Hasle Strandpark and its sea baths sit on the sunset-facing west coast of Bornholm, wrapped around the harbour of Hasle, one of the island's oldest market towns. The strandpark is a green, family-friendly stretch of shoreline just north of the harbour, combining lawns, a sandy and shallow child-friendly beach, picnic spots and easy access to the water. Its centrepiece is Hasle Havnebad, a striking modern harbour bath built inside the old harbour basin.
Hasle grew up around fishing and its man-made harbour from the late 19th century, and the whitewashed smokehouses that still line the waterfront are a reminder of the herring trade. As fishing declined, the town reinvented its harbour for leisure. The harbour bath, designed by White Arkitekter and completed around 2013, was the first project commissioned under the "Mulighedernes Land" (Land of Opportunities) partnership between the philanthropic association Realdania and Bornholm's Regional Municipality, intended to boost tourism. Its wooden decks, floating platform and distinctive triangular "wing" of steps rising from the water quickly turned an ordinary harbour into a destination for visitors and locals alike.
Bathers can swim in clean, sheltered seawater within a system of piers, jump from graded platforms, sunbathe on generous timber terraces and watch Bornholm's famously long sunsets sink into the Baltic. The design is deliberately inclusive—people of all ages and abilities can reach the water. Alongside, the strandpark's shallow beach is ideal for small children, while the harbour offers restaurants, ice cream, a marina and one of the island's best-known smokehouses serving the classic "Sol over Gudhjem" smoked herring dish.
A notable detail: Hasle is renowned across Bornholm for its lingering, glowing sunsets, and the harbour bath was consciously oriented so that the wide steps face the open sea—making it as much an evening gathering place as a swimming spot. On warm summer evenings the terraces fill with families and teenagers long after the last swim.
The visiting experience is relaxed and free. There are no entry gates and no water-park gimmicks—just clean water, sea air and open decks. Facilities include public toilets, nearby parking and eateries in the harbour. Wheelchair users and those with limited mobility are well served: the boardwalks and terraces are level and connected, though entering the water itself still requires steps or ladders.
The baths are at their best from June to August, when the Baltic warms enough for comfortable swimming and the evenings stay light until very late. May and September offer quieter visits for hardier bathers, and the sunset views are rewarding year-round.
Hasle lies about 10 km north of Bornholm's main town and ferry port, Rønne. From Rønne it is a 15-minute drive north on route 158, or you can take a regional BAT bus (line 7) along the coast. Bornholm is reached by ferry from Ystad in Sweden (about 80 minutes to Rønne) or from Copenhagen via Ystad, and by air to Bornholm Airport near Rønne. Free parking is available near the harbour, and the coastal cycle route passes directly through, making arrival by bike easy and scenic.
A local's tip
Come in the evening—Hasle is famous for Bornholm's longest sunsets, and the wide wooden steps face straight out to sea. Bring smoked herring from the harbour smokehouse and stay for the show.
Getting there
10 km north of Rønne on route 158 (about 15 min by car), or BAT bus line 7 along the coast; reach Bornholm by ferry from Ystad in Sweden. Free parking by the harbour.
Best time to visit
June to August for warm Baltic swimming and late, light evenings; the sunsets are spectacular year-round.
Accessibility
Level, connected boardwalks and terraces make the strandpark and harbour bath easy to reach for wheelchair users; entering the water itself is via steps or ladders. Public toilets and parking nearby.
