Denmark Travel Guide

The Bare Bones: What you Need to Know

Population: 5.15 million

Area: 43000km2
Currency: Krone
Religion: 90% Christian

Passports, Visas etc.

UK, EU and US citizens need only take a passport for stays of three months or less. Passports should be used as ID but it is advisable to carry a photocopy and leave the real thing safely at your hotel.

Safety Advice

Denmark is a very safe place to visit. Use common sense in crowded tourist areas where small time pickpockets and bag snatchers may be operating. Apart from the odd beggar, you will most likely have a safe and hassle free stay.

The Roads

Roads are good quality and cover the country comprehensively. However, car hire is costly as is fuel and the Danish system of public transport is superb and (comparatively) cheap. Rail is probably the best way to see the country. If you should choose to drive do not drink, the Danes have random breath testing and fines are heavy.

Stay Healthy

There are no more worries here than in any other European country, no inoculations are required and the water is clean. UK citizens carrying an E111 form can get free medical help. Hospitalisation is free but Doctors and Pharmacists will expect payment on the spot so ensure you get receipts for claiming back later. US citizens should ensure that they have ample insurance.

Take sensible precautions against the effects of the sun.

Insurance

Take out adequate insurance to cover health, accident, theft of money and possessions. It is also worthwhile taking cover for missed transport links due to weather, industrial action or act of God.

Law and Order

Do not traffic or pedal drugs of any kind, you will get the same kind of harsh treatment you would find elsewhere in Europe. Being drunk on the streets or drinking in public will also land you in hot water.

Cash and Plastic

Traveller's cheques are easily changed, credit cards are readily accepted and ATM machines are widely available.

Climate and When to Go

In Denmark the weather can change very quickly, a glorious sunny morning can soon change to a drab wet afternoon. Winters tend to be chilly but never usually much below freezing, summers are characterised by clear blue skies. Coastal areas can be a bit breezy. Nowhere in Denmark ever gets 'South of France in August' packed but the most popular months are July and August, especially the former as this is the month Danes go on holiday.

So, What's It Really Like?

Denmark sits between its northern Scandinavian neighbours and the rest of mainland Europe. It is essentially a series of islands perched in the mouth of the Baltic and although diminutive in size it has been a great sea power, trading nation and the head of a sizable northern European empire (the Faroe Isles and Greenland still form part of the Danish Empire).

Yet they have no hang-ups about their days of lost empire, they are content with their high quality of life in an efficient but friendly society that values its freedoms and its culture. Now I wonder if there is a lesson for any other nations here?

The history of Denmark seems to have been one of eternal struggle with its neighbours. If they weren't fighting the Swedes, conquering the Norwegians or squabbling with the Germans it is kind of difficult to see what they did for hundreds of years. They even managed to find time to side with Napoleon in a war against, well just about everyone.

Farming began in Denmark in about 3000 BC and from this date the population steadily grew. However, it was in AD 800, when Viking raiding commenced, that Denmark started to exert itself on the world stage. At the height of their power, the Danish had accumulated a sizable empire and a Dane (Canute) even sat on the throne of England.

Trading was the other significant Danish achievement. In the 13th century, Denmark came to dominate trade in the area and the Hanseatic League helped expand this further. Numerous conflicts followed over the centuries until finally Denmark sided with Napoleon (due to some pretty hideous British behaviour) an alliance that left the country broken.

WW I saw Denmark staying neutral but WWII saw the Danes under Nazi rule. After the war, rebuilding and restructuring went on culminating in Denmark joining the EU. This has subsequently become a contentious issue in Denmark where many are reluctant Europeans.

Compared to its northern neighbours Denmark is a gently rolling green and pleasant land. It lacks the drama of Norway or its climatic extremes. The country is essentially a collection of some 400 islands just under a quarter of which are occupied. Apart from Zealand (which is actually linked to the mainland), where Copenhagen really does dominate, the main islands are Jutland and Funen.