Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
87.0km²
Area
94km
Coastline
64m
Highest point
6,170
People
18°C
Warmest sea
August
16km
To the mainland
When to go to Ærø
Best to visit from July to August.
The sea is warmest in August (18 °C) and coolest in February (2 °C). The water never reaches 21 °C: bring a wetsuit.
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Danish Baltic Sea island
Ærø is an island in Denmark. It covers 87.0 km², with 94 km of coastline. Its highest point rises to 64 m. About 6,170 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 16 km away.
Getting there
- Sønderborg Airport (SGD)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 36 km in a straight lineCar hire at BLL airport (Billund)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- FerriesSvendborg - Ærøskøbing, Birkholmposten, Søby - Fynshav, Søby - Faaborg
- 16 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From July to Augustbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Ærø.
- 11beachesNevre Strand, Ærøskøbing Strand and 9 more
- 4viewpointsVoderup Klint and 3 more
- 3lighthousesVejsnæs Nakke, Skjoldnæs Fyr
- 4ferry terminalsMarstal Færgehavn, Søby Havn and 2 more
- 8marinasMarstal Havkajakcenter, Marstal Lystbådehavn, Kleven Havn and 5 more
- 1castles and fortsSøbygård
- 17ruins and archaeological sitesGrønnemosehøj, Brynkehøj, Langedyss and 14 more
- 7waymarked walking routesEuropean long distance path E6 - part Denmark, Øhavsstien 7: Marstal - Ærøskøbing - Søby, Sporet ved Gråsten Nor and 4 more
- 12campsitesAutocamperpladsen ved Skjoldnæs Fyr, Marstal Havn Autocamperplads, Kleven Havn Teltplads and 9 more
- 21hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 32restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Ærø in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Ærø, each with its own numbers.
2mountainsPeakyas
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 20 m above the sea. 100 % of it is below 200 m.
- 97 %0–50 m
- 3 %50–200 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
10 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Marstal1,989 people
- Ærøskøbing935 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 3 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 12 | 8 | 4 |
| Night low (°C) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 9 | 5 | 2 |
| Sea (°C) | 3 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 11 | 15 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 12 | 9 | 4 |
| Rain (mm) | 59 | 48 | 42 | 34 | 48 | 66 | 72 | 77 | 56 | 65 | 60 | 61 |
| Wet days | 13 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
| Sun h/day | 0.4 | 1.7 | 4.7 | 7.2 | 8.3 | 8.6 | 7.9 | 6.7 | 5.5 | 2.9 | 0.8 | 0.1 |
| Wind (km/h) | 26 | 25 | 23 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +2.9 | +3.1 | +2.7 | +3.2 | +0.7 | +1.2 | ±0.0 | +1.2 | +1.5 | +1.2 | +1.9 | +2.3 |
| 2021 | +1.7 | ±0.0 | +0.7 | +1.2 | −0.7 | +1.4 | +2.5 | ±0.0 | +0.9 | +1.1 | +1.5 | +2.1 |
| 2022 | +1.8 | +2.6 | +2.3 | +2.6 | +1.4 | +0.3 | −0.4 | +1.1 | +0.8 | +1.1 | +2.1 | +1.8 |
| 2023 | +3.0 | +1.9 | +1.7 | +2.1 | ±0.0 | +1.5 | −0.4 | −0.8 | +2.1 | +1.6 | +1.0 | +1.1 |
| 2024 | +0.9 | +1.9 | +1.9 | +2.5 | +2.0 | +0.4 | +0.2 | +0.7 | +1.5 | +0.8 | +1.4 | +2.5 |
| 2025 | +2.2 | +1.2 | +1.8 | +3.8 | +2.0 | +0.1 | +0.7 | −0.1 | +1.2 | +0.9 | +1.2 | +2.4 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.




Nearby
More islands nearby.
About these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q27150) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Peakyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
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