Intrigued by all Scandinavian countries, Denmark is certainly near the top of European countries I would love to explore further. Separated by the Baltic Sea, Denmark is geographically located in close proximity to both Sweden and Norway offering a perfect destination to travelers wishing to visit the whole peninsula.
There is so much history in this part of the world, much of which is related to the Viking Age in the early centuries. The architecture and infrastructure throughout Denmark is particularly appealing so it’s no surprise that many of the following top 5 locations are related to this very theme.
Tivoli Gardens
Tivoli Gardens located in the heart of Copenhagen, Denmark’s capital, offers visitors a myriad of attractions including theme park rides, relaxing botanical gardens and fine restaurant options. This is the second oldest amusement park in the world so clearly has much history packed into this area.
Aarhus
Can you imagine grabbing a bicycle and just riding around a beautiful, historic city taking in all the wonderful sights and maybe stopping at a local cafe for a latte? This is exactly the sort of thing you can do in the second largest city of Denmark, Aarhus. Also a seaport on the eastern coast of Denmark, Aarhus offers visitors plenty of options for exploring true Danish culture and heritage.
Rosenborg Castle
Rosenborg Castle is a gorgeous castle dating back to the start of the 17th Century. A royal residence in its early days, this castle is now available for daily guided tours around the grounds.
The Little Mermaid
At Langelinje Pier, Copenhagen you will find one of Denmark’s most famous tourist attractions – the sculpture of The Little Mermaid. Designed under the influence of the famous fairy tale, this sculpture has recently celebrated it’s 100th anniversary and continues to attract visitors from around the world.
Strøget
Strøget is one of Europe’s longest pedestrian streets with a wealth of shops, from budget-friendly chains to some of the world’s most lucrative designer brands. Located in the heart of Copenhagen this is certainly somewhere you can spend some time and probably see your cash dwindle away in these attractive Danish stores.
***This post is part of the 2014 A to Z Blogging Challenge (#DreamDestinations #AtoZChallenge)***
Beautiful descriptions and beautiful photos. And a good reminder of some of the things that I knew about Denmark but had forgotten.
Cheers Lee, we appreciate your feedback! So many hidden gems in the Scandinavian region. I always find that it seems to be the forgotten region of Europe which is probably a good thing for that area as it helps it to prosper more. But of course it is also renowned as being one of the most expensive areas to visit, so we all need to keep that in mind!
Until we started planning where to go in Denmark, we didn’t realise how big the country is. We hoped to make it to Aahus but it was just too far a way for the time we had. It’s such a beautiful country…I would like to explore more!
I can certainly relate to that Jenny because whenever you go to new countries, just looking at them on a map really doesn’t give their size and magnitude justice. You only realize when you get there and even if you have the best of intentions of exploring somewhere far beyond where you currently are, the likelihood is that you just won’t have the time to get there.
Loving this post! I actually originally did Denmark as well for my “D” post, but yet again, the computer gods weren’t on my side and my entire post got delete again! Thankfully yours is up and live! I would absolutely love to explore all the castles and gardens!
Everything happens for a reason right Jessica 🙂 Sorry that’s awful that your Denmark post was deleted as I am sure it included a bunch of different things that we didn’t mention but I am looking forward to checking out your Dubai post which was also on our list of places to consider for ‘D’. There really does appear to be so much to see and explore in Denmark, particularly those historic castles and gardens that the Scandinavian’s seem to preserve so well.
Thanks for popping by my blog:-) So happy to connect with you through atoz:-) And D for Denmark – that’s so great (sooo close to “my” Norway) Indeed – you have a great theme for the challenge:-) He he! Like your blog, and this post was lovely. Will pop by again- and yes, as you said… will be interesting to see how our Dream Destinations unfold…:-) All the best to you
Thanks so much for taking time to check out our blog Eli! I really enjoyed your Cappadocia post yesterday so will be checking out your Disneyland post shortly. We are really delighted that folks are enjoying our #DreamDestinations theme.
I looooove your choice for D because I’m seriously thinking about heading to Scandinavia after SEA. I have a pretty close friend that’s from Denmark (her husband is in the US Military) and she goes back several times a year.
I say go for it Ashley! I have always had a strong desire to head to any or all of the Scandinavian countries. I can’t really pinpoint why but I think the natural landscape and culture there is just really appealing. Let us know if you are able to head there before/after we do, we will be in Copenhagen for a few days at the end of September en route to England so maybe we can share a few insider hints and tips after visiting there.
Denmark has always been a place on my list and seeing the picture of the Tivoli Gardens has just reminded my why. Great choice for D. Your dream destinations are so varied I am enjoying reading about all of them. 🙂
Cheers Tam, we really wanted to achieve a varied selection on our #DreamDestinations series. In fact, our intention once this challenge is through is to actually continue posting to this series to capture many of the others that we were not able to focus on because right now we can only select one per letter.
Tivoli really looks amazing doesn’t it!!
We’ve done the same place!!
Yours is far more informative than mine, though… Great post about Denmark, I will link to you on mine for more information for anyone interested 🙂
Great minds think alike Sammi – great selection on yours also! Thanks for your kind remarks. I will head on over to yours shortly and check it out.
I have been to Denmark a few times but only ever just passing through Copenhagen (en route to Greenland), often staying the night but never having sufficient time to do much exploring. I would love to go back and see more – I did make it to Helsinki a few months ago and had a great time there, but have yet to do Copenhagen justice. 🙂
Our plan is to go and explore Copenhagen for a few days at the end of September en route to Manchester as we fly home for the Ryder Cup in Scotland. I am not sure exactly how much we will get to see but at least it will give us some time to check out some of the leading attractions at least and maybe one or two hidden gems.
Love this idea of an A-Z challenge. Wish I had jumped on board! Perhaps next year. Denmark is high on my list for many reasons, not least of which is to go to Noma in Copenhagen. I subscribe to one of the chef’s feeds on Instagram, and the food coming out of that kitchen is nothing short of Amazing. You’ve certainly given us a good overview, I look forward to seeing how you work your way through the alphabet!
Thanks Alison, we appreciate your kind feedback. This A to Z Challenge sure is a ‘challenge’ but it is great for planning and preparation as a blogger, it certainly teaches you not to leave everything until the last minute which unfortunately I am culprit of with many of my articles.
I have also heard that Danish cuisine is awesome so can certainly understand your desire to want to visit there to experience the best quality foods.
Great post! I’d love to visit more of the Scandinavian Countries but right now they are just too pricey for us. We did manage to spend a few hours in Copenhagen during a stopover last summer and it was gorgeous. Absolutely stunning. Great topic for D.
What a fun place to visit. I absolutely love visiting castles so visiting Rosenborg Castle would be a must for me. One of our favorite things to do is grab a bike and ride through a town, you get to see a lot that way and get some exercise at the same time. I must go grab a latte now! 🙂 Fun to learn more about Denmark!
That’s one aspect that I am really intrigued by especially from the picture above that you can just grab a bicycle and start riding around the beautiful Danish cities, taking in the magnificent scenery and of course historic locations such as Rosenborg Castle. I can’t think of a better way to get exercise that actually doing something that you enjoy and at the same time enhancing your learning of Danish history/culture.
So awesome pictures… definetely a place to go , maybe we’ll do that scandinavian route next year
That would certainly be a great choice if you can fit this into your schedule. Thanks for the feedback!
We were this close || to moving to Denmark. Outside of Aarhus. Although we decided to stay put, I still want to visit. I especially want to see Tivoli Gardens.
Another great dream destination!
Thanks Ann, I am sure if you had moved to Aarhus it would have been a great move but everything happens for a reason! Tivoli is near the top of our must-see list hopefully when we head there later this year.
I’m going to Copenhagen for a couple of days in June – I just wish I had longer to explore more of the country! Definitely a dream destination – so much history and culture. Great pictures!
We are doing the same thing Molly at the end of September and wish we could spend a little more time there but at least it will give us all a brief glimpse of what Denmark is really like rather than just reading about it on a blog or media guide. Thanks so much for the kind feedback.
I’ve spent some time in Copenhagen and it’s a wonderful place to visit…during summer time – there is so much to see and do in the city and it’s all very walk able or easy public transporation makes every accessible
The fact that you indicate Copenhagen is very pedestrian friendly is a huge positive in my mind. I love cities where you can just get out and start walking around and if you need to use public transportation that is also readily available. My most recent experience of this aside from locations in England would be Paris where we visited in December and this was very ‘foot-traffic’ friendly!
Very interesting choice you’ve made here. I’ve never been in Denmark before altough it is not very far from Belgium. Your post is very informative and direct. It describes Denmark in a way that makes me want to go and enjoy the atmosphere over there. Great post Chris! Greetings, Jempi.
Cheers Jempi! The point you make about living so close to Denmark and never actually visiting there is so very typical of folks in Europe as I can certainly attest to this from my experience. Living in England for the first 22 years of my life, apart from a sole trip to Spain I never ventured into mainland Europe but all of a sudden when I moved to the States in 2008 I had the urge to begin exploring. There are so many cool places right on our doorstep that we literally don’t realize until we move away from them. I am sure you wouldn’t be disappointed if and when you are able to venture into Danish territory.
Lovely post and our angles were so different. 🙂
Cheers guys, we appreciate it and I think that’s the beauty of this challenge even if there are duplicated titles because we all have very different angles and opinions on places. But the beauty of this is to our readers it gives plenty more options, plus we all learn a little more about a location.
This is definitely a dream of mine too. I’d love to go in the middle of summer when it almost doesn’t get dark.
Looks like a great place and I’ve always had a soft spot for the little mermaid so would love to see her for myself one day and the Rosenborg Castlewhich looks enchanting too. I took a bicycle tour in Lille once and would highly recommend it as a great way to explore any historic city.
I am really eager to start renting bicycles when we travel to these types of cities. Of course not every city is suited to bike riding but when you capture one like Copenhagen I say go for it!
Denmark is a dream destination for me as well. It looks like such a beautiful and quirky place! We’re actually moving to northeastern Europe in a few months so chances are good that I’ll actually get to cross this one off my list!