Bicycling from Copenhagen South

I biked from Copenhagen to Gedser in August of 2016 to catch the ferry to Rostok, Germany, although it wasn't along the coastline itself. There wasn't anything of note to see on the roads I took, as the countryside is quite flat and rural for the most part. The highlight was the ferry trip across the Baltic. I also did not overnight outside of the capital, so no accommodations to recommend.

You can take the train from Copenhagen to Malmo, Sweden, the country's largest city, where you might find more of interest. The weekend I was there I happened upon an annual fair that was quite well attended.

I have never biked in Europe, even when we lived there over 30 years ago.

However, we have visited Copenhagen and Denmark three times and toured the city and nearby countryside. Also, we have visited Sweden and Stockholm.

There is much to see in Denmark, and in nearby Sweden and Germany. Still, I am not familiar with the availability of bike lanes (no cars). We saw many bike riders while in Denmark, especially in Copenhagen and there were lanes for them, but not sure about going around the far countryside and into Sweden and Germany.

One thing, most European cities are crowded with traffic and not necessarily bike friendly. Copenhagen seems to be an exception; I know many locals there don't own cars and have bikes to go to work and shop. Still, not sure about longdistance biking.

I have done much long distance biking on organized bike rides in the USA, typically biking 400-500 miles in a week. The routes of those rides were always picked for highways with little auto traffic. However, I know of horrible accidents where bike riders were killed by people driving autos and not paying attention.

You may want to check out the EuroVelo website, which shows thousands of miles of bike routes in various stages of development all over Europe, including along the coast in the areas you mentiond. https://en.eurovelo.com/ Maps and guidebooks are also available for downloading and in print.

To address the previous poster's point regarding safety, bicycling in Europe is an exceptionally safe endeavor, whether in large cities, small towns or the rural countryside. Unlike in the U.S., it's a widely accepted and respected form of transportation for commuting to work and school, shopping, visiting friends and touring.

I've toured by bike all over Europe for years and have never had a negative encounter with a motor vehicle. I've found drivers to be universally patient and courteous, especially in Ireland. And in many cities - Vienna, Berlin, Budapest, Copenhagen, Paris and Dublin for example - bike lanes and trails are commonplace. In Copenhagen, the only hazard (slight at that) I experienced came from other cyclists who speed past those in front with no warning at all. As always when riding in traffic a rear view mirror in indispensible.

David,
That is good news, but I can't imagine riding a bike on the road in Italy, the way people drive there. I can see biking in Germany, Denmark and the UK.

I've biked in nearly thirty European countries, including Italy, and nowhere have I had a bad experience with other vehicles. Exercising caution, riding defensively and using the smaller, less traveled roads (the yellow and white roads and even some busier red roads on Michelin maps) contribute considerably to one's well-being. Europeans expect to encounter, and thus see, bicyclists sharing the roadways, particularly in countries like Denmark and the Netherlands.

I'm not sure how close this is to your route, but https://www.campadventure.dk/en/skovtaarnet/ is well worth a detour in my opinion.

I rode that route several times last spring. Beautiful but it can be brutal when it’s windy.
Yeah it’s a great stretch of road. Did you have any other nice routes around Copenhagen that you enjoyed doing whilst you were here?

Like David I've bike toured in Europe fairly broadly, and like David can repeat that drivers are good around bicycles.

I'll add one caveat though - they expect you to do the right thing on a bike. I've ridden with children a lot, and one girl in particular had that annoying habit of swinging out into the rode not paying attention. She was nearly killed on a narrow lane by an on coming (huge) truck that didn't slow or move over at all seeing a 10 year old coming at them. This was in the Netherlands. Moral of story: the drivers are great, but they expect you to do the right thing on a bike (because that's what everyone does).

The other caveat I'll give is farmers. Often they'll drive crazy and much too fast on little dirt roads where they live and work. A bit like the attitude of logging trucks - this is where I work and that takes precedence over your recreation. keep your head up in active ag areas.

So yes, safe compared to USA in general, but still cycling and still not without potential consequences. The road death rate for cyclist in the Netherlands, beacon of bicycle safety, is more than one every other day of the year, year in, year out. Don't get lulled into complacency, have a great time. No better way to experience Europe than by bicycle IMO

If you have a day for a warm up ride, from Copehagen to Helsingor castle is 45k, lovely ride right along the sea, passes through some wetlands, woods, and small tony suburbs. The castle is where Hamlet was set, very interesting visit. Train one way possible but you likely would ride both ways.

Thank you so much, great tips!