Tourism in Denmark

Overview

Denmark does not have a large amount of international tourists; most of the tourism it sees is from neighboring countries like Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands and Germany. One of the main tourist attractions in Denmark are the sandy beaches that line the coast. German tourists mostly visit these beach resorts. Many of the Scandinavian tourists from Sweden and Norway go to Copenhagen due to its accessibility, young atmosphere, and cheap beer and wine. Since Denmark is Europe’s oldest kingdom and is the home of Hans Christian Andersen, the country is sometimes called the “fairytale country.”

Copenhagen and Beyond

Copenhagen, which is the capital of Denmark, is the biggest vacation spot in the country. Not only is it home to over 130 hotels and resorts, but its port harbors 250 cruise ships. The amusement park, Tivoli Gardens is located in Copenhagen and is one of its most popular attractions. A statue of The Little Mermaid is located in Copenhagen’s harbor; the statue surprises tourists due to its rather small stature at only 4.1 feet tall.

North of Copenhagen is an old highway that leads to Helsingor and goes by the historic and beautiful Dyrehave Park and Bakken amusement fair. In Helsingor, the Kronborg Castle sits on the northeastern end of Zealand. The castle is the famous home of Shakespeare’s Hamlet and is Denmark’s most famous example of renaissance castle architecture.

Transportation

Denmark is home to the largest airport in Scandinavia, located in Copenhagen, which is only a sixteen minute train ride from the center of the city. There are many other smaller airports throughout the country, but the two other main ones are located in Billund, Aarhus and Aalborg. The rail system in Denmark is well maintained and easy to use. There are trains from Denmark to both Germany and Sweden.

Bikes are a very popular form of transportation in Denmark. Most roads have bike lanes that run parallel with the car traffic and there are many bike routes separate from the motorways. Some people even take weekend vacations by bike, riding off into the countryside to a small bed and breakfast to spend the weekend with friends or a significant other.