Places to visit in Denmark

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Denmark map & itineraries

If you enjoy traveling by bicycle, train and ferry, you’ll love exploring Denmark – from Copenhagen’s super-sleek metro system to the well-planned cycle routes all over the country, everything works like a dream.

If ferries aren’t your thing, don’t despair – bridges and tunnels carrying rail and road traffic connect many islands, including the major routes from Copenhagen to Malmö in Sweden, from Sealand to Funen and from Funen to Jutland. Covering the country by land and sea gives you a great sense of the scale and character of the nation, but if you’re desperately short of time, you could hop between Copenhagen and Denmark’s seven regional airports by air.

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1. Aalborg
2. Aarhus
3. Bornholm
4. Copenhagen
5. Elsinore and North Sealand
6. Funen Archipelago
7. Roskilde
8. Samsø
9. Silkeborg Lakes
10. Thy National Park
11. Tønder and Møgeltønder
12. Wadden Sea National Park

Aalborg

1. Aalborg

Aalborg has fine historic buildings and good restaurants, but the main reason to come this far north is to discover Viking history in the coastal wilderness. Nothing can prepare you for North Jutland’s spectacular fields of stone circles at Lindholm Høje. This burial site is part of the impressive Nordjyllands Historiske Museum. You can refuel on Viking inspired dishes in the café.

Aalborg

Aarhus

2. Aarhus

Aarhus, the second largest city in Denmark, has an energetic, youthful atmosphere thanks to a large student population and a thriving café and music scene. Wander around the Old Town (Den Gamle By), an open-air museum of historic Danish architecture, dose up on Danish contemporary art at ARoS and visit the impressive new Moesgaard Museum of prehistory – they’re all superb.

Bornholm

3. Bornholm

Flung out in the Baltic Sea east of Sealand and 200km from Copenhagen, the island of Bornholm is a favourite vacation retreat for the Danes. As elsewhere in Denmark, cyclists get a good deal, with easy-going routes leading past swaying cornfields and villages bedecked with flowers. The island’s white sandy beaches and clear water are the stuff that special memories are made of.

Bornholm

Copenhagen

4. Copenhagen

Copenhagen (København) is supremely easy to explore on foot or by bike. Once you’ve seen the colourful harbourside buildings, the intriguing Rundetårn, a 17th century observatory tower, climbed by a ramp, and the fairytale-esque Tivoli gardens, you’ll want to check out the alternative vibe in Christiania, shop for Danish design or lose yourself in fabulous New Nordic flavours at a cutting-edge restaurant.

Elsinore and North Sealand

5. Elsinore and North Sealand

The region of museums and castles north of Copenhagen is peppered with heritage wonders such as Kronborg Castle in Elsinore (Helsingør), immortalised by William Shakespeare as the setting for Hamlet. Then there’s the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Humlebæk, home to Scandinavia’s largest collection of greats such as Picasso and Warhol, and the Museum of National History at Frederiksborg Castle in Hillerød.

Elsinore and North Sealand

Funen Archipelago

6. Funen Archipelago

A tiny house in Odense on the island of Funen (Fyn) was the birthplace of Denmark’s most cherished author of folk tales, plays and poems. The Hans Christian Andersen Museum celebrates his work, putting it into historical context. Beyond the town, you can pedal through woodlands, visit fairytale castles and skim pebbles on quiet beaches.

Roskilde

7. Roskilde

Head for West Sealand’s main city to visit its brick cathedral, which is World Heritage listed, and the Viking Ship Museum featuring magnificent ships, rescued from the sea. Roskilde’s music festival is one of Europe’s biggest, an eight-day jamboree which attracts 130,000 revellers at the end of June. West of Roskilde is a fascinating living museum of social history, Andelslandsbyen Nyvang.

Roskilde

Samsø

8. Samsø

The island of Samsø is an experiment in carbon neutral living. All the electricity consumed by its community of around 4000 is generated from an offshore wind farm and most residents heat their homes with solar power and biomass energy. Country lanes wind between its organic strawberry, potato and livestock farms; you can hire a bike or explore by bus.

Silkeborg Lakes

9. Silkeborg Lakes

West of Aarhus, the town of Silkeborg lies on the River Gudenå in a beautiful region of lakes with thickly forested banks. This is a popular area for canoeing on smooth, calm water. Energimuseet, situated near Denmark's largest hydroelectric power station in the village of Tange, is a hands-on science museum with a focus on the history and theory of alternative energy.

Silkeborg Lakes

Thy National Park

10. Thy National Park

The first expanse of Danish wilderness to be protected as a national park, Nationalpark Thy covers 200km² of pristine beaches, dunes and lakes on the wild North Jutland coast. Wild deer, otters and rare birds such as golden plovers can be seen here. Cycling and walking trails crisscross the park and riders can hire Icelandic horses, while windsurfers and kitesurfers catch the waves at Klitmøller.

Tønder and Møgeltønder

11. Tønder and Møgeltønder

Tønder in South Jutland is the oldest market town in Denmark, with a wide square and atmospheric cobbled streets. In the nearby village of Møgeltønder, you can wander along a perfectly preserved 17th century street and gaze in astonishment at the richly decorated interior of the medieval church where Prince Joachim, youngest son of the Danish monarch, married Marie Cavallier in 2008.

Tønder and Møgeltønder

Wadden Sea National Park

12. Wadden Sea National Park

The coast and islands of Nationalpark Vadehavet in southwest Denmark are breezy and unspoilt. You can potter around by bike – the 28km circular Vikings and Wadden Sea Cycle Route takes in Denmark’s oldest town, Ribe, with medieval buildings and a reconstructed Viking village. An hour’s drive north of Ribe is Henne Kirkeby Kro, an inn creating superb dishes from kitchen garden ingredients.

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Denmark itineraries

7 days, cycling tour
Copenhagen > Vedbæk > Snekkersten > Helsingør > Helsingborg > Hillerød > Copenhagen

7 days, Viking heritage tour
Viking Ship Museum, Roskilde > Viking Fortress, Trelleborg > Viking Centre and Vikings of Ribe Museum, Ribe > Jelling Monuments, Vejle > Lindholm Høje, Aalborg > Viking Fortress, Aggersborg

14 days, island-hopping tour
Fejø, Lilleø and Femø Archipelago > Funen Archipelago and Ærø > Fanø > Samsø > Læsø

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Travel times in Denmark

The following times give you a rough idea of the travel times between the main attractions in Denmark.

Copenhagen - Elsinore: 53min by train Copenhagen - Roskilde: 20minby train Copenhagen - Odense: 1.5hrs by train Copenhagen - Aarhus: 40min by plane Copenhagen - Aarhus: 3.5hrs by train Copenhagen - Aarhus: 3hrs by car and ferry Copenhagen - Bornholm: 3.5hrs by bus and ferry Aarhus - Samsø: 3.25hrs by bus and ferry Aarhus - Aalborg: 1.5hrs by train

Responsible Travel would like to thank the Visit Denmark tourist board for their sponsorship of this guide

Places to visit in Denmark