Denmark
Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
112km²
Area
97km
Coastline
62m
Highest point
Ballebjerg
18°C
Warmest sea
August
11km
To the mainland
When to go to Samsø
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.
Island in Denmark
Samsø is an island in Denmark. It covers 112 km², with 97 km of coastline. Its highest point, Ballebjerg, rises to 62 m. The nearest mainland is 11 km away.
Getting there
- Odense Hans Christian Andersen Airport (ODE)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 47 km in a straight lineCar hire at BLL airport (Billund)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- FerriesHov - Sælvig, Samsøfærgen, Aarhus - Sælvig
- 11 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
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On the island
What you find on Samsø.
- 13beaches
- 10viewpointsGranhøj Udsigtspunkt, Dyret, Besser Udsigtstårn and 7 more
- 2lighthousesBallen Færgehavn Vinkelfyr, Vesborg Fyr
- 4ferry terminalsBallen Færgehavn, Hou, Aarhus and 1 more
- 4marinasBallen Havn, Langør Havn, Mårup Havn and 1 more
- 23named peaksBallebjerg, Dyret, Dyrbjerg and 20 more
- 1castles and fortsBrattingsborg
- 99ruins and archaeological sitesRisbjerg, Løghøj, Sønderhøi and 96 more
- 4waymarked walking routesBlå, Gul, Grøn and 1 more
- 13campsitesDallebækken Shelter, Sildeballe 3 Autocamperplads, Kolby Kås Havn Autocamperplads and 10 more
- 16hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 35restaurants, 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
Samsø in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Samsø, each with its own numbers.
8mountainsPeakyas
Highest point
64m
Ballebjerg
according to Peakyas
8 mountains
on Peakyas, the mountain atlas
- Ballebjerg64m
- Dyret
- Store Vorbjerg
- Jettehøj
- Hønsepold
- Bøgebjerg
- Angantyrshøj
- Byløkke Skår
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 12 m above the sea. 100 % of it is below 200 m.
- 100 %0–50 m
- <1 %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
- Tranebjerg839 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 | 9 | 14 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 16 | 12 | 8 | 5 |
| Night low (°C) | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 10 | 6 | 3 |
| Sea (°C) | 3 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 11 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 8 | 5 |
| Rain (mm) | 60 | 48 | 43 | 39 | 51 | 71 | 78 | 83 | 64 | 79 | 70 | 65 |
| Wet days | 13 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
| Sun h/day | 0.4 | 1.7 | 4.7 | 7.1 | 8.5 | 8.8 | 8.0 | 6.7 | 5.4 | 2.8 | 0.7 | 0.2 |
| Wind (km/h) | 28 | 26 | 24 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 23 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
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 | +2.7 | +2.8 | +2.4 | +2.2 | +0.3 | +1.6 | −0.4 | +1.0 | +1.1 | +1.3 | +1.7 | +1.8 |
| 2021 | +1.6 | +0.3 | +0.9 | +1.3 | −0.3 | +1.1 | +2.2 | −0.2 | +1.1 | +0.8 | +1.3 | +1.2 |
| 2022 | +2.0 | +2.6 | +2.2 | +1.8 | +1.0 | +0.2 | −0.3 | +0.9 | +1.0 | +1.0 | +1.8 | +1.3 |
| 2023 | +3.6 | +1.9 | +1.6 | +1.6 | +0.5 | +1.9 | −0.8 | −0.6 | +2.3 | +1.2 | +0.5 | +0.4 |
| 2024 | +0.6 | +2.1 | +1.9 | +1.9 | +2.2 | +0.1 | −0.5 | +0.1 | +1.4 | +0.8 | +1.2 | +2.0 |
| 2025 | +2.2 | +0.9 | +1.7 | +3.3 | +1.9 | ±0.0 | +1.0 | ±0.0 | +1.3 | +1.0 | +1.3 | +2.2 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
About these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q216422) · 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.
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