Beach hut on the beach at Ærø Hale

Ærø or (Aeroe; [pronunciation guide: Æ: Egg; r: red; ø: burn]) is a large island in Denmark, south of Funen. While the island has 6,000 permanent residents, it is a popular tourist destination during summer.

Understand

The whole island is legally considered a single city, but in practice, there are three small towns, 14 villages, and the rest is farms. The three towns are Søby to the north, Ærøskøbing, and 1 Marstal, the largest town, to the south.

The city website prominently links to how you can get married on the island, and indeed this is as good a place as any to make use of the relatively liberal and unbureaucratic Danish marriage law.

Talk

The official language, like the rest of Denmark, is Danish. English is also widely understood.

Get in

Ærø can easily be reached by ferry. There are 3 ferry routes serving the island: Svendborg to Ærøskøbing, Faaborg to Søby, and Fynshav to Søby. All ferry routes are operated by the company Ærøfærgerne. Each ferry route operates three to 12 times per day, depending upon the day of the week and the port you want to visit.

• 2 Ærøskøbing Ferry. 75 minutes to Svendborg. The most popular route, with the most frequent crossings. Reservations recommended, and required for vehicles. About 225 kr. per adult, varies seasonally. (updated Nov 2019)
• 3 Søby Ferry, Søby Havn 2, 5985 Søby. 60 minutes to either Fuynshav or Faaborg. Reservations recommended, and required for vehicles. About 225 kr. per adult, varies seasonally. (updated Nov 2019)

Be careful if asking directions, as it's fairly critical to get the pronunciation right in order to be understood. If you ask people for the way to Aero, they will likely look puzzled and point you to the nearest airport after some thinking. If you have trouble; include "island" in the question (e.g., How do I get to Aero island?).

See

• 1 Passage grave of Kragnæs. (updated Apr 2019)

Eat

• Ærøpandekager, very thick pancakes - a local speciality.