Sail & Bike Denmark and Sweden

Embarkation and check-in. Starting from 5:30 pm, the crew will welcome you aboard the ship, moored close to the center of town, the Kastellet and the Little Mermaid. After you’ve stowed your luggage in your cabin, the skipper, crew and tour leader invite you for a welcome drink, followed by dinner on board. During the first briefing, after dinner, you’ll hear what to expect during the trip, details about the ship and also about the safety measures on board. The bicycles will be distributed in the evening or the next morning.

The ship departs from Copenhagen before breakfast. During your breakfast you’ll sail north to Helsingør, where the ship will arrive around 11:00 am. You’ll first cycle along the coast of the “Danish Riviera” with its extensive sandy beaches to the harbor of Hornbaek. Then you’ll turn inland through a slightly hilly landscape towards Esrum for a stop at the medieval monastery on Lake Esrum. Next, you’ll cycle through bucolic wheat fields and past some lovely castles and country houses back toward Helsingør, where you’ll reach the historic city center after a long descent. The harbor is dominated by the imposing Kronborg Castle, the place Shakespeare had in mind when he wrote Hamlet. Nearby, old harbor buildings have been beautifully restored and are home to a street food market, among other things.

Today you’ll again sail while you eat breakfast, but after about an hour you’ll already have reached the port of Helsingborg on the Swedish side of the Øresund. In the morning you can visit Helsingborg, which is both a beautiful city and considered one of Europe’s most innovative places. Next, you’ll cycle along the coast of Skåne County (Scania) to the fortified town of Landskrona. On the way, you’ll pass a few beaches and the former fishing village of Borstahusen with its quaint old fishermen’s houses. The 16th-century citadel of Landskrona – with a double moat – is still almost intact. Enjoy the view of the island of Ven, a few kilometers off the coast, ahead of tomorrow’s visit there.

This morning the ship will take you to the small island of Ven, which lies on a sandstone plateau off the coast of Landskrona. You’ll be brought ashore (including your bicycles) by dinghy. This tiny (only 7.5 km2 / 2.9 mi2) island, which has less than 400 inhabitants, is a small gem in the Øresund. You can cycle around the island and visit artists, goldsmiths, cafes, the whiskey distillery or the 16th-century observatory of astronomer Tycho Brahe. Once you’ve been brought back on board using the dinghy, the Atlantis sails south to Malmö, where you’ll spend the evening and night.

After breakfast, you’ll tour Malmö by bike: it’s one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in Europe. Founded around 1200 and located opposite Copenhagen on the Øresund, Malmö offers a perfect mix of old-world charm and ultra-modern cosmopolitan vibes. The Turning Torso, a spiraling skyscraper and Sweden’s tallest building, looms over bustling centuries-old squares. Modest brick facades harbor a wealth of modern artistic creations. In the afternoon, your longest sail will take you to the Danish island of Møn, the southernmost destination of your journey, where the ship will anchor for the night. Møn is located in a sparsely-populated area and is an “International Dark Sky Community”: on clear nights, the starry sky – formerly essential for navigating at sea – can be stunningly clear here.

Also today the dinghy will bring you ashore with your bike. From Klintholm Havn, you’ll cycle in a gradual, but not strenuous, climb to the top of the 130-meter-high (427 feet) white chalk cliffs of Møns Klint, which rise steeply from the sea, comparable to those in Dover and on Rügen. The GeoCenter at the top shows the 70-million-year-old history of the cliffs, which are known for the numerous fossils that can be found there. Next, via the charming 18th-century castle of Liselund with its English-style landscaped park, you’ll cycle through woods and rolling countryside to the cute little village of Borre, then back to the harbor of Klintholm. In the afternoon, the Atlantis sails to Rødvig to drop anchor for the night.

The last cycling route of the trip follows the coast first from Rødvig. On quiet country roads and cycle paths, you’ll take the long-distance cycle route Eurovelo 10 and ride through the rolling countryside past Denmark’s oldest medieval castle Gjorslev and the 16th-century Renaissance and Baroque Castle Vallø. Your route ends in the medieval town of Køge where the ship awaits you in the harbor. Visit the picturesque old town before re-boarding. In the afternoon you’ll sail on the last sailing trip of the week to Malmö, where the ship will moor again in the city center.

This is the end of your tour, but we won’t let you leave on an empty stomach. Before disembarkation by 9:30 am, enjoy a tasty breakfast and say your farewells.