Denmark
Copenhagen's Nyhavn waterfront is lined with brightly painted townhouses and old wooden ships, Kronborg Castle guards the strait that Hamlet made famous, and Jutland runs out at Skagen, where two seas meet. Denmark is compact, flat and expensive, and a bicycle remains the fastest, most Danish way to get around its cities.
Overview
Denmark is small enough to cross by train in an afternoon, yet its islands and peninsula feel varied. Most first trips centre on Copenhagen, with day trips up the Øresund coast to Kronborg and the Louisiana museum, and west to Roskilde's Viking ships. A second week usually heads over the Great Belt Bridge to Odense, Hans Christian Andersen's birthplace, then on to Jutland: Aarhus for ARoS and the Old Town museum, Billund for LEGO, Ribe for the Viking age and Skagen for dunes and luminous light at the northern tip.
Expect high prices: a coffee costs around £5 and a restaurant main £25 or more, though supermarkets, bakeries and hot-dog stands soften the blow. In return, almost everything works. Public transport is efficient, cycle lanes are everywhere, English is nearly universal, and the food scene, from New Nordic tasting menus to Copenhagen's street-food halls, punches well above the country's size. Summer evenings stay light until late; winter is dark but cosy, with Tivoli's Christmas market and candlelit cafés showing hygge at its best. It suits city-breakers, cyclists and families.
Map of Denmark
Top 5 highlights
- 1City
Nyhavn
Copenhagen's 17th-century canal, lined with painted gabled houses, wooden ships and packed terraces. Hans Christian Andersen lived at three different addresses here; take a canal tour from the quay for the city's best overview.
- 2History
Kronborg Castle
This Renaissance fortress at Helsingør controlled the Øresund for centuries, collecting tolls from passing ships. It is the Elsinore of Hamlet, and the play is regularly staged in the courtyard in summer.
- 3Nature
Skagen and Grenen
At Denmark's northern tip the Skagerrak and Kattegat meet off the sandbar of Grenen, where you can stand with a foot in each. The town's luminous light drew the Skagen Painters, whose work hangs in the local museum.
- 4Nature
Møns Klint
White chalk cliffs rise more than 100 metres above the Baltic on the island of Møn. Descend the long wooden staircases to hunt for fossils on the beach, then visit the GeoCenter; the area is also a dark-sky park.
- 5Culture
Legoland and LEGO House, Billund
LEGO's home town has the original Legoland park, open from spring to autumn, and LEGO House, a hands-on experience centre stacked like giant bricks. Billund Airport is only minutes away.
Biggest cities
Copenhagen
Allow three or four days for the harbour baths, Tivoli, Christiansborg, the Design Museum and the food halls; cycling between Nørrebro, Vesterbro and Christianshavn is the way to see it.
Aarhus
Denmark's second city is a lively student town with the rainbow walkway on top of ARoS art museum, the open-air Den Gamle By and Moesgaard's superb prehistory museum.
Odense
Hans Christian Andersen's home town has a striking museum devoted to him, opened in 2021, plus a cobbled old quarter and easy cycling along the river.
Ranked by urban-area population where available. Figures are rounded estimates, and sources define city limits differently, so rankings of similar-sized cities can vary.
When to go to Denmark
Best time: May–Sep.
Average climate in Copenhagen
Festivals & events
- Jun–JulRoskilde Festival
One of Europe's biggest music festivals fills the fields outside Roskilde for a week around the turn of June and July, with big-name headliners and a non-profit ethos.
- JunSankt Hans Aften
On Midsummer Eve, 23 June, Danes gather on beaches and lakeshores around bonfires topped with a straw witch, singing Holger Drachmann's 'Midsommervisen' as the long evening fades.
- JulCopenhagen Jazz Festival
For ten days in early July, hundreds of concerts take over clubs, squares, parks and harbourside stages across the capital, many of them free.
How much does Denmark cost?
Estimates per person per day, excluding flights. Prices vary by season and city.
Food to try
Smørrebrød
Open sandwiches on dense rye bread, topped with pickled herring, roast pork, egg and prawns or liver pâté; a lunchtime ritual eaten with a knife and fork.
Stegt flæsk med persillesovs
Crisp-fried slices of pork belly with boiled potatoes and creamy parsley sauce, voted Denmark's national dish in a 2014 public poll.
Wienerbrød
What the rest of the world calls Danish pastries; try a kanelsnegl (cinnamon swirl) or a custard-filled spandauer warm from a bakery.
Getting around
DSB trains link Copenhagen with Odense in about 1 hour 15 minutes and Aarhus in roughly three hours; the DSB app handles tickets. Copenhagen's driverless metro runs around the clock, including to the airport. Cities are built for bikes, with hire schemes and dedicated lanes everywhere. Ferries serve the smaller islands, and Bornholm is reached by a 5½-hour ferry from Køge or a fast ferry from Ystad in Sweden. Hire a car for rural Jutland.
Practical information
- Plugs & voltage
- CEFK230V — bring a UK-to-C/E/F/K adapter
- Emergency numbers
- Telephone: 112 (ambulance, fire, police).
Source: FCDO “Getting help”
- Dialling code
- +45
- Time zone
- UTC+1 (standard time)
- Tap water
- Generally safe to drink
- Driving
- On the right
- Tipping
- Service is included in restaurant bills and tipping is not expected, though rounding up or leaving a little for excellent service is appreciated.
- Etiquette
- Danes are informal and punctual: use first names, arrive on time and say 'tak' often. Never stand or walk in cycle lanes, and stand on the right on escalators.
- Main airports
- Copenhagen Airport (CPH), Copenhagen; Billund Airport (BLL), Billund; Aalborg Airport (AAL), Aalborg
Visas & entry for Denmark
Shown for a British passport.
No visa needed
You can travel without a visa to the Schengen area, which includes Denmark, for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. This applies if you travel: as a tourist; to visit family or friends; to attend business meetings, cultural or sports events; for short-term studies or training.
The requirements for working in Denmark are different.
From the UK government's FCDO entry requirements for British passport holders — read the full page for passport validity, permits and exceptions.
Health & vaccinations
- Recommended for most travellers
- Tetanus
- Sometimes advised — depends on your trip, activities and health
- Bat LyssavirusTick-borne encephalitis
- Yellow fever certificate
- No yellow fever certificate is required to enter.
- Malaria
- No malaria risk
Source: TravelHealthPro (National Travel Health Network and Centre), checked 21 October 2026. This is a summary, not medical advice.
Public holidays in Denmark
The next 12 months. Banks, offices and some sights may close, and transport and hotels get busy around these dates.
| Fri 25 Dec 2026 | Christmas Day |
| Sat 26 Dec 2026 | Second Day of Christmas |
| Fri 1 Jan 2027 | New Year's Day |
| Thu 25 Mar 2027 | Maundy Thursday |
| Fri 26 Mar 2027 | Good Friday |
| Sun 28 Mar 2027 | Easter Sunday |
| Mon 29 Mar 2027 | Easter Monday |
| Thu 6 May 2027 | Ascension Day |
| Sun 16 May 2027 | Pentecost |
| Mon 17 May 2027 | Pentecost Monday |
National holidays only. Dates based on lunar calendars can move by a day or two depending on official announcements.
Useful phrases in Danish
| English | Danish | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| Hello | Hej | hi |
| Thank you | Tak | tahk |
| Please | Vær så venlig | vair saw VEN-lee |
| Excuse me | Undskyld | ON-skool |
| How much is this? | Hvad koster det? | va KOS-ter deh |
Know before you go
- Card and phone payments are accepted almost everywhere, even for a single pastry, so there is little need to draw kroner in cash.
- Tap water is excellent, so carry a refillable bottle. Supermarket bakeries, smørrebrød counters and hot-dog stands (pølsevogne) keep lunch costs down in an expensive country.
- Many museums close on Mondays. In the capital, the Copenhagen Card bundles public transport and admissions and can pay off if you plan several sights a day.
Denmark travel FAQs
When is the best time to visit Denmark?
The best time to visit Denmark is generally May–Sep. Peak months are May, June, July, August and September. Average highs in Copenhagen range from 3°C to 22°C across the year.
How much does a trip to Denmark cost per day?
Roughly £80 a day on a tight budget, £170 mid-range and £330+ for comfortable travel, per person including accommodation, food and local transport. Flights are extra.
What currency is used in Denmark?
Danish krone (DKK).
What plug type does Denmark use?
Type C, E, F and K sockets at 230V. UK visitors need a travel adapter — UK Type G plugs will not fit.
Which side of the road do they drive on in Denmark?
Traffic drives on the right in Denmark, unlike the UK.
Is tap water safe to drink in Denmark?
Generally safe to drink.
Do I need a visa for Denmark?
For British passport holders, the FCDO says: You can travel without a visa to the Schengen area, which includes Denmark, for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Entry rules change, so check the official FCDO entry requirements for Denmark before you travel: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/denmark/entry-requirements
What vaccinations do I need for Denmark?
TravelHealthPro recommends Tetanus for most travellers, with Bat Lyssavirus and Tick-borne encephalitis sometimes advised depending on your trip. Make sure routine UK vaccinations are up to date and see a travel health professional 6–8 weeks before you go.
