Ærøskøbing is the kind of town you walk into and immediately understand why people never leave. The streets are cobbled and just wide enough for a bicycle. The timber-framed houses — painted in deep blues, ochres, and terracotta reds — are still lived in by ordinary people, not converted into boutiques or galleries. The whole place looks like a stage set and is entirely real.
Most of the best architecture is concentrated within a few blocks of the main square, Torvet. Walk down Vestergade and Søndergade to see the finest houses. The church dates from the 14th century and has a ship model hanging inside, as all good Danish harbour churches do.