Cobbled lanes
Coloured houses.
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Ærøskøbing is a town on the small Danish island of Ærø, and the «-købing» in its name means a trading town. It lies about 56 km in a straight line from Odense. Its houses and streets have been carefully restored to keep their old character: most are one storey tall, and the oldest date from 1645. From around 1250 it became the island's trading and maritime hub, and a great fire destroyed many buildings in 1629 before the town revived. In 2002 it won the Europa Nostra prize for the care of its cultural heritage. The Prior's house, dated 1690, is among its oldest buildings. Cobbled lanes run between houses painted yellow, red and blue, with tiled roofs, white windows and wooden doors, decorated with flowers and bicycles. Small striped bathing huts line the shore, and at sunset the calm sea turns orange. Visitors arrive by ferry from Funen. The town is small and best explored on foot, ideally in summer.
Coloured houses.
Small and striped.
Over a calm sea.
Island of Ærø, Southern Denmark
By ferry from Funen.
In summer.