Tourism in Denmark facts for kids
Denmark is a popular place for tourists to visit! Many people come to explore its beautiful sights and learn about its history. In 2018, about 30 million people from other countries visited Denmark. Most of these visitors came from nearby countries like Germany, Norway, and Sweden.
Denmark is famous for its long, sandy beaches, which are perfect for summer vacations. Many German tourists especially love visiting these beaches. People from Sweden and Norway often come to see Copenhagen, Denmark's exciting capital city.
Denmark is known as Europe's oldest kingdom and is the home of the famous storyteller Hans Christian Andersen. Because of this, Denmark is often called a "fairytale country." This name is so well-known that you might even hear it in international news!
Contents
Exploring Copenhagen and Zealand
Discovering the Capital City
Copenhagen is the capital of Denmark and a very popular spot for tourists. In 2018, people stayed overnight in Copenhagen hotels about 9 million times! The city's port also welcomed many cruise ships, with almost a million guests in 2019.
Some of the most famous places to visit in Copenhagen include Tivoli Gardens, an old and magical amusement park. You can also explore Freetown Christiania, a unique neighborhood, and see The Little Mermaid statue, which is a beloved symbol of the city. A survey once showed that the Little Mermaid statue was the most popular tourist attraction in Copenhagen!
Fun Around Copenhagen
Just outside Copenhagen, there are more amazing places to see. Kronborg Castle in Helsingør is famous because it's linked to William Shakespeare's play Hamlet. It's a grand castle with lots of history.
If you love art, the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art is about 30 kilometers north of Copenhagen. It's the most visited museum in all of Denmark! Also, near Roskilde, about 30 kilometers west of Copenhagen, is the Roskilde Festival. This huge music festival attracts over 100,000 people every year!
Southern Zealand and Nearby Islands
The southern part of Zealand and the islands nearby are very popular, especially with visitors from Germany. Møn island is a must-see, with its amazing chalk cliffs, the beautiful Liselund Park, and lovely sandy beaches. Falster island also has great sandy beaches, like those at Marielyst.
This area also has fun attractions for families. You can visit Knuthenborg Safari Park and Middelaldercentret (a medieval center) on Lolland island. There's also BonBon-Land, a fun amusement park near Næstved, and the GeoCenter at Møns Klint, where you can learn about the cliffs.
Bornholm Island Adventures
,_by_Klugschnacker_in_Wikipedia_(6).JPG)
The island of Bornholm is in the Baltic Sea, south of Sweden. It's a great place to visit with its rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, and charming fishing villages. Some of these towns include Gudhjem, Sandvig, Svaneke, and Rønne.
Bornholm is also home to the ruins of Hammershus, which is the largest castle ruin in Europe and the island's most famous landmark. You can get to Bornholm by ferry from Køge (near Copenhagen), Ystad (in Sweden), Rügen (in Germany), and from Kołobrzeg and Świnoujście (in Poland). There's also an airport at Rønne for easy travel.
Exploring Funen Island
Funen island is connected to Zealand by the Great Belt Bridge. This island has a special connection to Hans Christian Andersen, as he was born in Odense, Funen's main city.
The charming coastal towns of Fåborg and Svendborg are popular with tourists. They are great places to explore on their own, and also good starting points for visiting nearby castles like Egeskov and Hvedholm. You can also visit the beautiful, untouched islands of Thurø, Tåsinge, and Ærø, which have narrow streets and traditional thatched cottages.
Discovering Jutland
Major Cities in Jutland
The cities of Aalborg in the north and Aarhus in the east attract many visitors, whether for business or fun.
In Aalborg, you can see the 14th-century Budolfi Church, the 17th-century Aalborghus Castle, and the lively Jomfru Ane Gade, an old street near the city center.
Aarhus is a big city that has grown a lot. It's home to some of Denmark's top attractions. These include the museum village of Den Gamle By (the Old Town), the ARoS Art Museum, Moesgård Museum, and Tivoli Friheden amusement park. Together, these places welcome over 1.4 million visitors each year! Aarhus also hosts music festivals and has great shopping. Its port is one of the largest in Northern Europe, welcoming many international cruise ships.
Jutland's Regional Highlights
Jutland has many exciting regional attractions. You can visit Legoland near Billund Airport, a famous theme park built with LEGO bricks! The charming village of Ebeltoft in the east has cobbled streets and old half-timbered houses.
In the far north, Skagen is known for its beautiful seascapes and a community of artists. The northwest coast has popular beach resorts like Løkken and Lønstrup. Mors island is famous for its nature, with the Jesperhus Flower Park and the stunning Hanklit cliff overlooking the sea.
Jelling, near Vejle in southeastern Jutland, is a World Heritage Site. It's famous for two large burial mounds from the late 10th century and the runic stones put up by King Harold.
Near Esbjerg on the west coast, you can see a huge sculpture by Svend Wiig Hansen called Mennesket ved havet (Men at the Sea). It features four tall, white figures looking out at the ocean. Standing 79 meters high, you can see it from several kilometers away!
Delicious Danish Food
In recent years, a "new Danish cuisine" has become very popular around the world. It's part of a bigger movement called "new Nordic cuisine." This food is known for being high-quality and creative, with many famous restaurants. Most of these top restaurants, like Noma and Geranium, are in Copenhagen.
Besides this new style, Denmark also has many other excellent restaurants that serve international food. Many restaurants in Copenhagen have even won Michelin stars, which are a very high honor in the food world. In 2015, restaurants in Aarhus were the first outside Copenhagen to get these stars!
For everyday meals, traditional Danish food is often enjoyed. Lunch often includes smørrebrød, which are open-faced sandwiches on thin slices of rye bread. These sandwiches can be topped with many delicious things like onion rings, radish, cucumber, tomato, and parsley. You might also find fish like marinated herring or shrimp, or meats like roast pork and frikadeller (meatballs). For dinner, hot meals are common, such as fried fish, roast pork with red cabbage, or chicken.
Getting Around Denmark
By Air
Copenhagen Airport is the biggest airport in all of Scandinavia! It's located in Kastrup, just 8 kilometers from central Copenhagen. You can easily get to and from the airport by train, connecting to Copenhagen Central Station and even to cities in Sweden like Malmö.
For the western part of Denmark, Billund is the main airport. There are also smaller airports in Aarhus, Aalborg, and Karup that have regular flights to Copenhagen.
By Train
Denmark has a great railway system that connects cities across the country. You can also take frequent trains to Malmö and other parts of Sweden. Trains also connect to Germany, either by using ferries from Puttgarden to Rødby or by crossing the land border near Flensburg and Padborg in southern Jutland.
By Road
Denmark has well-developed motorways (highways) all over the country. The only times you'll pay a toll are on the big bridges, like the one over the Great Belt and the one connecting to Malmö.
By Bicycle
Outside of towns and cities, you'll often find special bicycle tracks that run next to the roads, but are separate from them. In the summer, Copenhagen and Aarhus have free "city bikes" available in different downtown spots. The idea is simple: you can pick up a bike from one spot, ride it to another, and leave it there for someone else to use!
Denmark also has many national and regional bicycle routes. These routes are clearly marked and include rest areas with benches and other things you might need.
By Sea
You can take overnight ferry services that connect Oslo, Norway, to Copenhagen every day. There are also many ferry services that connect the different Danish islands to each other.
See also
- List of museums in Denmark
- List of tourist attractions in Denmark
- Culture of Denmark
- Architecture of Denmark
- Art of Denmark
- Tourism in Finland
- Tourism in Norway
- Tourism in Sweden
