Denmark

Where to Go

• Copenhagen: canals, design, Tivoli Gardens and a restaurant scene that is reason enough to visit.
• Møn: the chalk cliffs of Møns Klint, up to 128 m high. Møn became Denmark's first UNESCO biosphere reserve in 2017, and Møn and Nyord were named a Dark Sky Park the same year.
• Skagen: the northern tip of Jutland, with dunes, beaches, the light that drew the Skagen painters, and Grenen, where the Skagerrak meets the Kattegat.
• The Wadden Sea: a national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site in southwest Jutland, close to Ribe, Denmark's oldest town.

What to Do

In Copenhagen, eat, cycle and walk the harbor, and swim at the harbor baths in summer. On Møn, walk the beach below the cliffs and the beech woods above them, and stay up for the stars. In Skagen, walk out to Grenen and see the Skagen painters' work at the Skagens Museum. On the Wadden Sea, join a guided walk on the tidal flats, look for seals, and at dusk in late September and early October watch the starling murmurations the Danes call the Black Sun, which can involve up to a million birds.

Best Time to Go

May to September is best, with long light evenings in June and July. Late September and early October are good for the Black Sun and quieter towns. Winter is dark and cold, but Copenhagen is cozy in December. Our guide to Europe in the shoulder season covers timing across Europe.

Getting Around and How Long to Stay

Fly into Copenhagen. Trains cover the main routes, but a car or driver is easier for Møn, Skagen and the Wadden Sea. Møn is an easy drive south of Copenhagen, and for Skagen you can fly to Aalborg and drive north. We suggest seven to eight nights: three or four in Copenhagen and the rest split between one or two coastal regions.

Where to Stay

We do not yet have Danish hotels on our list, and we can advise. In Copenhagen, Hotel d'Angleterre on Kongens Nytorv is the classic grand hotel, and Nimb Hotel is a small hotel inside Tivoli Gardens. In Skagen, Ruths Hotel is a beach hotel dating from 1910, set among the dunes in Gammel Skagen.

Pairing

Denmark pairs well with Sweden across the Øresund Bridge, with Norway's fjords, or with a few days in London or Paris.