Photo taken in Sagnlandet
My niece and nephews are coming to visit us in Denmark during their month long school holidays in Singapore next June. And I am so excited about it!!! I am already planning their itinerary now :-)When we think of Denmark, what comes to mind?
Farms, forests, flowers, fields, fjords, fun parks, festivals, fortresses, food, films, flea markets, forefathers' times (i.e. the museums and the viking era experiences), folk & culture and the famous touristic attractions (Ya, it is a coincidence that many of these nouns all start with the letter 'f' :-))
Denmark, it is a land filled with sensory experiences for kids, many of which are inspired and drawn from the Danish nature... no wonder the Danes are the world's happiest folk endowed with a deep love for learning rising from within - most likely influenced by their long, carefree and enriched childhood experiences :-)
Here is a post that tries to capture with pictures what childhood is like in Denmark.
This list is researched and compiled based on what Singaporean children could see and do in Denmark during their month long June school holidays. Apart from the usual main attractions in Copenhagen, the key aim of this list is to go a little deeper to give the Singaporean children an opportunity to experience and to get a taste of the Nordic Danish childhood as experienced by Danish kids growing up in Denmark.
My idealistic wish is that each and every Singaporean child could be enriched with a taste of the Nordic Danish childhood once in his/her life time, and I would like to start that with my own nieces and nephews :-)
I am so excited, I can't wait to share these experiences with my nieces and nephews :-)
1. Festivals
There are countless number of wonderful and exciting festivals in Denmark especially during the summer. Here are some of them which I picked for my nieces' and nephews' visit:
- Go back in time at The Copenhagen Medieval Market (Københavns Middelaldermarked) 2-5 June 2017
- Picnic at the Furesø Picnic Festival 2-3 June 2018
- Soak in the atmosphere at Hillerød City Party (Hillerød Slotssø Byfest) 9-11 June 2017
- Soak in the atmosphere at Rødovre City Party 15-18 June 217 with amusement rides (Rødorve Byfest)
- See the sand sculpture made by international artists at the Sand Festival
The Danish farms are surprisingly clean and pleasant. They are very cosy and fun to visit. The animals are very well-treated. I believe this adds to the wonderful cozy relax ambiance of the Danish farms. Unlike many other countries, farmers are also equally respected in Denmark. Thus, you get the feeling that the farmers genuinely love what they are doing and take great pride in their work. That vibe triggers down to the farm visitors. The animals are relaxed and the farms are not stressed for any production. I would also say that visiting Denmark without visiting a Danish farm would be a pity. Here are some of the farms or farm-related festivals you can visit:
- Free Children's Animal Farm & Playground (Bondegården Sundbyvester): see rabbits, horse-carriage, pony-ride, feed goats
- Free horse-carriage ride at Grantoftegaard Farm on Tuesdays and Wednesday from 10 am - 1 pm (except lunch time 11.30am - 12pm) and you don't have to reserve a space
- Free open house farm one weekend a month (Skolelandbruget) in Farum
- Experience a Danish farm-stay, see rabbits, get a pony-ride, feed goats, touch lambs, fezoed pigs, horseback-riding, play with hay, participate in milking a cow, get on a tractor ride, go on a horse-carriage at Lykkebjerg Farm-stay (Lykkebjerg Bondegårdsferie) or if farm-stay is too much for you, you can pay for a day admission and participate in the farm activities for the day.
- Pick your own strawberries, raspberries and peas at Jordbærcentret Vejborggaard (mid June)
- Try out harvesting potatoes yourself at Holmevang Fruit Plantation (Holmevang Frugtplantage)
They say you can't visit Denmark without seeing the Little Mermaid, I would say that a trip to Denmark is not complete without seeing a Danish forest. Denmark is lush with many forests, and the Nordic forests are a beauty to behold. Here are some of the forests you could visit in Denmark.
- Pick wild elderflower at the Sorgenfri Park (Sorgenfriparken) and make Elderflower cordial (late June)
- Go on a wild mushroom-picking trip with a Danish local guide at Hareskoven Forest
- Explore the Danish forest, make forest weed soup over bonfire, play treasure hunt, play at the forest playground with an experienced local from Naturen i Lyngby-Taarbæk, Ud i Naturen, Skovsjov
- Go on a cycling trip to the Danish forest at the forest opposite Sophienholm or the forest between Virum and Holte (Geelskov)
- Come up-close with deers at The Deer Park (Dyrehaven) in Klampenborg
- Try pony-riding or horse-back riding at the Fortunen Ponycenter in the Deer Park (Dyrehaven)
- Take a tour of Dyrehaven in a horse-carriage
- Take the old Danish vintage train ride to see the Danish country-side or fun fair (Nordsjællands Veterantog)
- Experience the Danish nature in Amager Nature Centre (Naturcenter Amager)
- Climb around at the Mariehøj nature playground (Mariehøj Naturlegeplads) in Gl. Holte and its fairy-tale forest, Valby Park Nature Playground (Naturlegepladsen Valbyparken) or the Himmelhøj Nature playground (Naturlegepladen Himmelhøj)
- Adventure with Go Monkey High-rope Park (Klatrepark Go Monkey) in Søborg
- Free guided nature walk, wild plants and herbs picking trips, wild mushroom-picking trips, etc. all over Denmark at Ud i Naturen
- Here you can find free nature activities such as guided nature walk, wild plants and herbs picking trips, wild mushroom-picking trips, etc. within the Kongens Lyngby Copenhagen suburb Danmarks Naturfredningsforening Lyngby-Taarbæk
Surrounding by sea, Denmark is blessed with many quaint harbours and idyllic lakes. Here are some recommendation which we love:
- Swim, picnic, BBQ at Islands Brygge Harbour Bath (Islands Brygge Havnebad), Furesø Lake Bath (Furesøbad), Frederiksdal Free Bath (Frederiksdal Fribad) or Vedbæk Harbour (Vedbæk Havn). If you are going to Frederiksdal Fribad, you can park for free along Virum Vandvej 2, 2830 Virum and it is a 5 mins walk from there. Another place for parking is near Den Gamle Have at Nybrovej 461, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, but it is a little further.
- Feed the ducks with bread at the end of Fæstningkanalen ved Lyngby Hovedgade
- Catch-crabs and have a crab race at Rungsted Harbour (Rungsted Havn), Taarbæk Harbour (Taarbæk Havn), The Blue Base (Den Blå Base: https://bornibyen.dk/koebenhavn/places/17933-blaa-base)
- Go canoeing on Lyngby Lake and enjoy a splendid view of the lakes and its surrounding up-close with canoe rental from Havne-hytten, Nybro Kano or Kanokajakcenter
- Relax in the summer house in Tilsvilde and watch the sun-set
- Soak in the atmosphere at Nyhavn and take the Copenhagen harbour cruise with Netto Bådene
- See the cosy Copenhagen canals by water with GoBoat
- See Frederiksberg Garden (Frederiksberg Have) by boat with Svendsen's Boat Service (Svendsens Bådfart)
- Cruise along Lyngby Lake with Bådfarten Boat Service
- Take a cruise to Olso with DFDS
- See Copenhagen harbour by harbour water-bus with the same price as the bus ticket (Havnebussen)
- Walk on the cliff of Møn and admire its understated beauty (Møns Klint)
- Stay a night at the harbour floating boat hotel (CPH Living Floating Hotel)
This category refers to the historical places and museums in Denmark. Denmark has a high number of museums and they are of a very high quality. Here are some of the best museums you can visit:
- Live like a Viking or Flintstone, make twist-bread-on-a-stick (snobrød) over bonfire, cook stone-age food, canoeing in carve out wood, play viking games, try pottery-making, get a taste of the olden day's food at the open-air viking museum The Land of the Legends (Sagnlandet)
- Sail like a Viking at the reconstructed viking ship departing from the Viking Ship Museum (Vikingskibsmuseet)
- The Open Air Museum (Frilandsmuseet)
- The Viking Fortress (Trelleborg)
- Try out first-hand at different olden day trades and professions at The Worker's Museum (Arbejdermuseet)
- The Children's Museum at the National Museum and its guided tour (Nationalmuseet)
- The guided tour at the National Gallery of Denmark (Statens Museum for Kunst - SKM)
- The Danish Museum of Science & Technology (Danmarks Teknisk Museum) in Helsingør
- The Brede Works Industrialisation of Denmark Museum (Brede Værk)
- Visit the famous Danish children's author Hans Christian Andersen Museum (H. C. Andersens Hus)
- Have a peep also at Hans Christian Andersen's Childhood Home (H. C. Andersens Barndomshjem)
This category refers to all theme parks, water parks, playland, etc.:
- Visit the world's oldest amusement park at Tivoli Gardens, not so much for the state-of-the-art amusement ride, but for it being the world's oldest functioning amusement park that is well-loved by the Danes
- Enter a world of LEGO and have thrilling good time at the original Legoland amusement park
- Visit the new LEGO House in Billund (opening on 28 September 2017)
- Relax and enjoy family time at vacation chalets with fun activities such as water park (Danland)
- Swim in Badesøen Open-air pool (Friluftsbadet Badesøen) in Albertslund or Bavnehøj open-air pool (Bavnehøj Fribad)
- Visit the newly built The LEGO House in Billund
- Jump to reach the sky at Xjump Trampolinpark (Xjump Trampolinpark)
- Ørestad Skating Hall (Ørestad Skøjtehal)
- Have fun with Science through the children's eyes at the Copenhagen Science Centre (Experimentarium)
- Have a splashing good time at Lalandia Water Park
- Solve the mystery and escape out of the Mystery Room
- Come up-close with animals, pat goats, see cow being milked at the Copenhagen Zoo (Zoologisk Have)
- Enter the underwater world of the Blue Planet Aquarium (Den Blå Planet)
- If you don't have so much time, you can try a bit of everything (kids' friendly rides, splashing fun at the water park, make snobrød on bonfire, canoe on a small scenic lake, pet farm animals, climb high-rope, canoe, circus performance, etc.) at Sommerland Sjælland
- Drive go-carts at The Traffic Playground (Trafiklegeplads) in Fælledparken
- The Water Playground (Vandlegeplads) at Fælledparken
- Go climbing at the bouldering climbing gym at Blocs & Walls Copenhagen Climbing Center (Blocs & Walls - Københavns Klatrecenter)
The Danes love to cook and there are many cooking classes catering to kids. Below are some recommendations. While in Copenhagen, do try out the Nordic pizza and salad. Here are some of the more loved Danish food establishments:
- Tim Vladimir's Kitchen (Tim Vladimirs Køkken) in Valby cooking course
- Free Kids 'n' Sushi course during the Life in Lyngby City Festival (Liv i Lyngby Festival)
- Try the traditional Danish open sandwich "smørbrød" at Adamsen's Fisk Deli & Sushibar at Gilleleje Havn (smørbrød)
- Take pizza-making workshop with Gorms Pizza or Eataly
- Make oven-roasted Danish food from Homemate
- Try some Danish pastry at Lagkagehuset
- Have a Danish ice-cream at the Social Foodies, Paradis or Frellsen
- Have a relax day at the Danish Blomsterberg cafe
- Enjoy a high-tea at the Danish Perch's Tea Room
- Mix your own salad at We Do Food
- Try pizzas at Gorms Pizza, Rossopomodoro or Rosetta
- Try some finger gourmet delicacies at the trendy Copenhagen Market Place (Torvehallerne)
- Soak in the atmosphere at Copenhagen Street Food, Copenhagen's Meatpacking District Food & Market (Købyen) or Meyer
- Try the Danish beef tartar stall at La Boca at the West Market
- Bake buns, make pizza and pancakes at home
Judging by the vast number of fortresses and castles in Denmark, it is indeed a fairy-tale country steep in the tradition of royalty. Here are some of the fortresses/castles you could visit:
- See the changing of guards and get an insight into the Danish royal history at the Amalienborg Palace
- See the ruins - remainings of the wall from Bishop Absalon’s Castle from the 11th century under the Christianbog Palace (Christianborg Slot)
- See the Christianborg Slot's Tower and get a spectacular view of the city
- The Frederiksborg Castle (Frederiksborg Slot)
- The Kronborg Castle (Kronborg Slot)
- The Rosenborg Castle (Rosenborg Slot)
- The Marble Church (Marmorkirken)
- The Copenhagen Cathedral (Vor Frue Kirke)
- The beautiful Egeskov Castle and Gardens (Egeskov Slot)
After a long, dark and cold winter, in end April and early May, Denmark comes alive with the smell of spring and flowers blooming all over the Danish countryside. The color and beauty they add to the Danish meadows and gardens during the Danish spring time is unforgettable. Here are what you can see during the Danish spring time:
- See flowers at the Botanical garden
- The King's Garden (Kongens Have)
- See the beautiful gardens at Tivoli Gardens
- Flowers in The Ørsted Park (Ørstedsparken)
- Birkegården Gardens (Birkegårdens Haver)
- Fredensborg Palace Garden (Fredensborg Slot)
- Lyngby Florist The Four Seasons (De fire Årstider)
The Danes are a creative lot. Their theatres, films and shows are of a very high quality.
- Watch the superb Free Marionet Puppet Theatre show (Marionet Teatret) at The King's Garden
- More kids' theatre: Det Lille Teatre
- The Flying Superkids
- Watch the Danish Circus (Cirkus Arena)
Flea-markets are very common in Denmark. Almost every city, county and town has its own flea-markets on weekends. Here are some of the bigger and more interesting one plus the shopping centers:
- Visit the Flea-market in Lyngby, Charlottenlund or Holte
- Stroll along the car-free Copenhagen shopping Street (Strøget)
- Visit the largest shopping center in Denmark - The Fields Shopping Center
- Visit Fisketorvet Shopping Center - check out the glass aquarium within the shopping centre
- Visit Lyngby Shopping Centre (Lyngby Storcenter) - this is included because it is near to where we live.
- Visit the LEGO Store in Strøget - Free LEGO on Thursdays from 4-6 pm
Folk and culture refers to the street lives, community lives, etc. that give you a glimpse of the Danish daily life. If you have a bit more time, do check out the following:
- Join the Copenhagen Free Walking Tours
- Soak in the atmosphere of the Latin Quarter
- Have fun at the play facilities inside the community Center Huset KU.BE at Frederiksberg
- Visit Copenhagen Central Library (Københavns Hovedbibliotek) - kids can tumble round in letters
- Visit Biblioteket Rentemestervej (Rentemestervey Library) - interesting green boxes as part of its interior deco for kids
- Visit the cozy library at Helsingør Hovedbiblioteket Kulturværftet
- Visit a Danish supermarket such as IRMA, Meny, Føtex and Netto
- Visit the campuses of the University of Copenhagen and/or the Copenhagen Business School
13. Calendar of Events for Kids
Or simply follow the latest happenings/activities for kids in the Calendar of Events for Kids in Copenhagen :-)
This plan is compiled after living 16 years in Denmark, and based on the childhood that our children experience growing up in Denmark. In fact, my learning with Denmark increases exponentially after our children come along. I am learning something new about Denmark through our children everyday.
Do also check out my post on Things to Do in Denmark in April & May
Or simply follow the latest happenings/activities for kids in the Calendar of Events for Kids in Copenhagen :-)
This plan is compiled after living 16 years in Denmark, and based on the childhood that our children experience growing up in Denmark. In fact, my learning with Denmark increases exponentially after our children come along. I am learning something new about Denmark through our children everyday.
Do also check out my post on Things to Do in Denmark in April & May
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