Lonely Planet Denmark , livre ebook

Denmark

Contents

Plan Your Trip

Welcome to Denmark
Denmark's Top 15
Need to Know
What's New
If You Like...
Month by Month
Itineraries
The Great Outdoors
Travel with Children
Regions at a Glance

On The Road

Copenhagen
Sights
Activities
Tours
Festivals & Events
Sleeping
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
Around Copenhagen
Lyngby
Rungsted & Humlebaek
Charlottenlund & Klampenborg
Kastrup
Ishoj
Zealand
Helsingor
Hillerod
Fredensborg
Hornbaek
Gilleleje
Tisvildeleje
Roskilde
Lejre
Koge
Naestved & Around
Stevns Klint
Vordingborg
Ringsted
Soro
Lake Tisso
Korsor
Mon, Falster & Lolland
Mon
Stege
Nyord
Central Mon
Mons Klint
Western Mon
Falster & Lolland
Nykobing F
Marielyst
Maribo & Bandholm
Rodby
Western Lolland
Bornholm
Ronne
Around Ronne
Interior Woodlands
Dueodde
Nexo
Svaneke
Gudhjem & Melsted
Around Gudhjem & Melsted
Sandvig & Allinge
Christianso
Funen
Odense
Northeast Funen
Nyborg
Kerteminde & Around
Hindsholm Peninsula
Southern Funen
Faaborg
Around Faaborg
Egeskov Slot
Faaborg to Svendborg
Svendborg
Around Svendborg
Langeland
AEro
Southern Jutland
Kolding
Christiansfeld
Sonderborg
Padborg
Tonder
Mogeltonder
Romo
Wadden Sea National Park
Ribe
Esbjerg
Fano
Central Jutland
Central West Coast
Hvide Sande
South-Central Jutland
Billund & Legoland
Jelling
Givskud
Herning
The Lake District
Silkeborg
Ry
Himmelbjerget
Aarhus
Djursland
Ebeltoft
Grenaa
Around Djursland
North-Central Jutland
Randers
Rebild Bakker & Rold Skov
Viborg
Northern Jutland
Aalborg
Frederikshavn
Laeso
Saeby
Skagen
Hirtshals
Lokken
Around Lokken
Klitmoller

Understand

Understand Denmark
Denmark Today
History
The Danish Lifestyle
Danish Design
Food & Drink
Literature, Film & Television

Survive

Directory AZ
Accommodation
Electricity
Embassies & Consulates
Gay & Lesbian Travellers
Health
Insurance
Internet Access
Legal Matters
Money
Opening Hours
Post
Public Holidays
Safe Travel
Telephone
Time
Toilets
Tourist Information
Travellers with Disabilities
Visas
Volunteering
Work
Transport
Getting There & Away
Getting Around
Language
Behind the Scenes
Our Writers
Welcome to Denmark

Chart-topping contentment and quality of life, blockbuster dining and design, and a cheerful emphasis on hygge (cosiness) – explore (and envy) what makes Denmark tick.


Happiness & Hygge
It’s heart-warming to know there’s still a country where the term ‘fairy tale’ can be used freely – from enduring literary legacies to textbook castles. In a nutshell, Denmark gets it right: old-fashioned charm embraces the most avowedly forward-looking design and social developments. The country wins a regular place on lists of both the most liveable and the happiest nations on earth. You won’t have to search hard to find much-prized hygge, a uniquely Danish trait that has a profound influence on the locals’ inestimable happiness. Hygge is Denmark's social nirvana: a sense of cosiness, camaraderie and contentment.

History & Impact
The world first took notice of Denmark more than a millennium ago, when Danish Vikings took to the seas and ravaged vast tracts of Europe. How things have changed. These days Denmark captures global imaginations as the epitome of a civilised society. It punches above its weight on progressive politics, urban planning, sustainability, work-life balance, design and architecture. Recent global crushes, freshly exported from Copenhagen, include city cycling culture, the New Nordic culinary movement, and brilliantly addictive TV drama series.

Quality of Life
While many countries are noticeable for the ever-increasing gap between the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’, Denmark seems to be populated by the ‘have enoughs’, and the obviously rich and obviously poor are few and far between. This egalitarian spirit allows the best of the arts, architecture, eating and entertainment to be within easy reach of everyone. Indeed, the best catchword for Denmark might be ‘inclusive’ – everyone is welcome and everyone is catered to, be they young, old, gay, straight, and whether they travel with kids, pets or bikes in tow. Cities are compact and user-friendly, infrastructure is modern, and travel is a breeze.

The Danish Aesthetic
Denmark might lack the stop-you-in-your-tracks natural grandeur of its neighbours. But its understated landscapes – pure, simple and infused with ethereal Nordic light – are reflected in Danish design philosophy in fashion, food, architecture, furniture and art. Simplicity of form and function come first but not at the expense of beauty. And so you’ll find moments of quintessential Danish loveliness on a long sandy beach, beside a lake, admiring a Renaissance castle, on quiet bike lanes or in a candlelit cafe that has perfected the art of hygge .


Why I love Denmark
By Carolyn Bain, Writer
My first experience of Denmark came as a teenager, living there for a year as an exchange student. My first youthful Danish loves were the pastries and the long summer nights. These days I return with the same passions, enriched with an adult appreciation for Denmark's egalitarianism, its belief that cities belong to people not cars, and its endless quest for hygge . It helps that everything is easy on the eye – the unfairly attractive locals, yes, but also the architecture, the landscapes and the interior design. I think that secretly, most cities want to grow up to be Copenhagen – and if they don't, they should.
For more about our writers, click here
Denmark's Top 15

Danish Dining
In recent times, the New Nordic movement has relaxed a little and become more accessible, while world-conquering Noma has travelled and reinvented itself. Michelin reviewers have cast their net wider to celebrate regional dining standouts, and modern Danish food continues to evolve. Emboldened by the attention and praise lavished on local produce and innovative chefs, food producers continue to embrace and modernise old-school culinary delights. Expect new spins on beloved rye breads and pastries, smørrebrød (open sandwiches), smoked fish, and even humble pork-and-potato dishes, and to eat damn well in unexpected corners of the country.

NOVEMBER OSCAR KILO/SHUTTERSHOCK ©


Top Experiences
Copenhagen
You may find it hard to suppress your envy for residents of Scandinavia’s coolest capital . While this 850-year-old harbour town retains much of its historic good looks (think copper spires, cobbled squares and pastel-coloured gabled abodes), the focus here is on the innovative. Denmark’s high-achieving capital is home to a thriving design scene, a futuristic metro system, and clean, green developments. Its streets are awash with effortlessly hip shops, cafes and bars; world-class museums and art collections; brave new architecture; and no fewer than 15 Michelin-starred restaurants.

VLADIMIR MUCIBABIC/SHUTTERSTOCK ©


Top Experiences
Danish Design
Denmark is a world leader in applied design, characterised by cool clean lines, graceful shapes and streamlined functionality – visit the capital's revitalised Designmuseum Danmark to learn more. Danish design concepts have been applied to everything from concert halls to coffee pots to Lego blocks. The result has not just been great artistic acclaim but also big business: iconic brands include Bang & Olufsen (sleek stereos), Bodum (kitchenware), Georg Jensen (silverware and jewellery) and Royal Copenhagen Porcelain. Then there are the furniture designers and fashion houses. Credit cards ready?

EVIKKA/SHUTTERSTOCK ©


Top Experiences
Viking History
The Vikings ensured that the Danes were known and feared throughout northern Europe from the 8th to 11th centuries, but battle and bloodlust is far from the whole story. The Vikings were not just plunderers but successful traders, extraordinary mariners and insatiable explorers. Getting a feel for the Viking era is easy, whether visiting the ship-burial ground of Ladby, the Viking forts of Zealand, the longship workshops at Roskilde or the many museums that seek to recreate the era with live re-enactments.

RPBAIAO/SHUTTERSTOCK ©


Top Experiences
Bornholm
Bornholm is a Baltic beauty lying some 200km east of the Danish mainland, located closer to Germany and Sweden than to the rest of Denmark. This magical island holds a special place in the hearts of most Danes, and is beloved for its plentiful sunshine, glorious sandy beaches, endless cycle paths, iconic rundekirke (round churches), artistic communities, fish smokehouses and idyllic harbourside villages. If that’s not enough to lure you, the island has developed a reputation for outstanding restaurants and local edibles.

MILOSZ MASLANKA/SHUTTERSTOCK ©


Top Experiences
Cycling
Is Denmark the world's best nation for cycling ? Probably, thanks to its extensive national network of cycle routes, terrain that is either flat or merely undulating, and a culture committed to two-wheeled transport. But you needn’t embark on lengthy tours of the country to enjoy cycling here. The cities are a breeze to pedal around, and many have public bike-sharing schemes. More than 50% of Copenhagen commuters travel by cycle – it’s easy to follow their lead, especially with new cycling bridges like Inderhavnsbroen and Cirkelbroen popping up around the city .

WILLIAM PERUGINI/SHUTTERSTOCK ©


Top Experiences
Ærø
Denmark has been likened to a china plate that's been dropped and smashed into pieces. Each fragment represents an island – and there are 406 of them. The midsized islands, each with their own distinctive character, are the most fun to explore, and south of Funen there's a whole archipelago of them, making it a prime sailing destination. Steeped-in-time, Ærø i