Via Kołobrzeg to Bornholm – the former ferry from Poland

Reaching Bornholm from Poland was, for a while, a remarkably short hop: a passenger catamaran ran directly from Kołobrzeg on the West Pomeranian Baltic coast to Nexø on Bornholm's east coast. That connection no longer exists. This article sets out what the route was, why it disappeared, and how to realistically get from Poland to the island today – without false hope for a direct ferry that currently doesn't exist.

The Kołobrzeg–Nexø line and the catamaran Jantar

The route was operated by the shipping company Kołobrzeska Żegluga Pasażerska (KZP), using the passenger catamaran Jantar, built in 1986, which KZP bought in 2004 and, after a refit, put into service on the route in 2005. The ship carried up to 288 passengers. No official founding date for the line itself is documented, but the operating period is well established: the catamaran ran the connection from 2005 to 2019, with 2019 as its last regular season.

The crossing from Kołobrzeg to Nexø took around 4 to 4.5 hours. That wasn't incidental – it was built into the concept. The line was designed as a day trip rather than a pure transport link: the ferry left Kołobrzeg in the morning and returned from Nexø in the late afternoon or evening, leaving several hours on the island in between, which many passengers used for cycling or an organised island tour.

Who could travel – and what it cost

The Jantar was a passenger-only vessel. It carried foot passengers exclusively; bicycles and a limited number of motorcycles were allowed on board, but not cars. That suited cyclists on a day trip well, but ruled the route out for families travelling with a car and luggage – a structural difference from today's car ferries.

A return fare cost around 180 PLN for adults, with children aged 4 to 12 paying 160 PLN, under-4s travelling free, and a bicycle costing 40 PLN. That worked out at roughly 40 euros for the round trip, or about 20 euros each way. Sailings were purely seasonal, concentrated in July and August, and even then only on selected days. There's no reliable record of a fixed weekly departure frequency in retrospect – only the seasonal nature of the operation is well documented.

Why the ferry disappeared

In 2020, KZP made the final decision to discontinue its international ferry services. The reasons cited include the COVID-19 pandemic and its travel restrictions, rising running costs for fuel, port fees and insurance, and the route's low profitability – a ship that only sails seasonally is a hard business to sustain.

Kołobrzeg itself has remained an important seaside resort and spa town on the Polish Baltic coast, and local operators still run harbour tours and coastal cruises. A scheduled connection to Bornholm, however, has not been among them since 2020. Several specialist ferry and Bornholm information sites – including bornholm.de, kolberg-cafe.de, promy-bornholm.pl and bornholm-ok.pl – explicitly note that there is currently no regular ferry from Kołobrzeg to Bornholm.

Will the direct ferry come back?

There was a serious attempt. Polferries announced a new line in 2024, this time from Kołobrzeg to Rønne rather than Nexø, with capacity for up to 500 passengers and 50 cars, planned to run daily in high season and three times a week in the off-season. Unlike the old Jantar, this would have been a full car ferry.

Nothing has come of it so far. The launch originally planned for May 2025 didn't happen because a suitable ship wasn't available. A possible start in 2026 is under discussion but hasn't been firmly confirmed by Polferries, and as of this research no published timetable exists. Anyone planning a trip from Poland should not rely on a direct connection, and should plan firmly on the detour via Sweden or Germany instead.

How to get from Poland to Bornholm today

The practical standard route runs via Sweden. Car ferries run year-round from Świnoujście (Swinemünde) to Ystad in southern Sweden, operated by Polferries, Unity Line and TT-Line. The crossing takes around 7 to 8 hours, with several departures a day, carrying both cars and bicycles. Exact euro fares vary from day to day depending on season and demand.

From Ystad, the Bornholmslinjen fast ferry continues to Rønne in just around 80 minutes, year-round and with several departures a day (considerably more in high season). Świnoujście is about a two-hour drive from Kołobrzeg, so this combination stays geographically close to the old idea – just via Sweden rather than straight across the sea.

A second option uses the German Baltic coast: driving to Sassnitz/Mukran on Rügen (around 4 to 4.5 hours' drive from Kołobrzeg) and continuing on Bornholmslinjen's only direct Germany–Bornholm ferry to Rønne, a crossing of around 3 hours 20 minutes. Both options carry cars and bicycles, but both take longer than the old Jantar and are no longer designed as a foot-passenger day trip. Full details on journey times, frequencies and tickets for every route are gathered in the guide ferries to Bornholm, and a full overview of ways to reach the island in the guide getting to Bornholm.

For cyclists – the two-day tour from Kołobrzeg

Anyone who doesn't want to give up on the atmosphere of a direct crossing from Kołobrzeg, and who's travelling by bike, has one niche option: an organised two-day charter and cruise trip from Kołobrzeg to Bornholm. Departure is around 23:50, arriving in Nexø the next morning, with an overnight stay in Tejn. The price is 950 PLN or 1,640 DKK, including breakfast on two mornings, a cabin and bicycle transport; the tour is bookable directly with the operator.

This isn't a replacement for the old day ferry, but an overnight tour with a different character and a different price. It is, however, thoroughly cycle-friendly – and for cyclists who find the Swedish detour too cumbersome, it's the most direct way to cross from Kołobrzeg itself. Anyone arriving on the island by bike will find suitable routes for the days that follow in the guide Cycling on Bornholm.