yours.
By bus
Samsø Bus is a local bus company, serving all the island.
By car
Bring your own car to Samsø by ferry, or rent one in the town of Ballen. The passenger catamaran between Aarhus and Samsø does not take motor vehicles.
Choose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
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Articles and travel topics about Samsø and Denmark.
ItinerariesKulturingen (the ring of culture) is a 540 km (335 miles) long marked cycling route in East Jutland. The route is a circular route and consists of 22 legs.
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Culture & historyThough not a country often associated with colonialism, Denmark (or Denmark–Norway during the union between the two countries) had an empire.
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Travel tipsDenmark, Norway and Sweden are constitutional monarchies.
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Nature & adventureCycling in Denmark is very popular for both recreational and commuting, and the Danish cycling culture is often compared to that of the Netherlands.
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