How could the home of Lego and Hans Christian Anderson be anything other than an attractive family destination? Let’s see.
Island Life
Far from a homogeneous land mass, Denmark consists of 400 islands that provide fascinating towns and cities, stunning seascapes, remote corners and always a liberating sense of freshness and space.
Little children love boats, and ferries are always on hand to run you around the archipelago. Denmark also boasts a well-developed network of cycle paths, making this an attractive country for family biking. In the major cities as well, two wheels are usually considered better than four and cycles are given priority.
Capital fun
‘Wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen’ provides a wealth of attractions for families, and regular budget flights mean that airline tickets are well priced if you shop carefully and snap up seats well in advance. As with any city break, hotels and air fares tend to be cheaper if you avoid weekend days and peak times.
Denmark’s delightful capital offers superb zoos, amusement parks, planetariums and museums for kids. Unmissable for any family however is Tivoli, one of the world’s oldest amusement parks which has been in business for 170 years. With a heritage fairground, roller-coasters, stalls, arcades and pantomime shows, Tivoli oozes an old world charm that will melt the hardest of hearts.
Festive frolics
At Christmas, Denmark is a classy and refined alternative to the Lapland tourist trap. The Danes certainly know how to get you in the mood too, and even have a word for it: Hygge (pronounced ‘Hooga’) which means ‘cosiness’ and involves settling down in a winter woolly and sipping your favourite hot tipple. If that leaves the kids cold, then there’s always the array of strictly tasteful festive lights and decorations, Christmas funfairs and tempting seasonal markets.
Beaches? In Denmark?
Of course, and hardly surprising with so much coastline. But these sandy shores are also remarkably accessible from the UK. For a truly unique beach holiday without a nasty pier in sight, a ferry from Harwich will take you to the North Sea island of Fano. Boasting stunning expanses of white sand and picture postcard Danish villages with windmills, sailor cottages and surprisingly lively nightlife, this is the Denmark from all our fairy tales.
According to UN statistics, Denmark is officially the happiest country on earth. Granted, statistics can lie, but there’s plenty in this unique country of the north to put a smile on everyone’s face, young and old.
