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From coast to coast: a beautiful journey from Denmark to Sweden

As a photographer, videographer and lifelong traveler, I’ve long had the dream of exploring Scandinavia. This year, I finally checked that off my bucket list. What better way to take it all in than with a Sail & Bike tour through Denmark and Sweden?

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Discover our Denmark – Sweden Tour

Copenhagen, a multi-colored city

I arrived a bit early in the Danish capital, giving me ample opportunity to stretch my legs on my first day in Denmark and explore Copenhagen. And I have to say, it was a joy. Starting along the beautiful Nyehafen all the way to the Round Tower, there was so much to see. The houses along the beautiful canal hold all the colors of the rainbow, and this seems to be a theme of the city overall. It’s a colorful backdrop to a lively atmosphere. With the sun out, the beautiful gardens of the Rosenberg Castle were populated with students lounging, playing and enjoying the rays of the sun. It was a beautiful start to the week.

Then: a surprise as I entered the Amalienborg Square. Surrounded by palaces, I watched the ceremonial changing of the guards right before my eyes. The Danish guards, in full ceremonial uniform, performed their rigid choreography at the stroke of the hour, marching across the square to relieve their fellow soldiers.

Finishing my walk, I made my way back for a quick shower, dinner and a hearty welcome aboard the sailing ship Atlantis, docked in the harbor and stacked to the brim with bicycles, ready to go.

Along the coast

Our first day of cycling led us along the shores of Denmark from Copenhagen to Helsingor, with a beautiful view of Sweden in the distance. From the quaint suburbs to the sandy beaches, from patchy forests along the train tracks to sunny marinas dipping into the blue Danish waters, it was quite a journey. A bit long, mostly because of the harsh Nordic winds that day, but ultimately worth it to get to Helsingor and Kronborg Castle, where Shakespeare was inspired to create Elsinore for his famous play, “Hamlet”.

In the evening, our tour leaders took us on a walk into Helsingor, past the silver merman statue – a match for Copenhagen’s mermaid – and to the castle in the distance. They led us into a large warehouse where hidden inside was a wonderful street food festival, full of stalls, nooks, seats and places to order drinks and food. Unfortunately, it was a bit too late to order a meal (and we had already had dinner), but we sat down for a drink and listened to the tour leaders, Frans and Jens, telling their stories.

Rolling green hills and fields of flowers

The next day, we started a roundtrip cycling route in Denmark before leaving for Sweden. Two groups headed along the beautiful shoreline to stop for coffee at a small marina among the dunes in Hornbaek. There, we were given the option of a long or a short tour that day. The short tour would lead us back to Helsingor earlier, so we could visit the castle and enjoy the town. I chose the longer tour of 45 km (28 miles) through rolling green hills and fields of flowers, and we stopped for lunch at the old monastery in Esrum.

Beneath a clear blue sky, we ate our lunch and watched some bleating black goats vie for our attention from our lunch tables. The winds were blowing through the high grass in waves, like a green ocean. We took a stroll through the quiet monastery gardens. A small bridge over a brook. Birdsong in the air. What a treat. What a day. And then, back on our bikes, we followed our tour leader Frans in a long line of cyclists back on the road.

Well-made country roads cut through wild, green, grassy fields in these parts, until a giant lake appeared, as if it hadn’t been there for centuries. Frans pointed left and we followed his example and direction. We cycled beneath the shade of giant trees, acorns scattered on the ground.

Bad jokes

We were quiet on the bikes; we all were so focused, I think we were all trying to savor the moment. Sometimes I sat up and just looked around. It was easy to zone out sometimes, when traffic permitted it. You want to live in the moment, but sometimes the moment lives in you. We stopped for a drink along the side of the road and the sun disappeared behind a cloud.

“I was hoping to have a drink in the sun,” Frans said.

“I was hoping to have a drink in a bar,” a fellow traveler joked. There was a bad joke and a story at every stop we made. We got used to it. We were almost back at the ship. Our day of cycling was almost done, but it was only our second day on the bike!

After a short walk and a bit of shopping in Helsingor (I needed some new cycling gloves), I returned to the ship in time for the trip across the Oresund. We bridged the gap between the cities in half an hour, enjoying the wonderful view as Kronborg Castle shrank into the distance. On both sides, we were flanked by ferries.

Then, the crew started pulling and tightening ropes to turn the sails and the guests joined in. They were shown the ropes, quite literally, and the best techniques to work the sails, even though we were sailing by motor. It was a practice run for the day when we’d be sailing back to Denmark.

Helsinborg

Meanwhile, we arrived in Helsinborg, a stylish harbor in Sweden. Immediately, two kind men on the quay offered to catch the ropes to tie the ship to the wharf. Sweden was very welcoming right from the off. As we made our way downstairs, dinner was ready.

In the evening, we strolled into the historic center of Helsingborg and found ourselves at Fort Kärnan, the symbol of the city, at the top of some stone stairs with a wonderful view of the harbor.

It was quiet as we cycled out of Helsinborg that Saturday morning. The spacious roads were empty. A woman was walking her dog as she crossed the road from the park. We cycled through urban areas with large apartment buildings and industrial areas with trucks parked outside factories, yet it wasn’t busy. There was a sense of calm. If Denmark is colorful, Sweden comes across as mellow. The colors are muted brown and green. I had prepared for a cold and windy day, but we started with a warm sun that morning, so some of us shed some layers. It was nice out.

And just as we were about to continue, suddenly someone shouted, “Stop!” A flat tire. Tour leader Frans jumped into action. With half the group standing around watching him, it felt like a little show.

As we waited, we walked to a beach. We could see the island of Ven in the distance, across the sparkling blue sea. We skipped some stones on the water to see who could throw the farthest. The wind was gentle. It was another beautiful day.

Landskrona

Cycling through farmlands and small towns, I was amazed at the greenery, the neat lawns and grassy hills. It was all mostly easy cycling, with a few bits uphill, but my e-bike was my friend. Then, all the way to Landskrona, it was all downhill. I barely had to touch my pedals. I just focused on my handbrakes and watched the scenery glide by.

Unfortunately, due to the flat tire, we missed the ferry to the island of Ven. We sat on the grass on the shore of the Oserund with our lunches as the island beckoned us on the horizon. As we waited for the next ferry, we visited the Citadel of Landskrona, an old fort from the 1600s built to defend the city against Danish invaders. It housed 22,000 refugees from many European countries during the Second World War. It is a red building surrounded by moats with a little bakery tucked to the side.

The island of Ven

It rained a little as we made the passage to Ven, but it soon passed. Ven is a small but beautiful island. Stand on its highest hill and you can see the shores of both countries in the distance across the water. You literally ride coast to coast during this tour and it’s great. Beyond the small quirky cottages, a green hilly plateau rises. The first leg up the island is hardest, but our e-bikes pushed us up and then it was a smooth ride from there.

The roads were still a bit wet: darker and glistening, but not slippery. When we reached the other side of the island, we could see the Atlantis anchored in the water. Our tour leader handed us a map of the island and gave us time to explore it on our own, before we would be taken back to the boat by dinghy. Ven is a really unique place. As the clouds dispersed and the winds quieted down, it was a lovely place to discover.

Dinghy Bob

I have to say, despite the short ride, travel by dinghy was thrilling. With a life vest around our necks, we held on tight to the small boat as we sped into open water. The sea was calm and wonderfully blue. Later, we were told that our captain Bob’s sailor nickname used to be “Dinghy Bob” because he loves to sail by dinghy so much. We were in safe hands.

Live cooking

Dinner that evening was live cooking and custom pasta. You choose the ingredients and you have your evening meal prepared right in front of you. A lovely idea and very tasty too. The chef is a big man with an even bigger smile who happily hands you your plate. It took a little longer than our usual daily buffet, but we all ate with delight our very own customized pasta.

After dinner, we awaited the briefing for the next day and then I headed off to my cabin for a shower and to get some well-earned rest. Tomorrow would be a sailing day, from Ven back to Denmark, to a town called Køge. My legs didn’t mind the break in cycling.

Sailing day

This was a day of enjoying the view, a day of rest, and a day of enjoying conversation and coffee on deck. Or a lovely game of cards in the salon. I had brought a book to read.

Around 6:00, we arrived in Køge. We could immediately tell we were back in Denmark. It wasn’t just my data company texting me; it was the houses. They were yellow again, white, or made of red bricks with orange-tiled roofs. After a day indoors, we all gathered on deck to watch the crew sail the ship backwards into the harbor and tie it to the quay. We were back on solid ground again.

Køge

I chose to join the shorter tour today. I’d be remiss not to spend at least one day in the group of tour leader Jensma, our gentle giant in his yellow vest. It was a warm day, with a relaxing ride through the suburbs and surrounding area. A visit to a small castle and then the ruins of King Magnus Eriksson’s house. A short stop. Nothing much to see, because the museum was still being built. We cycled through seas of dark green grass. Birds were chirping everywhere. Spring is nice in Denmark. I wonder what it looks like in the fall.

We returned to the city center of Køge for a lunch break. Some of us sat in a sidewalk café, while others just sat on a bench and ate their pre-made sandwich in the shade.

Return to Sweden

At 4:00, we sailed to Mälmo. But first, a roll call on board, where we realized we were missing two people. They’d gone into town and forgotten they were supposed to be on board in time! And of course, they had turned their phone off. So the tour leaders raced into town to find them. Once recovered and separated from their coffees at the café, we departed.

It took some hours before we sailed under the famous Sont Bridge between Copenhagen and Mälmo. Despite the cold winds, we all gathered at the front of the deck to take the best pictures.

Mälmo

It took a while to leave Mälmo. Our cycling tour for our final day started in the harbor and led us to a fairly modern part of this Swedish city: tall buildings, busy traffic junctions, industrial areas, until we found ourselves on bicycle paths just beside the road, leading to a nice marina for a coffee break. From there, it wasn’t long before we arrived at the town of Lund, with its lovely historic center, a beautiful grey cathedral and a square with market stalls and shops.

It was nice to see all the neighborhoods we cycled through. When we returned to the ship, our tour leader Jens suggested an extra lap at the beach, because the weather was so nice. Some joined him; myself and some others did not. I changed clothes and lay on deck in the sun. The city was busy, but I was just in the sun, enjoying my last day of the tour.

Our final dinner was a four-course meal, which reminded me of tapas. The theme of the day was fish. The crew received hearty applause for all their work this week, and the tour leaders had some final comments before they broke into a crazy dance and the party started. What a fun gang! What a fun week!

After a few drinks, I retreated to my cabin to start packing and planning my way back to Copenhagen across the bridge. I could still hear the music pounding above my head and I laughed.

Time to say goodbye

I slept well, enjoyed one final breakfast, exchanged a few emails with other guests on board, mainly to share pictures, and then it was over! The crew helped me carry my case down the plank. I shook hands with Frans and Jens and thanked them for the week. One last joke before it was time to head to the station, only a short walk away.

Denmark and Sweden were full of surprises and highlights. I’m going to remember the blue seas and coastlines and the castles of all those beautiful cities for a long time, not to mention all those wonderful people on the Atlantis!

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