Discover Ærø
Ærø lies in the middle of the Danish South Sea, and the island’s harbours are among its sights. Here is an overview of Søby, Ærøskøbing and Marstal: what sets them apart, how harbour fees work and what crews can expect ashore.
The island’s three larger harbours are in Søby, Ærøskøbing and Marstal. They are not interchangeable – and that is exactly what makes a trip round Ærø so appealing for crews.
There is also the small harbour of Kleven Havn on the north coast near Ommel, which VisitÆrø describes as small and cosy.
According to VisitÆrø, all three harbours have electricity, Wi-Fi, sanitary facilities, a slipway and fuel (petrol and diesel); there are playgrounds and barbecue areas in Søby, Ærøskøbing and Marstal. For Ærøskøbing and Marstal, VisitÆrø gives an average water depth of 2.3 metres. Marstal also has a kiosk, shops and restaurants nearby according to VisitÆrø, and Ærøskøbing a kiosk.
What is actually available may change. For questions about berths, please contact the harbour concerned.
The island’s harbours have no payment machines. Instead, a harbour master walks the jetties in the morning and evening. According to VisitÆrø you can pay in cash in Danish kroner or euros, or with Danish and foreign credit cards. We deliberately do not give fees here because they change: current information is available from the harbours themselves.
According to VisitÆrø, Marstal was once Denmark’s second-largest shipping town, surpassed only by Copenhagen. The town’s navigation school has trained navigators for the Danish merchant navy for more than 150 years and is still in operation today. The harbour has small shipyards, and fishing nets and dinghies are part of the scene.
If you’d like to learn more about this history after mooring, you’ll find it at the Marstal Søfartsmuseum. What the museum shows is described on our Ærø in the rain page, and the town itself on the Marstal page. The town also hosts the Øhavet Festival and the Grollefesten every year.
From Ærøskøbing harbour, the old town with its cobbled lanes is a short walk away, and at the end of July or beginning of August the town hosts the jazz festival. More about the town under Ærøskøbing.
In Søby, Café Arthur sits at the harbour and Søby Strand is right by the marina. Where to eat and drink around the harbour is listed in our overview restaurants & cafés on Ærø.
If you have plenty of time, you can get to know the harbours one by one: a few days in Søby, then Ærøskøbing with its old town and Vesterstrand, and finally Marstal with its museum and Eriks Hale. Distances and passage times between the harbours are best worked out from charts and the weather; we deliberately don’t give them here.
Harbour walks on Ærø are worthwhile even without a keel beneath you. The free island bus connects Søby, Ærøskøbing and Marstal; please check timetables with the operator in advance. If you want to see the harbours in one day, combine them with a beach stop – tips under beaches on Ærø. And crews who want to spend a week ashore will find room for up to six guests in our holiday home in Søby.
This overview is no substitute for nautical information. Water depths, shelter, berths and fees are available from the harbours themselves, for example via Ærø Havne, and in charts and pilot guides. The information above comes from VisitÆrø and the operators and was compiled in September 2026.
What connects us with Denmark, sailing and Ærø is described on our about us page. Ærø has been a special place for us for years. How to reach Søby by ferry is explained under getting there.
Dansk Cottage can be booked from spring 2027.
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