Dueodde

Dueodde is the southern point of Bornholm and the island's best-known beach: several kilometres of sand so fine and pale that it was once collected for hourglasses and for blotting ink. The slope into the Baltic is very gentle, so the water warms early and stays shallow a long way out, and a belt of pine plantation and low dunes screens the beach from the road, leaving almost nothing built along it. Behind the sand a concrete lighthouse of 1962 carries a long internal stair up to a platform with a view over the treetops and the sea. Buses and the island cycle routes both reach the car park.

What you actually see

• The white sand - unusually fine quartz sand that squeaks underfoot.
• The shallow water - a slow, even gradient that suits small children.
• The lighthouse - a concrete tower of 1962 with a long stair to a viewing platform.
• The pine belt - shaded paths and dunes between the car park and the sea.

When to go

July and August for water warm enough to swim in without flinching, June and September for the same beach with far fewer people. The lighthouse and the seasonal kiosks keep summer hours only. Ferries and flights to Bornholm book out well ahead for the Danish holiday weeks, so arrange the crossing early.

Honest expectations

Getting to Bornholm is the real cost: a ferry or a flight plus onward transport, all dearer in July. The beach has almost no facilities and shade means retreating into the pines. Out of season the whole southern tip goes quiet to the point of feeling shut. The Baltic here is calm but rarely warm before late June.

Nearby

Nexo and Snogebaek are up the east coast; the round churches and Hammershus lie further north.