We are a family of 4 (all adults) traveling to Sweden and Denmark in August. We have 7 nights in Denmark and I'm looking for suggestions. Beyond Copenhagen, I know RS recommends Aero, Odense and Aarhus. But what else is a must see in your opinion? We will have a car (for a variety of reasons), so can reach further places. We like nature and culture, food, and generally being among the people and enjoying the vibe. I'm thinking 3-4 nights in Copenhagen so I have a few nights for something different. Any thoughts on Ribe? Svendborg? Dragor? If Odense and Aarhus are truly the must see places, then we will head there but we tend to prefer slightly smaller, less touristy locations. Thank you!
Posted by
Colorado Mountains, USA
8773 posts
We didn’t have a car and were there in the fall, when it definitely wasn’t a touristy place, but Roskilde and its Viking ship museum was one of the highlights. In addition to the recovered and preserved remains of actual ships that had been sunk in the harbor centuries ago as a defensive blockade, they are now building new longships using ancient techniques and designs, and taking visitors our for a row/sail. They’d stopped doing the boat rides for the season before our trip, but did a talk in the workshop, and also with us standing onboard one of their ships, on a rainy afternoon.
Whether you do it as a daytrip from Copenhagen or on your way farther west, Roskilde was definitely worth the visit. North of Copenhagen, Helsingør and its castle with the Hamlet connection was also worthwhile, as was the Louisiana modern art museum at Humlebæk. From the train station, it was a bit of a walk to the museum, but you’d get closer with a car.
Posted by
Bellingham, WA
1813 posts
How about Skagen and Grenen, where two seas meet? It's a good long drive up there, but kind of a unique thing to see. Here is a blog about visiting that area:
https://www.besabine.com/en/skagen-grenen-jutland-denmark/
Further inspiration can be found in the Danish TV Series Seaside Hotel, which I watched on PBS.
Aarhus has some interesting sights, including the art museum, the anthropology museum, Den Gamle By, the Infinity Bridge, DOKK1 (which is kind of an all-purpose public space with an automatic parking garage).
Posted by
Denmark
277 posts
Ribe is a small town that punches above its weight in what it has to offer with the cathedral and historic town centre. It’s also a good place to stay if you want to explore Wadden Sea National Park (in which case it’s good that you will have a car). Vadehavscentret has a good exhibition in the nature, and a few years ago I took their excursion to Koresand, which was a highlight of the trip.
Granted, it’s been quite a while since I’ve been in Svendborg, but it’s a nice seaside town. It’s also a good starting point if you want to take a ferry to one of the islands in the South Funen Archipelago, where life is moving at a relaxed pace - e.g. the ferry from Svendborg to Ærøskøbing. Can also be easily combined with Odense, e.g. if you're interested in H. C. Andersen.
Dragør is also a nice and small place, comparable in size to Ribe. However Dragør is so close to Copenhagen, I will suggest you don’t spend a night here, when you will also stay in the city. But if the weather is nice and you want to get out of the city, Dragør is a pleasant place to spend an afternoon and soak in the atmosphere.
Aarhus is among my personal favorites. As described above, it has a lot to offer with Den Gamle By, Aros, Moesgaard Museum, Aarhus Øje, and the list goes on. From Aarhus you can also take the car to go on day trips to Mols Bjerge National Park or Søhøjlandet. If the dates fits with Molslinjen’s ferry schedule, you can also sail to Ebeltoft and stay there for a night or two. It’s a small, pretty town where you can visit Fregatten Jylland. It’s located on the other side of Mols Bjerge (can easily be combined with Aarhus).
Bornholm is another good option. Here you can visit Gudhjem and Allinge, which are beautiful (and popular) villages, visit Hammershus, the round churches, Opalsøen, etc.
Skagen, as mentioned above, is another picturesque and popular town. Grenen is a must when you’re there. Near Skagen you can also visit the migrating dune Råbjerg Mile and Rubjerg Knude dunes+lighthouse. On the way, you can stop at Lille Vildmose and the raised bog Portlandmosen, where you can walk on the designated pathways.
Møns Klint is another good place for nature enthusiasts.
Posted by
Western Canada
4164 posts
Another vote for Roskilde.
Don’t miss it!
Posted by
Schwerin
4688 posts
We like nature and culture, food, and generally being among the people and enjoying the vibe.
The North Sea dunes south of Hirtshals are worth a visit for nature fans. Skagen can be a good addition.
I am also a fan of Helsingør and Swedish Helsingborg which are connected by a 20-30 minutes ferry ride.
Fyn island with Odense is worth a closer look because it has a lot of sights and attractions to explore, e. g. Egeskov Castle or small Taasinge folk museum.
Posted by
Portland, OR
83 posts
Roskilde was great. The Royal Cathedral and the Viking Ship Museum (really good) - take a trip on one of the replica viking ships around the harbor.
If you have a car, you might add Lejre to a Roskilde side-trip. We were going to go, but ended up changing our trip logistics and had to skip it. The museum out there is supposed to be small but good and there are outdoor archeological sites like Øm Jættestue and Kongehallerne, if you like that sort of thing. The "Land of Legends" viking re-enactment was a question mark for us - we didn't know if it would fantastic or cheesy. We were going to eat at Restaurant Herthadalen.