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Denmark Travel Guide

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For other places with the same name, see Denmark (disambiguation).
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Location
Image:LocationDenmark.png
Flag
Image:Da-flag.png
Quick Facts
Capital Copenhagen
Government Constitutional monarchy
Currency Danish krone (DKK)
Area 43,094 sq km; note: excludes the Faroe Islands and Greenland
Population 5,411,405 (2004)
Language Danish
Religion Evangelical Lutheran 95%, other Protestant and Roman Catholic 3%, Muslim 2%
Electricity 230V/50Hz (European plug)
Calling Code +45
Internet TLD .dk
Time Zone UTC+1

Denmark [1] is a country in Northern Europe. Part of it, Jutland, lies on a peninsula north of Germany while a number of islands, including two major ones, Zealand and Funen, are spread across the Baltic Sea between Jutland and Sweden.

Once the seat of Viking raiders and later a major north European power, Denmark has evolved into a modern, prosperous nation that is participating in the general political and economic integration of Europe. However, the country has opted out of European Union's Maastricht Treaty, the European monetary system (EMU), and issues concerning certain internal affairs.

Map of Denmark
Map of Denmark

Contents

Regions

Denmark is made up of the following regions:

Smaller islands:

Denmark also has two overseas dependencies:

Cities

These are the four major cities in Denmark:

Other destinations

  • Legoland - Lego theme park in Billund. Denmark's largest tourist attraction outside Copenhagen, with 1.6m visitors annually. Fantastic large scale models in Lego including the Royal Palace in Copenhagen, downtown Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, a North Sea oil rig (with helicopters), and many others. Lots of excellent rides. Well laid out and well organized. A must for children of all ages. Just 1 Km from Billund Airport in Jylland.
  • Ribe - Denmark's oldest town. Just to the south, the excellent Ribe Viking Center recreates town life in Viking and medieval times, with faithfully reconstructed buildings, a lively market place, craft displays, working farm with Viking crops and animals, horses to ride, etc.
  • Haraldskaer Woman - Display of well preserved Iron Age mummy in St. Nicolai Church, Vejle
  • Roskilde - Viking ship museum and cathedral. Also home of the famous Roskilde Festival.
  • Hornbæk, Gilleleje, Tisvildeleje, and Liseleje - Popular beach towns in north Zealand
  • Den Gamle By - "The Old Town" in Århus. Denmark's brilliant National Open Air Museum of Urban History.
  • Skagen - Picturesque town at the very top of Jutland, visit the Grenen beach and nature reserve where you can stand with one foot in the North Sea and the other in the Baltic (in summer) or gaze at the stormy seas (in winter). Also home of Denmark's post-impressionist painters in the late 19th century; excellent art museum.
  • Elsinore (Helsingør) - famous for Kronborg Castle, the setting for Shakespeare's Hamlet, located north of Copenhagen. Within the castle there's a museum about Shakespeare.
  • Fanø - cosy holiday island located in Vadehavet near Esbjerg.
  • Bornholm - famous sites include Hammershus, one of Denmarks best-kept castle ruins.
  • Egeskov Castle - The castle is known as the best-preserved Renaissance moat castle in Europe. It is located 35 Km from Odense.
  • Lyngby - suburb 20 minutes north of Copenhagen

Remarkable Bridges

Great Belt Bridge
Enlarge
Great Belt Bridge

There are several remarkable bridges interconnecting Danish islands.

Understand

Terrain — Denmark is home to the 'lowest-highest' point in Europe; but what that exactly entails is somewhat uncertain. Ejer Baunehøj, in the Lake District region south-west of Aarhus (Århus), seems to be the highest natural point (171m with a large tower built on top to commemorate the fact), although Yding Skovhøj, some 3km away stands 2m higher owing to an ancient burial mound. Either way, the 254m tops of the towers of the Great Belt Bridge are technically the highest point(s) in Denmark!

Get in

By plane

Denmark is served by two major and several minor airports.

By train

Map of train lines in Denmark
Enlarge
Map of train lines in Denmark

There are five direct trains per day from Hamburg to Copenhagen, approximately every two to three hours. These trains are loaded onto a ferry for the sea passage from Puttgarten to Rødby, and the total journey time is around 4.5 hours. There are also two train lines to Jutland from Hamburg, one via Padborg and the other via Tønder.

Trains run every twenty minutes from Malmö to Copenhagen. The total journey time is 35 minutes.

By Bus

Graahundbus, Eurolines, and Abildskou run buses between european and danish destinations.

Berlin DKK 200 (7 hours).

By boat

  • Smyril Line run a ferry from Seyðisfjörður (Iceland) via Tórshavn (Faroe Islands), Lerwick (Shetland Islands) and Bergen (Norway) to Hanstholm in Northern Jutland.

Get around

Long distance train travel is done with DSB, the Danish State Rail system. [2] A number of long distance bus companies also operate. Each region in Denmark has its own local public transportation company. For public transportation (trains, buses and ferries) use the online travel planner Rejseplanen [3]. There are two ways to buy tickets. For local trips you can buy a ticket from the regional transportation company based on a zone system. This ticket is valid on all public transportation including DSB trains for one to two hours (depending on the number of zones you travel). Most public transportation companies offer a number of passes which can save you a substantial amount on transportation. In the greater Copenhagen region, the zone system is complemented by a system of “klippekort”, clip cards. These cards come in a variety of colors where the color signifies the total number of zones one can travel through for each clip. So a two zone card clipped once allows one an hour of travel throughout two zones. A two zone card clipped twice in the same machine is valid for travel in four zones or from the airport at Kastrup to the main train station in Copenhagen. DSB also uses a similar system of klippekort for travel in the Oresund region. To use a klippekort, you insert the card, face up, into the yellow machine on the train platform. You will hear a clunk as a clip is removed from card. Repeat to add zones. The machine will also have a zone map and a guide to explain how many clips it takes to travel from where you are to where you want to go.

By bus

Long distance bus-service between Jutland and Copenhagen is possible with the companies Abildshou (line 888) [4] and Søndergaards Busser [5]. An Århus-Copenhagen ticket is 240 DDK for adults with Abildskou.

See also the overview www.fjernbusser.dk

By train

The primary Danish train company is Danish State Rail or DSB [6]although there are small other rail lines operated by other companies. DSB also operates the S-Tog commuter rail system around the greater Copenhagen area. Eurail passes are valid on all DSB trains. Danish trains are comfortable, modern and expensive. Tickets can be purchases in stations, from vending machines in the stations and via DSB's website. In addition to a ticket, many trains require a seat assignment. Most trains have 230V power outlets.

Due to worn out rails the trains are often late. A new, less ambitious schedule is to be implemented August 21 2006. This will not affect the S-Tog which will probably continue to be unreliable (use a 20 minute buffer if planning trips longer than, say, 20 minutes).

All trips with trains and local buses can be scheduled electronically through rejseplanen.dk

By ferry

The only way get to most of the smaller islands, is by ferry.

Ferries are the best way to get to Bornholm, a Danish island in the Baltic Sea, although it also can be reached by plane.

By car or bicycle

There are no toll-roads except the two big bridges: Storebæltbroen between Zealand and Funen (DKK 200 one way), and Øresundbroen between Copenhagen and Malmo (DKK 235 one way).

Marguerite Route sign
Enlarge
Marguerite Route sign

Margueritruten is one 3500 Km long connected route of small scenic roads passing 100 important Danish attractions. It is marked by brown signs with the white Marguerite Daisy flower. It is marked on most roadmaps.

By thumb

It's quite easy to hitchhike in Denmark. People who pick up hitchhikers usually speak English. Destination boards are recommended. It's illegal to hitchhike on the highways, so it is better to use highway-entrances and gas stations. When crossing by ferry, try to get into a car that already paid for the ticket.

If you hitchhike from the southern part of Denmark (direction from Hamburg or Kiel, Germany), and continue in direction to Copenhagen, make sure the driver doesn't stop in Kolding. If he does, ask him to stop at the last gas station before Kolding. On the Kolding highway crossing there is no place to hitchhike and it's one of the worst places in Europe for hitchhikers.

By air

Scandinavian Airlines, Danish Air Transport and Cimber Air all operate domestic routes. If you are not in a hurry, however, trains will often get you where you want to go a lot cheaper. The exception being the Island of Bornholm where air travel is often both fast and inexpensive.

Talk

Denmark's national language is Danish, a member of the Germanic branch of the group of Indo-European languages, and within that family, part of the North Germanic, East Norse group. It is, in theory, very similar to Norwegian Bokmål and Swedish, and is to some extent intelligible to speakers of those languages, especially in written form. Its sound, however, is more influenced by the guttural German language, though, rather than the lilting languages found to the north and understanding spoken Danish may be a trace more difficult to those who only speak Swedish or Norwegian.

English is widely spoken in Denmark, especially in the larger cities. Many Danes also speak German, and it is widely spoken in areas that attract many tourists from Germany, i.e. mainly the Jutland West Coast, the southern part of Funen and nearby islands (e.g. Langeland and Ærø), and also in Southern Jutland (Sønderjylland / Northern Schleswig).

Bring your own unlocked GSM phone to make calls. Prepaid SIM cards are available at most shops and international calling can be reasonably priced. The prepaid credit generally only work in Denmark, but can be purchased in small amounts to avoid waste when you leave.

Buy

The national currency is the Danish krone (DKK, plural "kroner"). In the more "touristy" shops in Copenhagen, and at the traditional beach resorts along the Jutland West Coast and Bornholm Island it will often be possible to pay in Euro. The Danish krone is pegged to the Euro to an accuracy of 2.25%. In the 12 months from Aug 2005 to Aug 2006 the average exchange rate was 1 EUR = 7.46 DKK.

Automatic teller machines are widely available even in small towns. Credit cards are also widely accepted but not universally. Beware that many retailers will add a 2%-3% transaction charge (often without warning) if you pay with a credit card.

You should note that almost everything in Denmark is expensive; particularly if you're not from Northern Europe. All consumer sales include a 25% sales tax but displayed prices are legally required to include this, so they are always exact. If you are from outside the EU/Scandinavia you can have some of your sales tax refunded when leaving the country.

Eat

Apart from the kebab shops and pizza stands, dining in Denmark can be fairly expensive, but a worthwhile cost. Traditional Danish fare includes items as pickled herring, fried sanddab, and other assorted seafood items. Hearty meats are also prevalent, as seen in items such as frikadeller (pork only or pork and veal meat balls topped by a brown sauce) and "stegt flæsk og persillesovs" (thick pork bacon slices topped by a parsley cream sauce). Many meals are also accompanied by a beer, and shots of aquavit or schnaps, though these are mainly enjoyed when guests are over. Drinking along with meals is encouraged as the foods are enhanced by the drinks, and vice versa. For dessert, try either "ris à l'amande" (rice pudding with almonds with cherries) or æbleskiver. For candy try a bag of "Superpiratos" (hot licorice candy).

Smørrebrød

The traditional Danish lunch is smørrebrød, open sandwiches usually on rye bread - fish are served on white bread, and many restaurants give you a choice of bread. Smørrebrød served on special occasions, in lunch restaurants, or bought in lunch takeaway stores, are piled higher than the daily fare.

Some of the most popular and traditional choices are:

  • Pickled herring, plain, curry, or with red spices.
  • Liver Paté Sandwich, probably the most popular
  • Stjerneskud, salad, plaice, shrimp, etc.
  • Røget ål og røræg, smoked eel and scrambled eggs
  • Pariserbøf, beef patty cooked rare with capers, horseradish, raw onions, and a raw egg yolk on top.
  • Dyrlægens Natmad, liver pate, slices of salty meat, onion rings, jellied meat sauce.
  • Beef tartar
  • Flæskesteg, Slices of pork roast with pickled red cabbage.
  • Roastbeef, with remoulade, fried onion, horseradish.
  • Kartoffel, sliced potatoes, tomatoes, and mayonnaise.
  • Hakkebøf, beef patty with soft fried onions, a fried egg, pickles.
  • Shrimps, you get a generous portion of just shrimp with a little mayonnaise.
  • Ost, Cheese. Try a very old cheese served with raw onions, eggyolks, and rum.

Drink

Danish beer is a treat for a beer enthusiast. The largest brewery, Carlsberg (which also owns the Tuborg brand), offers a few choices, as well as a delicious "Christmas beer" in the 6 weeks leading up to the holidays. Other tasty beverages include the aforementioned aquavit, gløgg, a hot wine drink popular in December. Danish beer is mostly limited to pilseners which are good, but not very diverse. However in the last few years Danes have become interested in a wider range of beers. During the Christmas season, Glögg, a hot spiced red wine with raisins and almonds is popular fare for warming up from the cold with a group of friends.

The Danish Beer Enthusiasts maintain a list of bars and restaurants with a good selection of beers as well as a list of stores with a good selection

Sleep

Budget

  • Danhostel [7] Hostels
  • CAB INN [8] Chain of budget hotels
  • Zleep hotels [9] Unmanned budget hotels

Medium

  • Best Western [10] 15 hotels in Denmark including hotels in smaller towns.
  • Scandic-Hilton [11] All rooms have free wireless internet. Great discounts when booking early.
  • Radisson-SAS [12] Most hotels have wireless internet. Found in all major Danish cities.

Do

  • Billetnet[13] books larger concerts, theater plays, sporting events etc. You can book online or in any post office. If you book online you can have the tickets mailed to you or you can print out a confirmation and exchange it for a ticket at a BilletNet office or at the scene.

Stay safe

  • Generally: Denmark is very safe. No risk of natural disaster or animal attack. Crime and traffic are only minor risks.
  • In the traffic: Danes generally drive by the rules (except for the bicycles) but may not be very helpful to other drivers in ceding right of way, etc. Watch out for the bicycles in the cities, especially when turning across bicycle lanes; they have right of way. On highways, make sure that you only pass on the left, and be aware that Danes like to drive fast. Also, as a special note to American drivers, it is illegal in Denmark (as in rest of Europe) to turn right on a red light.
  • On foot in cities: As mentioned above, Danes drive by the rules, and they have every expectation that pedestrians do the same. Therefore, it is important to obey Walk/Don't Walk signals and avoid jaywalking in cities, simply because cars will not slow down since you're not supposed to be there.
  • On the beach: Don't bathe alone. Don't get too far away from land. Don't jump head first in shallow water. Swim along the coast rather than away from it. In some areas undertow is a danger, but will mostly be signed at the beach. On many beaches, flags inform of water quality. A blue flag means excellent water quality, green flag means good water quality, red flag means that bathing is not advised. A sign with the text "Badning forbudt" means that bathing is forbidden. Obey these signs, as it often means, that the water is polluted with poisonous algae, bacteria, or chemicals, or that there is a dangerous undertow.
  • In the city: A few districts in major cities should be avoided at night by the unwary, or by lone women.

In an emergency dial 112 (police/medical help/fire brigade). This is toll free, and will work even from cell phones with no SIM card.

Stay healthy

Tap water is potable unless indicated. Restaurants and other places selling food are visited regularly by health inspectors and are awarded points on a 1-4 "smiley scale". The ratings must be prominently displayed, so look out for the happy face when in doubt. While pollution in the major cities can be annoying it doesn't pose any risk to non-residents. Nearly all beaches are fine for bathing - even parts of the Copenhagen harbor recently opened for bathing (read the Stay safe section).

Smoking

Smoking is not allowed in government buildings with public access (hospitals, universities, etc). It is allowed in restaurants and bars, but they have to use an official sign to tell if the place is smoking, non-smoking, or non-smoking in a separate area. There have been made propositions in the parliament for a complete smoking ban in all public areas; including restaurants and bars. The majority of politicians and Danes are for a ban. the Danish Lung Association maintains a list of smoke free restaurants, bars etc.

Sign for non-smoking in separate area

Respect

  • When it comes to conversing with Danes, most do not expect foreigners to speak Danish and if the Dane can not figure out where you come from in Denmark by your accent, they will automatically speak English. 'Taler de engelsk?' is polite to ask, before addressing someone especially when further out in the smaller towns or when speaking to older Danes.
  • No respectful titles are necessary when addressing someone. The titles 'Hr' and 'Fru' have mostly disappeared from use in Denmark, and people are generally addressed by their first name regardless of the situation.
  • Despite their disregard for formality, Danes are very polite and well mannered while in public. Be sure to practice good table manners while at restaurants, and make sure to learn the dozens of ways to say 'thank you' in Danish.
  • Drinking alcoholic beverages in public is considered socially acceptable in Denmark, and having a beer out in a public square is a common warm weather activity there. But be sure to do so in moderation, especially during the daytime.

Contact

Embassies and Consulates

This is a list of embassies and consular posts in Denmark, as of February 2005. The list is far from all-extensive, it includes only the big countries. The embassy addresses themselves are limited to only the main cities, and other places of interest for the particular nation. Full list can be viewed Embassies and Consulates(Updated).

Australia

Copenhagen
Consular Section of Embassy
Dampfærgevej 26
2100 Copenhagen Ø
Tel 70 26 36 76

France

Copenhagen
Consular Section of Embassy
Ny Østergade 3, 2nd fl.
1101 Copenhagen K
Tel 33 67 01 64

Århus
Consul Thorkild Rydahl, 1996
Frederiksgade 34
8000 Århus C
Tel 86 18 35 00

Germany

Copenhagen
Consular Section of Embassy
Stockholmsgade 57, Box 2712
2100 Copenhagen Ø
Tel 35 45 99 00, 35 45 99 11

Middelfart
Consul Torben Østergaard-Nielsen, 1988
c/o A/S Dan-Bunkering Ltd. Strandvejen 5
Postbox 71
5500 Middelfart
Tel 64 41 54 01

Odense
Consul Knud Thybo, 1984
c/o Fehr & Co. A/S
Svendborgvej 90
5260 Odense S
Tel 66 14 14 14

Århus
Consul Finn Prang-Andersen, 1998
Havnegade 4
8000 Århus C
Tel 86 18 25 88

Italy

Copenhagen
Consular Chancery of Embassy
Engskiftevej 4
2100 Copenhagen Ø
Tel 39 18 34 44

Århus
Consul Henning Holmen Møller, 1996
c/o Rådgivningsfirmaet Holmen Møller ApS
Lille Torv 6
8000 Århus C
Tel 86 12 14 00

Japan

Copenhagen
Consular Section of Embassy
Pilestræde 61
1112 Copenhagen K
Tel 33 11 33 44

Århus
Consul-General Jørgen E. Handberg, 1991
Dalgas Avenue 57
8000 Århus C
Tel 86 18 03 22

The Netherlands

Copenhagen
Consular Section of Embassy
Toldbodgade 33
1253 Copenhagen K
Tel 33 70 72 00

Esbjerg
Consul Ernst Moth Nielsen, 1987
Kvaglundvej 82
6705 Esbjerg Ø
Tel 76 14 55 30

Odense
Consul Robert Rasmussen, 1998
Christiansgade 70
5000 Odense C
Tel 66 11 27 77

Norway

Copenhagen
Consular Section of Embassy
Vice-Consul Eli Strøm, 1996
Consul Erling H.C. Korch, 1984
Amaliegade 39
1256 Copenhagen K
Tel 33 14 01 24

Odense
Consul Steen Haustrup, 1989
Energivej 40
Postboks 151
5260 Odense S
Tel 65 95 70 02

Århus
Consul Heine Bach, 2004
St. Torv 1
8000 Århus C
Tel 89 33 36 19

Spain

Copenhagen
Consular Section of Embassy
Kristianiagade 21
2100 Copenhagen Ø
Tel 35 42 22 66

Århus
Vice-Consul Jens Otto Kjær Hansen, 1994
c/o CFJE
Olof Palmes Allé 11
8200 Århus N
Tel 86 19 02 22

Sweden

Copenhagen
Consular Section of Embassy
Sankt Annæ Plads 15 A
1250 Copenhagen K
Tel 33 36 03 75

Odense
Consul Hans Erik Hempel-Hansen, 1983
Vestergade 97-101
Postbox 927
5100 Odense C
Tel 63 12 82 00

Skagen
Consul Aksel Groth, 1999
Sct. Laurentiivej 26
9990 Skagen
Tel 70 15 10 00

Århus
Consul Søren Lund, 1990
Sct. Clemens Stræde 7, 1
Postbox 623
8100 Århus C
Tel 86 12 50 00

United Kingdom

Copenhagen
Consular Section of Embassy
*Consul David Stanley Thomas Morton, 2002
Vice-Consul Jeanette Christoffersen, 1990
Vice-Consul Susan Jane Oxfeldt Jensen, 1996
Kastelsvej 38
2100 Copenhagen Ø
Tel 35 44 52 00

Odense
Consul Frits Niegel, 1980
Albanitorv 4
5000 Odense
Tel 66 14 47 14

Århus
Consul Claus Herluf, 1988
Skolegade 19 B
8100 Århus C
Tel 87 30 77 77

United States of America

Copenhagen
Consular Section of Embassy
Dag Hammarskjölds Allé 24
2100 Copenhagen Ø
Tel 35 55 31 44
Url www.usembassy.dk

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