Gudhjem

Gudhjem – The Bornholm mountain town

Gudhjem is one of Bornholm's most special towns, and is also Denmark's only mountain town. Winding streets with cozy houses wind their way up a steep cliff slope from the town's cozy old harbor. The town exudes a holiday atmosphere, and you can enjoy your holiday in a real Bornholm port town. Along the waterfront and up the winding streets, and a short distance from your holiday center in Gudhjem, you will find a wealth of cafes and restaurants. In Gudhjem, you have plenty of opportunity to go out to eat, drink a cup of coffee, or maybe have something cold to drink in the hot summer sun. The steep road down through Gudhjem to the harbour is called Brøddegade, which is the only correct name if you ask Bornholmers – Brødde is the Bornholm word for hill. On your holiday in Gudhjem, you will be in no doubt about where Brøddegade is.

Magical light over Gudhjem

Gudhjem is known for its magical light over the sea, which does not only have to do with the shining summer sun over the town. With a holiday home Gudhjem, you live in the front row for very special impressions. Gudhjem's location on the north coast of Bornholm means that when the sun sets west of the island's northern tip, the light over the town and the sea takes on a magical hue. You have the opportunity to experience this if you choose a holiday home with a sea view. This light is so magical that both Danish and international painters have flocked to the city for over 100 years, trying to portray it in their works. One of these artists is Oluf Høst from Bornholm, who chose to settle down and create a studio in Gudhjem, so that he could be closer to one of his main motifs – the view of Norresân and the magical light. The Oluf Høst Museum is also housed in Gudhjem, precisely in the villa Norresân, where Oluf Høst lived with his wife. If you are on holiday in Gudhjem, you can get an insight into the painter's life and see examples of Oluf Høst's paintings - and the magical light. For more information, you can visit the museum's website.

Direct ferry departure towards Christiansø

When you choose an overnight stay in Gudhjem, you are choosing a holiday home with easy access to a lot of experiences. The harbour is the centre of Gudhjem, where the small cafés are buzzing with life. There are several daily ferry departures from Gudhjem Harbour with departure to Ertholmene with the exciting fortress islands Christiansø and Frederiksø east of Bornholm. In the early 1800s, Ertholmene was part of a major political game between Sweden, England, Russia and Denmark. The British bombed the islands several times, but the Danish soldiers held their ground, so that the island remained Danish. A trip to Ertholmene is like a trip in a time machine, where you are put 200 years back in time. After a day on your feet at Ertholmene, you can always return to your holiday home in Gudhjem to rest. See more and book your ferry tickets on Christiansøfarten's website.

Stay near natural attractions and exciting sights in Gudhjem

Gudhjem is surrounded by beautiful nature - and whether you walk north or south from your holiday apartment in Gudhjem, you will have wonderful nature experiences. Some holidaymakers prefer the southern trip along Melsted, which you can read about below... but our favorite is the trip to Salene Bay, where the cliffs rise steeply from the sea to the small bay, which has been popular as far back as the Viking Age. The Vikings thus used Salene Bay in Gudhjem as a naval base on their expeditions to the Baltic countries. Some historical sources believe that it was Salene Bay that the great naval battle between Harald Bluetooth and his son Sweyn Forkbeard took place. It was during this naval battle that Harald Bluetooth got an arrow in his buttocks. The arrow was pulled out, but shortly after Harald Bluetooth's escape to the German Baltic coast, Harald Bluetooth died of inflammation in the wound. Now, 1,000 years later, Gudhjem is one of Denmark's most peaceful places. Look forward to a wonderful holiday in Gudhjem. Choose between hotel, holiday apartment or holiday home in Gudhjem.  

Just a few kilometers from Gudhjem, you will find one of the many rift valleys on Bornholm, namely Døndalen, which is best known for Denmark's largest waterfall with a drop of up to 20 meters. Døndalen is especially popular in the spring, when the bottom is covered with delicious ramsons. Another rift valley that is worth a visit is Randkløven Skår, which is located right on the coast between Svaneke and Gudhjem. Randkløven is one of Bornholm's best natural attractions, and here you can experience the fantastic steep rocky coast that cuts deep into the mountain. When King Frederick VII visited the place in 1833, the young crown prince had to prove his manhood by jumping over the cut. We don't recommend you try the same thing, as the canyon is almost 3 meters wide and 30 meters deep. If you are staying in a holiday home in Gudhjem Søpark, you can follow the coastal path back to Gudhjem.

Go to a smokehouse in Gudhjem

With a holiday home in Gudhjem, you can visit the town's smokehouse, Gudhjem Smokehouse, on one of the holiday days, where you have the opportunity to taste the Bornholm fish specialty, smoked herring. The smokehouse also serves a large fish buffet, or you can try the local speciality – Sol over Gudhjem, which consists of smoked herring with radishes, chives and raw egg yolk. You therefore also have the opportunity to take the delicacies home in your holiday home in Gudhjem. In summer, evenings offer a large barbecue buffet and live music. See more on the smokehouse's website.

"Sol over Gudhjem" is also the name of the big annual cooking competition, which usually takes place in June. In "Sol over Gudhjem", some of Denmark's best chefs compete to prepare the best starter, main course and dessert, respectively. The event Sol over Gudhjem is traditionally shown on national TV, and in addition to the large stage that will be set up at the harbour, you have the opportunity to explore a large food market at the harbour, and there are also tastings for the audience. An overnight stay at a hotel in Gudhjem means that you have access to many exciting experiences.

Coastal tour to the Sanctuary Cliffs (Helligdomsklipperne)

With Gudhjem harbour as a starting point, you can also sail along the coast. Among other things, you can sail with M/S Thor to Helligdomsklipperne. The beautiful rock skerries, which today are known as the Sanctuary Rocks, also contain two caves, known as "The Wet Oven" and "The Dry Oven". The Sanctuary Cliffs are named after a sacred spring, which was believed to have its outlet into the sea right here. In the Middle Ages, the people of Bornholm visited the holy spring on Midsummer's Eve, as they believed that the spring had healing powers. In the cave known as "The Black Cauldron", you can penetrate 60 meters into the cliffside. A trip to Helligdomsklipperne is almost a must when you have chosen a holiday home in Gudhjem. Read more about the wonderful sailing trip with  M/S Thor here.

From the Sanctuary Cliffs, you can continue the excursion with a trip to Bornholm's Art Museum. Above the Sanctuary Cliffs, about 6 kilometers from Gudhjem and your holiday apartment, is Bornholm's Art Museum, which with its architectural design is an attraction in itself. Bornholm's Art Museum offers locally anchored arts and crafts, and among other things, a rich impression of modernism's breakthrough in art. At Bornholm's Art Museum, the old holy spring has been incorporated into the modern architecture, which now flows through the entire museum as water art.