Things to do regionally

Visiting the castles of North Zealand

If you feel like taking a trip around the beautiful countryside of North Zealand, three of Denmark’s most magnificent castles are to be found within a range of 30-35 kilometres. In Hillerød, you can pay a visit to Frederiksborg Castle with the exquisite baroque garden. In Fredensborg, the Fredensborg Castle orangery is a popular tourist attraction. And finally, you should visit Kronborg Castle in Elsinore where Shakespeare’s drama about Hamlet is to have taken place, and where the statue of the slumbering ‘Holger Danske’ can be seen.

Along the coast line of the Kattegat towards Elsinore

If you are going to Gilleleje, maybe to explore the atmosphere of a fishing harbour, you should make a stop at Heatherhill on the way. Heatherhill is a beautiful area covered with heather – hence the name – the perfect place for a late morning walk. That way you will be in Gilleleje just in time for lunch at the harbour while taking in the air of salt water and the smell of tar. After lunch you could go on to Hornbæk - one of the more fashionable towns to go to in the summer. This is where the ‘nouveau riche’ of Copenhagen spend their summer, it is also home of Tegners Museum and Sculpture Park.

Along the coast line of Øresund towards Copenhagen

‘Strandvejen’ from Elsinore to Copenhagen will not only take you past grand houses owned by the famous (and the less famous) people of Denmark, it will also lead you to a vast array of museums. The most famous ones are probably the art museum Louisiana and the museum and former home of Karen Blixen named Rungstedlund, but also the Danish Museum of Hunting and Forestry is worth visiting.

Near Copenhagen you will find Denmark’s Aquarium and the Experimentarium, especially the latter is a very good idea for families with children. Every year, the Experimentarium organize one or two special exhibitions as a supplement to the main exhibition and so far these have been targeting mainly the children.

If you still haven’t had enough, Standvejen will also take you in the direction of ‘Bakken’ – one of Copenhagen’s famous amusement parks.

www.aok.dk will keep you up to date with what is happening in Copenhagen at the moment. You can order tickets for a performance at one of Copenhagen’s many theatres on beforehand at www.billetnet.dk or take you chances. Some of Copenhagen’s attractions need no introduction; they are, however, still very popular. To mention a few: there is the Tivoli Gardens, Amalienborg Palace – home to the royal Danish family - where you can watch the royal guard change every day at noon and The Little Mermaid at Langelinie. Or for a different kind of sight seeing, you could pay a visit to one of the small cafes at Nyhavn or go shopping at Strøget. Some of the new attractions of Copenhagen are ‘Den Sorte Diamant’ an architecturally grand building at the new waterfront housing The Royal Library and ‘Dansk Designcenter’ (Danish Design Centre) opposite Tivoli Gardens.

Apart from the attractions mentioned above, Copenhagen has a vast array of art museums and a number of other museums of various kinds. The city has many castles and palaces and a variety of parks where you can settle in the grass and listen to the pulsating heart of the city. Order a picnic basket from Sankt Helene/Restaurant Sofie before you go, and you can have a lovely picnic in one of the city’s beautiful parks.

The town of Roskilde

If you are interested in the history of Denmark, a visit to the town of Roskilde is a must! Here you will find Roskilde Cathedral which is the sepulchral chapel of Danish kings and queens; the Viking ship museum which contains the five viking ships that were recovered from the bottom of Roskilde Fjord in 1962 and, furthermore, the new water front will be worth a visit. After that, you might want to know more about the vikings, which is why you should also visit Frederikssund to see ‘Frederikssund Vikingespil’ - a spectacular theatre performance that tells a story from the world of the vikings on an open-air stage by Roskilde Fjord.

•  www.aok.dk
•  www.visitdenmark.com