The Fanø ferry between Esbjerg and Nordby
The Fanø ferry runs across the Grådyb channel between Esbjerg harbour and Nordby on Fanø. The crossing takes roughly twelve minutes, and it is the only fixed link to the island — everything and everyone arriving on Fanø comes across this stretch of water.
- Route
- Esbjerg ⇄ Fanø
- Crossing time
- about 12 minutes
- Positions from
- AIS, live
- Ferry operator
- Fanølinjen
When does the Fanø ferry sail?
The ferry sails all day, more often in summer and around holidays than on a winter weekday. Below are the rest of today’s departures in both directions and the first ferry tomorrow. For changes and cancellations, Fanølinjen’s official timetable is the one that counts.
Remaining departures today
Updated at 02:48 PMEsbjerg → Fanø
There are no more departures today.
First departure tomorrow at 12:15 AM
Fanø → Esbjerg
There are no more departures today.
First departure tomorrow at 12:30 AM
How long is the ferry to Fanø?
The crossing itself, from Esbjerg to Nordby across the Grådyb, takes about 12 minutes. Allow a little extra time for boarding and driving off.
Can I bring a car or bike?
Yes. All three ferries carry cars, cyclists and foot passengers. Tickets and fares are handled by the operator, Fanølinjen – not by FerryLive.
Which ferries sail between Esbjerg and Fanø?
Three ferries work the crossing: Fenja, Menja and Grotte. Two normally run in rotation while the third lies at her berth as reserve, which is why you will often see one ferry sitting still in Esbjerg or Nordby while the other two shuttle back and forth.
How can I see where the ferry is right now?
Every vessel broadcasts its position over AIS, the maritime transponder system ships use to see one another. FerryLive reads that feed and redraws the map every few seconds, so the marker you see is where the ferry actually is rather than where a schedule says it should be. Each vessel also reports whether she is under way, boarding at the ramp, or lying alongside, which is the difference between a ferry you can still catch and one that has just left.
Who is behind FerryLive?
FerryLive is built by Grumsen Development ApS and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the ferry company. Positions come from public AIS data. Always check the operator for booking, fares and service changes.