INFO on Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark. It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark borders both the Baltic and the North Sea.
Denmark consists of the peninsula of Jutland (Jylland) and some 400 named islands. Of these, 82 are inhabited, the largest being Funen (Fyn) and Zealand (Sjælland).
Denmark has a large fishing industry, and possesses a merchant fleet of considerable size. The manufacturing sector’s main areas of activity include food products, chemicals, machinery, metal products, electronic and transport equipment, beer and paper and wood products. Tourism is also an important economic activity.
Beyond the capital and the bigger cities, Denmark offers a mix of lively towns such as Ribe and Odense plus rural countryside, medieval churches, Renaissance castles and tidy 18th-century villages. Neolithic dolmen, preserved 2000-year-old ‘bog people’, and impressive Viking ruins are just some of the remnants of the nation’s long and fascinating history.
Denmark’s hydrocarbon-rich economy is booming; it has the highest per capita GDP in the European Union (EU); literacy is 100%; unemployment is low; and its social-welfare programmes are the envy of continents. Education is free, and about half of all Danish students who graduate from secondary school continue on to higher education.
The 50 most visited Danish attractions
1 Tivoli
2 Dyrehavsbakken (Bakken)
3 LEGOLAND Billund
4 Copenhagen Zoo
5 Faarup Sommerland
6 Djurs Sommerland
7 Louisiana
8 BonBon-Land
9 Odense Zoo
10 Aalborg Zoo
11 Nationalmuseet, Prinsens Palais
12 Statens Museum for Kunst
13 The Round Tower
14 Den Gamle By
15 Tivoli Friheden
16 Brede Værk/Frilandsmuseet, Lyngby
17 Givskud Zoo
18 Experimentarium
19 Madsby Play Park
20 Randers Regnskov
21 Tivoli Karolinelund
22 Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek
23 Jesperhus Blomsterpark
24 Knuthenborg Park and Safari
25 IMAX Tycho Brahe Planetarium
26 Rosenborg Castle
27 Egeskov Slot
28 Nordsøen Oceanarium
29 Kronborg Slot
30 ARoS Aarhus Art Museum
31 Kattegatcentret - Denmark's Shark Centre
32 Jyllands Park Zoo
33 Frederiksborg Castle
34 Post and Tele Museum
35 ARKEN Museum of Modern Art
36 Danmarks Akvarium
37 Moesgård Museum
38 Fisheries and Maritime Museum
39 Ree Park - Ebeltoft Safari
40 Sommerland Sjælland
41 Danfoss Universe
42 Fregatten Jylland
43 Zoological Museum
44 The Carlsberg Visitors Centre
45 The Viking Ship Museum
46 Skagens Museum
47 AQUA Ferskvands Akvarium
48 Workers Museum
49 The Danish Film Institut
50 The Museum at Koldinghus
The cuisine of Denmark
The cuisine of Denmark, like that in the other Nordic countries as well as that of Northern Germany, consists mainly of meat and fish. This stems from the country's agricultural past, as well as its geography and climate of long, cold winters.
Danish food includes a variety of open rugbrød (Rye-bread) sandwiches or smørrebrød traditionally served for the mid-day meal or frokost (lunch). An ordinary frokost consists just of 2 to 6 pieces of simple smørrebrød prepared during breakfast and packed in a lunch box. A luxury frokost usually starts with fish such as pickled herring, smoked eel or hot fried plaice. Then come meat sandwiches such as cold roast beef with remoulade and fried onions, roast pork and crackling with red cabbage, hot veal medallions, Danish meat balls (frikadeller) or liver paté with bacon and mushrooms.
When to go
Late June, July and August are high season, with open-air concerts including the big ones such as Roskilde, street activity and basking on the beach. Other bonuses: longer hours at museums and other attractions, and potential savings on accommodation (some hotels drop their rates). Downsides: lots of other travellers celebrating midsummer with gusto. Mitigating factor: in late August, Danish kids are back in school – summer weather but fewer crowds.
May and early June can also be delightful for a visit. The land is a rich green, accented with fields of yellow rapeseed flowers; the weather is generally warm and comfortable; and you’ll beat the rush of tourists. Although autumn can also be pleasant, it’s not nearly as scenic, as the rural landscape has by then largely turned brown. Winter, with its cold weather and long nights, is pretty inhospitable to tourism. Many destinations close up in October and don’t open again until late April.
Copenhagen
Why go: Ever been to Denmark? It's located between Germany and Sweden and holds the city of Copenhagen, known for its canals, castles (Rosenborg), parks and gardens (Tivoli), museums (Thorvaldsens), antiques shops and a great flea market. This makes for a great vacation for urban adventurers who relish in "taking the road less traveled" and exploring perhaps less popular but just as interesting European cities.
INFO on Denmark
