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transportation in denmark

Posted by on

I'm traveling in 3 months to Denmark with my family of 5. We are flying into Copenhagen for 3 days of sight seeing then thinking of relocating to Aarhus for 3 nights to see the remaining country, castles and Viking sites. We are ending our trip in Hirstals on our way to catch a ferry to Bergen, Norway. Because only ferry location that goes to Bergen seems to be Hirstals.

We were thinking to rent a car for traveling around to see the country but the fees are close to $1400.00 USD for 3 days. And there is no rental car drop in Hirstals. We've looked into Fredrikshavn for ferries to Bergen but there is none.

My questions would be,

1) How do you recommend a family (with children) to travel around Denmark sightseeing with out taking out a second mortgage. (mind you, the above quote is on a nice van)?

2) It seems weird there is no rental car drop in a port local. (Hirstals) Are we doing something odd by taking the ferry to Bergen from Hirstals?

This part of the trip is not falling into place as easily as other trips. Any advise? Somethings no clicking for us!

Thanks!

Posted by
5837 posts

You definitely do not need or want a car in Copenhagen. Train ride from CPH to central Copenhagen is economical and efficient and local transit is great. Copenhagen has a lot of bike parking while auto parks didn't look very plentiful.

Posted by
544 posts

Transit is exceptionally nice in Scandinavia. You could save by using buses and trains. Then also no one has to drive, worry about directions or parking. I rent a car in Norway when I'm visiting family that are far from frequent public transit or in the winter when we have skis and lots of luggage. Rome2rio.com and Rick's books are good resources to compare the prices of car rental vs. trains and buses.

Another thing to consider is flying instead of taking the ferry to Bergen. Tickets Copenhagen to Bergen on Norwegian Airlines are $44 on some days in June, $66 on others. Checking a bag is $15 per person as long as you buy online before you go to the airport. The baggage charge is $60 if you don't prebook the baggage online.

SAS charges $73 for their tickets, but they include one checked bag for free in the cost.

If you do book the ferry, I recommend taking seasick pills unless you know you don't get seasick. Motion sick pills only work if you take them before you have symptoms.

Posted by
971 posts

If you are only going between larger cities and towns, there is no need for a rental car, you can get almost everywhere by public transport. Use www.rejseplanen.dk to plan all public transport in Denmark, look up prices etc.
A car might be usefull for excursions to the country side or smaller towns, do you have somewhere particular in mind? You could rent a car in Aarhus and use it for day trips.

There is a car rental in Hirtshals (note the spelling) http://www.toppenafdanmark.com/ln-int/danmark/avis-car-rental-hirtshals-gdk594735

Posted by
16895 posts

Granted, my price test for a car rental was Copenhagen-Aalborg instead of all the way to Hirtshals, but that showed prices for a 5-passenger vehicle ranging from $188 for a "family sized" car, to $671 for a minivan, or $736 for a 9-passenger minibus (which really sounds like overkill). Quotes by AutoEurope for vehicles from Europecar, not including extra collision damage waiver.

Danish train tickets allow up to two kids under age 12 to travel free with each adult.

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