Nexø suits families who want Dueodde's fine white sand from a summer house in the pinewoods south of the town on Bornholm. Most houses stand several kilometres south of the harbour, so you drive for shops and meals, and private pools are rare.
Nexø is Bornholm's second town after Rønne, with around 3,600 people and the island's largest fishing port, though the harbour now trades as much in shops and restaurants as in fish. Soviet bombers flattened the centre in May 1945, and Sweden sent wooden houses to help rehouse people. Our houses are mostly not in the town. The median sits roughly six kilometres south, in the pine and spruce plantations behind the beaches between Balka and Dueodde. Most have a fireplace or wood burner and some a sauna; most sleep around six. The sand along this coast is very fine, and at Dueodde the sea stays shallow for about 100 metres. Evenings are quiet: supper at the smokehouse in Snogebæk or a meal by Nexø harbour, then back to the trees. Out of season the tourist office cuts its hours and the woods feel empty.
The largest beach on Bornholm, south of Nexø, with dunes up to 12 metres and Denmark's tallest lighthouse, at 47 metres.
Small fishing village about 5 km south of Nexø, sharing a sandy beach with Balka, with a large smokehouse restaurant by the harbour.
Denmark's easternmost town, just under 10 km north on the coast road, with half-timbered houses, glassblowers and cafés.
Denmark's third-largest forest, in the middle of the island, with marked walks of four to five kilometres past lakes and castle ruins.
Fly to Copenhagen, then take a connecting flight to Bornholm Airport just outside Rønne, about 26 km by road from Nexø. Or take the fast ferry from Ystad in Sweden, which reaches Rønne in 1 hour 20 minutes. A car is the easy option for the woodland houses.
July and August are the busy months, when tourists crowd the beach at Dueodde and the boardwalks over the dunes. June and September are much quieter on the sand. From October the island winds down: the Nexø tourist office keeps afternoon weekday hours only until spring, and seasonal attractions such as the butterfly park close in mid-September, which suits walkers who want a fireplace.
Yes, mainly because of the beaches at Balka, Snogebæk and Dueodde to the south. The sand is very fine and at Dueodde the sea stays shallow for about 100 metres. The trade-off is that most houses are in woodland, so you will drive to shops and restaurants.
Yes if you stay in the woodland houses south of town. BAT bus route 6 links Nexø with Aakirkeby and Rønne, and national cycle route 10 runs down the coast to Dueodde, but a car makes shopping and day trips much easier.
Bornholm Airport, just outside Rønne and about 26 km by road from Nexø, has flights from Copenhagen. The alternatives are the fast ferry from Ystad in Sweden or the overnight ferry from Køge, which leaves at 00.30 and arrives in Rønne at 6am.
Choose Nexø for the beaches, because Balka, Snogebæk and Dueodde all lie to its south. Svaneke, just under 10 km north, is a smaller town of half-timbered houses with glassblowers, restaurants and cafés, but it sits further from the big sand beaches.
Nexø Museum, in a sandstone building from 1796, covers the German occupation and the Soviet bombing and occupation, and the Bornholm Railway Museum is also in town. Further afield, Almindingen forest and the glassblowers at Svaneke are good wet-day trips.
Written by the TrustedVillas team. Last reviewed October 2026.
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