Bornholm with Dogs

Bornholm is an easy island to visit with a dog once you know a few Danish specifics. It has miles of beaches, large forests and several fenced off-lead areas, plus a ferry route that takes dogs on board. Contrary to what is sometimes claimed, there are no officially designated dog beaches, and a leash requirement applies on the beaches for most of the year. This guide gathers the facts that actually matter before you travel and once you're on the island - entry requirements and the breed ban, the ferry, beach and forest rules, the dog forests with addresses, emergency vets, and where to stay.

Entering with a dog - EU rules and the breed ban

Entry to Denmark, and so to Bornholm, follows the EU pet travel rules. Your dog needs a working microchip, a valid EU pet passport, and a valid rabies vaccination given at least 21 days before the first entry. A maximum of five pets may be carried per person.

More important than the standard paperwork, though, is Denmark's breed ban. Since 1 July 2010, 13 dog breeds have been banned, including their crossbreeds:

• Banned breeds - Pit Bull Terrier, Tosa Inu, American Staffordshire Terrier, Fila Brasileiro, Dogo Argentino, American Bulldog, Boerboel, Kangal, Central Asian Ovcharka, Caucasian Ovcharka, South Russian Ovcharka, Tornjak and Šarplaninac.
• Burden of proof rests with the owner - If a mixed-breed dog resembles one of these breeds, police must first state a plausible reason for suspicion, after which it falls to the owner to prove the dog's ancestry. What matters legally is descent, not appearance alone. If you want to be on the safe side, carry proof of pedigree.
• Transit is exempt - Dogs in pure transit, staying inside the vehicle the whole time, are not covered by the ban.

A new EU regulation taking effect on 22 April 2026 tightens the documentation requirements further - an approved microchip will be mandatory, the pet passport will need to show the owner's name, address and signature, and a maximum of five dogs, cats or ferrets will be allowed per private vehicle. On the return journey from Denmark to Germany - both EU member states - there is no quarantine and no special customs registration; all you need is still a valid pet passport with a current rabies vaccination and a working microchip. Travellers returning to a non-EU country should check their own country's pet import rules separately.

Travelling via Sweden - remember to declare your dog at customs

If you are not taking a direct ferry but travelling via Sweden - for example over the Øresund Bridge and on by ferry from Ystad - you must declare your dog to Swedish customs (Tullverket). If you are entering from an EU country with a European pet passport, online pre-registration is available.

• Online registration - This runs through Tullverket's e-service form "Anmälan av hund eller katt" at privattjanster-djuranmalan.tullverket.se. It requires residence in an EU country and arrival from an EU country with a European pet passport.
• Green exit lane - Pre-registering lets you use the green exit lane. Without pre-registration, you register at the border instead.

The direct ferry from Sassnitz sidesteps this formality entirely, since the route runs straight from Germany to Denmark without touching Swedish territory. For an overview of all the routes to the island, see the guide Getting to Bornholm.

By ferry from Sassnitz to Rønne

For travellers coming through Germany, the most convenient crossing is Bornholmslinjen's ferry from Sassnitz on Rügen to Rønne. The crossing takes 3 hours and 20 minutes. Since the 2026 timetable, the route runs year-round: in high season there are usually daily departures, sometimes two a day, while the off-season timetable is considerably reduced. The operator divides 2026 into seasons - low season from 1 January to 5 April and from 19 October to 31 December, shoulder season from 6 April to 7 June and from 10 August to 18 October, with high season in between. Exact departure times are published date by date in the timetable; the operator does not quote a fixed number of daily departures.

Clear rules apply to dogs on board:

• Pet lounge or vehicle - Dogs and cats are welcome, but must stay on a lead in the pet lounge or remain in the vehicle. Animals are not allowed in standard cabins.
• Very few pet cabins - Only a very limited number of dedicated pet cabins are available. The whole cabin must be paid for, and the animal is not allowed on the bed. These cabins can only be booked by phone through customer service on +45 70 900 100.
• Cost - The official Sassnitz price page does not list a separate dog transport fee. A dog travelling in the lounge or in the car therefore appears to incur no listed extra cost - only the pet cabins carry a charge. For a binding answer, contact customer service on the number above.

Before departure, it's worth giving your dog a good, long walk, since the port area itself offers little green space. For more on connections and booking, see the guide Ferries to Bornholm.

Leash rules, beaches and Dueodde forest

Danish beach rules apply across Bornholm. On the island's beaches, dogs must be kept on a lead from 1 April to 30 September. From 1 October to 31 March, dogs may run free as long as they do not endanger anyone - a clear advantage for anyone travelling outside the main season. This rule was unchanged as of 2026. In the forests, dogs must be on a lead year-round, except in the official dog forests.

Bornholm has no officially designated dog beaches, but dogs are generally allowed on the beaches. The official tourism board specifically names the wide, fine quartz-sand beach at Dueodde in the south. Other frequently mentioned beaches, such as the gently shelving Balka, are not explicitly flagged as dog beaches in official sources - but they remain accessible all the same. For an overview of the whole coastline, see the hub Beaches.

One specific warning concerns Dueodde forest: in July and August, pine processionary caterpillars appear there. Their irritant hairs can trigger allergic reactions and inflammation in dogs, and in extreme cases tissue necrosis. According to the official source, only three treated cases have been recorded so far - so the risk is rare, but real. Extra caution is warranted in Dueodde forest during the summer months.

The dog forests at a glance

In the designated dog forests (Danish "hundeskove"), dogs may run off the lead year-round. One point causes regular confusion: the official register hundeskovene.dk lists eight registered sites, while the official tourism text mentions seven - because Blykobbe Plantage near Rønne is counted as two separate areas: a fenced section (Haslevej 105) and an unfenced southern section (Haslevej 103c). That also explains the old mismatch between the number of forests mentioned and described. The registered sites are:

• Hareløkkerne i Almindingen - Segenvej 54b, 3720 Aakirkeby. Opened in 2023, this fenced area covers around 6.5 hectares, making it Bornholm's largest fenced dog forest.
• Friløbshegning Blykobbe Plantage Rønne - Haslevej 105, 3700 Rønne (fenced).
• Blykobbe Plantage - Haslevej 103c, 3700 Rønne (unfenced, southern section).
• Hasle Fælled - Søndre Bæk 20a, 3790 Hasle.
• Allinge friløbshegning - Stadionvej 8, 3770 Allinge.
• Nexø Fritløbsområde - Andersen Nexø Vej 3, 3730 Nexø.
• Klemensker fritløbsindhegning - Sanct Klemensgade 28, 3782 Klemensker.
• Rø Hundeskov - Rø Skolevej 16b, 3760 Gudhjem.

These off-lead areas generally have no fixed opening hours and are freely accessible. Precise area figures are only officially available for the Almindingen forest. If you want to combine a walk with some off-lead time, the large Almindingen forest around Hareløkkerne is a good choice; the Hammershus castle ruin in the north is also accessible with a dog.

Emergency vets and where to stay

For emergencies, Bornholm has two veterinary practices offering round-the-clock on-call service:

• Dyrlægegården Rønne - Sagavej 4, 3700 Rønne, tel. +45 56 91 19 99. Treats both small and large animals and runs a 24-hour emergency service on the same number for acutely injured animals.
• Aakirkeby Dyreklinik - Almindingsvej 2 B, 3720 Aakirkeby, tel. +45 56 97 49 62. Open Mon-Fri 8:00-17:00 (phone consultations 7:30-8:30), with round-the-clock on-call service on the same number.

Dog-friendly holiday homes are plentiful on Bornholm and are reliably booked through established platforms, including Novasol, DanCenter, Sol og Strand and Cofman, as well as Airbnb and FeWo-direkt with a pet filter. Many properties allow two dogs and offer fenced gardens close to the beach. Providers typically charge a pet fee; Novasol specifically advertises some properties with no extra cleaning or pet surcharge. The actual fees vary considerably by provider and season, so it pays to compare. For more on choosing a property, see the guide Holiday Homes on Bornholm, and for an overview of all accommodation types, see the guide Where to Stay on Bornholm.