We are planning our first trip to Denmark in early August. We will arrive in Copenhagen by plane and have about 12-13 days to spend. We want to spend a few days in Copenhagen and then rent a car and travel arround Denmark. Maybe spend a couple of days in Aarhus too.
Do you have any suggestions for the rest of the days? We are interested for picturesque towns or villages where we can stay, castles or any other sightseeing you think we should not miss.
Thanks a lot!
|||
I have family in Horsens and am lucky that my uncle likes to drive so we%26#39;ve been around Jutland a few times and I can tell you there are many lovely landscapes here. Jutland is the mainland area of Denmark which is also where Aarhus is. I would recommend to go to the West Coast where there are beautiful beaches with white sand, some of the beach on this coast also have abandoned bunkers from the world war left behind. Try to look up Hvide Sande. There are holiday cottages here although I haven%26#39;t stayed there as we would always return to Horsens after the day trip.
It would be also be worth stopping off on the way to Jutland at Odense, this is where Hans Christian Andersen is from and they have a dedicated museum to him. The old houses are very pretty I remember.
Finally, another worthwhile thing to do is go to the www.visitdenmark.com website which you can request free brouchures about things to go to visit and also get a free map to plan your journey.
I am actually going to Horsens tomorrow to stay for a week so if I find anything new to do I will post again!
|||
The West Coast is very nice during summer
Re reanting a car; if you rent for a longer period, it might be worthwhile renting from Malmo, the Swedish rentals are cheaper.
|||
Thank you both for your posts.
We%26#39;ll try to explore the west cost. Any other recommendation for a beautiful place to stay for a couple of nights?
|||
Aero, a small island south of Fyn, is just a short ferry ride from Svendborg. This is a beautiful island and very charming and picturesque. Also on Fyn is Egeskov castle.
Ribe and Skagen over on Jutland are also supposed to be beautiful places (although I have never been).
On Sjaelland, you should visit: Helsingor, a charming town to stroll around with Krongborg castle (also very interesting to tour); Roskilde (historic cathedral, viking ship museum); Frederiksborg castle in Hillerod which is also a very impressive castle to tour with baroque garden.
Have fun!
|||
Hi, again. After your recommendations and some internet search, we are thinking of a holiday plan like that:
- 4 nights in Copenhagen (one daytrip to Roskilde, maybe another one to Hillerod)
- Then rent a car and go to south Fyn. Do you think Svendborg or Faborg is a good place to stay for 3-4 nights? From there we can explore by car the whole area and do a daytrip to Aeroe without the car.
- Then we%26#39;ll have another 4 nights for Jutland. Do you think 2 nights in Ribe and 2 in Aarhus is ok? Maybe prefer another place like Aalborg for example? If we stay in Aarhus is Skagen worth a daytrip or is it to far away?
- Then last night back to Copenhagen to catch our return flight next morning.
Do you think this is a good plan? Thanks for any suggestion.
|||
Hi,
Aarhus to Skagen is about 225 km (2:45 hrs drive) each way, but too much driving on motorways IMO.
Via Michelin can also suggest a sightseeing route. It%26#39;s shorter (211 km) but takes about 4 hours).
viamichelin.com/viamichelin/…MaHomePage.htm
IMO Skagen is too far for a day trip from Aarhus.
I would prefer a tour in the %26quot;highlands%26quot; of Mid Jutland (Silkeborg, Himmelbjerget etc.) A sail trip on board the old steamship %26quot;Hjejlen%26quot; on Denmark%26#39;s longest %26quot;river%26quot; Gudenaaen is very scenic. A tour to Mols Bjerge and Ebeltoft is also recommended.
Hans
|||
I agree with Hans a day trip from Aarhus to Skagen is no fun.
But then looking at your original post about being interested in picturesque towns and villages I wonder why you want to visit Aarhus.
It%26#39;s a big city - the center is picturesque but at the end of the day it%26#39;s just a big city.
If I were you I would stay in Viborg in stead and do the tour Hans suggest and maybe cut a day here and there to actually visit Skagen for a couple of days - that%26#39;s a very special place.
|||
Faaborg is (in my opinion) a prettier town than Svendborg. It has two small hotels, Hotel Faaborg and Hotel Færgegaarden, both of which are delightful (I stayed in one last week, my parents stayed in the other last year).
In south Jutland, Ribe should be your base. Denmark%26#39;s oldest town and loveliest. Some good small hotels there, and 2-3 excellent restaurants. From Ribe, you are in darting distance of Flensburg, Germany, right on the border. Great town, on a fjord, lots to do and very pretty.
Aarhus is a university town, good nightlife. Not charming, though -- it%26#39;s really strived to catch up to Copenhagen in importance, and so a lot of %26quot;charm%26quot; has been cast aside. You might prefer Silkeborg if you want a base in that part of Jutland.
Skagen is, in my opinion, overrated, especially in the summer. It is overrun by Danish celebrities and wannabes, so you won%26#39;t get into the better hotels or restaurants (and there are some excellent ones) without reserving now. And once you are there... well, it%26#39;s like every other Danish fishing village, except this one is popular.
It%26#39;s also a long hike from Aarhus for a daytrip.
|||
Hi!
It sounds like a great plan and August is the perfect time to visit Denmark.
After spending some days in Copenhagen you will like the quiet towns in the south of Fyn which is the prettiest part of the island - maybe even the prettiest part of Denmark.
Renting a car will be quite expensive and you have to pay a heavy tax to cross the big bridge between Sjælland and Fyn (it%26#39;s free to go from Fyn to Jylland though and you will have two bridges to choose from). How about taking the train from Copenhagen to Odense (90 minutes ride over and under the water) and rent the car there? A day trip to Roskilde from Copenhagen can be made by train too. Car rental agencies are close to the train station in Odense.
In Odense make sure to see the house of the famous Danish storyteller H.C. Andersen (%26quot;The Little Mermaid%26quot;, %26quot;The Ugly Duckling%26quot; etc.) and the neigborhood around the museum. There is an open air market every Wednesday and Saturday. Odense Zoo and Brandts Klædefabrik Museum can also be worth a visit - or you can sail down the river that floats through the city.
There is no reason to spend a night in Odense though if you can go to Faaborg or Svendborg instead. Both are excellent choices but Svendborg is much bigger than Faaborg and has a better choice of hotels and restaurants to fit any budget.
There is train connection from Odense to Svendborg (40 minutes but sometimes replaced by slower busses because of rail construction work) and bus connection from Odense to Faaborg (60 minutes, quite scenic route). By car it takes no more than 30 minutes to go to Svendborg as there is a new motorway, Odense-Faaborg is a 45 minute ride.
There are ferries to Ærø from both Faaborg and Svendborg - the route from Svendborg 75 minutes) is more scenic and will take you to the old town of Ærøskøbing while the ferry from Faaborg goes to the rather dull town of Søby (60 minutes). If you only spend one day on Ærø do visit Ærøskøbing and maybe Marstal (where there is a third ferry route to the island of Langeland that has a bridge connection to Svendborg).
You can also choose to spend a night on Ærø as there are plenty of B%26amp;B%26#39;s and a handful of hotels. If you have time go see one of the local museums with the nautic museum in Marstal and the old %26quot;castle%26quot; of Søbygaard as the most interesting. If you are fit for it rent a bike and explore the island. There are great beaches and a beautiful scenery. Ærø is a true gem.
If you have time you can visit the Egeskov Castle Museum near Ringe in the middle of Fyn - one of the most impressive of the island%26#39;s 123 castles and made into a sort of theme park that can entertain the whole family. Also make sure to visit the hills near Svanninge north of Faaborg - a beautiful place with a great view.
The island of Langeland is also worth exploring and is connected to the mainland with bridges (free to cross).
Have a nice trip!
No comments:
Post a Comment