A force to be reckoned
with
Don’t let Denmark’s size fool you. An
ancient stomping ground for the Vikings, this pocket of Scandinavia has played
a significant role in world history as a naval superpower and has once ruled
much of Northern Europe, with a string of colonies across the globe. Over the
past decades, the country has switched gears and reinvented itself, embracing
social equality, sustainability and a quality of life that is the envy of many.
It has also been making a name for itself as a major cultural powerhouse with
eye-catching architecture and design, an unparalleled food renaissance, Nordic
noir novels and addictive TV shows. The country exudes an understated, timeless
beauty that captivates with simplicity instead of screaming ‘look at me’. Make
no mistake: once you visit Denmark, you will want to return again and again.
Rich heritage
With a long past carved by Vikings,
powerful kings and social welfare advocates, Denmark is overflowing with
historical attractions and activities. If you’re after Viking heritage, you’ll
definitely be in for a treat. Start your history lesson with Copenhagen’s
National Museum (Nationalmuseet), flaunting a huge array of ancient weaponry,
rune stones and bronze horns that still work. To fully appreciate the
engineering genius of the Vikings, head for Roskilde’s must-see Viking Museum,
showcasing five original vessels and their reconstructed replicas. Staying in
Billund? Take a day trip to Jelling, the royal seat of 10th-century King Gorm,
housing World Heritage burial mounds and runic stones, or explore life in a
Viking village at the hands-on Ribe VikingeCenter. Are castles and palaces more
your thing? For a chance to catch sight of a member of the Danish royal family,
drop by Amalienborg Palace in the capital – time your visit for noon to witness
the daily changing of the guard. Or venture further afield and check out the
moated Frederiksborg Castle in Hillerød, dubbed the Danish Versailles, admire
Helsingør’s Kronborg Castle, home of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, or lose your heart
to the romantic water castle of Egeskov.
Sleek modern architecture and
design
Simplicity and functionality are at the
heart of the Danish design ethos, with the ultimate aim being creating
beautiful things that make life better. Take a flight to Copenhagen and admire
the city’s modern architectural gems, including the Black Diamond library
extension and the neo-futuristic Copenhagen Opera House, both sitting on the
waterfront. Or leave the city centre for the suburban neighbourhood of Ørestad
and wonder at the bow-shaped 8 Tallet (8 House) and the glass-clad residential
complex known as the VM Houses. The design-savvy shouldn’t miss the excellent
Designmuseum Danmark, displaying graphic design and fashion alongside a wide
array of iconic Danish chairs, and Illums Bolighus, a huge department store,
stocking all things Scandinavian. Are you on a Lego-filled holiday in Billund?
Make sure to visit the multi-levelled and multi-coloured Lego House, opened in
2017. Its brilliant design resembles a pile of interlocking plastic bricks and
is the ultimate homage to Denmark’s beloved toy.
Fabulous food
In just over a decade, Denmark’s culinary
scene has undergone an extraordinary transformation from bland to glam. The
much-trumpeted New Nordic movement, born in the mid-2000s, has gone back to the
very roots of Scandinavian cooking, and rightly so. Across Denmark, ambitious
chefs have been reimagining age-old recipes and been foraging seasonal local
ingredients to create dishes defined by freshness, purity, simplicity and
sustainability. Book a table at Copenhagen’s Noma, the epitome of the
gastronomic revolution, decorated with three Michelin stars and topping the
list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants no less than four times. If you’re more
of a gourmand on a budget, head to a restaurant run by the Copenhagen Food
Collective (aka Cofoco), offering creative tasting menus without the price tag.
In need of a quick snack? Check out the
capital’s new street food market, Reffen, grab a tasty hot dog at one of the
country’s ubiquitous wheeled stands or sample the famous Danish open rye bread
sandwich known as smørrebrød, topped
with anything from meat and fish to egg and shrimp.