This past summer, Denmark was sunshine, shorts, and swimsuits. And castles. And cliffs. And windmills. And ice cream and boats and beaches and music and theater. We did all the things, because a summer like this might not happen again (particularly in typically mild to chilly Denmark)!
Let’s start at castles.
Frederiksborg Slot
At Frederiksborg Castle you can (extensively) tour the castle, and you can view the stunning cathedral, but, most importantly, on weekends you can head downstairs to the former wine cellars and play dress up. In fancy clothes from the actual portraits throughout the castle! This is, in my children’s points of view, the most important aspect of visiting this castle. And so we dress up. Every. Single. Time.
Kronborg Slot
We love Kronborg Castle, and we visit it often. Since Shakespeare’s Hamlet is set there, every August, the castle and the town, Helsingør (aka Elsinore), hold a Shakespeare festival, and it is fantastic. There are live performances, and, throughout the castle, Hamlet is put on, with different scenes performed throughout the grounds. This easily makes August the best time to check out Kronborg – great weather, live theater, cool setting.
Lakes
There are so many lovely lakes around, that on a nice day its great just to get out and explore a bit. This one is near my work in Bagsværd.
About an hour drive from Copenhagen, you can easily get out and see some churches, windmills, and cliffs.
Stevns Klint
First, we visited the old church of Højerup, consecrated in 1357, which fell partially off the Stevns Klint in 1928. Now, visiting the church is more of an open air experience, with the cliff wall open to the sea. This erosion had been occurring for hundreds or years; starting around the 1600s the cliff began overtaking the cemetery, with skeletons beginning to emerge onto the face of the cliff.
Visiting, you can tour the church, and also hike along the cliff and on the beach. There’s a cute cafe and a few small shops on the grounds as well.
Nykøbing Falster
an old medieval city, Nykøbing Falster is beautiful to walk around. There’s a church, and we found an area to picnic next to a windmill. The nearby beaches are vast; while we were there we investigated the many jellyfish (these types don’t sting).
Tisvilde
Tisvilde, on the north west coast of Zealand, has lovely beaches with calm, clear water. Its probably my favorite beach spot. Over the summer, we spent a day there, picnicked, swam, and rented a paddle board. There’s also great beach combing, if you like searching for sea glass.
thecloudsarelowerhere 