South Funen Archipelago

The archipelago south of Funen is a landscape that was hills and valleys until the sea rose after the last glaciation and flooded it, leaving about fifty islands and islets in shallow water with the drowned hills as their shapes. The bigger islands are inhabited and farmed, Aero, Tasinge, Langeland, Lyo, Avernako and Drejo among them, connected by a ferry network; the smaller are uninhabited grazing islands or bird reserves. It is the main cruising ground for Danish sailing, with short hops between harbours, sheltered water and a dense network of small ports, and the whole area is a proposed nature park. Cycling between ferry crossings is the standard way to see it without a boat.

What you actually see

• A drowned ice-age landscape - flooded hills making the island shapes.
• A dense ferry network - short crossings linking the inhabited islands.
• Small harbours - the sailing ports that define the cruising ground.
• Grazing and bird islands - the uninhabited islets between the larger ones.

When to go

May to September; ferries run reduced timetables outside that and many island services close. Three days to a week for a proper circuit. July is the sailing peak and harbours fill. Spring is best for birds.

Honest expectations

Without a boat you are tied to ferry timetables, which are infrequent and require planning. Island accommodation is limited and books out in summer. Weather can strand you. Winter services are minimal and much is closed.

Nearby

Svendborg and Faaborg are the mainland bases; Aeroskobing is the best-known island town.