Hiking Fanø's Økaminø: A Two-Day Island Adventure in Denmark

In June 2026 we spent two days walking around Fanø, the island off Esbjerg, on the route known as the Økaminø – listed as Ø-Camino Fanø in AllTrails, with one stage from Nordby to Sønderho and one back again. Kristine, me and our black dog Maggie, a small tent, a camping stove and food from home.

It wasn't a hard hike. It was a relaxed, varied and cheap couple of days – and Fanø turned out to have far more in it than we expected.

The short version

About 38.5 km over two days by our own recordings: Nordby to Sønderho, then back to Nordby via the huge west beach. One night in our tent, one in a small Airbnb annex in Sønderho. Highlights: Sønderho's old streets, a private look inside Hannes Hus, and a beach so wide it barely felt Danish. Bring insect repellent – and if you can, an extra day.

Getting to Fanø

We drove to Esbjerg on 8 June and were at the ferry around 5pm. The crossing to Nordby with FanøLinjen takes about 12 minutes, and we took the car over – it gave us the freedom to move around the island, which turned out to be more useful than we'd planned.

Close-up of our black dog Maggie in front of the FanøLinjen ferry terminal building in Esbjerg — Maggie, ready for the 12-minute crossing.

Our first night: a tent, a shelter site and far too many insects

We drove to Anne Dallbjerg Shelterplads. The shelter was already taken, so we pitched our own small tent nearby in the woods.

Our grey tunnel tent pitched among birch trees at a woodland shelter site on Fanø — Our tent among the birches near the shelter.

The plan was simple: heat the food we'd brought on our portable camping stove and eat by the tent. The mosquitoes and midges had other plans. There were so many of them that sitting still for a meal was more or less impossible.

So we left the tent where it was, packed the stove back into the car and went looking for somewhere with a bit of wind. We ended up at Batterihallen and set up dinner on top of an old bunker, looking across the water towards Esbjerg harbour. Not what we'd planned – but one of the small moments from the trip we still talk about.

Kristine smiling while cooking on a portable camping stove on top of a concrete bunker, with Esbjerg harbour across the water — Plan B: dinner on a bunker at Batterihallen.

A massive old concrete bunker with blue and grey graffiti on the sand — One of the bunkers near Batterihallen.

After dinner we drove back and slept in the tent.

Leif in a rain jacket making coffee in a portable press, sitting in a camping chair under the tent porch with Maggie beside him — Coffee under the porch – Maggie supervising.

Kristine brushing her teeth inside the tent while Maggie licks her nose next to her — Tent life with Maggie.

Day one: Nordby to Sønderho

In the morning we made porridge with a bit of protein powder and coffee on the stove – but the insects were still out, so we packed breakfast into the car and ate by the coast at Fanø Bad instead, where there were also toilets. Then we parked by the harbour in Nordby and set off.

Right at the start, on the way out of Nordby, Kristine had to stop at a little roadside ceramics stall – one of those honesty-box displays you find in Danish villages.

Kristine with a backpack peering into a small white roadside ceramics cabinet decorated with Danish flags, Maggie beside her — First stop of the day: a roadside ceramics stall.

She then set off at a pace that made me wonder whether this was going to be a very long day. After the first stretch we settled into a good rhythm, and it was simply a pleasant way to see the island – slower and closer than driving between sights. Much of the stage follows the west coast south before turning in to Sønderho.

Leif in a green beanie eating a wrap at a wooden picnic table with a can of Pepsi — Lunch break at a picnic table.

Selfie of Leif and a laughing Kristine with brown and white cows in a green meadow behind — Making friends along the way.

Around 3pm it started to rain, so the rain jackets came on and we kept going.

Kristine in a dripping rain jacket with trekking poles by a reed-lined pond, Maggie drinking from the water — Rain jackets on – Kristine and Maggie by a pond.

We reached Sønderho at about 4.45pm. Our AllTrails recording: 19.72 km in 4 hours 54 minutes, with 75 m of ascent.

Discovering Sønderho

Sønderho made a big impression on us. Thatched roofs, narrow crooked lanes and a building style that hangs together so well that it almost feels like a film set – except it doesn't feel like an open-air museum. It has its own life and atmosphere. Sønderho was historically an important seafaring town, and many of the preserved houses date from the 1700s and 1800s.

Kristine and Maggie in front of a long thatched red-brick house with a green gable and a vintage wood-framed car, evening sun behind — Evening in Sønderho.

We bought a few things in the local shop and found our way to the small annex we'd rented through Airbnb. Our host turned out to have a connection to Hannes Hus, the historic house in the village – and offered to show us inside the next morning.

A small whitewashed annex with a black roof and a courtyard with a bench and table in Sønderho — Our little Airbnb annex in Sønderho.

A visit to Hannes Hus

Hannes Hus is a preserved skipper's home from the 1700s, with its old interior intact. It's low-ceilinged and feels completely different from a modern home – and hearing our host talk about the house and the life it represents made it far more than just a look through the windows.

Kristine laughing at the arched green door of Hannes Hus, a thatched red-brick house, with Maggie on the lead — At the door of Hannes Hus.

Our host sitting by a plate rack full of blue and white plates inside Hannes Hus, Leif standing in the doorway — Inside Hannes Hus with our host.

Leif with a backpack outside an old brick boathouse with the red and white Sønderho lifeboat inside — The old Sønderho lifeboat, before we set off on day two.

Day two: the wide beaches of Fanø

From Sønderho we headed back towards Nordby, and out onto Fanø's west beach. It's enormous – on some stretches so wide it feels almost endless, nothing like most beaches I know in Denmark.

That day the beach was busy with kites in the sky and beach buggies driving back and forth across the sand – a fun contrast to two people and a dog walking at 5 km/h. (We were there on 10 June; the big international kite festival on Fanø was later in the month.)

Kites flying over the very wide, flat beach on Fanø, with a camper van and people in the distance — Kites over the west beach.

A kite buggy with fat tyres and a plastic skull on the front, parked on the hard sand of the beach — A kite buggy with a passenger.

Then we cut back inland and headed north. The last stretch took us through the dunes just before Nordby, and out onto the road at the town sign.

Leif with trekking poles greeting Maggie on a sandy path between grassy dunes — Through the last dunes before Nordby.

Leif with a backpack by the Nordby town sign on a quiet road, Maggie in the foreground — Back at the Nordby sign – almost done.

Our recording for day two: 18.83 km in 5 hours 25 minutes, with 79 m of ascent.

A burger and a local beer

Back at the car in Nordby we went to Fanø Bryghus – not to eat inside, but for a smash burger from the little food stall outside and a local beer. Both were good, and it felt like a proper way to mark the end of the walk.

Afterwards we drove through Nordby and saw Madsens Galleri from the outside – the gallery of the Danish musician and artist Johnny Madsen – before going back to the tent for one more night.

What we thought of Fanø

I'm from Læsø, so I can't help comparing Danish islands. Fanø surprised me. Two very different villages in Nordby and Sønderho, an unusually wide beach, bunkers and military history, historic houses and maritime heritage, and plenty of room for walking and being outdoors. Personally, I found Fanø more varied – and on this trip more interesting – than Læsø. That's my opinion, not a verdict: Læsø has its own qualities. But Fanø gave us more than we'd expected.

Practical tips from our trip

Bring insect repellent. At the woodland shelter site the mosquitoes and midges were bad enough that we had to leave the tent to cook and eat.
Think about where you pitch. Next time I'd look for a more open spot nearer the coast – but only where camping is actually allowed. Use designated shelter sites or campsites and check the local rules.
Pack rain gear. It rained on day one, and west coast weather changes quickly.
Bring food, water and snacks. We brought almost everything from home and only bought small extras on Fanø, like soft drinks and Greek yoghurt. You don't have to rely on finding food along the way.
Consider a trekking pole. I found mine useful on the long days – it spread the effort and, for me at least, my fingers didn't swell as much. A personal observation, not a promise.
Keep it in perspective. About 20 km a day sounds like a lot, but at a comfortable pace it was pleasant and manageable. The appeal isn't the challenge; it's the mix of coast, villages, beach and time outside.
Hiking with a dog. Maggie came the whole way. Check the current rules for dogs on the beach and in the nature areas before you go – they can vary by area and season.

Budget: a surprisingly affordable island trip

Two days on Fanø doesn't have to be expensive. Our Airbnb annex in Sønderho cost about DKK 600. We brought most of our food from home, bought only a few extras locally, and camped the other nights instead of paying for a room. The ferry, fuel and food come on top of that.

FanøLinjen's published 2026 mid-season prices for a return trip with a regular car (low car under 1.95 m) were DKK 269 (Flex) or DKK 325 (Standard), including up to nine people. Those are the published prices, not a record of what we paid – check fanoelinjen.dk for your dates.

Planning the Fanø Økaminø hike

When we went	8–11 June 2026, hiking on 9 and 10 June
Ferry	Esbjerg – Nordby with FanøLinjen, about 12 minutes. We took the car.
Day one	Nordby – Sønderho: 19.72 km, 4 h 54 min, 75 m ascent (our AllTrails recording)
Day two	Sønderho – Nordby: 18.83 km, 5 h 25 min, 79 m ascent (our AllTrails recording)
Total	About 38.5 km and 10 h 20 min of recorded time – our own numbers, not the official route length or a guide for others
We slept	Our own tent near Anne Dallbjerg Shelterplads (2 nights) and a small Airbnb annex in Sønderho (1 night, about DKK 600)
Useful	Toilets at Fanø Bad beach; a portable camping stove for porridge, coffee and dinner

Sources: FanøLinjen, Visit Fanø – Sønderho, VisitDenmark – Hannes Hus.

Final thoughts

On our last morning we drove back to the picnic tables at Fanø Bad for pancakes and coffee by the dunes, then took the ferry back and drove on to Ribe before heading home. Looking back, that was the wrong call. We'd have been better off with one more day on Fanø – time to wander Nordby and Sønderho without a distance to cover.

Walking the Økaminø is a great way to see the island. But Fanø deserves time off the route too. If you can, give it that extra day.

Want another walk on the Danish west coast? Read about my 110 km walk from Hirtshals to Hanstholm – a very different kind of hike.