Hello!
I'm trying to decide a second location to visit on my upcoming trip. We will be travelling with our two year old and our main interests include: swimming, hiking, going to parks, kids' activities, local markets, festivals and sports. We will be there in August/September.
-How many days would you recommend in Copenhagen?
-What would be a good second location to stay for 4 or 5 days?
Any insights on the activities above would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!
We’re visiting Copenhagen for a week this July, but venturing in to Norway after that, so just staying in Copenhagen, and doing a few day trips nearby. We won’t have a 2 year old with us.
For a long time, Rick Steves’ Danish “back door” special place, outside of the capitol city, is Aero Island, to the west. His guidebook will have details on sights and activities. But there’s a lot of other land in Denmark, besides Copenhagen and Aero, and others may have a lot of suggestions. Have a great trip!
Your stated interests swimming, hiking, going to parks, kids' activities, local markets, festivals and sports, are something you can do pretty much everywhere, so it’s not easy to recommend particular places. Can I instead ask why you choose to go to Denmark in the first place? Was there any interests that drew you to Denmark?
I am definitely following this also. We have decided on doing 2-3 days in Copenhagen and then 4 days in a smaller location. Just trying to decide where that will be. My husband and I tend to enjoy smaller towns more than cities, and since we have two boys, it's vital to choose something where they will be well occupied by outdoorsy things. We will be going in mid-July.
Helsingor (also known as Elsinore) which has both a big maritime museum and a castle (reputedly the one Shakespeare based Hamlet on) is a nice day trip from Copenhagen by train. In Copenhagen a walk around the Kastellet (star shaped fortress) could include the Little Mermaid. There is a walking path around the battlements and a windmill in the public park within the fort which is also an active army barracks.
Aarhus was already under consideration for your recent festivals question, and it's not terribly far from Legoland, as well as home to a good open-air folk museum. At https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/denmark, see a brief summary of highlights under At a Glance and some articles under Read. Since you don't need the whole Scandinavia guidebook, Rick has a Copenhagen + "Snapshot" title that's been reprinted on its own.
FYI, some Danish youth hostels are both family friendly and located near beaches: https://www.danhostel.dk/en/hostels?display=map.
Copenhagen a great city and there hundreds of things to do. It also as some of the coolest neighborhoods in the world (according to Lonely Planet and Business Insider). Denmark is super small. So my suggestion is to base yourself in the capital and use it as a launching point to explore the rest of the country! Here is the best list of day trips from Copenhagen that I've found on the web.
Is you set on going somewhere other than Copenhagen for a few days then I would head to either the Island of Fyn. Another good option is to head straight south to the Cliffs of Mon. Or to Sven Island. There are a lot of options.
I hope that helps! I live in Sweden (right next to Denmark) so if you have any other questions feel free to ask.
Consider Bornholm. You can go by bus from Copenhagen, but if you rent a car it is easier to get around Bornholm. There are hotels and lots of summer cottages. There are beaches all around but the best (and most popular) is in the south.
Personal update: now that a U.K. quarantine has been officially announced, and our Denmark itinerary was coming after the Scotland part, we’ve just cancelled our Denmark lodging, sadly. How things have changed in 4 months! Thanks for the original question, and helpful replies ... these will help with our eventual visit to Denmark! Stay safe
