Denmark, with its numerous islands and the Jutland peninsula bordering Germany to the north, is not just a transit country to Sweden. There are so many cool Danish sights scattered throughout the country that it’s worth taking a whole vacation just to see them. In this article, I’ll show you the absolute best Danish diamonds.
Denmark has a very diverse selection of sights to offer. There are fantastic natural highlights, but also plenty of culture and, above all, Danish architecture that is sure to leave you speechless, and not just in the capital Copenhagen.
This article naturally contains the absolute highlights. But I’ll also tell you a few Denmark sights that aren’t on every other “Denmark sights” list.
You can also find all the Denmark sights from this article here on the map:
Most of these sights you can visit during an amazin roadtrip through denmark. Find your perfect itinerary for a denmark roadtrip here:
1. Rømø – endless sand
Just a stone’s throw away from Sylt, namely 3 km to the north, lies the Danish island of Rømø. More than 40% of the island is covered in the precious commodity of sand, and there are correspondingly wide and long sandy beaches here. You can even cruise around on them in your van or car right down to the water’s edge. However, it is forbidden to spend the night in your van on the beach.
You can easily reach the island via the Rømødæmningen road causeway.
2. Ribe – Journey into the Danish Middle Ages
Ribe is the oldest town in Denmark and also has the oldest cathedral in the country. Its history dates back to the early Viking Age. In the Middle Ages, Ribe was one of the most important port cities in Denmark. Many historic buildings are still well preserved in Ribe and you can visit them.
If you were to ask someone how they imagine a typical Danish city, they would simply have to describe Ribe.
3. Esbjerg – Man by the sea
The harbor town of Esbjerg is less spectacular. However, there is a pretty cool 9-metre-high sculpture group by artist Svend Wiig Hansens just outside its gates, which is well worth a stopover. The concrete monument, which consists of 4 seated figures staring into the horizon, is about man’s encounter with nature.
4. Blåvandshuk Fyr – lighthouse next to bunkers
A country with over 7,000 km of coastline like Denmark naturally also has many lighthouses. They often look very similar, but a few of them are quite special. This includes Blåvandshuk Fyr near Blavand, which has been here since 1899. From its viewing platform, you really do have one of the most beautiful views of the west coast. The tower is 39 meters high.
There are also many bunkers here, almost all of which you can see from above, but you can also discover and inspect them afterwards on a walk.
5. Lyngvig Fyr – photogenic lighthouse
And another Denmark highlight is one of these photogenic lighthouses. The 38-metre-high Lyngvig lighthouse is located on the Holmsland Klit spit.
From the top floor, you can watch the roaring waves of the North Sea to the west, while the Ringkøbing Fjord to the east is a little more leisurely.
6. Bøvling Klit – Lonely beaches by the fjord
Bøvling Klit is a small spit of land with a sandy beach between the North Sea and Nissum Fjord.
There really isn’t much here apart from a few houses and lots of dunes – perfect if you’re just looking for peace and quiet or love secluded, mile-long walks along the beach.
7. Bovbjerg Fyr – lighthouse in red
This lighthouse is different from many others because it is red. But to be honest, that’s all there is to its special features.
The view from its platform is not really spectacular. What is spectacular, however, is the view from the adjacent cliffs down to the groynes of the beach, to which you can descend a long staircase.
8. Thy National Park – breathtaking nature
You could spend whole days in Denmark’s oldest national park and still not have explored everything. It is famous for its beautiful heathland between huge dunes, but also for the waves at the so-called Cold Hawaii and its clear lakes, which are among the cleanest in the country.
9. Rubjerg Knude – Gone with the wind
This abandoned lighthouse is probably one of the most famous sights in Denmark and an extremely popular photo spot. The never-resting sand of the surrounding shifting dune has already reclaimed some of the civilization here.
It is most beautiful here just before sunset. By then, most of the tourists are often back at the hotel and you can take a photo or two without people in the picture.
10. Råbjerg Mile – Denmark’s largest sandpit
Sand, sand and more sand – that describes this Danish attraction very accurately, as the Råbjerg Mile is Denmark’s largest shifting sand dune.
The “Danish Sahara”, as the dune is also known, extends over around 120 hectares and comprises approx. 3.5 million m³ of sand. It moves around 15 meters towards the Baltic Sea every year. At its highest points, the dune is a full 40 meters high.
11. Grenen – Where the Baltic and North Seas kiss
Grenen, which means “branch” in Danish, is the small sandy headland north of the small town of Skagen. This is the place where the North Sea meets the Baltic Sea.
However, you will rarely see this headland in its natural splendor, as most of the time it is full of tourists, who are even ferried across the beach on tractors.
12. Den tilsandede Kirke – The silted-up church of St. Laurentius
For some reason, this small church has become one of Denmark’s most popular tourist highlights – even though only its steeple still exists. The nave was demolished in 1805 due to heavy silting.
What’s more, the ruins are nestled in a beautiful landscape. So it’s still worth a visit.
13. Rebild Brakker National Park – hilly heath
This beautiful national park is not really known beyond the region, but there are numerous hiking trails that take you past the heather-covered hills where sheep often graze. Of course, it is most beautiful here when the heather is in bloom in August and September. But you shouldn’t miss out on this national park outside the flowering season either.
Around the national park you will also find lots of forests full of lakes and springs, such as Rold Skov. There is also a large network of cycling and hiking trails.
14. Aarhus – the smallest city in the world
Aarhus is Denmark’s second largest city and is also known as the smallest city in the world due to its many great attractions, but only has around 330,000 inhabitants. The many architectural highlights alone make it well worth a visit.
Find out here what you can experience in fantastic Aarhus:
15. Moesgård Museum – History of the people and Denmark
One of Denmark’s best museums gives you an impressive insight into the history of mankind, the Vikings and the development of Denmark. In the Moesgård Museum, there are not just boring texts, but lots of interactive elements to discover that tell stories from a time long past in a very lively way.
16. Burial mound at Jelling – Viking Age up close
Over 1,000 years ago, the Viking kings Gorm the Old and his son Harald the Blue-toothed had this burial mound built, which was surrounded by a mighty granite ship. Today, this site is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site and you can walk along the former palisades to get a better idea of the scale of this Viking Age monument.
In the middle of the area is a church and next to it are two rune stones on which the name of Denmark was first mentioned in writing. A museum has also been built next to the sacred site. Admission is free of charge.
17. “The Wave” in Vejle – Living in waves
The town of Velje is at least worth a stopover. Because here you can marvel at one of the coolest architectural sights – the spectacular, wave-shaped residential building with the simple but fitting name “The Wave”.
The building represents the hilly landscape of the region and the town’s seafaring past. It consists of 105 apartments whose residents look directly onto the yacht harbor and the Vejle Fjord Bridge opposite.
Not far from “The Wave” is the curved Fjordenhus by architect Olafur Eliasson, another Danish architectural highlight.
18. Helnæs Sogn – Peninsula insider tip on Funen
Helnæs is a fairly unknown but very interesting peninsula on the Danish island of Funen. Even the approach to Helnæs is spectacular. You can only reach the peninsula via a very thin spit of land on which a road barely fits.
Five burial mounds bear witness to the fact that people have lived here since the Stone Age. Otherwise, the island is characterized by typical thatched cottages, lots of nature and a few beaches. A 28-metre-high lighthouse also adorns the coast of the peninsula.
19. Egeskov Castle – moated castle with award-winning gardens
Egeskov Castle, built in 1554, is one of the most beautiful moated castles in Denmark, surrounded by a fantastic garden complex with a variety of gardens, such as a scented garden, water garden, hedge maze and seasonal garden.
Inside the castle there are many historical pieces of furniture and objects. Probably the most spectacular is the doll’s house. This is no ordinary doll’s house, but a veritable mini-palace.
There are also several museums and exhibitions to marvel at, such as a vintage car museum, a camping museum and a historic merchant’s store.
20. Storebæltsbroen and Øresundsbron – masterpieces of engineering
These two bridges are a masterpiece of engineering. One connects the island of Funen with the island of Zealand (Storebæltsbroen), the other takes you from Denmark to Sweden (Øresundsbron).
The Storebælts Bridge is split in two and is 18 km long, with a 2.7 km section being the longest suspension bridge in Europe. The Øresunds Bridge is only around 16 km long, but no less spectacular.
21. Møns Klint – White giants by the sea
Møns Klint stands for limestone cliffs that are so white that they will dazzle you as you walk from the forest towards the coast to marvel at the white giants. Next to them, the water shimmers so turquoise-blue and green that you could be forgiven for thinking this is the Caribbean.
You can walk along the edge of the cliffs at the top, or along the beach at the bottom. A few steep wooden steps lead you down. It’s almost a bit like the Jasmund National Park on Germany’s largest island, Rügen.
22. Legoland – amusement park for young and old
Of course, anyone who compiles a list of the most famous sights in Denmark without mentioning Legoland has not done their homework.
Everyone is probably already familiar with this place. It is an absolute highlight , especially for families.
23. The Little Mermaid – Copenhagen’s landmark
This Danish attraction is only about 120 cm tall, but it is Copenhagen’s landmark.
This bronze statue is based on the Little Mermaid in the fairy tale of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen – Denmark’s most famous writer and poet.
You can find all sights and secrets of Copenhagen here:
24. H.C. Andersen Hus in Odense – Danish poet
While we’re on the subject of Hans Christian Andersen, this museum in Odense should not be missing from this list of Denmark sights.
Here you will get to know the poet and his works better through sound, light, space and staging. The exhibition was created by 12 international artists and is located in an architecturally appealing building.
25. World map near Hobro – world tour in small
This attraction, which is particularly popular with families, is an adventure park that looks like a small map of the world from above. The different continents are small islands in a lake. There is also a petting zoo, mini golf, playgrounds and bouncy cushions for the little ones.
26. NyHavn in Copenhagen – colorful houses on the waterfront
Pretty much every souvenir store in Denmark probably sells postcards with the motif of the colorful, lined-up houses that frame the Nyhavn in Copenhagen.
The numbers often attached to the old houses reveal their age. Many of them were built as early as the 17th and 18th centuries and once served as warehouses as well as homes. Many of them are still inhabited today. Most of them also have a café or restaurant on the ground floor.
27. Jægersborg Dyrehave – Leaping deer
This 11 km² park and castle in the north of Copenhagen is home to over 2000 deer of various breeds that roam freely in the area. The park is even a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
28. Rosenborg Castle – Danish treasures
Right in the center of Copenhagen, on the edge of the royal garden Kongens Have, lies this small castle. For 400 years, it has housed the most valuable treasures of the Danish royal family, including the crown jewels and royal regalia.
Which Denmark sight should have made it onto this list? I look forward to a comment from you with your tips!
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