Sail & Bike Denmark and Sweden

During this beautiful Sail & Bike trip on the “tall ship” Atlantis, you’ll discover beautiful cities, small villages and islands around and in the Øresund – the strait between Denmark and Sweden. The narrow Øresund is an ancient trade route, like the Strait of Gibraltar and the Bosphorus, a strait of great strategic and economic importance for centuries. Charming old harbors and fortified towns lie along its shores.

The journey starts and ends in Copenhagen and along the way you’ll visit Malmö as well: two of the most bicycle-friendly cities in Europe. You first sail to Helsingør (Elsinore) and cycle along the coast of the “Danish Riviera” with its long sandy beaches, then further through the slightly hilly landscape of Nordsjælland (North Zealand). Helsingør, at the narrowest part of the Øresund, was founded as early as 1420 and the town is dominated by Kronborg Castle, the setting for Shakespeare’s drama Hamlet.

On the Swedish side of the strait, Helsingborg is a coastal gem. From here, a bike ride along the coast of Skåne County (Scania) leads to the fortified town of Landskrona. The ship will then take you to the idyllic island of Ven, which rises above the sea like a plateau. It’s only 7.5 km2 (2.9 mi2) in size and has fewer than 400 inhabitants. The steep limestone cliffs, beautiful farmhouses and the observatory of the 17th-century astronomer Tycho Brahe are fascinating. Today, many artists and craftsmen live and work on Ven. From Ven, you’ll sail on to Malmö, Sweden’s third largest city. Enjoy the unique combination of modern architecture and the old town, including Malmöhus Castle and the 14th-century St. Peter’s Church.

This is followed by a long sail to the Danish island of Møn, the southernmost point of the journey, which, like Dover and the German island of Rügen, is known for its steep white limestone cliffs with many fossils. Møn is located in a sparsely-populated area, which means that on clear nights, the starry sky can sometimes shine especially brightly. The cycling tour on Møn starts with a long climb along the limestone cliffs and through the beautiful inland. The next morning you’ll sail from Møn to Rødvig. This is where the last cycling stint on the coast starts: along quiet country roads and cycle paths, you’ll reach the medieval town of Køge where the ship will be waiting for you in the harbor. In the afternoon you’ll sail to Malmö where the ship will moor again at the old city center.