Directions
Car
The only road to Rømø runs along the 9km-long Rømø dyke, which starts 5km west of Skærbæk or just less than 20km south of Ribe along highway 11.
Public transport
Bus route 285 runs between Skærbæk on the mainland and Havneby on Rømø. Most busses on Rømø stop at Nørre Tvismark, Juvre, Lakolk, Kongsmark and Havneby, but note that some do not stop at Juvre or Lakolk. There are 5-7 departures on weekdays Mon-Fri and only 2-3 at the weekends.
See the timetable for bus 285 at sydtrafik.dk (in Danish)
Plan your trip on rejseplanen.dk (in Danish)
Parking
There is never a shortage of places to park along the about 10km-long beach between Lakolk and Sønderstrand. There are also car parks at the three plantations Tvismark, Kirkeby and Vråby, and at the viewing platform at Juvre Sand.
Practical info and activities
There are four public toilets in Danish Nature Agency areas on Rømø. These are on the drive down to Sønderstrand, at the car park in Kirkeby Plantage, and at the car park at Tvismark Plantage south of Vesterhavsvej.
We also erect temporary toilet facilities at Lakolk Strand from mid-April to the start of September.
Tønder Municipality offers public toilets with facilities for the disabled at the shopping centre in Lakolk.
In Tvismark Plantation there is a route accessible for the disabled. The forest roads in Kirkeby Plantation and Vråby Plantation are suitable for wheelchairs in normal weather conditions. However the hiking paths are generally not suitable for wheelchairs and people with walking difficulties. The sand on the beach can also make access difficult for wheelchairs.
Dogs must be on a leash at all times in towns, in summer-house areas, on the dunes and in the plantations. On the beach, dogs must be kept on leash from 1 April to 30 September. Take care and always bring a bag for your dog’s droppings.
All year-round, dogs can run free in Rømø’s three off-leash dog parks in Lakolk (West of the camping site), in Kirkeby Plantage (at Hviddal Sø lake) and in Vråby Plantage (at the car park on Langdalsvej). Just make sure that you can control your dog and that it comes to you when you call so that it doesn’t bother other dogs and dog owners. Off-leash dog parks are fenced in to separate dogs and game. Therefore, the gates to the off-leash dog park must be kept closed.
Many people use the countryside - and for vastly different reasons. Therefore, a series of rules for use of the countryside have been drawn up.
The rules have been made so that a trip to the countryside is pleasurable for as many people as possible.
Cycling: Bicycling is allowed on all paths and forest roads, but not on the forest floor or down slopes or on dykes. Please note that it is also forbidden to cycle on some paths - watch out for signs.
On horseback: You can ride on most of Rømø, but only on public roads, on the beach (but at least 100m from the edge of the water) and on signposted bridleways in Kirkeby Plantation and Vråby Plantation. The two plantations are also linked with a bridle path over the dune heath.
Dogs: In general dogs must be kept on a leash in the forests, on the heaths and on the beaches. From 1 October to 31 March dogs may run freely on the beach. All year-round, dogs can run free in Rømø’s three off-leash dog parks in Lakolk (west of the camp site), in Kirkeby Plantage plantation (at Hviddal Sø lake) and in Vråby Plantage plantation (at the car park on Langdalsvej).
Beach sailing is allowed on Sønderstrand. Kite-buggies have to use a large area covering about 6 km2 north of Sønderstrandvej, whereas blocarts should use an area covering about 4 km2 south of Sønderstrandvej. Motorists must observe special caution for the 3-wheeled, wind-powered vehicles which have to zigzag across the beach.
Kite-buggies are mostly for advanced users who know the sport, whereas blocarts can be learned fairly quickly after receiving a little instruction. It is possible to rent blocarts and learn how to use them.
Kitebuggies and kiteboards can be rented by advanced users from Rømø Cykler.
Read more at romocykler.dk (danish)
Rømø has three marked hiking routes; one in each of the three plantations: Tvismark, Kirkeby and Vråby. The tours through Tvismark Plantage and Kirkeby Plantage offer the most varied landscape, with hikes in the open countryside with wide horizons. All tours are round trips of 2-4km and are marked by yellow posts, but in Kirkeby Plantage you can also take a shorter trip of about 2km, marked with red colours. This means that the hiking tours can be done in 15-60 minutes. They all start at different car parks. The hiking tour brochure covering all the routes is available at the car parks, Rømø tourist centre, Naturcenter Tønnisgård or by downloading from this link:
Rømø hiking tour brochure (in Danish)
The Tvismark tour is a good appetiser for further investigation of the nature on Rømø, seasoned with slightly gloomy bunkers - often half-buried in the sand. The tour runs not only through Tvismark Plantage, but it also follows the border between forest and sand dune heaths, curving out into the heather landscape of wide horizons. On the hiking route is one of Rømø's highest mountains, Høstbjerg, with astonishingly good views from 19m above sea level. The yellow route is 3 km. Park your car at one of two car parks north of Vesterhavsvej.
The Kirkeby tour follows the forest paths through Kirkeby Plantage with dense vegetation of mountain pine, interrupted by clearings with small lakes and bogs. The highlight of the walking tour is Spidsbjerg (19m) with amazing views of the forest and dune heath. The yellow route is 4 km, but from Spidsbjerg it is worth the effort to take a short trip through the naked dune heath, one of the most beautiful landscapes on Rømø. Go to the top of the parabolic sand dune. Park at one of two car parks west of Havneby.
The Vråby tour is a hiking tour through the plantation of mountain pine. Here the terrain is flat in the western part of the forest, but with sand dunes in the eastern part up towards the highest point, Stagebjerg (18 m), with views of Vesterhede with open pastures and Rømø farms. The yellow route is 3km long. Parking at Langdalsvej.
There are no marked cycling routes on Rømø. However, there are asphalt cycle paths between Juvre and Havneby and between Havneby and Sønderstrand. You can also cycle along the beach, but preferably use mountain bikes with wide tires. You can also cycle on paths and forest roads in the plantations. However, there may be some paths where you are not allowed to cycle - these are marked by a sign.
You can rent a bike from Rømø Cykler in Kongsmark at romocykler.dk or ask the Rømø Tourist Centre at romo.dk
Horse-back riding is becoming ever more popular on Rømø, and there are plenty of ways to experience Rømø on horse-back. You can ride on all public roads and on the beach. On the beach you have to be at least 100 metres from the shoreline. In addition, there are marked bridleways through Kirkeby Plantage and Vråby Plantage. The bridleway connecting the two plantations across the beautiful dune heath of Sønderland is also highly recommended. There is also a bridleway route from Vråby Plantage over the dune dyke to the beach at the North Sea. All bridleways have red pictogram signs. Begin from one of the three car parks in Kirkeby Plantage and Vråby Plantage, where it is possible to bring a horse trailer.
Rømø has several stables from where your can hire a horse and organise a horse-back riding tour. For example there are Thomsen Ridecenter at sigurd-thomsen.dk (danish)
Tønnisgård Naturcenter organises 2½-hour-long guided tours during the summer, offering a unique myriad of life in the Wadden Sea as the tidal waters come in or out. Furthermore, many activities are aimed at children, such as nature workshops, creative mussels, build a kite, shrimping and horse-carriage rides. You buy tickets for rides and activities directly from Naturcenter Tønnisgård.
Tønnisgård Naturcenter organises a 2½-hour guided bunker tour during the summer to Tvismark Plantage, on which you can view the monuments of the Second World War more closely. Be prepared to follow ancient trenches and climb down ladders and through pipes in order to get into the bunkers, and listen to the stories about Rømø’s military significance as a base for some of the most advanced radar installations of the Second World War.
You buy tickets for bunker trips directly from Naturcenter Tønnisgård.
Sort Safari organises seal safaris in the Wadden Sea around Rømø during the summer. The tour starts at Havneby with the Rømø-Sild ferry to List. From here the tour continues by wooden ship to the seal banks. This 4-hour tour can be reserved by contacting Sort Safari.
Offshore at Lakolk, wind and kite surfing is permitted in the northern part. You can also drive on the beach all the way down to the water, making it easier to unload equipment and get going. Watching the surfers from the beach is a beautiful sight, but be careful as the sea here is not suited for everyday bathing.
If you’re not lucky enough to find amber, perhaps it’s because you only look when the sea is warm during summer. Amber floats better when the water is cold and the storms which wash up the amber mostly occur during winter. Look for pieces of amber after a day of heavy storms; they are often hidden in seaweed washed onto the beach. Watch out for seagulls; they’re excellent at finding sea wrack when searching for mussels.
On hot summer days, the perfect attraction is picnicking in the sand dunes overlooking the North Sea. If you need to barbecue and want more shelter, Tvismark Plantage is the perfect spot to open your picnic basket and coffee flask. In addition to tables and benches under a large roof, there is a brick barbecue freely available for everyone.
Bog whortleberries in sand dunes, cranberries in heather bogs, and dune heaths with crowberries. And don’t forget little yellow-orange and sticky sea buckthorns filled with vitamin C. The heaths on Rømø grow berries and you can pick as many as you like as long as it is for your own use. The same applies for mushrooms in the plantations, where you can find different types of chanterelle, boletus, russula, lactarius, etc.
The Danish Nature Agency has no shelters or other possibilities of overnight stays on Rømø. Free tenting does not exist on Rømø either.
Areas on Rømø run by the Danish Nature Agency are open for events and activities. However, if the activities are likely to affect other people in the countryside, or animals and plants, an application must be made for a permit.