Denmark

In Demark there is plenty to see and do during a holiday, from beautiful beaches, pretty villages, great shops, art galleries, museums, fun fairs and a zoo to name but a few.

The best time of the year to visit is summer and although it is the busiest time the winter weather is much colder and therefore not so visitor friendly. Though if the cold weather presents no problems Christmas time in Denmark is fantastic and a really magical time especially for children.

Denmark is popular with all tourists from walkers, cyclists, water sport enthusiasts, anglers and yachters to just plain sightseers. Copenhagen, the country’s capital city is the place to start and a city tour could start at the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek. This is a museum owned by the Carlsberg brewery housing classical art and Impressionist paintings.

An unusual museum is the Musical History Museum and has a large array of musical instruments dating back a thousand years.

The National Museum of Science and Technology is where to discover everything about electricity, aircraft, cars and computers. This museum is located in Helsinger along with Denmark’s Flight Museum and Traffic Museum. Whilst there a flight simulator can be tried. There is also a chance to play at being a Starfighter jet pilot plus much, much more.

The Danish Maritime Museum, again situated in Helsinger has maritime history from the Middle Ages to the present day. Here it is possible to see how sailors lived aboard the old merchant ships.

The Tycho Brahe Planetarium holds an exhibition of astronomy and space travel. Visitors can learn about the moonwalks, solar system and space research. There is a dame shaped screen where the audience can get the feeling of being ‘in on the action’.

Near Roskilde is the Lejre Experimental Centre where can be experienced Denmark in the past. There are reconstructions of ancient living environments like a Stone Age Camp, an Iron Age Village and a Viking Market. Hands on activities here enable visitors to make flour, shoot with a bow and arrow plus other crafts can be tried.

After all these indoor activities some fresh air will be needed to head off to one of Denmark’s many beaches. There are harbour pools in Copenhagen and even a beach setting in the city but further afield can be found some fantastic sandy beaches. Tisvildeleje Beach is very long with safe waters. Liseleje Beach and Dronningmolle beach are also along this part of the west coastline.

Beaches on the east coast are smaller but many have safe shallow waters.

Copenhagen is home to some appealing parks and Faelledparken is one of them well known for its May Day speeches. But that not all as the park has a paddling pool, green spaces for ball games, football field, giant chessboard, café and a play traffic area for children with traffic lights and road signs. There are also gardens and an alphabet labyrinth.

Copenhagen Botanical garden is a great place with exotic flowers and trees from all over the world and even a glasshouse where can be seen carnivorous plants.

The Danish shops are also worth investigating with large department stores, designer boutiques and smaller individual shops. Most shopping centres are well equipped with cafes and restaurants so rests can be taken between shops. Merchandise in Denmark is not cheap but the quality is good and it is the cheapest of the Scandinavian countries.

Along the world’s longest pedestrianised street, Stroget, are a huge number of shops, many restaurants and in Copenhagens main square is the statue of Hans Christian Andersen. From here it is just a walk or ferry ride to see the famous bronze statue of The Little Mermaid, one of his most famous fairy tale characters. This statue has been on the harbour-side since 1913.

Odense is a city that is a busy hub but also has areas that are quieter and more relaxing. It is the country’s third largest city and dates back to pre-Viking times. It is situated on Denmark’s second largest island, Funen and is probably best known as the birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen. It is of no surprise that many of the city’s attractions are centred round this gentleman. The Hans Christian Andersen Hus is the main museum and is in a nice area with cobbled streets and a park. His home, Hans Christian Andersen Barndomshjem, is of course one of the biggest attractions.

Also in Odense zoo is the marvellous chimpanzee enclosure and this is really worth a visit. Free summertime concerts are given in the open-air amphitheatre at Brandts Kloedefabrik.

Arhus is the capital city of Jutland, it is a busy university city and an important seaport and trade centre. The city is home to some great restaurants and is possibly the best place in Denmark for live entertainment. It lies only a fifteen-minute cycle ride from sandy beaches and flower carpeted woods.

The history or Arhus can be observed in its museums and churches. The open-air museum in Old town houses 75 building from all over Denmark dating from the 17th and 18th centuries.

It is in this area that the Tivoli Fribeden is to be found and this is an amusement park just outside the city centre. There are plenty of rides here plus clown shows, gardens and cafes. Also to be found in this city is the Musikhuset, a modern concert centre with performances ranging from classical to jazz.

This city is a warm and friendly place is certainly worth a visit. Denmark has all the above and many, many more attractions of all descriptions and suitable for all tastes. It is a country well worth a visit of at least a few days if not longer.