Ven, the island

What’s the best way to spend a lazy, sunny summers day? I would easily recommend biking around Ven, the island in the middle of the strait between Sweden and Denmark.

Exploring by bike

Our day started when our group of three families boarded the ferry to take us over from Landskrona, Sweden. The trip takes around 30 min, so we landed at 8.50 in the morning. It was a busy day with great weather and a lot of visitors after a few weeks of rain.

After walking up the hill to the bike rental, we were amazed by the amount of bikes awaiting us. We’d pre-booked so we were sure to get seven-speed bikes. These classic “Monarks” were sturdy and in great condition, like the old mail bikes of Scandinavia.

We met up with the other group of two families where they’d been camping the for the night. This was a great time to enjoy our breakfast. No Kokkaffe this time though, we had brewed some to bring with us already. Believe it or not, we’re prepared sometimes!

Beginning to explore

After gazing to the sea for a while, we packed up and started exploring Ven, the island. What a beautiful place! Its beauty is a bit overwhelming at times, and the contrasts are abundant. The island is located in the middle of Öresund, the strait between Denmark and Sweden. Ven has a history that’s both Danish and Swedish.

It has remarkably good soil and grows barley, oats, rapeseed, beets and maize alongside durum. Growing barley and having great weather conditions for whiskey, you can bet there is a phenomenal whiskey distillery on the island. You’ve probably already heard of it, Spirit of Hven. They produce whiskey, gin and vodka as well as other seasonal spirits.

Spirit of Hven has guided tours and tastings. This is well worth your money, and people all over the world travel here to get a glimpse of the craft.

The view from St Ibbs is spectacular. The church is from the 1200s and has a rich history and a lot of interesting designs and historical points. We paused for a while enjoying the view from the outside. It’s such a special feeling seeing the two Scandinavian countries meet in the strait of Öresund.

Ice cream

After this attraction we went on to find ourselves some ice cream. It brought us to Kyrkbacken and the harbour filled with danish sailors. The girls recorded some TikToks, cheered by fellow visitors. We enjoyed ourselves and the ice creams, watching the boats arrive and leave like a clockwork.

If you’d be interested in a local ice cream, there is a place called Hvens Glassfabrik. They make their own ice cream, with ecological cream and as locally produced ingredients as possible. It’s well worth a try! Located in Bäckviken where you’ll arrive and leave the island if you travel by ferry, it’s very accessible.

We took the steep path up from Kyrkbackens harbour towards Stade Strand. This is such a tranquil place and the fields of barley moved so soft in the wind, as if they were dancing us to sleep.

Beach time

Rolling down back to the campsite, we found our way to Norreborg and the beach there. After eating lunch together, we split up and a third went to Tuna By to find themselves a nice brew, a third stayed at the campsite enjoying the beautiful day and the last third went on to the beach in Norreborg. The water was fantastically cold, but we enjoyed ourelves and played together for a while.

When we’d dried in the sun, our adventure continued to the Tycho Brahe museum. Tycho Brahe was a noble dane/skane with a great interest in the astronomy field. He lived and studied on the island in the late 1500s and printed many scientific papers about his observations of universe. His observatory and castle garden is located in the middle of the island. Sadly, the castle he built was taken down stone by stone in the 1600s, but you can still enjoy his reconstructed gardens and observatory.

After biking for six hours, I was kind of sore. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind bringing one of those padded bike seat covers, like this one.

Enjoying the evening

After 12 hours of exploring the island together from the bikes, we finally sat down to eat our dinner by the shore back in Bäckviken. At Agnes Tapas, you’ll find a variety of local sea food and classics like hamburgers and fish and chips.

The day was ended perfectly with a view of the sunset from the ferry back to mainland. A swan family welcomed us in the harbour of Landskrona. There was nothing more to ask for, and after a day in on the bike seat, filled with new impressions, we slept really well back in our van.

How to get here:

You can go by ferry from Landskrona, Helsingborg and Råå in Sweden, as well as Copenhagen or Rungsted Harbour in Denmark. Read more on https://www.upplevven.se/en/.

Upplev Ven has great advice on what to do on Ven, as well as a printable map with your own saved favourites!

All in all, we’ve found a new place to keep in our hearts and we hope this inspired you to visit Ven yourself!

• 

• 

• 

•