Things to do in Denmark

Denmark is a peninsula plus about four hundred islands, joined by some of the longest bridges in Europe. Copenhagen sits on Zealand. Jutland carries most of the mainland cities, and Funen sits between the two, with Odense as its capital.

Just under six million people live here.

How the country divides

• Zealand. Copenhagen's island, linked to Sweden by the Øresund Bridge, opened in 2000, and to Funen by the Great Belt.
• Jutland. The peninsula attached to Germany, holding Aarhus, Aalborg and the country's oldest town, Ribe, founded around the 8th century. Legoland, in Billund, and the wide Wadden Sea coast sit further west and south.
• Funen. The island in between, with Odense, the birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen, as its main city.

What the country is for

Denmark is flat, low and made for cycling, its highest point barely topping 170 metres. Cities read easily on foot. Walking tours, food and history make up most of what gets booked here, city by city rather than as one long route.

Danish food culture leans New Nordic, a movement Copenhagen helped start in the 2000s. Smørrebrød is its everyday version.

Practical

• Weather. Summer highs reach about 20C, winter lows hover around 0C, with grey skies and wind more of a factor than real cold. Daylight runs from about 17 hours in June to seven in December.
• Getting around. Trains link Copenhagen, Odense, Aarhus and Aalborg in two to five hours; the bridges make the whole country drivable end to end in a single day if needed.
• Cross-border trips. Malmö in Sweden is under an hour from Copenhagen over the Øresund Bridge; Hamburg and Gothenburg are a few hours further by road.
• Money. Cards, including contactless, are the default almost everywhere; carrying cash is rarely necessary, even for small purchases.
• Booking ahead. Long private transfers between cities are worth locking in early, especially around summer weekends.
• Rhythm. Lunch tends to be light and early, dinner usually around six or seven, and most museums close on Mondays.