Øresund Coast Sail & Bike Tour

Day 1: Copenhagen – embarkation (0 km)
From 5:30 pm the crew will welcome you aboard the tall ship, moored close to the centre of Copenhagen opposite the Opera House. You will stow your luggage in your cabin, then meet the skipper, the crew and your tour leader over a welcome drink, followed by dinner on board. At the first briefing after dinner you will hear what to expect during the week, how life on board works and what the safety measures are. The bicycles will be handed out that evening or the next morning.

Day 2: Copenhagen – Humlebæk – Helsingør (48 km)
Your first ride will take you from the ship past the Little Mermaid and the Kastellet, on quiet bike paths out of town, along the Øresund and inland through forest and pretty villages; you may even see the ship under sail. About 10 km before Helsingør you will pass the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, well worth a visit. You will finish in Helsingør (Elsinore), whose harbour is dominated by Kronborg Castle, the place Shakespeare had in mind when he wrote Hamlet. Nearby, restored old harbour buildings house a street food market and a nautical museum.

Day 3: Helsingør – Helsingborg – Landskrona (28 km or 45 km)
Today you will ride the coast of the so-called Danish Riviera, with its long sandy beaches, to the tiny harbour of Hornbæk, then turn inland through slightly hilly country towards Esrum and the medieval monastery on Lake Esrum. Wheat fields, castles and country houses line the way back to Helsingør, where a long descent brings you into the historic centre; the short route leaves you the afternoon to visit the town. During dinner the ship will cross the narrow strait to Helsingborg on the Swedish coast, and after dinner you can take a short walk through this old city.

Day 4: Helsingborg – Landskrona – Ven (28 km or 38 km)
In the morning you will cycle down the coast of Skåne, past a few beaches and the former fishing village of Borstahusen with its old fishermen's houses, to the fortified town of Landskrona and its almost intact 16th-century citadel. Just after noon you will take the ferry to the island of Ven. Only 7.5 square kilometres and home to fewer than 400 people, Ven is a small gem in the Øresund: you can cycle around it and visit artists, goldsmiths, cafés, the whisky distillery or the 16th-century observatory of the astronomer Tycho Brahe. The harbour is too small for the ship, so in the late afternoon the crew will collect you by dinghy and you will sleep at anchor.

Day 5: Ven – Køge or Rødvig – sailing day (0 km)
This will be a full day under sail. Depending on wind, swell and weather, the ship will head for the port of Køge or drop anchor near Rødvig. You will sail from Ven under the Øresund Bridge to the southern part of Zealand. You are welcome to help the crew sail and steer the ship, with no experience needed, or simply settle on deck. Between Køge and Rødvig rise the white limestone cliffs of Stevns Klint, and this sparsely populated area is a dark sky area, so on a clear night the stars can be beautifully seen.

Day 6: Rødvig – Stevns Klint – Køge (30 km or 58 km)
Depending on where the ship has moored, today will either be a ride from Rødvig to Køge, starting with a dinghy transfer ashore, or a longer round trip out of Køge. Either way you will reach Stevns Klint, the white chalk cliffs that are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with the village of Højerup and its cliff church, and you will have time for the historic centre of the medieval town of Køge. The ship will then pick you up in Køge for a dinner sail to Malmö.

Day 7: Malmö – Lund – Lomma – Malmö (26 km or 49 km)
On your last cycling day you can take a short half-day tour past the highlights of Malmö's centre and out through its outskirts to a stunning view of the Øresund Bridge and the city, with the afternoon free to explore Malmö on your own. Or you can ride the full-day route on quiet country roads to the university city of Lund, one of Sweden's oldest cities with over 1,000 years of history, to see its cosy centre and its magnificent 12th-century cathedral, before returning along the coast with time for an ice cream or a last swim. The captain's farewell dinner will be waiting on board.

Day 8: Malmö – disembarkation (0 km)
After a last breakfast on board you will say goodbye to the crew and disembark by 9:30 am. Malmö train station is just around the corner, with trains to Copenhagen airport and the city centre.