Travel Guides: All Countries / Europe / Denmark
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| | | | Sun and the summer house
With the sun beaming down and the crystal clear water lapping at your feet, it comes as something of a shock to remember you're in Denmark.
You might think bacon, beer and Lego, but most people wouldn't associate these small islands with beaches.
Within two hours of leaving Britain you could be on a white, sandy beach in one of the cleanest places in Europe. And, no, it won't cost the earth.
The summer house - or sommerhus - is an integral part of Danish life.
Workers are entitled to take three weeks' holiday in the summer to spend quality time with their families and people take full advantage.
This time is spent away from the cities, far from work and enjoying the great outdoors; either walking, cycling, playing golf and table tennis, swimming or just eating and relaxing.
The majority of Danish summer houses are in West Jutland or North Zealand.
Jutland has the best beaches and good facilities for watersports including windsurfing. Sea kayaking, sailing and fishing tours are also popular.
In Zealand, you can enjoy the warm waters of the Kattegat. They often shelve very gently making them good for kids. Although, watch out for the stinging "firemen" jellyfish.
Many summer houses are just a short walk from the beach, but they're even closer on a bike. Various rattletraps lie unlocked near the dunes. If you're tempted to jump on, remember many bikes don't have brakes; you just pedal backwards.
Travel guide: Denmark
Luxury that's best enjoyed at sea
London's spectacular Tower Bridge only lifts on special occasions. The last time it opened, it opened for me.
Sailing under the bridge to the cheers of hundreds of riverside tourists was an awe-inspiring start to my trip on the luxury cruise ship Seabourn Pride.
Equally impressed, one fellow passenger told me in no uncertain terms: "This is one of those rare occasions when one simply has to do the royal wave."
The Seabourn Pride's emphasis is on easy and relaxed travel in style. Measuring some 277sq ft and carrying no more than 200 passengers, the ship has an unusual feeling of spaciousness and light. My immaculate, well-turned-out suite, complete with Egyptian cotton robe, personalised stationery and plates of fresh fruit, was also surprisingly roomy.
Being a cruise novice, my indulgences were largely enjoyed in the ship's bars and restaurants. For me, breakfasts at sunrise were best taken al fresco in the Veranda Cafe or, on lazier days, in bed. Barbecue lunches in the Sky Bar and meticulously-prepared course-by-course dinners in the main restaurant were highly sociable occasions - a great way to get to know other passengers.
Enjoying the gastronomic pleasures of a five-star cruise ship isn't about counting calories but burning them off is easy, even enjoyable. Try several lengths of the swimming pool, a few jogging laps around the top deck and some weights in the gym - you'll certainly feel revitalised.
Relaxed surroundings, attentive service and the odd evening of light entertainment all go to make the Seabourn Pride perfect for romantic couples over 50.
Not having a partner and being in my 30s, I did sometimes feel like the odd one out. But there were some advantages... when the ship's captain asked me to dance with him in the piano bar to the tune of Blue Moon was one memorable moment.
Travel guide: Denmark
Take a wind break
An overnight ferry and we were there. We drove along empty roads and hedge-lined country lanes, courteous local motorists deferring to our foreign vehicle.
Half-an-hour later, we arrived at the track that was to lead to our holiday home.
The beach, a long flat stretch of silver-white sand, was just a two-minute walk away through a garden gate and beyond the dunes.
The midsummer sun shone down through most of the day and long into the evening. Would we ever find a more perfect setting for a bucket and spade holiday? We thought not, at least until the winds came.
Unless you're Danish, the western Danish coastline is perhaps an unorthodox choice for a summer holiday. But our beach was magnificent - empty, clean and unsullied by amusement arcades or ice cream shops.
It was all characteristically Scandinavian and, dare I say, Bergmanesque, but where were the tall blonde female sunbathers? We found only outdoors-types busily erecting beach tents.
To them, happiness is a rollmop, a modestly proportioned barbecue and an industrial-strength windbreak.
Whatever the fantasies of the Danish Tourist Board, a beach holiday on the west coast of Denmark will never quite measure up to its Mediterranean counterpart.
Even in June, when we went, the North Sea is still jaw-droppingly chilly: there are no bikini-clad sunbathers (they have all decamped to the Med), no lush Mediterranean foliage and no beach bars.
A week here is an altogether different proposition from a week in Southern Europe. If you accept that premise, you will still find plenty to enjoy. But take lots of warm jumpers and a cagoule instead of a swimming costume.
But for ease of access, Denmark has the edge over the Med. We took the overnight ferry from Harwich to the unpronounceably named Esbjerg, arriving mid-morning after a full night's kip in a four-person cabin.
Travel guide: Denmark
Peace and quiet in pretty West Jutland
For most Britons, Denmark starts and ends with Copenhagen. There's more to the Viking nation than Hans Christian Andersen and the Tivoli gardens, though. To see another side of the Danes, head west of the capital to the Jutland peninsula.
Ruggedly pretty, set among windswept heathland off the North Sea, it's ideal for families and couples seeking a week or two of peace, quiet and fresh air.
In the light of world events, a quick jaunt across the North Sea will be an appealing prospect for many travellers. In this sense, West Jutland could become one of the beneficiaries. It's an hour away by air and within easy reach of Britain's east coast by ferry.
Cheap flights to the region's capital, Esbjerg, have made it more accessible to British visitors - but it remains a little-known holiday destination.
Unless you're sporty or active, there's frankly not a whole lot to see or do in West Jutland. Cycling, the most common pursuit, is an agreeable way to pass a few hours. Windsurfers and anglers are also well catered for on the region's fjords.
The area's charm lies more in its unhurried pace and the eye-pleasing landscape of dunes and heaths bordering the sometimes tempestuous North Sea.
Travel guide: Denmark
Let's all go to the land of Lego
From the Daily Mail
Hop I, slap af,' said the slogan on the brochure, and the boys were certainly giving the springkissen their interpretation of the Danish phrase which translates as 'jump in and relax'.
The springkissen was a cross between a trampoline and a bouncy castle, and I was hoping it might distract them from the freezing swimming pool, but alas, that was not to be. All the camp site facilities had to undergo hop-i-slap-af testing, brass monkeys notwithstanding.
It was to be a lads' outing, this trip to Denmark: just me, Thomas, aged five, and Boris, seven. Boris was a friend's son, and what a difference a couple years makes. 'Do you fancy those girls?' he asked me, as a couple of nubile teenagers crossed our bows as we arrived. Lads, eh.
The camping idea had obvious advantages of budget, room to roam and being able to rustle up bangers and baked beans night after night - a perfect match of the boys' favourite dish with my culinary skills.
Choosing the destination had not been so easy. As they grow older, children become less portable. They begin to know what they like - and to not like what they don't know.
When he was small, we took Thomas to the Far East. Now that he's bigger, he finds foreign stuff more . . . foreign. On our last trip across the Channel even the playground equipment was deemed to be 'a bit Frenchy'.
Denmark, though, is ideal for soft adventure. It has uncommon quantities of sky, sand and fresh air, limited traffic, no language problem, regular helpings of theme parks - including the original Legoland - and hot dog stands on every corner. The latter met with complete approval from the hop-i-slap-af testers, especially as the ketchup was, apparently, just like jam.
Travel guide: Denmark
From staid to stylish
From the Daily Mail
Copenhagen is being trumpeted as Europe's latest design and style capital - a sort of Nordic Barcelona with Paris fashion and Prague culture thrown in for good measure.
Surely this can't be right? I remember Copenhagen from my student InterRail days, when its attractions were the Carlsberg Brewery, the rather forlorn Little Mermaid statue, the tame Tivoli Gardens amusement park and, if truth be told, the Carlsberg Brewery again - well, I was a student, and you did get free beer.
Now, though, the Danish capital is in the middle of a transformation that will alter its image from staid to stylish, quaint to cosmopolitan.
It's hard to miss the changes, starting with the ultra-modern airport, with its sleek wooden floors and angular furniture Ikea would kill for.
Not far from the airport, a sweeping new bridge connects Denmark with Malmo in Sweden, while revitalised inner-city neighbourhoods, a soon-to-be completed metro system and a transformed waterfront promise great things for the locals.
For visitors, perhaps here on a long weekend, the emphasis is a little different. It has not been simply a case of out with the old and in with the new, which is good news for anyone who remembers fondly a less relentlessly trendy Copenhagen.
Instead, there's been a stylish grafting of modern design to well-loved buildings and attractions.
In the heart of the city, the Danish Design Centre shows off its gadgets and consumer durables in a strikingly contemporary glass-and-black-box.
But what's across the road, on the traditionally named Hans Christian Andersen Boulevard? The unashamedly yesteryear Tivoli Gardens, where eating ice cream or trundling around on a roller-coaster is still the city's favourite entertainment.
Travel guide: Denmark
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| | | | Relax, take in the clean air
One advantage of hiring a Danish holiday home is you can avoid the prohibitively expensive restaurants.
Supermarket shopping is not much more expensive than the UK. Beer and soft drinks aren't badly priced, either, especially when you factor in the huge deposits on plastic bottles.
Fresh bread and Danish pastries will set you up for the day, and there are pickles a-go-go if they're your thing.
Spending the summer Denmark-style needn't be too expensive, though some costs will push your budget.
Family holidays start from £508 a week, based on two adults and two children for a self-catering coastal cottage. A return ferry berth is included.
You can pick up a no-frills flight to Esbjerg from £40, excluding taxes, but hiring a car is expensive. An efficient train system is the slower alternative.
Chilling out in a traditional Danish summer house is the perfect way to experience the laid-back charms of this friendly nation.
Kick off your shoes (they're not welcome on the beach), lie back and breathe in the fresh, clean air.
You can squeeze in a trip to the beautiful cities of Copenhagen and Esbjerg, but don't stress it. You can keep busy doing nothing much at all.
Scandinavia bound
My cruise took me to regal Scandinavia - Norway, Sweden and Denmark - with stopovers in Oslo, Stockholm and Odense.
The sail towards Oslo and Stockholm, through the Oslofjord and the archipelago of Stockholm, was beautifully dramatic. On arrival at each city, the ship docked strategically - as soon as I stepped onto land I found myself bang in the centre of city hubbub.
On reaching each cruise destination we were pushed for time but good organisation pays off. This ship organises group excursions to many of the tourist-spot highlights but if you want to make the most of your time, it's best to go off on your own.
In Oslo, don't be put off by the sombre exterior of the city hall - inside it's a work of art. The folk and Viking ships museums are equally captivating, giving an extraordinary insight into the culture and history of Norway and its people.
In Hans Christian Andersen's home town of Odense, I was disappointed by the unimaginative museum dedicated to the innovative fairytale writer but it's definitely worth popping into the Gothic cathedral where you can gawp at King Canute's 900-year-old bones.
Stockholm is best explored on foot. The city has some great museums but there are also numerous churches with magnificent interiors and the occasional free concert, which shouldn't be missed.
My trip on the Seabourn Pride was one of the most enjoyable I have made but luxury cruising doesn't come cheap. A 14-day cruise of Scandinavia and Russia costs from around £8,266 per person, but the price includes almost everything.
For details about Seabourn Pride cruises and other Seabourn journeys call freephone 0800 052 3941, or visit website: http://www.seabourn.com/. For a brochure, call 0845 601 1720.
Summer homes fraternity
Within 30 minutes, we reached our holiday home in the small town of Blavand on the west Jutland coast - popular with the summer homes fraternity, but horribly exposed to the westerly winds off the North Sea that ensure the dunes never stay still for long.
Denmark is made up of a number of small archipelagoes, and to the west, the Jutland peninsula where we stayed.
Each of these is home to a smorgasbord of small islands, which seem to be there for no other purpose than for the Danes to build holiday homes on them.
This being an egalitarian nation, there is scope for almost everyone to build a summer house, usually a simple wooden hut on a platform that faces the sea.
Our summer house was comfortable enough and well-placed for the beach, even if its local town, Blavand, had a Legoland-like quality.
Imagine an out-of town shopping centre made of stripped pine. The next town up the coast, Vejers Strand, was smaller but less artificial and had a great seafood restaurant.
At the weekends, Blavand was lively and full of beachgoers, kitefliers and cyclists. In the evenings it was swamped by a dull, we're-just-about-to close anonymity.
If you fancy a Danish summer house, choose one as near as possible to a largish town where there is likely to be some life in the evenings.
Our evenings were spent in the summer house reading and sleeping: our peace interrupted only by the relentless whistle of the wind.
The children adored the beach, even if the shoddy play tent we bought was no match for the typhoon sweeping in off the shore.
For a family with a predisposition to mountain-biking, kite-flying and North Sea dips (we didn't even paddle), this would make an ideal holiday.
Pine-scented woodland hills
West Jutland is largely the preserve of German tourists, who make the journey north across the Danish-German border near Hamburg. Its people are friendly yet reserved, living a quiet rural life dominated by agriculture. Tourism also plays its part in the local economy.
From the modern, unremarkable airport city of Esbjerg, it's a 40-minute car journey through flat countryside to the village resort of Nymindegab. Picture-postcard thatched homes are scattered among the grasslands a few hundred yards from the sea.
Accommodation ranges from two-berth simple cottages to luxury family villas kitted out like Ikea showhomes, replete with sauna and spa bath.
Clean, sandy beaches span the central part of West Jutland, bordered by dunes that offer some challenging walking.
For about £5 a day you can hire a fairly robust bike and follow the paths of a pine-scented woodland trail for a picnic lunch in a lovely setting.
Alternatively, drive the 120kms around the Ringkobing Fjord, maybe stopping off for a plate of herring in the pleasant market town of the same name.
Off to a flying start
We'd arrived in Esbjerg on the overnight ferry from Harwich, itself a great excitement. The boys sallied out on deck at regular intervals to scan the horizon, but nothing I could do would entice them to take to the floor in the children's disco. Lads, eh.
The first campsite - the one with the springkissen trampoline and freezing pool - was on the edge of Denmark's lake district at Silkeborg.
The following day we climbed the nation's second highest peak, Himmelbjerget or 'Sky Mountain', after I'd assured Boris that no, we wouldn't need oxygen. Actually, we drove onto Sky Mountain without realising it. At a measly 147m (482ft), it barely struggles clear of Denmark's many wind farms, and to get any feeling of achievement we had to tramp down to the lake below and then walk back up to the top again.
The next day we headed north. It was fortunate that such young children don't know how to map-read, because I'm sure that if they'd twigged how close we were to Legoland . . .
The Strandparken campsite in lborg had cabins for rent, so the next couple of nights were spent in what was effectively a large garden shed with a verandah, double glazing, bunk beds and a cooker. Across the road was a playground with a real (immobilised) steam engine and a fighter plane.
lborg brought us within range of the sandy, sun-washed top end of Denmark around Skagen. Strangely, the sunlight was so clean and sharp it seemed to rain down, and yet it was sun without the intense heat; a PR firm would probably have put 'lite' on the label perfect for skin on a diet.
The towering Black Diamond
Contemporary extensions have been tacked on to two of the city's foremost 19th- century art galleries, the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek and the Danish National Gallery - a fantastic, light-filled building, arguably more impressive than the modern art it contains.
Most spectacular of all, however, is what's been added to the Royal Library, part of the historic Slotsholmen complex.
On one side is a peaceful, formal garden - rather less formal the minute the sun shines and the local office workers strip off.
On the other, facing the inner harbour, is the towering Black Diamond, the new library extension, its black granite-and-glass walls tilting towards the water at an alarming angle.
What makes all these mordern additions work so well, ironically, is the fact that, deep down, Copenhagen hasn't changed much at all. It's always been a famously relaxed city, with an easy-going lifestyle of which most European capitals can only dream.
The tale of the unpretentious bicycling-and- shopping Danish royal family is well-known, but couldn't be sustained if it wasn't for Copenhagen's miles of wide bike lanes or agreeable boulevards.
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| | | | Ever-changing dunes
When choosing a cottage from the thousands available in brochures or on-line, be sure you know what you want. On the west coast, expect rugged, dramatic scenery and long empty beaches; on the east coast the landscape is more lush, the estuaries and creeks more sheltered.
My children, reared in a less rugged environment of cafes, people carriers, and little formal exercise, found the beach too bracing at times. Our three-year-old yelled: 'It's too windy, even in the tent.'
But they enjoyed playing in the ever-changing dunes when the wind dropped. And except for the protected seashore at Cape Cod, I have never seen such an unspoiled, litter-free stretch of sand.
Away from the beach, the children found plenty to do - horse-riding at a local stables and a charming sweet 'factory' in which they were encouraged to make their own lollipops.
The original Legoland was about an hour away at Billund. We also used a swimming pool attached to a local campsite and local restaurants.
Prices were about the same as in the UK. Excise duties on beer and wine were not as punishing as we had heard. Half-a-litre of Carlsberg cost the equivalent of £2.50, a meal for four about £40.
The Danes place great emphasis on eating in the family home. It came as a surprise that fresh fish was available only from a van parked in the town square every morning.
Outside its opening hours, we resorted to the supermarkets, whose main stock in trade appeared to be pickled herrings in all their infinite variety.
After a week, we set off for home. We arrived the next day pleasantly relaxed, rather than radiant with vivid Mediterranean memories and a bootload of Limoncello.
Our holiday was refreshing: we enjoyed uncrowded sand and none of the frenetic, fleece-the-tourists mentality that overpowers the Mediterranean resorts. But next time I'll take a cagoule.
TRAVEL DETAILS:
DFDS Seaways offers a week's stay in a cottage in Denmark from £659 (April-June, September-October) and from £912 in high season (July and August) for a family of two adults and two children, plus carriage of a car.
June is the best time to go, when the days are long and it doesn't get dark until about 10pm. This price includes a return overnight sailing from Harwich to Esbjerg in a four-berth ensuite cabin and seven nights at a self-catering cottage. Visit http://www.dfdsseaways.co.uk or call 08705 333 111.
Cosy up in luxury
About an hour south of Nymindegab lies Denmark's oldest town, Ribe. Its tight cluster of half-timbered 16th-century houses and impressive medieval cathedral make it the area's most visited destination and one of the country's key historic sites.
Otherwise, West Jutland isn't a region to tour. Instead, make the most of what Danes call "hygge" - getting nice and cosy inside your holiday home.
There's no getting away from the fact that Denmark is an expensive country. A 25% Vat levy on practically all goods can turn a trip to the supermarket into a scary experience if you're used to UK discount stores.
Budget a little more, then, for self catering and expect to pay above London prices for eating out in the region's simple cafeterias and taverns. Pack basic toiletries to save money.
Direct flights from Stansted Airport to Esbjerg cost £49 return on Ryanair. There are about 11 Danish krone to the pound. Holiday homes in Nymindegab cost from £300 for a modest property to up to £1,000 per week in high season for a luxury home sleeping two families.
For more information on West Jutland, contact the tourist office in Denmark on 0045 75 28 74 00. Check the web site at http://www.visitvestjylland.com
Miles of beaches
We set off, out across wild-flowered dunes, in search of the Rbjerg Mile, Skagen's migrating desert, finding first a quiet, white church filled with hanging model ships, and an indolent slow-worm which terrified the boys.
The 'desert' is a huge expanse of marching dunes that move across the Skagen peninsula a few centimetres each year.
Thomas and Boris treated it as an assault course, hurling themselves down the steep sides of the dunes and crawling up again, weak with laughter. I eventually had to drag them away because Thomas was getting painful sand burns on his thighs.
Skagen is sand-lined on either side, and you can drive along the endless beaches until you find a mile of your own. The most popular point is the tip of the peninsula, where the Baltic meets the North Sea, and appropriately dramatic it is, too. Standing in the sea off the point, our ankles were tugged from either side, while just out to sea the waves were meeting head-on in a choppy jumble, dive-bombed by fish-seeking skuas. To be closer to all this sea and fresh air, we relocated to just outside Frederikshavn, where the Nordstrand camp site had playgrounds, springkissens and its own access to the beach.
I doubt that camping chalets get more upmarket than this one, which came complete with an upstairs - although, oddly, it lacked a can opener. Perhaps they expected chalet customers to abhor baked beans and whip up pan-fried sea bass instead.
Then it was time to return home. Somehow Denmark contrives to have plenty of space and yet be reassuringly small at the same time, and it took only a couple of hours to get back within striking distance of Legoland. This time it would have been cruel to cruise past - especially as we were a good six hours early for the ferry.
So the bulk of the last day was spent among millions of brightly coloured plastic bricks masquerading as wild animals, merry-go-rounds and pirate ships. I hadn't been to a Legoland before, but my hop-i-slap-af testers had, and they gave this one the edge over Windsor. I finally managed to drag them away with the threat that, if we didn't leave now, the ferry would slap-af without us.
Bikes and beer
Shopping remains an unhurried affair in Stroget, Europe's longest pedestrianised shopping street.
There's a lively mix of mainstream and designer clothes' stores, shops selling everything from classic Danish porcelain to contemporary furniture, minimalist bars and hip restaurants.
There's always been a free-spirited air to Copenhagen, most famously expressed in the city-within-a-city, Christiania, a self-declared 'free state' of houses, communes, shops, cafes and co-operatives on the island of Christianshavn.
North of here, the Holmen area is symbolic of the social change enveloping the city. In a former military zone, the abandoned redbrick warehouses, foundries and supply sheds house a growing number of cultural agencies and creative businesses.
The city's new opera house will be built at Holmen, though for now the best entertainment is provided by Base Camp, a vast restaurant- cumbar-cum-nightclub with a beach barbecue. It's a fun place for brunch, socialising with the beautiful people who ride there on the free bicycles provided by the city council.
Free bicycles and free beer - still supplied on tours of the Carlsberg Brewery. What more could a visitor want? Well, perhaps just a little more emphasis on old-fashioned comfort.
Breakfast at the trendy SAS Royal Hotel comes with coffee in a super-sleek flask of Flash Gordon- style dynamics. But can you work out how to pour a cuppa without sloshing it all over your trousers? Can you heck.
Travel facts: For a Copenhagen information pack, call the Danish Tourist Board's 24-hour information and brochure line: 0900 1600 109 (calls cost 60p per minute). For further information on Denmark, tel: 020 7259 5959.
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