Denmark

Quick Facts

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Local name

Danmark

Capital

Copenhagen (København)

Government

Constitutional Monarchy

Nationality

Danish

Population

5 482 266^[1]

Languages

Danish

Religions

Christianity (Protestant)

Currency

Danish Krone (DKK)

Calling Code

+45

Time Zone

CET (UTC+1)

Summer (DST)

CEST (UTC+2)

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Introduction

Yellow wall - Christiansö

© All Rights Reserved snatterand

A modern, progressive nation, Denmark has long abandoned the less sophisticated ways of its Viking heritage. What highlights Denmark as an attractive place to visit is the lack of obstinate over-development and polluted modernity: its capital and largest city, Copenhagen is a thriving cosmopolitan city, but one which reveals the Danes' remarkable sensitivity to environmental aesthetics. Water fountains, parks and gardens abound; historical architecture remains superbly intact; and running through the city center is the world's longest pedestrian mall.

Denmark also boasts Scandinavia's oldest town, at Ribe. Ribe is a good place to visit if you want an insight into Danish history: not only because of its various museums heralding Viking artifacts, but also because of its relative lack of development over the last few centuries, leaving it much like it was three centuries ago.

Brief History

Geography

Denmark is a small flat peninsula. There are also several islands that are connected by bridges or boats. Denmark shares international borders with Germany and Sweden via a bridge.

Regions

Denmark is divided into 5 administrative regions.

• Hovedstaden (Danish Capital Region)
• Midtjylland (Central Jutland)
• Nordjylland (North Jutland)
• Sjælland (Zealand)
• Syddanmark (South Denmark)

Cities

• Copenhagen, the capital city
• Århus
• Aalborg
• Esbjerg
• Odense
• Roskilde

Sights and Activities

Christiansø Island in Ertholmene

Christiansö

© All Rights Reserved snatterand

Christiansø Island in Ertholmene is an island in the Baltic Sea off the coast of Denmark. Since the Middle Ages fishermen used these islands as place of shelter. In the late 17th century Denmark needed a naval base in the central Baltic Sea against Sweden. Therefore the Danes built two large naval bases one on Christiansø and the other on Frederiksø. The outposts were used from 1684 to 1810 and the population dropped greatly after that. Today the population is around 96 people and they live mainly in the old fortresses. For a romantic weekend couples can even rent rooms in the old fortresses for a few nights.

Møns Klint

Møns Klint (Cliffs of Møns) are impressive bright chalk cliffs stretching 6 km down the coast from Liselund. Some of these sheer cliffs are over a 120 m dropping drastically into the sea. Møns is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe with hundreds of thousands of visitors a year. There are several great and clearly marked paths for hikers, riders and cyclists.

Råbjerg Mile

Råbjerg Mile is a natural sand dune that is being allowed to do its thing. That means the sand dune is slowly moving north-easterly 18 m every year. As it travels across the land scape it is leaving behind a moist layer of sand that can be followed back to were it started over 300 years ago. The sand dune lies between Skagen and Frederikshavn.

Trelleborg

Trelleborg is the collective name for six viking villages and forts that are located in present day northern Denmark and southern Sweden. Most of them were built in the late 10th and early 11th century. These impressive towns helped to rain havoc on most of the Northern Europe for several years. Many of the ones in Denmark are located near present day Limfjorden, Hobro, Odense and Slagelse.

Other Sights and Activities

• Legoland - Is a theme park dedicated to Lego.
• Nightlife -Spend a night out in Copenhagen that no one will ever forget.
• Beer - Enjoy great Danish beer at expensive prices.
• The Little Mermaid - Go see the statue of the little mermaid in Copenhagen
• Coastline - Explore the amazing coastline of Denmark.

Events and Festivals

• Roskilde Festival - One of the biggest annual rock music festivals in Europe. In 2008, it will be held from 3 to 6 July.
• Copenhagen Jazz Festival - For the year 2008, it will be held from 4 to 13 July.
• Tønder Festival - A festival for folk music, usually held in the last weekend of August. For the year 2008, it will be held from 28 to 31 August.

Weather

Getting There

By Plane

The Copenhagen Airport (IATA: CPH, ICAO: EKCH), originally and commonly known as Kastrup Airport, is the major hub for Scandinavia. It is a large airport, and has connections to destinations around the world. If you go to the countries north of Denmark, there's a good chance that you will make a stop at this airport. There are also commercial flights from smaller airports in Aalborg, Aarhus, Billund and Esbjerg.

By Train

The Oresund Bridge connects Copenhagen by train to Malmö in Sweden. Hamburg in Germany is the hub for mainland Europe to access Denmark via either the Great Belt rail link, the Little Belt Bridge or a train ferry that operates between Rødby in Denmark and Puttgarden in Germany.

By Car

By Bus

By Boat

International ferry services operate from Norway, Germany, Sweden, the Faroe Islands and the UK.

Getting Around

By Plane

SAS and Sterling Airlines are the two main domestic airlines which serve surprisinly many airports for such a small country. As a result, most flights don't take any longer than half an hour. The main airports are in Copenhagen, Ålborg, Århus, Billund, Bornholm, Karup and Sønderborg.

By Train

The Danish State Railways offers a wide range of domestic train services. There are express train and intercity services to and from Ålborg, Copenhagen, Esbjerg, Herning, Horsens, Odense and Randers, among other smaller places.

By Car

Denmark has a very well maintained network of roads, including highways and primary and secondary roads which are all perfectly paved. Driving is on the right side of the road and you can bring your own car or rent one from many of the international and local companies offering rental cars at airports and major cities. A national driver's licence is required and be sure to have sufficient insurance for you and third parties.

By Bus

Where there are no trains, some regional buses make up for the lack of public transportation but services are not very frequent. Most buses leave and arrive in time with train connections to places further away.

By Boat

There are many ferries throughout the country. The most common routes include Kalundborg to Arhus, Ebeltoft to Sjaellands Odde and Ronne to Copenhagen. Most ferries carry passengers as well as cars, as many islands around the country are inhabited and have no bridge or tunnel connection. Scandlines is one of the major operator on a number of routes and Bornholmstrafikken offers ferry connections to and from Bornholm island.

By Bicycle

Denmark is one of the most perfect countries in the world to have a biking holiday, if it weren't for the variable weather conditions. There is an extensive network of biking lanes and the country is almost flat. You can take your bike at most ferries as well.

Red Tape

If you are a European Union (EU) citizen, you may travel in Denmark without any restriction as per your EU citizenship rights. If you are not an EU citizen and Denmark is the first stop on your visit, you will need to obtain a Schengen Visa. This visa is valid for any country in the Schengen zone.

Money

The official currency of Denmark is the Danish krone (DKK). One krone (plural kroner) is divided into 100 øre.

Banknotes are in denominations of 50 kroner, 100 kroner, 200 kroner, 500 kroner, 1000 kroner.
Coins come in 25 øre, 50 øre, 1 krone, 2 kroner, 5 kroner, 10 kroner, 20 kroner.

As of 28 February 2008, the exchange rates against other major currencies are EUR1 = DKK7.50, GBP1 = DKK9.80, USD1 = DKK4.95.

There was a referendum on joining the Euro zone in 2000. The majority voted against.

ATMs

ATMs cover all of Denmark although not all of them accept international debit cards. Make sure to find an ATM near you that takes international cards.

Work

Study

Language

Danish is an east Scandinavian language (its closest relative is Swedish), a Germanic language developed from Old Norse. Danish is divided into multiple dialects, but the standard version, which is used in media and official relations is used by almost everybody. Danish is commonly understandable for Swedes, Norwegians and to some extent people from Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland.

According to European Union statistics, English is more widely spoken in Denmark than in any other EU state other than the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Eat

Sleep

Drink

Carslberg Bottles Collection

© All Rights Reserved Hien

• Beer - Carlsberg and Tuborg is sold everywhere, but there's a lot of smaller breweries that are worth trying
• Spirits - Snaps/akvavit (vodka-like spirit), gammel dansk (bitter) and Små grå (liquorice-vodka)

Health

The Danish healthcare systems is one of the best in the world. There hospitals are world class and the service is great. Most doctors and nurses will be able to speak English. Since Denmark is a small country getting to a major hospital in a major city is not hard if an emergency should arise.

Safety

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

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