Holiday Home Langeland

Langeland: Where Families Holiday in Denmark

A charming island where canary-colored, half-timber homes sprout from stone streets humming with cute cars and bike-peddling people, Langeland is a distinctly Danish holiday destination for ecologically-minded travelers who enjoy pristine parks, quaint villages and immaculate castles. 

About 12,000 Danes live on the 110-square-mile Langeland, an island with shore beaches on Kiel Bay and the Great Belt.

Known for grain production and a booming ecotourism industry, residents are passionate conservationists who pridefully protect area wildlife and preserve historic buildings. Conveniently, Langeland is part of Denmark’s Central Islands, so day trips to neighboring isles like Funen, Aero and Lolland are a breeze. 

Langeland is densely packed with Danish culture. Rudkøbing is an old-time Dutch windmill. Bagenkop, a small harbor town, is a delightful commercial center with artisan-stocked shops, restaurants and a hundred years old church.

In Bagenkop you can visit one of the oldest ceramic workshops; Ulla Keramik. The workshop is open all year round and you are welcome to watch the production, where everything is handmade. In the shop you easily find a unique holiday memory.

Tranekaer is a 12th-century castle with glorious surrounding parks, and the owners, a real-life count and countess, offer public tours in June and July. Egeskov, Europe’s best-preserved Renaissance water castle, is just a short drive away in Funen. For military buffs, the Cold War museum Langelandsfort, is also a must. 

Are the kids coming? Skovsgård is a family-friendly manor farm owned by Danmarks Naturfond and open to the public between May and September. Part museum and part self-serve science camp, Skovsgård offers tours, fishing activities and a microscope station for curious minds of all ages. 

Known as Denmark’s largest garden party, Langelandsfestivalen is week-long food, craft, and music festival the last week of July. Great for the entire gang, parents drop kids off at the camp area and then spend some hours sampling local foods, spirits and music acts. Over 30,000 people descend on Langelandsfestivalen each year.

Got an equine enthusiast in the family? A heard of 60 wild horses independently grazes on Langeland. Thrillingly, guests are allowed into their habitat so long as they observe the rules. Spectators can also watch the animals from Ørnehøj, a nearby hill. 

For a pint-sized place, Langeland vaunts a remarkable hometown roster. Hans Christian Ørsted, the physicist who uncovered the relationship between magnetic properties and electric currents hails from Rudkøbing, as does Nikolaj Coster-Waldau - aka Jamie Lannister. Other notable Langelanders include Olympians Ingrid Larsen and writer Jens Christian Bay. 

Space and privacy considerations make staying in a holiday home on Langeland the most comfortable option.