Tour of Denmark's Culture & History
Experience group travel for couples and single travellers to Denmark. This European tour provides a travel experience based around key destinations and itineraries that provide authentic experiences in Denmark .A single supplement applies for solo travellers.
From $17,211NZD
Highlights
- 1. Visit Samso, the world's first island to rely entirely on renewable energy.
- 2. Experience the impressive cathedral in Denmark's oldest town, Ribe Domkirke.
- 3. Visit a Viking burial site at Lindholm.
- 4. Spend time at the Utzon centre of design and Architecture. The architect responsible for the Sydney Opera House.
Departure Dates
Departure Date | Price |
---|---|
25 May 2025 Ends 13 June 2025 • 20 days $18,028 Twin $21,542 Single Available | Selected |
25 August 2025 Ends 13 September 2025 • 20 days $18,028 Twin $20,459 Single Available | |
24 May 2026 Ends 12 June 2026 • days $18,028 Twin $20,459 Single Available | |
24 August 2026 Ends 12 September 2026 • days $18,028 Twin $20,459 Single Available |
History and culture of Denmark
Odyssey's Scandinavian tour of Denmark appeals to those curious about the culture & history of Denmark. On this small group tour, experience Denmark's rich contemporary culture and discover its Viking history, architecture, food, and natural wonders. On this tour from Odyssey Traveller we are immersed in the Danish landscape and culture, we visit the happiest city in Europe, the birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen, and the home of the Danish Royal family, among many other wonderful sites. This Odyssey Traveller tour is ideal for the solo traveller or couple.
We spend some 20 days as a small group visiting more than 25 different places that assist in defining Denmark the country.
Highlights of this tour
Some of the highlights of this tour to Denmark include the following visits and learning experiences. In Copenhagen we see Amalienborg Castle, the Church of our Saviour and Tivoli Gardens. Then, we take a guided tour of the fascinating, progressive, autonomous zone of Christiania. We also enjoy an authentic Danish baking class, and a visit to the Carlsberg brewery. In Roskilde, we see Denmark's first Gothic cathedral, and in Borre, we view the wondrous chalk cliffs of Mons Klint. In Kvaendrup we visit Europe's best preserved water castle, the beautiful Egeskov Castle. As a group we also visit some of the spectacular fjords of Denmark and the associated scenery.
During the 20 day small group tour we learn about Denmark. Our days are spent exploring from our base of 6 key towns and cities about the culture and history of Denmark. From Copenhagen to the town built on Lego or Bang & Olufsen or the birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen, you have the chance to visit and explore Denmark. We have some of the best guides to spend time sharing their knowledge of each place we visit. You'll also have the opportunity to learn about Hygge, the Danish concept to wellness and cosiness. You can also start exploring the country by reading our profile on Denmark.
For more details about this tour, click the ‘Top 5’ or ‘Itinerary’ buttons above! If you’re keen to experience this tour, please call or send an email. Or, to book, simply fill in the form on the right hand side of this page.
Gallery
Itinerary
20 days
Day 1: Copenhagen
Accommodation: Comfort Hotel Vesterbro or equivalent
We arrive and meet at our hotel in Copenhagen where we have a welcome dinner.
(D)
Day 2: Copenhagen
Accommodation: Comfort Hotel Vesterbro or equivalent
After breakfast, we begin the day with a visit ot the National Museum of Denmark. Our guides will spend time putting Denmark into a historic and cultural perspective during a 90 minute tour of the museum.
As part of a general city of Copenhagen we visit Amalienborg Castle, the home of the Danish royal family. Then, we visit the magnificent Church of Our Saviour, with its ornate baroque spire.
Later this afternoon, our guide takes us on a walking tour Nyhavn. We also see the iconic Little Mermaid bronze sculpture, which sits on a rock at the city’s waterside, and the canal-front entertainment district of Nyhavn.
As evening approaches you have time to continue exploring Nyhavn with a chance fro an evening meal or refreshment. Odyssey will then arrange for a transfer back to the hotel from this vibrant part of the city.
(B)
Day 3: Copenhagen
Accommodation: Comfort Hotel Vesterbro or equivalent
After breakfast, we take a walking tour of Alternative Christiania, a former military barracks and famously progressive autonomous area of the city.
In the afternoon we visit Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, a marvellous art museum with a particularly lovely sculpture collection, and paintings from many European masters.
The Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek has extensive collections of sculptures and paintings it houses the finest art in Copenhagen.
Paintings by famous Impressionists by Monet – Renoir – Degas – Cézanne from part of the collection. Post Impressionists works by van Gogh – Toulouse-Lautrec – Paul Gauguin represented in the collection as well.
Glyptotheca
A “glyptotheca” is a building or room devoted to works of sculpture – and The Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek houses more than 10,000 works. It has the largest collection of ancient art in Northern Europe – which makes it one of the most popular art museums in Denmark.
(B)
Day 4: Copenhagen
Accommodation: Comfort Hotel Vesterbro or equivalent
After breakfast, we have the morning to explore several of Copehnaghen’s finest attractions: an entrance to the Christiansborg Palace (the Danish seat of government), a visit to the gorgeously peaceful Royal Library Gardens, and entrance to the Design Museum Denmark.
This afternoon we travel to Sweden where we spend the afternoon learning about Malmo. Our journey is made using the tunnel bridge between the two cities that opened in 2000. WE have a guided tour of Malmo, before enjoying a few hours at your own leisure to explore the city. We have a group evening meal and then return to Copenhagen in the evening.
(B,D)
Day 5: Nykobing
Accommodation: Miling Hotel or equivalent
After breakfast, we transfer to Roskilde via coach. There, we visit Denmark’s first Gothic cathedral, the imposing Roskilde Cathedral. Then, we visit the Viking ship museum and take a sailing trip on Roskilde Fjorde.
Next, we travel to Borre, where we walk the 994 steps to view the magnificent chalk cliffs of Mons Klint. We then transfer to Nykobing where we spend the night.
(B)
Day 6: Nykobing
Accommodation: Miling Hotel or equivalent
In the morning, after breakfast, we transfer by coach to Nakskov. There, we take a cruise with a postboat – which takes letters and good to the islanders – on the Nakskov Fjord. Following the cruise, we transfer to Stokkemarke where we visit the Knuthenlund farm shop, where we take a guided tour which includes a cheese tasting. To end the day we return to Nykobing where we spend the night.
(B)
Day 7: Sonderborg
Accommodation: Scandic Sonderborg or equivalent
After breakfast, we transfer to Tars, and take a ferry to Spodsbjerg and transfer from there to Svendborg. Here, we’ll visit Valdemars Slot, a small seventeenth century palace. Also on Svdendborg, we’ll visit a winery and enjoy a tasting. We then head to Kvaerndrup where we’ll enter the picturesque Egeskov Castle, the best preserved water castle in Europe. After this we travel to Bojden, take a ferry to Fynshav; from here we transfer back to Sonderborg where we spend the night.
(B)
Day 8: Sonderborg
Accommodation: Scandic Sonderborg or equivalent
Today, following breakfast, we begin by boarding a coach to head to Sonderborg in southern Denmark. We have a guided tour of the city’s main sights. Entrance is included to the Dybbol Banke 1864 museum (a building with remarkable architecture), which commemorates the Danish-Prussian war of 1864. We also visit the picturesque Dybbol Mill.
Following this, we take a guided tour along the Gendarme Path, a picturesque route once used by border Gendarmes, to Padborg. We then visit one of Europe’s best-preserved prisoner of war camps, the Froslev Camp Museum.
We return to Sonderborg where we spend the night.
(B)
Day 9: Ribe
Accommodation: Hotel Dagmar or equivalent
After breakfast, we begin the day with a transfer to the medieval town of Tonder, near the Danish-German border, where we enjoy a guided tour of the city’s main sites. We get the opportunity to view the lovely Castle Schlackenborg. We then transfer to Skaerbek, where we have a guided tour of the Hjemsted Oldtidspark open air museum. The museum recreates Danish life in the iron age. We then transfer to Ribe where we spend the night.
(B)
Day 10: Ribe
Accommodation: Hotel Dagmar or equivalent
After breakfast we take a tour of Ribe, Denmark’s oldest town. Ribe Domkirke (Ribe’s cathedral) is one of Denmark’s most impressive attractions, containing a range of architectural styles as evidence of its long history – the building’s first stone was laid in 1110. We visit the Ribe Viking Museum, where visitors discover what it was like to live, work, fight, and worship as a Viking.
Pending timing and availability, there is also the opportunity tot take an afternoon “Black Sun” tour, in which we witness the birds begin their migration in response to the earlier setting of the sun.
We spend the night in Ribe.
(B)
Day 11: Ribe
Accommodation: Hotel Dagmar or equivalent
Today, after breakfast at the hotel, we take an excursion to Wadden Sea National Park, a popular spot for birds and seals. We take a tour to Samso (either by tractor bus or on foot, depending on the tide). Following the day of exploring, we return to Ribe to spend the night.
(B)
Day 12: Aalborg
Accommodation: Hotel Phoenix or equivalent
After breakfast, we transfer to Herning, where we will visit the Textilforum, an excellent design museum with a focus on the local textile industry. Next, we transfer to Struer, where weenjoy a guided tour of the Struer Museum, which celebrates the region’s beauty and successes, and includes a Bang & Olufsen showroom. We then transfer to Aalborg where we spend the night.
(B)
Day 13: Aalborg
Accommodation: Hotel Phoenix or equivalent
After breakfast at the hotel, we transfer to Hou and take a ferry to the island of Samso where we enjoy a “green energy” tour. Samso is entirely powered by renewable energy, and was the first ever island to be so. Samso is the home of the Energy Academy, a centre of research and education. After our visit we take a ferry back to Hou, and return to Aalberg where we spend the night.
(B)
Day 14: Aalborg
Accommodation: Hotel Phoenix or equivalent
Today we enjoy a guided tour of Aalborg, a charming and lively city which claims to be Europe’s happiest! We enjoy a Smorrebrod lunch in a local restaurant. Smorrebrod is a Danish open-faced sandwich, typically rye bread topped with meat, cheese, or fish. In the afternoon we visit the magificent Utzon center, an architecture design museum and educational centre designed by Jorn Utzon and his son Kim.
We spend the night in Aalborg.
(B,L)
Day 15: Aalborg
Accommodation: Phoenix Hotel or equivalent
We follow breakfast with an Excurson to North Jutland from where we will be able to view Skaggerak (a strait running between Norway, Sweden, and Denmark) and the Rabjerg Mile sand dunes. We’ll also see Tilsandene Kirke, or the Sand-Covered Church; a striking fourteenth century church that was closed in 1795, ending nearly 200 years of the congregation having to dig away an obstructive sand drift in order to access the door. Then, we visit the Viking Burial site and museum at Lindholm Hoje in the beautiful Danish countryside. Then we return to Aalborg to spend the night.
(B)
Day 16: Odense
Accommodation: First Hotel grand or equivalent
In the morning, following breakfast, we transfer to Aarhus where we will head to the Moesgaard Museum. This is an open-air museum with a focus on ethnography and anthropology, which guides us through Denmark’s storied history. You then have the chance to explore Aarhus, a beautiful harbour town and Denmark’s second largest city, by yourself. We then transfer to Jelling where we’ll experience the wonder of the Jelling stones, with runes inscribed upon them. We then transfer to Odense where we’ll spend the night.
(B)
Day 17: Odense
Accommodation: First Hotel grand or equivalent
In the morning, after breakfast, a guide shows us the local sites related to Hans Christian Andersen, who was born in Odense. We then visit the Hans Christian Andersen Museum. We then take a guided tour of Funen Nillage, an open air museum that has around 30 buildings from the seventeenth to nineteenth century, all moved to the museum from the Funen region. The village is also home to approximately fifty animals, all old breeds that may have populated the original Funen villages. We enjoy coffee and cake at a local restaurant.
We spend the night in Odense.
(B)
Day 18: Copenhagen
Accommodation: Comfort Hotel Vesterbro or equivalent
After breakfast we begin the day with a transfer to Hillerod. We visit the extraordinary and ornate Frederiksborg Castle. We then see the Nordmandsdalen sculpture park, which holds seventy statues. The park was originally created in the eighteenth century and recently recreated. We then travel to Humblebaek where we visit the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, which houses one of the finest collections of international modern art. Then, travelling to Copenhagen, we stop to view the astonishing Oresund Bridge, which joins Sweden and Denmark. We spend the night in Copenhagen.
(B)
Day 19: Copenhagen
Accommodation: Comfort Hotel Vesterbro or equivalent
After breakfast, we begin our day with a Copenhagen canal boat tour. We then enjoy a walking tour we learn about the increasingly popular Danish concept of “hygge”, and how it relates to Danish culture and lifestyle. The afternoon is at your leisure, and we enjoy a farewell dinner in Tivoli Gardens.
(B,D)
Day Copenhagen: 20
We have breakfast at the hotel. Program concludes after breakfast.
(B)
Includes / Excludes
What’s included in our Tour
- 19 nights of hotel accommodation.
- 19 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 7 dinners.
- Transport in comfortable and modern coaches.
- Ferry services.
- Services of Tour Leader for the duration of tour.
- All excursions, entrance fees and local guides.
- Service charges and gratuities.
What’s not included in our Tour
- International airfares and departure taxes.
- Comprehensive travel insurance.
- Items of a personal nature such as telephone calls and laundry.
Participants must be able to carry their own luggage, climb and descend stairs, be in good health, mobile and able to participate in 3-5 hours of physical activity per day, the equivalent of walking / hiking up to 8 kilometers per day on uneven ground.
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Easing your journey
Crossing international borders with restrictions
The list of requirements to travel internationally has changed and will continue to change for several years. Odyssey is here to assist you in managing your way through these requirements:
For more information see our Crossing international borders with restrictions page.
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If less than 30 days before your tour starts you are unable to travel as a result of Government travel restrictions, Odyssey Traveller will assist you with a date change, provide you with a credit or process a refund for your booking less any non-recoverable costs.
See Terms and conditions for details.
Peace of Mind Travel
The safety of our travellers, tour leader, local guide and support staff has always been our top priority and with the new guidelines for public health and safety for keeping safe for destinations around the world, we’ve developed our plan to give you peace of mind when travelling with us.
See Peace of Mind Travel for details.
Reading List Download PDF
The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living
Meik Wiking
Embrace Hygge (pronounced hoo-ga) and become happier with this definitive guide to the Danish philosophy of comfort, togetherness, and well-being.
Why are Danes the happiest people in the world? The answer, says Meik Wiking, CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, is Hygge. Loosely translated, Hygge—pronounced Hoo-ga—is a sense of comfort, togetherness, and well-being. "Hygge is about an atmosphere and an experience," Wiking explains. "It is about being with the people we love. A feeling of home. A feeling that we are safe."
Hygge is the sensation you get when you’re cuddled up on a sofa, in cozy socks under a soft throw, during a storm. It’s that feeling when you’re sharing comfort food and easy conversation with loved ones at a candlelit table. It is the warmth of morning light shining just right on a crisp blue-sky day.
How to Live in Denmark: A humorous guide for foreigners and their Danish friends
Kay Xander Mellish
Life as a foreigner in Denmark, one of the world's most homogenous countries, isn't always easy. In this book Kay Xander Mellish – an American who has lived in Denmark for more than a decade – offers a fun guide to Danish culture and Danish manners, as well as tips on how to find a job, a date, someone to talk to or something to eat.
A History of Denmark
Knud J. V. Jespersen
From the Reformation to present day, this book guides the reader through 500 years of wars, territorial losses, domestic upheavals, and changes in thought in Denmark's history. Looking carefully at the development of Danish identity, the author explores whether Danes can be most aptly described as a tribe or a nation. Using new research and original theories, it's the perfect introduction to the fascinating and relatively unknown history of this Scandinavian country.
The Almost Nearly Perfect People: Behind the Myth of the Scandinavian Utopia
Michael Booth
The Danes are the happiest people in the world, and pay the highest taxes.
'Neutral' Sweden is one of the biggest arms manufacturers in the world.
Finns have the largest per capita gun ownership after the US and Yemen.
54 per cent of Icelanders believe in elves.
Norway is the richest country on earth.
Michael Booth has lived among the Scandinavians, on and off, for over ten years, perplexed by their many strange paradoxes and character traits and equally bemused by the unquestioning enthusiasm for all things Nordic and hygge that has engulfed the rest of the world.
He leaves his adopted home of Denmark and embarks on a journey through all five of the Nordic countries to discover who these curious tribes are, the secrets of their success and, most intriguing of all, what they think of each other. Along the way a more nuanced, often darker picture emerges of a region plagued by taboos, characterised by suffocating parochialism and populated by extremists of various shades.
How to be Danish: A journey to the cultural heart of Denmark
Patrick Kingsley
What links Sarah Lund and Lars von Trier? Or Carlsberg and Kierkegaard? Or even Shakespeare and Metallica? The answer lies in Denmark, the country that has gripped the British imagination more than any other in recent memory. But though we watch their TV series, wear their jumpers, and play with their toys, how much do we really know about the Danes themselves? From Lego to lava lamps - via Borgen, The Killing, and the Muhammed cartoons - Patrick Kingsley takes us on a journey into the mysterious heart of Denmark.
The Vikings
Else Roesdahl
Far from being just 'wild, barbaric, axe-wielding pirates', the Vikings created complex social institutions, oversaw the coming of Christianity to Scandinavia and made a major impact on European history through trade, travel and far-flung consolidation. This encyclopedic study brings together the latest research on Viking art, burial customs, class divisions, jewelry, kingship, poetry and family life. The result is a rich and compelling picture of an extraordinary civilization.
The Year of Living Danishly: Uncovering the Secrets of the World's Happiest Country
Helen Russell
When she was suddenly given the opportunity of a new life in rural Jutland, journalist and archetypal Londoner Helen Russell discovered a startling statistic: the happiest place on earth isn’t Disneyland, but Denmark, a land often thought of by foreigners as consisting entirely of long dark winters, cured herring, Lego and pastries.
What is the secret to their success? Are happy Danes born, or made? Helen decides there is only one way to find out: she will give herself a year, trying to uncover the formula for Danish happiness.
From childcare, education, food and interior design to SAD, taxes, sexism and an unfortunate predilection for burning witches, The Year of Living Danishly is a funny, poignant record of a journey that shows us where the Danes get it right, where they get it wrong, and how we might just benefit from living a little more Danishly ourselves.
The Tragedy of Hamlet: Prince of Denmark
William Shakespeare
Hamlet is Shakespeare's most popular, and most puzzling, play. It follows the form of a "revenge tragedy," in which the hero, Hamlet, seeks vengeance against his father's murderer, his uncle Claudius, now the king of Denmark. Much of its fascination, however, lies in its uncertainties.
Among them: What is the Ghost--Hamlet's father demanding justice, a tempting demon, an angelic messenger? Does Hamlet go mad, or merely pretend to? Once he is sure that Claudius is a murderer, why does he not act? Was his mother, Gertrude, unfaithful to her husband or complicit in his murder?
Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow
Peter Høeg
She thinks more highly of snow and ice than she does of love. She lives in a world of numbers, science and memories--a dark, exotic stranger in a strange land. And now Smilla Jaspersen is convinced she has uncovered a shattering crime...
It happened in the Copenhagen snow. A six-year-old boy, a Greenlander like Smilla, fell to his death from the top of his apartment building. While the boy's body is still warm, the police pronounce his death an accident. But Smilla knows her young neighbor didn't fall from the roof on his own. Soon she is following a path of clues as clear to her as footsteps in the snow. For her dead neighbor, and for herself, she must embark on a harrowing journey of lies, revelation and violence that will take her back to the world of ice and snow from which she comes, where an explosive secret waits beneath the ice....
Vasa: A Swedish War Ship
Frederick M. Hocker
Vasa was the most modern warship imaginable in 1628. Her ability for fast and aggressive sailing, the multiple gun deck and the heavy, custom-made guns were innovations. She was meant to be a key asset for Sweden in a bid for power in Northern Europe. But as with most brilliant innovations there are also failures, and the ship sank on her maiden voyage, a spectacular, costly and embarrassing fiasco.
This book contains new information about the ship and the people who built and sailed it. And then there's the story of the discovery of the wreck and its challenging and exciting recovery. The dramatic story-telling is backed up by ground-breaking research, as Fred Hocker unfolds new facts that have now been brought to light.
The 17th-century was an era of visual symbols. Photographs and historical reconstructions have been made especially for this book. Important themes are shown on double-page spreads and there is a fold-out guide to Vasa's rich ornamentation - a powerful symbolic reference to the glory of the Swedish king.
Escape from the Third Reich: The Harrowing True Story of the Largest Rescue Effort Inside Nazi Germany
Sune Persson
The Swedish Red Cross expedition to the German concentration camps from March to April 1945 was the largest rescue effort inside Germany during WWII. Led by Count Bernadotte of Wisborg, the mission became known for its distinctive buses. Each bus was purposefully painted entirely white except for the Red Cross emblem on the side so that they would not be mistaken for military targets. According to conservative figures in May 1945, at least 17,000 prisoners were transported to Sweden by these white buses.
In the first book to detail this remarkable and hazardous operation, and with never-before-published photographs of the bus journeys, the details of Bernadotte’s harrowing expedition to Ravensbruck concentration camp and his secret negotiations with Heinrich Himmler are revealed
Gustav Vigeland: His Art and Sculpture Park
Tone Wikborg and Ruth Waaler
Vigeland's work belongs within the humanistic tradition in art. He has been preoccupied with man at all stages of life. Oslo's Vigeland Park, is the largest sculpture park in the world by a single artist, boasting over 200 pieces by Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland. The collection, dubbed "The Weirdest Statues in the World" by The Daily Mail, includes everything from a woman embracing a giant lizard to a naked man fighting flying babies, and everything in between.
Letters written in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark (Oxford World's Classics)
Mary Wollstonecraft
This engaging volume was pioneering feminist Mary Wollstonecraft's most popular book during her lifetime. Difficult to categorize, it is both an arresting travel book and a moving exploration of her personal and political selves. Wollstonecraft set out for Scandinavia just two weeks after her first suicide attempt, on a mission from the lover whose affections she doubted, to recover his silver on a ship that had gone missing. With her baby daughter and a nursemaid, she traveled across the dramatic landscape and wrote sublime descriptions of the natural world, and the events and people she encountered. Fascinating appendices include Imlay's commission to recover his lost silver, Wollstonecraft's recently discovered letter to the Danish Prime Minister asking for assistance, the private letters she wrote to Imlay during her travels in Scandinavia, a chapter from Godwin's memoir of Wollstonecraft, and a selection of contemporary reviews.
Tour of Denmark's Culture & History