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The Danish island destination for kids you might not have heard of

A small island on the west coast of Denmark can be the perfect family place to get away from the busy routine.

Published: 30 August 2023 17:01 CEST
Updated: 2 September 2023 05:57 CEST

A summer day on Rømø. Photo: John Randeris/Ritzau Scanpix

Rømø is a small island, at only 129 square kilometres with just over 600 residents, which means holidays here are quiet and relaxed.

It is the most southern of the Danish Wadden Sea islands, which comprise of Rømø, Fanø and Mandø.

Many families from Germany spend their holiday on the island, as it is so close to the border, on the west coast of Denmark and even some of the tourist shop owners are German. So if Danish isn’t your first language, be prepared to try out German before resorting to English.

Days on Rømø are made up of playing on the beach, bike rides, walks and generally enjoying the outdoors, whatever the island weather.

Lakolk and Sønderstrand

The beach is one of the widest in Europe and you can drive your car or ride your bike right up to the sea. The beach is separated into Lakolk, where people swim, fly kites and relax; Sønderstrand, where people do activities such as blokarting and beach sailing over the 3-kilometre space. Its vastness means it is often windy, making it ideal for these sports.

The fact you can easily drive your car onto the beach makes it easy with children, as you can load your car with the day’s essentials and set up camp for the morning or afternoon. Or you can just pop out for a quick swim and a sandcastle build then head home.

Rømø beach

Lakolk Strand. Photo: Emma Firth

During the first weekend of September, Rømø hosts one of the biggest kite festivals in Europe. The island also has a pony club where you can ride on the beach.

Rømø A summer day on Rømø. Photo: John Randeris/Ritzau Scanpix

Lakolk has an area of holiday shops, with places to eat and drink. A must-try is the ice cream shop Cafe Fru Dax, with over 50 types of ice cream and sorbet, complete with toppings of homemade guf (marshmallow fluff using egg white and sugar), syltetøj (jam), flødeskum (whipped cream) and flødebolle (chocolate-coated marshmallow).

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There are many picturesque summer houses to stay in Rømø, complete with child-friendly play areas and some with indoor swimming pools. There are also camp sites and holiday complexes, which give you access to leisure facilities for those rainy days. Most accommodation is self-catered as there are not a lot of places to eat out on Rømø.

Summer houses with thatched roofs on Rømø. Photo: Emma Firth

Harbour

Rømø harbour is home to a golf course, summer houses and leisure facilities. There is shrimp fishing and a ferry service between Sild and Rømø. You can hire bikes from the harbour, either for children, or family cargo and trailers bikes, as well as electric bikes. The island has wide bike lanes and is completely flat so it’s safe for children to cycle. While you’re at the harbour, head to to Otto and Ani’s for fresh fish either to eat in or takeaway.

READ ALSO: Small Danish islands welcome proposal for cheaper ferries

Ribe

If you want a change of scene, you can drive 30 minutes to Ribe, Denmark’s oldest town. Here you can explore the cobbled streets, colourful buildings and Denmark’s oldest cathedral. You can also visit the Ribe Viking Museum or Ribe Viking Centre.

Rømø is made up of dune plantations, heaths and miles of sandy beach. Photo: Emma Firth

Rømø is not an action-packed break but a lesser-known island where you have space and time to be with your family, enjoy the outdoors and have a break from the busy routine.

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Five music festivals happening in Denmark this summer

Northside

Northside is an annual three-day music festival in Eskelunden, Aarhus. With between 35,000 and 40,000 people attending the festival over the course of three days, plus four stages and sideshow events, it is one of the largest music festivals in Denmark.

NorthSide wants to become the most sustainably driven and environmentally conscious festival in the Nordic countries. In 2022, the festival ran on electricity from the grid for the first time and became the first festival in Denmark to go plant-based.

When: 6th-8th June 2024

2024 Lineup: There’a a wide range of music genres from rock, indie, electronic, to hip-hop. This year’s line up includes Pulp, Massive Attack, Kaytranada, St.Vincent, The Smile, Troye Sivan, Royal Blood, Love Shop.

Tickets: The current price for a three-day ticket is 2,395 kroner. These tickets are substantially cheaper the earlier you book. A day ticket costs 1,295 kroner. A two-day ticket costs 1,995 kroner.

Accommodation: There isn’t any camping or accommodation at the festival, or parking for cars. But the festival is accessible by public transport, walking or bike and there are camping or other accommodation options close by.

Northside Festival

NorthSide in 2023. Photo: Mikkel Berg Pedersen/Ritzau Scanpix

Tinderbox

Based in Odense, Tinderbox hosts a mix of international artists, Danish musicians and electronic music, playing out from Magicbox, the electric stage.

The festival is held in the Tusindårsskoven nature reserve in western Odense, which you can walk to from the city centre.

The festival bills itself as encompassing electronic music, nostalgic 90s in the Groove box, comedy acts, Ferris wheel rides, a champagne hill, local culinary experiences and sustainability.

When: 27th-29th June 2024

2024 Lineup: Raye, Avril Lavigne, David Guetta, Benjamin Ingrosso, Bryan Adams, DK Sashi, Kind Mod Kind, James Arthur, Miss Monique, Kaizers Orchestra.

Tickets: 2,595 kroner for a full three-day pass, 2,295 for a two-day ticket and 1,395 for a one-day ticket. You can also upgrade to a VIP option.

Accommodation: Camping, glamping or something called a sleep box with a foam mattress are the options. Outside of the festival, there’s accommodation in Odense but it gets booked up quickly. Alternatively, there’s camping at Dyrskuepladsen.

Crowds enjoying George Ezra play at Tinderbox in 2023. Photo: Helle Arensbak/Ritzau Scanpix

Vig Festival

This is very much a family festival, over three days in Vig, which is located in the northwestern part of Zealand. The music ranges from rock, pop and blues and there are activities for all ages.

When: 10th-13th July 2024

2024 Lineup: Infernal, Gobs, Zar Paulo, Mads Christian, ISSE, Gabriel Jacobsen, Rasmus Seebach.

Tickets: A one-day ticket costs between 925 kroner and 1,025 kroner depending on the day you attend.

Children up to the age of 11 can enter for free, as long as they are accompanied by a paying adult.

A full festival three-day ticket costs between 1,375 kroner and 1,825 kroner, depending how early/late you buy.

A full festival family ticket for one adult (18+) plus a child aged 12-15, costs 2,125 kroner.

Accommodation: There are various camping options, from the free site, where it’s first come first served and pitch your own tent; to pre-booked and paid for camping sites with or without electricity, or without music. There’s the option for a tent to be pitched for you, which you then take home, or you can stay in a caravan or a room at the nearby højskole.

All options come with varying prices which includes the price of the festival ticket.

There’s parking on site and a festival shuttle bus.

Smukfest

Located in a forest in Skanderborg, the name Smukfest comes from its beautiful location. The main stage is set in a national amphitheatre, surrounded by old beech trees.

Running since 1980, the festival is more than music and celebrates being together, with young, old and families all welcome. It sells itself as a festival with social, environmental and economic sustainable values.

The festival is big, second in size to Roskilde, with around 60,000 people attending. There are over 200 acts across 6 stages plus art installation and other activities, over five days.

Smukfest

Smukfest in 2023. Photo:Helle Arensbak/Ritzau Scanpix

When: 4th to 11th August. Smukfest is unusual in that it is a five-day festival with three warm-up days.

2024 Lineup: The festival includes rock, pop, folk, heavy metal, hip-hop and electronic music.

This year’s artists include Diana Ross, who is performing on Saturday, Example, Sam Smith, The Prodigy, Faithless, The Darkness, VETO, Zara Larsson, Moonjam, Ankerstjerne, Mads Langer, Rasmus Seebach, Sanne Salomonsen with The Antonelli Orchestra, Abba tribute, Queen Machine and the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra.

Tickets: Access to the whole week (partoutbillet) costs 3,495 kroner. This includes being able to camp in your own tent, ride the shuttle bus and use the cloakroom.

A one-day wristband costs between 1,695 kroner and 495 kroner depending on the day. Children’s day tickets cost 150 kroner.

If you’re staying, you pay for accommodation as part of entry.

Accommodation: There’s a variety of places to stay for different budgets and festival goers, in various festival ‘neighbourhoods’.

You can camp on site, or a shuttle-bus away in a forest, stay in a hut or luxury cabin house (5000 kroner), or bring your caravan or camper van on site (950 kroner). There is the option for the festival to set up a tent for you that’s ready and waiting when you arrive and you get to take the tent home with you afterwards. The price for this is 1,200 kroner and 2,400 kroner depending on tent size.

Smukfest

Drew Sycamore playing at Smukfest in 2023 Photo: Helle Arensbak/Ritzau Scanpix

Roskilde

The big one – in fact the largest music festival in the Nordic countries and one of the largest music festivals in Europe. To give you an idea of scale, the 130,000 festival goers who attend, would rank the festival as Denmark’s fourth largest city.

Created in 1971 by two high school students and a promoter, it’s now run as a non-profit organisation with approximately 30,000 volunteers.

There are eight stages and around 200 music acts, plus artists, authors, performers, speakers, graffiti artists and architects.

The festival is also famous for its annual naked run on the Saturday. Started in 1999 and organised by Roskilde Festival Radio, runners dash around a fenced-in track around the camp site, completely naked. The male and female winners receive a ticket for the following year’s festival.

When: Sat 29th June – Sat 6th July 2024 (music starts on Wednesday 3rd July).

2024 Lineup: From rap, pop, alternative rock, neo-soul, jazz, and electronic, there’s a whole range of artists. Danish hip-hop star, Lamin, will open the Orange Stage. Other acts include Foo Fighters, Ice Spice, Omah Lay, Bondshell, Aurora, Gilli, PJ Harvey, Tems, J Hus, Medina, Jane’s Addiction, Overmono.

Tickets: Full festival tickets cost 2,400 kroner, one day tickets cost 1,200 kroner.

Accommodation: The festival campsite covers nearly 80 hectares (200 acres) and access to it is included in the ticket price. It usually opens on the Saturday afternoon and you can turn up and pitch your tent.

You can upgrade your camping experience with the festivals ‘special camping’, which includes a reserved site, tents that are put up for you that you then take home, quiet camping, tent houses, places to park your motorhome, caravan or an area for those with motorbikes.

There’s also something called Community Camping, where you get to create your own community by applying to a specific area/community beforehand and you give something back by looking after the area and helping with the clean up.

Roskilde Festival

Roskilde Festival 2023 in front of the Orange Stage. Photo: Torben Christensen/Ritzau Scanpix

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