Winning tip: dinner in a Danish kro
We travelled around Denmark, sleeping in B&B/hotels, called kroer. These were brilliant. On the menu at every kro there was at least one Danish speciality, which was half the price of any other item. We ordered it one night and it came plated up and piled high. We were told that the Danes subsidised the kro to have traditional Danish food on the menu, instead of bland international cuisine. So, from then on, we chose the speciality, and ate well, at much lower cost!
• visitdenmark.com
David Holmes
Adventures in the outer city
We wanted to explore on bikes. From our Copenhagen hotel room we were able to order two bikes from the Donkey Republic app (£10 a day). We picked up our bikes just outside the central station ready for our adventure; from there we jumped on a train to Klampenborg with a picnic in our backpacks (£3.50 one way). Just outside the city is Dyrehaven, a forest park home to 2,000 deer.
• donkey.bike
Crystal Tau
A guided tour of Christiania
I’ve gone on this tour twice now, and each time a different resident acted as our tour guide through this labyrinthine “Freetown”. The tour follows no official script or itinerary. Instead, each “guide” offers a personal, first-hand account of what it’s like to live in an anarchist squatter community where decisions are made in assemblies, where cannabis is openly traded, and where there’s an ingenious “architecture without architects”. A genuinely fascinating trip.
• About £28pp, book on rundvisergruppen.dk
Rafael Gomez-Moriana
Copenhagen people’s kitchens
What I like the most about Copenhagen is all its volunteer-run places. My favourite is Kafa-X in Nørrebro. Brunch, language cafe, soup kitchen … what you find there depends on the moment you go. On Tuesday evenings, a vegan dinner is served for only 20kr (£2.30) at 7pm. Whoever wants to help can come around 4pm or after, to first go and pick up food that would otherwise be thrown away at the nearby shops, and a huge amount of bread and pastries donated by some bakeries. Then the volunteers decide what they will make out of what they received that day, and cook for around 50 people who come for dinner. It’s healthy, tasty, cheap, ecological and you can even take home bread and sometimes leftovers too.
• Korsgade 19
Annaëlle Monhardt
An island labyrinth
Well worth the hour on the ferry from Jutland, the sprawling Samsø Labyrinten is officially the world’s largest maze. A forest labyrinth formed by more than 50,000 trees and bushes, it spans 50 acres on the north side of the wind-powered island of Samsø. It’s great for families: kids love the sense of adventure in this fairytale setting complete with carved toadstools and woodland animals. You can choose to navigate your way to any of the eight end points in the labyrinth (all have varying degrees of difficulty). You must solve riddles and answer questions correctly at the T-junctions along the way, to ensure you are led in the right direction. Should you get a few wrong, the helpful staff will get you back on track. Pretending you’re in a race against time to rescue an infant relation from a spandex-clad David Bowie at the centre of the labyrinth only adds to the experience – but is of course – entirely optional.
• Adult £8, child £7, samsolabyrinten.com
Ruth Clark
Dragør – a taste of authentic Denmark
Just 12km from Copenhagen is the charmingly quaint and tranquil town of Dragør. Its intricate cobbled alleyways, between pastel-coloured houses and thatched cottages, are the perfect setting for a stroll. The locals are friendly, saying “hej” to passersby as they tend their roses bushes or cycle through the town. Free from traffic and off the tourist path, it was lovely to sit by the harbour with a pastry. Just past the harbour on a sandy ridge, you have an excellent view of the Øresund bridge as it stretches across to Sweden.
Josh Johns
Egeskov Castle and Titania’s Palace
This striking moated medieval castle on the island of Funen lies dramatically in landscaped gardens. There are loads of interesting things to do, from a car and aeroplane museum to a treetop walk. A magnificent early-20th century doll’s house, Titania’s Palace, is on display in the castle. It has beautifully created miniature features, including a bible and a working finger-size organ in the chapel.
• Entry £20/£12, egeskov.dk
Splundmook
Ride the ‘sand worm’ and straddle the seas
Charming Skagen, the town at Denmark’s northern tip, is the starting point for an easy cycle ride to Grenen beach. Enjoy riding through the natural beauty of pine forests and open heathland, before taking the Sand Worm (a tractor-trailer ride) across vast sand dunes to the colliding waves of the North and Baltic seas. Pose for a photo opportunity at this strange, natural phenomenon, with one foot in either sea, before taking time to spot seals on your return.
• Cycle hire about £10 a day, skagen-cykeludlejning.dk
Mistertod1
Vikings at Jelling world heritage site
Jelling is one of Scandinavia’s most important historical sites but is a refreshingly calm and contemplative place. The site of Harald Bluetooth’s 10th-century stronghold, it marks the foundation point of Denmark, quite literally, with two giant runic stones. It also has two impressive royal burial mounds and a family-friendly visitor centre that provides an immersive introduction to everything Viking, and is free to visit. Easily reached by train (90 minutes from Aarhus), it lies midway on a 1,000-year-old national footpath, the Ancient Road, and makes a great base for exploring Denmark’s rolling countryside.
• en.natmus.dk
JakeyMcB
Beer and bears in Aalborg
Aalborg is a superb alternative to Copenhagen. The lively university city has a great location on the waterfront and the winding streets of the old town easily blend into the modern city centre. See polar bears at the local zoo then explore the town on the Aalborg Beerwalk. Book at the tourist office and you will take in nine pubs and breweries allowing you a tipple of local beers at six of them. Finish off with a meal at an outdoor table or in the cellar of Søgaards Brewery – the fresh fish cooked in wild spinach is a real treat.
• visitaalborg.com
gonca
Denmark’s best-kept secret
Just 90 minutes from Copenhagen lies the stunning island of Sejero (Sy-er-oo). The quaint Sejero ferry delivers you to a picturebook harbour where you are free to cycle safely the winding lanes and observe the rich and varied wildlife: hares, deer and hen harriers live here undisturbed. Or take a horse-drawn carriage with Klaus on a tour around the island. At just 7 miles long and 2 miles wide this island is a rural idyll of another time: rolling hills lead to white sandy beaches with ideal family swimming, where porpoise and dolphin are often spotted. One bar and a small restaurant are the island’s only watering holes, but frankly, that’s probably not why you’ve come here. Stay in a floating room at the harbour or in one of the camping shacks in the fields (from £40 a day).
• sejero.dk
Alan Leach
Great-value summer holiday, in Denmark. Really
Few Brits know that Danish children return to school at the start of August. So the month is low season and beach house accommodation is excellent value (from around €300 a week for four) and readily available. Great when combined with bargain airline fares. Saksild’s white sandy beach is an hour from Aarhus airport. It’s on the Baltic, and safe for young children, with sand bars and clear blue waters and gentle waves. Danes are family-friendly and even their kids speak great English. Happy holidays!
• cottage-rental.com
Steve Johnson
