Denmark travel guide

Denmark's second largest city is just too darn likable. It's beautifully located on the coast surrounded by green forest. While the harbour just recently has been developed into an attractive area with award-winning architecture, the canal that cuts Aarhus in two has always been a favorite with its lively cafe and bar scene. The picturesque cobbled stone Latin Quarter (not mistaken with the open museum) is not just charming, but still a vibrant neighbourhood with indie design shops. The iconic rainbow tube on top of ARoS art museum stands out from the city skyline and has propelled Aarhus onto the radar of international travellers. One of the adorable things about Aarhus is its modest size. Nothing is too far away - even the beaches (or Harbor Bath) are just a bicycle ride away.

It used to be just a long natural beach near the airport, but has recently been transformed into an outdoor mecca. A white sandy beach with low dunes still runs the full length, but a protected lagoon has been added, perfect for kitesurfing and SUP. Along the beach winds a concrete path for running, bicycling and rollerblading passing areas assigned for beachvolley and picnics. The southern end the beach park ends at the marina, while the northern end is marked by the winter swimming and nude zone at Hegoland bath facilities. Amager Beach Park is easy reachable by bicycle or metro.

Although Bogense is tiny, it has been a flourishing market town since the 13th-century. To this day you can still find pretty cobblestone lanes and the main street is lined with irregular half-timbered historical houses. The oldest house in Bogense was founded in 1420, and the pub, Erik Menveds Kro, was founded in 1543, making it the oldest pub in Funen. The town’s modern marina is thriving and the path along the shore in front of the white church offers splendid views over the sea. An oddity of Bogense is the long narrow gardens, which some of the small traditional houses have.

Christiania started as a free-spirited hippie community in an squatted military area in the 1970s right in the middle of Copenhagen. They were never kicked out and the small community slowly grew to a self-proclaimed autonomous neighbourhood with experimental theatres, shops, bars, workshops, imaginative homemade houses and a lot of drugs. In the beginning, all kinds of drugs were sold, which attracted a lot of trouble. But Christiania got its act together and cleaned up so only soft drugs, like hashish and marijuana are sold in the street that has become known as "Pusher Street" - a name that sticks today on official maps. Though drugs (including soft drugs) are illegal in Denmark, the street is still lined with dealers showing their merchandise just like any other flea market, but police raids are not uncommon. Christiania has become the third most popular tourist attraction in Copenhagen after Tivoli and the Little Mermaid.

Copenhagen became the capital in the 15th century, and today has about 1,2 millions inhabitants, more than 20 per cent of the entire population of Denmark. Visitors tend to spend most of their time in the pretty historical city center, which is packed with fine historical buildings ranging from colourful half-timbered houses to fairy-tale like royal castles. But these days Copenhagen is largely evolving in the outer districts, which in Danish are called brokvarter. The old red light district behind the main train station, Vesterbro, has transformed into a hipster paradise with cool restaurants and bars. The once rough immigrant district of Nørrebro is now popular with indy designers and coffee shops - besides the many kebab places. Even the island with the airport, Amager, is experiencing a renaissance with new developing, some of it world class architecture like 8tallet. So to fully experience Copenhagen make sure to explore all the different districts: Christianshavn (water canals), Ørestad (new architecture), Bryggen (urban waterfront), Frederiksberg (elegant houses), Vesterbro (hipster central), Nørrebro (multicultural mix), Østerbro (posh living) and, of course, Christiania - the freetown.

The Danish star architect Bjarke Ingels has turned Amagers waste-to-energy power plant into a year-around artificial ski slope with running trails along the edge. In addition, the World's highest climbing wall snakes its way on the side to the top at 85 m. Those who don't want to ski or snowboard (or climb) can access the rooftop by either hiking up along the running trails or just using the free glass elevator. There is an afterski bar at the top with magnificent 360 degrees views over Copenhagen and parts of Sweden.

At the most southern tip of Langeland island lies a wonderful nature reserve great for walks. Here the forest runs right up to the sea, only separated by a narrow beach of pebbles. Part of the coastline rises up to a cliff, which breaks off in a sheer drop. The vertical cliff face is a nesting ground for swallows and the meadow is popular with migratory birds. Wild horses were introduced in 2006 to rewild the area.

There are very few places in Europe where you legally can drive on the beach, but the westcoast of Jutland has some. One stretch of auto beach starts at Rødhus Klit and continues 15 km to Grønhøj Beach right next to the popular holiday town of Løkken. Along the way you need to cross a few shallow creeks, but you don't need a four wheel drive. Just stick to the hard sand close to the water line, if you only have a two wheel drive. The most adventurous can sleep in the car on the beach at Blokhus (also legal). Of course, you need to check the conditions before you drive off.

The beautiful restored mill on top of Dybbøl Hill is mostly known as the epicenter for one of the most devastated battles in the history of Denmark, the Battle of Dybbøl. The Danish fort, which was located next to the mill, was attacked in the early morning of 18th of April 1864 by the Prussians. The fort was first bombarded by the modern artillery of the Prussians, before the Prussian infantry charged. The Danes were ill-prepared and heavily outnumbered, so the thoroughly bombed fort was invaded within 30 min of the first attack wave.
The outcome of the severe defeat eventually forced Denmark to hand over the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein, which to this day still are on German’s hands.
Today, there are still some remains of the fort left, along with a memorial. Dybbøl Mill rises above the town of Sønderborg, which is a gem by itself. The town is rich in history and nested beautifully along the shore of Alssund, which separates the island of Als with mainland Jutland.

Dyrehaven is a natural forest park a bit north of Copenhagen and a lovely daytrip if you fancy a walk in the woods. It was originally laid out by the Danish king Frederik III in the 17th century as a hunting ground and was later extended by other hunt-loving kings, and is now enlisted on the UNESCO's World Heritage list. Dyrehaven means 'deer garden' in Danish and, as the name indicates, it has an abundance of deers (about 2000 in total). The park is kept as a natural forest with some of the biggest trees (oaks) in the country and with an extensive network of trails favoured by runners, mountain bikers, strolling families and dating couples. If you want to enjoy nature in style (and money is no issue), horse carriages are lined up at the main red gates, ready to take you for a ride. The oldest amusement park in the world, Dyrehavsbakken, lies as an extension of the park in the south end. Here, you can enjoy a ride in a wooden roller coaster constructed in 1932, which isn't as dull as it might sound.