Hello dear aviators!
I have recently joined a flying club in Bremen EDDW and wish to ask since there are many flyers from this part of Europe in this forum:
What are some recommended day or weekend trip destinations from EDDW on a PA28-161/181?
I wish to explore Denmark, The Netherlands, North Sea and Baltic Sea etc. Destinations within say 1.5 to 2.5 hours (I don’t want to extend it much more than that due to pax comfort).
Some things to consider:
I have some ideas already but I wish to hear the recommendations from the experts! :)
I’ll chime in on southern Denmark, mentioning only nearby IFR airports for now. In general, Denmark is wonderful. More in summer of course, but can be nice for a little city or seaside trip also in late autumn. Just consider that there is often no good public transport from the airports, so the taxis you’ll have to pay are a bit expensive (inaddition to hotels, food and shopping). And try to avoid refuelling as much as possible, as it is expensive, too. Plus, Avgas is becoming more scarce there. No Danish airport has any Mogas.
Sonderborg EKSB is really nice. Beautiful approach and a nice little airport. Figure 35€ for the taxi one way. Beuatiful town with a nice front to the sound, and a castle.
The big downside here is the opening hours. Completely closed on Saturdays and only open on Sunday afternoons. So you would have to fly out Friday evening for a weekend. No Avgas.
Odense EKOD: generally similar. The approach is less beautiful. A much bigger city, but not too picturesque. Much better opening times of the airport.
Roskilde EKRK: Go there to see how a GA airport should work. Also, consider Roskilde as a destination, a nice city with big parks facing the Roskilde Fjord. If you then feel like it, you can catch the train and go to Copenhagen, too.
I have never been to Esbjerg. Nothing too special, I believe. No Avgas at the airport.
German airports and destinations on the Baltic Sea, I have previously summarized those here. Not all of them are IFR. On the German North Sea coast, there is only Sylt EDXW in terms of IFR airports, with all its pros and cons.
Esbjerg is indeed nothing special. I’ve been there in 2021 as an alternate to Billund, when they still had Avgas. That’s not the case anymore. Billund might still be an option, but since handling is mandatory, do get a quote from a handling agent before you go.
Aalborg (EKYT) is really nice, extremely cheap and public transportation right in front of the terminal. The downside is the long taxiway between both runways and terminal. If blocked, prepare for some minutes delay in taxi clearance. Also, it’s quite far compared to other suggestions mentioned by @boscomantico, you definitely need more than 2,5 hrs of total flight time.
Avgas is indeed extremely expensive in Denmark, including their CO2 taxes. I paid more than 4 euros per liter back in 2021 on the bigger airports with Shell Aviation. Maybe it’s cheaper to refuel at smaller VFR-only aerodromes.
Fly to De Kooy (EHKD), it is PPR do an instrument approach, a touch and go cancel IFR and head over to EHTX, – as nice as grass strips get, no trouble for a retractable – you can get a comfy appartment right at the airfield, rent a car for not too much money at the airfield and explore the lovely island of Texel! If you play golf, bring your clubs and if you enjoy a evening at a lovely Michelin Starred restaurant bring an appetite! There is plenty to see and do for you and your passengers and from Bremen, I guess you won’t even need to refuel, although fuel is available.
You can also head over to EHAL if you want head over to EHGG first for an approach and fuel, if needed. Ameland is more rustic then Texel, close to the airfield is the little town of Ballum, where you have the nice Hotel Nobel to stay, but also plenty of other options as well. Pick up a bottle of their home made liquor. I use it in my Tiramisu instead of Marsala and it is veeery nice. Tastes even better when it was flown in yourself.
Thanks very much for the recommendations!
boscomantico wrote:
Sonderborg EKSB is really nice. Beautiful approach and a nice little airport. Figure 35€ for the taxi one way. Beuatiful town with a nice front to the sound, and a castle.
The big downside here is the opening hours. Completely closed on Saturdays and only open on Sunday afternoons. So you would have to fly out Friday evening for a weekend. No Avgas.Odense EKOD: generally similar. The approach is less beautiful. A much bigger city, but not too picturesque. Much better opening times of the airport.
Roskilde EKRK: Go there to see how a GA airport should work. Also, consider Roskilde as a destination, a nice city with big parks facing the Roskilde Fjord. If you then feel like it, you can catch the train and go to Copenhagen, too.
I have never been to Esbjerg. Nothing too special, I believe. No Avgas at the airport.
Thanks for this!
So my takeaway is EKSB if I can work around the opening hours.
I’ve flown to Roskilde professionally and I did like that airport a lot. We got a taxi to the train station and from there a train to Copenhagen for the layover. Very nice day! Never thought of doing this with the club plane but is an option.
Have you flown to EKRN Bornholm? Can you recommend it?
I had a look at your German airfields thread, very good stuff!
What about the German airfields on the North Sea? Any input on Helgoland EDXH, Wyk auf Foehr EDXY and Juist EDWJ?
Frans wrote:
Aalborg (EKYT) is really nice, extremely cheap and public transportation right in front of the terminal. The downside is the long taxiway between both runways and terminal. If blocked, prepare for some minutes delay in taxi clearance. Also, it’s quite far compared to other suggestions mentioned by @boscomantico, you definitely need more than 2,5 hrs of total flight time.
EKYT also added to the list! I only pay for flight time so am not too concerned about long taxi. Do they have AvGas?
Also, according to ForeFlight, EKYT should be doable in about 2h of flight time with the Archer.
Bobo wrote:
Fly to De Kooy (EHKD), it is PPR do an instrument approach, a touch and go cancel IFR and head over to EHTX, – as nice as grass strips get, no trouble for a retractable – you can get a comfy appartment right at the airfield, rent a car for not too much money at the airfield and explore the lovely island of Texel!
Thanks, added EHTX and EHAL to my list!
Have you flown to EKRN Bornholm? Can you recommend it?
Years ago, I flew there several times.
A biggish Danish Island in the middle of the Baltic Sea. Very nice beaches in the southwest of the island.
The airport is self service for GA. Not very inviting, but ok. Lowish fees, but very expensive Avgas.
I had a look at your German airfields thread, very good stuff!
What about the German airfields on the North Sea? Any input on Helgoland EDXH, Wyk auf Foehr EDXY and Juist EDWJ?
Search for them here. Many threads already covering those. All worth visiting. More in summer of course than in winter.
Alpha_Floor wrote:
Do they have AvGas?Yes, Aalborg (EKYT) has a self-service fuel station from Shell Aviation, which accepts all common creditcards. Their fuel will be expensive though, but in return, the airport fees are extremely low.
In Denmark the bigger airports with Shell or Air-bp are generally quite expensive.
We now have more airports detached from Shell and Air-bp with less pricy fuel options.
Among those are:
Herning, Randers, Vamdrup, Ringsted (need a local person to pay cash), Aars
It varies a bit with the pricing as the prices are locked when the airport fuel tank is filled. Most of them I think now are around 2,7 – 3 € / ltr
Getting fuel at Bornholm is to be avoided as it’s expensive and Shell has a system where the card must be pre validated before fueling is possible which is a complete mess.
Personally, I mainly use Herning or sometimes go to Rendsburg for fuel.
