Nyord

The small island north of Møn. Village with its old layout, bird meadows, mail boat and dark starry skies

By Ingo Kroll · updated 30 October 2026 · Sources below

Nyord is a small island north of Møn. It measures 4.99 km², has 33 inhabitants (1 January 2026) and has been joined to the Ulvshale peninsula by a causeway with a bridge since 1968. From Stege it is about 14 km (driving distance, October 2026). Nyord has a village whose layout is older than the agrarian reforms, a harbour with the historic mail boat, the bird meadows of Nyord Enge and part of the Dark Sky Park Møn og Nyord. Half a day is enough for a visit: a walk through the village, a look at the meadows and coffee in the café.

Location and map

Nyord lies in the Smålandsfarvandet on the Stege Bugt, between Møn and South Zealand. The island is 3.8 km long and 2.3 km wide. Only about 120 hectares are moraine hills, on which the village and the fields lie. The north and east sides are surrounded by roughly 400 hectares of salt meadows. In winter the sea floods them, and in summer animals graze there.

The area is protected in several ways. Nyord lies within the UNESCO Møn Biosphere Reserve, the first in Denmark, designated on 14 June 2017. The surrounding waters are a Natura 2000 site. The area also belongs to the Ramsar wetland "Præstø Fjord, Jungshoved Nor, Ulvshale and Nyord", which has existed since 2 September 1977.

Around 1900 about 365 people lived on the island; in 2026 there are 33.

Loading fetches map tiles from OpenStreetMap. · Sketch: © OpenStreetMap contributors

1: Nyord By (village and mustard mill)
2: Nyord Kirke
3: Nyord Havn
4: Hyldevang Naturcenter (car park, shelters, view of the meadows)

Getting there

By car: From Stege you drive about 14 km, roughly 18 minutes (driving distance, October 2026). The route leads over the peninsula of Ulvshale. The bridge to the island is single-lane and controlled by a traffic light. It opened in 1968. Until then you could only get there by boat. How to reach Møn from Germany is on the page Getting to the island of Møn, and the way from the Puttgarden–Rødby ferry is described in Puttgarden–Rødby–Møn.

Parking: Driving is prohibited in the village of Nyord By. Leave the car at the car park at the village entrance or drive on to the Hyldevang Naturcenter, the only farm outside the village. There is parking there, and a farm track leads to the village in about 10 minutes. The nature centre is at Ulvshalevej 401 and accessible around the clock.

By mail boat: The mail boat Røret sails between Nyord, South Zealand and Stege. The season lasts from May to September, and in the school holidays there are three trips a week: on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. You will find the 2026 timetable and booking at nyord.nu. The boat takes bicycles.

On foot and by bike: Walkers on the Camønoen, cyclists and passengers wait for departure sheltered in the mail boat's shed at the harbour. More on routes on the pages Walking on Møn and Panorama bike routes.

Sights

Dozens of swallows lined up on overhead wires on Nyord — Swallows on Nyord in late summer Photo: Per Rasmussen / Visit Sydsjælland & Møn

Nyord By: the village

Nyord By has kept the size and layout it had before the agrarian reforms. Only one of the 20 farms stands outside, the farm Hyldevang of 1904. A semicircle of partly joined farms still traces the old shape of the village. You can recognise it when you walk through the narrow lanes. There are thatched houses and farms in the village.

Around 1900 so many people lived on Nyord that there were five shops. One of them still bears the name "Sans Soucis" ("without cares") on its wall, after Nyord's first inn of 1774. The shopkeeper Lilly Hansen ran it for more than 50 years. You can arrange a guided tour of the island through the local history society; the contact is on nyord.nu.

Church and Nyord Sogn

In 1846 Nyord had so many inhabitants that it was given its own church and with it its own parish, Nyord Sogn. Before that the island belonged to the parish of Stege Landsogn. The church is octagonal, planned by the architect Glahn. The model was Frederiksberg Kirke. In the winter of 1845/46 the residents collected the stones for the foundation and the churchyard wall themselves. The churchyard lies outside the village. The organ by Demant (1870) comes from Paarup Kirke near Odense and came to Nyord in 1983. Services and events are listed in the calendar at nyordkirke.dk; for 10 November 2026 a Mortensaften service is listed there at 17:00 (as of October 2026).

The octagonal church of Nyord — The church of Nyord, photo: Weisheit

Pilotage and Møllestangen

The waters around Nyord have always been important for shipping. As early as the Viking Age a route from Gotland to Haithabu passed here. Between Nyord and Ulvshale lies the narrow Ulvshale Løb, which is only about half a metre deep beside the channel. So ships needed pilots. From 1721 the farm owners of Nyord had to pilot ships through the channels. In 1879 state pilots took over. The two double pilot houses in the west of the village and the lookout Møllestangen on the hill west of the village date from that time. The lookout has been Denmark's smallest museum since 2013; Queen Margrethe II opened it on 6 September 2013. Pilotage on Nyord ended in 1966.

Harbour and the mail boat Røret

The small harbour is on the south coast. At the harbour you will find public toilets, tables and benches. From 1902 to 1968 the mail boat Røret carried mail, passengers, goods and even tractors between Nyord and Stege. Cattle were swum across the Ulvshale Løb behind a barge. When the bridge was finished in 1968, the service ended. In August 2008 the people of Nyord were able to buy the boat back for one krone after almost 40 years in private ownership. The restoration cost 1.7 million kroner, raised by a foundation. Since 2011 Røret has sailed again in summer with passengers and bicycles between Nyord, South Zealand and Stege.

Mustard mill and shops

In the historic horse-gin house (Hestegang) in the village, the Nyord Sennepsmølle makes mustard in many varieties. You can taste it and buy it in jars or stoneware pots. The address is Nyord Bygade 1. Noorbohandelen, a shop with a café and a large range of spirits, has the same address. There is also a glass art workshop, the Galerie Nyord and a small shop with a kiosk (as of 2019).

Photos and subjects

Good subjects for photos are the salt meadows against the light, the harbour early in the morning, the church, the pilot houses and the village with its thatched farms. Be considerate towards residents, because the farms are lived in. At night a long exposure of the starry sky from the Hyldevang Naturcenter is worthwhile.

Beach and nature

Two walkers on a meadow on Nyord, the small pilot lookout behind them — Walking to the pilot lookout on Nyord Photo: Destination SydkystDanmark / Visit Sydsjælland & Møn

Bird reserve Nyord Enge

The salt meadows of Nyord are regarded as one of the best habitats for waders and waterbirds in eastern Denmark. Nyord Enge belongs to the Ulvshale–Nyord wildlife reserve, which covers 100 km². The foundation Fugleværnsfonden gives 204.8 hectares for Nyord Enge, owns almost half of the meadows and has been buying land since 1971.

The area is an internationally important resting place for ducks, geese and waders. Lapwings are increasing there, peregrine falcons can be seen all year, black-tailed godwits from March, white-tailed eagles in winter.

The two-storey bird tower stands about 1 km beyond the bridge by the road, in the middle of the meadows. It includes a platform for wheelchair users. On the meadows south of the road across Nyord, entering is prohibited from 15 March to 15 July (Naturstyrelsen, leaflet on the Ulvshale-Nyord Vildtreservat). Follow the signs in the reserve. If you want to know more, join a guided tour. The dates for the following year are usually fixed by March. The Hyldevang nature centre also offers an observation spot, a wheelchair-accessible viewing balcony, a bee hotel and a covered fireplace.

Wild bees and beach

Since May 2019 a path with information boards has led from the Hyldevang nature centre to the village, introducing the island's wild bees. In the garden of the nature centre there is a large insect hotel and a bee-friendly garden.

There is no designated sandy beach on Nyord. You will find sandy beaches on the peninsula of Ulvshale and on the page Beaches on Møn.

Stargazing on Nyord

In 2017 the International Dark Sky Association designated Møn and Nyord as the first Dark Sky Park and first Dark Sky Community in the Nordic region, with Gold status. The park lies in the east of Møn and on state land on Nyord (Dark Sky News, darkskymoen.dk). The Hyldevang Naturcenter and the bird tower of Nyord are regarded as stargazing spots.

Five tips help for an evening: dress warmly, as if it were ten degrees colder. Give your eyes 20 to 30 minutes to get used to the dark. Lie down, for example on a sleeping mat, and use red light, such as the rear light of a bicycle. There are no dangerous animals on Møn. Guided tours with binoculars and telescope are run by Dark Sky Guides; information is on darkskymoen.dk. An overview of more places is on the page Stargazing on Møn.

Loading sends data to YouTube. Photo: Ipigott, CC0 1.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Food and drink

The café of Noorbohandelen serves lunch dishes, home-baked bread, sandwiches, drinks, draught beer, coffee and cake. In summer the ice cream parlour is open. Opening times according to the operator (as of October 2026): from Easter to the autumn holidays daily 11:00 to 17:00, at weekends and in the summer holidays from 9:00 according to a second operator website. From the autumn holidays until Christmas it is open Saturdays 11:00 to 17:00 and Sundays 11:00 to 16:00, and closed in January and February.

In the village there is also a shop with a kiosk (Lille Bod). In the winter half of the year the café is open only at weekends, so pack provisions. At the village car park, at the harbour and at the Hyldevang Naturcenter there are tables and benches for a picnic. More places to eat on Møn are on the page Restaurants on Møn.

Where to stay

There are several options on the island:

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The bed and breakfast Strågården, which caters for Dark Sky guests.
The Nyord B&B.
A guest house run by Bent and Yrsa Hansen.
The bed and breakfast of Noorbohandelen (noorbohandelen.dk).
Ragnhilds Gård, bookable via Booking.com.
Shelters at the Hyldevang Naturcenter, which you reserve at udinaturen.dk.

The Hyldevang Naturcenter belongs to Naturstyrelsen. The grounds include a fireplace and a playground, and the rules for the shelters are at udinaturen.dk. You will find more places to stay on Møn under Accommodation on Møn, Hotels, Bed & Breakfast and Holiday homes.

Where to stay

Where to stay in and around Nyord

Selected by guest rating on Booking.com, as of 30 October 2026.

All places to stay on Møn

Practical information

The residents of Nyord, the Noorboer, welcome guests and are entitled to an undisturbed daily life. So observe the driving ban in the village, keep dogs on a lead and take your rubbish with you. There are toilets at the harbour and at the Hyldevang Naturcenter.

The association website nyord.nu collects information on the island, the harbour, events and the mail boat. Visiting boaters will also find tariffs and contact for the harbour on nyord.nu. With children the bee path and the bird tower are worthwhile; more ideas are on the page Møn with children.

More places

Stege: island capital with Mølleporten and museum
Ulvshale: peninsula with beach and forest, which you cross to reach Nyord
Klintholm Havn: harbour in the south-east
Keldby: village with a church

Sources and last update

As of 30 October 2026

FAQ

What is there to see on Nyord?

The village of Nyord By with a layout dating from before the agrarian reforms, the octagonal church of 1846, the pilots' lookout Møllestangen as the smallest museum in Denmark, the harbour, the mustard mill and the bird meadows of Nyord Enge with a bird tower. At night there is the starry sky as well.

How do I get to Nyord?

By car, by bike or on foot via the Ulvshale peninsula. There, a causeway with a narrow bridge has led onto the island since 1968. From Stege it is about 14 km (driving distance, October 2026). In summer the mail boat Røret also sails between Stege and Nyord.

Where can you park on Nyord?

Driving is prohibited in the village. You can park at the car park at the village entrance or at the Hyldevang Naturcenter, from where a path leads to the village in about 10 minutes (as of 2019).

Is there a beach on Nyord?

The coast consists mainly of salt meadows. There is no designated sandy beach. You will find sandy beaches on the Ulvshale peninsula and on the page Beaches on Møn.

Are you allowed to enter the bird meadows of Nyord Enge?

Only to a limited extent. On the meadows south of the road across Nyord, entering is prohibited from 15 March to 15 July (Naturstyrelsen, leaflet on the Ulvshale-Nyord Vildtreservat). Follow the signs in the reserve. You can watch the birds from the bird tower by the road and from the Hyldevang Naturcenter.

What does Nyord Sogn mean?

Nyord Sogn is the island's parish. Nyord got its own church in 1846 and so separated from Stege Landsogn. Services and dates are on nyordkirke.dk.

Can you stay overnight on Nyord?

Yes. There are the bed and breakfasts Strågården and Nyord B&B, a guest house and shelters at the Hyldevang Naturcenter. Noorbohandelen also offers bed and breakfast. Check current prices and availability directly with the hosts.

Where can you watch the stars on Nyord?

Nyord has been part of the Dark Sky Park Møn og Nyord since 2017. The Hyldevang Naturcenter and the bird tower of Nyord are regarded as stargazing spots. Warm clothing and red light help most.