Nowhere else in Denmark has the sea played such an important role or left such a deep mark. If you arrive by boat, the small harbours will bid you welcome. Perhaps you set to after a couple of days of visiting the numerous little islands. Perhaps you open the curtains to see a perfect view of the sunrise, and make ready for all the joys the day will bring.
Sailing is a great way to take a holiday, but the area also has a lot to offer if you arrive over land. The charming old wooden sailing ships take you on an exciting old-fashioned cruise. Try a day trip, an evening sail or a tour of the islands as the ship cuts through the wind. You can help out with the sails. Maybe you will be so bitten by the sailing bug that you want to take part in a week-long race.

Or, if you want something more relaxing, take the ferries out to the islands of Ærø, Avernakø, Lyø, Drejø, Hjortø … Or board the veteran ferry Helge, which sails from Svendborg to the captain's town of Troense and Valdemar's Castle. There are 50 islands and islets in the archipelago, and most of them are uninhabited and unspoiled. You can get to many of them by ferry. Take your bicycle along and enjoy the world that our grandfathers knew, with the cows at grass and the golden mustard fields.

I first moved to Fyn in 1968, so I know it well. Fyn is a handy-size island, never more than half an hour or so from the sea. A few years back, my wife and I were lucky enough to buy a summer cottage in Dyreborg, near Faaborg. Say what you want about the beauties of Fyu, but the south-west coast with all its islands beats everything else. There is gently rolling countryside, a full palette of colours, a slower pace of life - and Faaborg, a quaint market town with plenty of well-preserved architecture from past ages, close by. It's great at any time of year, though I just love the month of May and the tall skies of September. And we use the south-west as our base for exploring many parts of Fyn during the summer months.
 
John Irons, living in Odense

Hvor bølgen ruller, kan du lægge til og trække fra. I det sydfynske øhav findes et ocean af maritime oplevelser for store og små. Intet andet sted i Danmark har sejlads When Fyn captures your heart, then Sydfyn is the place to be. Not least because of the star-crossed lovers Elvira Madigan and Sixten Sparre, whose tragic love was so great that they chose to end their lives here.

Lace up your hiking boots and take on the lovely countryside of the "Fyn Alps" There is a well-known painting by Fritz Syberg, called "Evening games in the Svanninge Hills", depicting adults having fun in the crimson sunset out in the fresh air.

Sydfyn is one of the most beautiful areas of the whole of Denmark, and has been for centuries. The present day testifies that the region has always been teeming with life.