Svanninge Hills

Svanninge Bakker is a band of hills pushed up by the ice north of Faaborg on south Funen, steep and broken enough that Danes call the area the Funen Alps without much irony. The tops reach only about 120 metres, but the slopes are short and sharp, and the mix of beech woods, old grazed hillside, disused gravel pits and small ponds gives it more texture than most Danish countryside. From open ground on the southern edge you look down over Faaborg and out to the islands of the South Funen archipelago. The neighbouring Svanninge Bjerge is a large tract bought for restoration, with marked routes, towers and quiet forest roads.

The landscape

• The ridge tops - open ground with views south over Faaborg and the archipelago.
• Svanninge Bjerge - restored forest and heath with marked trails and viewing towers.
• The beech woods - steep mossy slopes, unusually hilly by Danish standards.
• The lanes - narrow roads with real climbs, used by local road cyclists.

When to go

May for beech leaf, October for colour, and any dry spell between for walking. The area stays quiet even in summer compared with the Funen coast. Winter is walkable but the clay tracks turn greasy. Clear days matter here, since the whole point of the high ground is the view south.

Before you go

The hills are small, and the Alps nickname sets up a disappointment if taken at face value. Trails cross private forest in places and signage is inconsistent, so it is easy to end up on a farm track. There is no visitor centre and few facilities, and the views are partly screened by trees that keep growing.

Nearby

Faaborg and its harbour are just south; ferries from there reach the archipelago islands.

Key facts