Tourism in Denmark is a growing industry and a major economic contributor: tourists spent a total of DKK 128 billion and the tourism industry employed 161,999 people in full time positions in 2017. In 2018, tourists from Denmark's neighboring countries, Germany, Norway, and Sweden, comprised the majority of foreign tourists. That year also saw 30 million international arrivals. The number of overnight visitors has been slightly increasing since 2014; in 2018, 16.6 million tourists stayed overnight. Denmark has long stretches of sandy beaches, attracting many tourists in the summer, with Germany accounting for most foreign visitors. Swedish and Norwegian tourists often come to visit the relatively lively city of

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan a ...

, while many young Scandinavians come for Denmark's comparably cheap and readily accessible beer, wines and spirits. As Europe's oldest kingdom and the home of

Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fairy tales, consist ...

, Denmark is often marketed as a "fairytale country". The term is so ingrained, that it is still used in international news reports, especially when the news is of a nature contradicting the image, such as the Copenhagen riots or the

Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy The ''Jyllands-Posten'' Muhammad cartoons controversy (or Muhammad cartoons crisis, da, Muhammedkrisen) began after the Danish newspaper ''Jyllands-Posten'' published 12 editorial cartoons on 30 September 2005, most of which depicted Muhamma ...

. Denmark has a relatively large outbound tourism, with

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

as primary destination, accounting for 14% of all overnight stays abroad of four days or more in 2013.

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...

ranks as the primary destination outside of Europe at 7%.

Copenhagen and Sealand

The capital

In 2004, Copenhagen Region had 136 hotels with a total of 4.9 million nights spent. In 2018, Copenhagen recorded 9 million overnight stays. In 2019, Copenhagen Port had 348 cruise calls and 940,000 cruise guests. Among the major tourist attractions are

Tivoli Gardens Tivoli Gardens, also known simply as Tivoli, is an amusement park and pleasure garden in Copenhagen, Denmark. The park opened on 15 August 1843 and is the third-oldest operating amusement park in the world, after Dyrehavsbakken in nearby Kla ...

, the

Freetown Christiania Freetown Christiania, also known as Christiania ( da, Fristaden Christiania or '), is an intentional community, commune and micronation in the Christianshavn neighbourhood of the Danish capital city of Copenhagen, Christinia, Christianshavn, C ...

and ''

The Little Mermaid "The Little Mermaid" ( da, Den lille havfrue) is a literary fairy tale written by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. The story follows the journey of a young mermaid who is willing to give up her life in the sea as a mermaid to gain a ...

'' statue, all located in Copenhagen. A survey conducted by the newspaper ''

Berlingske Tidende ''Berlingske'', previously known as ''Berlingske Tidende'' (, ''Berling's Times''), is a Danish national daily newspaper based in Copenhagen. It is considered a newspaper of record for Denmark. First published on 3 January 1749, ''Berlingske'' ...

'' in July 2008 listed ''The Little Mermaid'' as the most popular tourist attraction in

Surrounding area

Kronborg Castle Kronborg is a castle and stronghold in the town of Helsingør, Denmark. Immortalized as Elsinore in William Shakespeare's play ''Hamlet'', Kronborg is one of the most important Renaissance castles in Northern Europe and was inscribed on the UNE ...

in Helsingør is famous for its associations with Shakespeare's ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

''. The

Louisiana Museum of Modern Art The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art is an art museum located on the shore of the Øresund Sound in Humlebæk, north of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is the most visited art museum in Denmark, and has an extensive permanent collection of modern and cont ...

30 km north of Copenhagen is the most visited museum in Denmark, and

Roskilde Festival The Roskilde Festival is a Danish music festival held annually south of Roskilde. It is one of the largest music festivals in Europe and the largest in the Nordic countries. It was created in 1971 by two high school students and a promoter. In 1 ...

near Roskilde 30 km west of Copenhagen attracts over 100,000 guests every year.

Southern Sealand, Lolland, Falster and Møn

In view of its proximity to

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

, one of the most popular areas of Denmark for visitors is the South of Sealand and the neighbouring islands.

Møn Møn () is an island in south-eastern Denmark. Until 1 January 2007, it was a municipality in its own right but it is now part of the municipality of Vordingborg, after merging with the former municipalities of Langebæk, Præstø, and Vordin ...

, with its magnificent chalk cliffs, Liselund Park and its sandy beaches is one of the main destinations.

Falster Falster () is an island in south-eastern Denmark with an area of and 43,398 inhabitants as of 1 January 2010.

has a number of sandy beaches including those at Marielyst. The area also has several tourist attractions including Knuthenborg Safari Park and Middelaldercentret both on

Lolland Lolland (; formerly spelled ''Laaland'', literally "low land") is the fourth largest island of Denmark, with an area of . Located in the Baltic Sea, it is part of Region Sjælland (Region Zealand). As of 1 January 2022, it has 57,618 inhabitan ...

, BonBon-Land near

Næstved Næstved () is a town in the municipality of the same name, located in the southern part of the island of Zealand in Denmark. Næstved has several adult education centers, five elementary schools - and has at least one of each type of the fou ...

and the GeoCenter at

Møns Klint Møns Klint is a 6 km stretch of limestone and chalk cliffs along the eastern coast of the Danish island of Møn in the Baltic Sea. Some of the cliffs fall a sheer 120 m to the sea below. The highest cliff is , which is 128 m above sea le ...

Bornholm

The island of

Bornholm Bornholm () is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of Poland. Strategically located, Bornholm has been fought over for centuries. It has usually been ruled by ...

in the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...

to the south of

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...

has a number of tourist attractions, including rocky seascapes, sandy beaches and fishing villages. Among these towns are

Gudhjem Gudhjem is a small town and fishing port on the northern coast of the Baltic island of Bornholm, Denmark. Its population is 736 (1 January 2022). Gudhjem is a popular venue for tourists who are attracted by its steep, picturesque streets, views ...

, Sandvig,

Svaneke Svaneke (''Swencke'' in 1410, from old Danish ''swan'' swan and ''*wīka'' inlet) is a small town on the eastern coast of the Baltic island of Bornholm, Denmark. It lies mainly in Svaneke parish and partly in Ibsker parish. It is Denmark's east ...

and

Rønne Rønne ( sv, Rönne) is the largest town on the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. It has a population of 13,807 (1 January 2022). It was a municipality in its own right from 1970 until 2002, when Bornholm was a county (Danish: ''Bornh ...

. The ruin of Europe's largest castle, Hammershus, is the island's most famous monument. There are ferry services to Bornholm from Køge near

, from

Ystad Ystad (; older da, Ysted) is a town and the seat of Ystad Municipality, in Scania County, Sweden. Ystad had 18,350 inhabitants in 2010. The settlement dates from the 11th century and has become a busy ferryport, local administrative centre, a ...

in the south of Sweden, from

Rügen Rügen (; la, Rugia, ) is Germany's largest island. It is located off the Pomeranian coast in the Baltic Sea and belongs to the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The "gateway" to Rügen island is the Hanseatic city of Stralsund, where ...

in the north east of Germany and from

Kołobrzeg Kołobrzeg ( ; csb, Kòlbrzég; german: Kolberg, ), ; csb, Kòlbrzég , is a port city in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in north-western Poland with about 47,000 inhabitants (). Kołobrzeg is located on the Parsęta River on the south coast ...

and

Świnoujście Świnoujście (; german: Swinemünde ; nds, Swienemünn; all three meaning "Świna ivermouth"; csb, Swina) is a city and seaport on the Baltic Sea and Szczecin Lagoon, located in the extreme north-west of Poland. Situated mainly on the islands ...

in the north west of Poland. There is also an airport at Rønne.

Funen

Funen Funen ( da, Fyn, ), with an area of , is the third-largest island of Denmark, after Zealand and Vendsyssel-Thy. It is the 165th-largest island in the world. It is located in the central part of the country and has a population of 469,947 as o ...

, linked to Sealand by the

Great Belt Bridge The Great Belt Bridge ( da, Storebæltsbroen) or Great Belt fixed link ( da, Storebæltsforbindelsen) is a multi-element fixed link crossing the Great Belt strait between the Danish islands of Zealand and Funen. It consists of a road suspension ...

, has strong associations with

who was born in

Odense Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (behind Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2022, the city proper had a population of 180,863 while Odense Municipality had a population of 20 ...

. The small coastal towns of

Fåborg Faaborg or Fåborg () is an old port town located on Faaborg Fjord in Faaborg-Midtfyn municipality on the island of Funen in Denmark. By road, Faaborg is located southwest of Odense, west-northwest of Svendborg, and roughly southeast of Mid ...

and

Svendborg Svendborg () is a town on the island of Funen in south-central Denmark, and the seat of Svendborg Municipality. With a population of 27,300 (1 January 2022), Svendborg is Funen's second largest city.Egeskov and Hvedholm and the unspoiled islands of Thurø,

Tåsinge Tåsinge () is a Danish island immediately south of Funen, opposite and facing Svendborg, divided from Funen by Svendborgsund.See detailed Denmark roadmap in References section. The island covers an area of circa . It is part of the South Funen A ...

and Ærø with their narrow streets and thatched cottages.

Jutland

Major cities

The cities of

Aalborg Aalborg (, , ) is Denmark's List of cities in Denmark by population, fourth largest town (behind Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Odense) with a population of 119,862 (1 July 2022) in the town proper and an Urban area, urban population of 143,598 (1 July ...

, in the north, and

Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and approximately northwe ...

, in the east, attract a considerable number of visitors, whether for business or pleasure. Aalborg's 14th century

Budolfi Church Budolfi Church (''Budolfi Kirke'') is the cathedral church for the Lutheran Diocese of Aalborg in north Jutland, Denmark. History Aalborg was already a town in the mid-10th century, with a fine position on the east-west Limfjord that served ...

, 17th century Aalborghus Castle and the

Jomfru Ane Gade Jomfru Ane Gade (English: Virgin Anne's Street), in Aalborg, is a well known street in the northern part of Jutland in Denmark. It has gained popularity for the restaurants and pubs lining both sides of the street. It represents one of the longe ...

(a lively old street close to the city centre) are major attractions. Aarhus is amongst the top 100 conference cities of the World and has seen a large expansion of the hotel business, throughout the last couple of decades. The city is home to several of Denmark's top tourist attractions, including the museum village of

Den Gamle By Den Gamle By, or The Old Town in English, is an open-air town museum located in the Aarhus Botanical Gardens, in central Aarhus, Denmark. In 1914, the museum opened as the world's first open-air museum of its kind, concentrating on town culture ...

(the Old Town), ARoS Art Museum, Moesgård Museum and

Tivoli Friheden Tivoli Friheden is an amusement park located in Aarhus, Denmark. The park was visited by more than 365,000 visitors in 2009, and the figure is rising. The park is situated about 2 km to the south of the city centre. It has several themed se ...

accounting for more than 1.4 million visitors annually. Other important tourist attractions are music festivals and shopping facilities. With one of the largest ports in Northern Europe, more than a dozen international cruise ships docks in Aarhus each year.

Regional attractions

Among Jutland's regional attractions are

Legoland Legoland (, trademark in uppercase as LEGOLAND) is a chain of family theme parks focusing on the construction toy system Lego. They are not fully owned by The Lego Group itself; rather, they are owned and operated by the British theme park co ...

close to

Billund Airport Billund Airport ( da, Billund Lufthavn) is an airport in Denmark. Located northeast of Billund, it serves as one of the country's busiest air cargo centres, as well as a charter airline destination. Most major European airports are connected ...

, the easterly village of Ebeltoft with its cobbled streets and half-timbered houses,

Skagen Skagen () is Denmark's northernmost town, on the east coast of the Skagen Odde peninsula in the far north of Jutland, part of Frederikshavn Municipality in Nordjylland, north of Frederikshavn and northeast of Aalborg. The Port of Skage ...

in the far north known for its seascapes and artist community and the north-west beach resorts of Løkken and Lønstrup. The island of Mors, also known for its natural environment, attracts tourists to its Jesperhus Flower Park and to the cliff at Hanklit which overlooks the sea.

Jelling Jelling is a railway town in Denmark with a population of 3,658 (1 January 2022), located in Jelling Parish, approximately 10 km northwest of Vejle. The town lies 105 metres above sea level. Location Jelling is located in Vejle municipal ...

, near

Vejle Vejle () is a city in Denmark, in the southeast of the Jutland Peninsula at the head of Vejle Fjord, where the Vejle River and Grejs River and their valleys converge. It is the site of the councils of Vejle Municipality ('' kommune'') and the ...

in the south-eastern part of Jutland, is a

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

, famous for its two great tumulus mounds erected in the late 10th century and its runic stones erected by King Harold. Near

Esbjerg Esbjerg (, ) is a seaport town and seat of Esbjerg Municipality on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in southwest Denmark. By road, it is west of Kolding and southwest of Aarhus. With an urban population of 71,698 (1 January 2022) ...

on the west coast stands

Svend Wiig Hansen Svend Wiig Hansen (20 December 1922 – 15 March 1997) was a Danish sculptor and painter. Biography Wiig Hansen was born in Møgeltønder. He was initially undecided about his career, working as a circus clown and a singer until a job requiring hi ...

's enormous sculpture of four chalky white figures gazing out at the sea. Known as ''Mennesket ved havet'' or Men at the Sea and standing 79 m high, it can be seen for miles around.

Cuisine

The new Danish cuisine - part of the

new Nordic cuisine New Nordic Cuisine ( da, Det nye nordiske køkken, sv, Det nya nordiska köket, no, Det nye nordiske kjøkken, fi, Uusi pohjoismainen keittiö) is a culinary movement which has been developed in the Nordic countries, and Scandinavia in partic ...

movement - has gathered international attention in the new millennium as an inspiring, high quality gourmet cuisine with several acclaimed restaurants. The most popular restaurants of this particular cuisine is primarily located in the Copenhagen area such as Noma, Geranium, Restaurant AOC, Den Røde Cottage and many others. Important provincial restaurants serving a new Danish cuisine, includes Ti Trin Ned in

Fredericia Fredericia () is a town located in Fredericia Municipality in the southeastern part of the Jutland peninsula in Denmark. The city is part of the Triangle Region, which includes the neighbouring cities of Kolding and Vejle. It was founded in 16 ...

and Ruths Gourmet in

. Apart from the new Danish cuisine, Denmark has an increasing number of high quality gourmet restaurants serving an international cuisine that has also attracted international attention. Many restaurants in the Copenhagen area has been awarded

Michelin stars The Michelin Guides ( ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The Guide awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few establishments. The acquisition or loss of a ...

and in 2015, restaurants in Aarhus were the first provincial spots to receive this highly acclaimed rating. Many other restaurants throughout the country figures in other important food guides, including the Nordic White Guide. The usual everyday fare of traditional Danish food for the citizens, comprise a lunch of

smørrebrød (; originally , "butter and bread") smørbrød "butter bread" (Norwegian language, Norwegian), is a traditional open-faced sandwich in the cuisine of Denmark, cuisines of Denmark, Cuisine of Norway, Norway and Cuisine of Sweden, Sweden that usua ...

on thinly sliced

rye bread Rye bread is a type of bread made with various proportions of flour from rye grain. It can be light or dark in color, depending on the type of flour used and the addition of coloring agents, and is typically denser than bread made from wheat ...

. On occasion, the sandwiches are richly garnished with onion rings, radish slices, cucumbers, tomato slices, parsley,

remoulade Rémoulade (; ) is a cold sauce. Although similar to tartar sauce, it is often more yellowish, sometimes flavored with curry, and sometimes contains chopped pickles or piccalilli. It can also contain horseradish, paprika, anchovies, capers ...

mayonnaise Mayonnaise (; ), colloquially referred to as "mayo" , is a thick, cold, and creamy sauce or dressing commonly used on sandwiches, hamburgers, composed salads, and French fries. It also forms the base for various other sauces, such as tarta ...

among others. For elaborate lunch meals, it is custom that it starts with seafood, usually fish such as marinated herring, smoked mackerel or eel, shrimp, or breaded plaice filets with

, after which it moves on with meat such as slices of roast pork or beef,

frikadeller A frikadelle (plural frikadellen) is a rounded, flat-bottomed, pan-fried meatball of minced meat, often likened to the German version of meatballs. The origin of the dish is unknown. The term is German but the dish is associated with German, ...

(meat balls), hams and liver pâté. The meal is often accompanied by beer, on occasion also shots of ice-cold snaps or

akvavit ''Akvavit'' or ''aquavit'' (; also ''akevitt'' in Norwegian; ''aquavit'' in English) is a distilled spirit that is principally produced in Scandinavia, where it has been produced since the 15th century. ''Akvavit'' is distilled from grain or po ...

. In the evening, hot meals are usually served. Traditional dishes include battered and fried fish, roast pork with red cabbage, pot-roast chicken, and pork chops. Game is sometimes served in the autumn. Steaks are increasingly popular.

Transport

Air

Copenhagen Airport Copenhagen Airport, Kastrup ( da, Københavns Lufthavn, Kastrup, ; ) is an international airport serving Copenhagen, Denmark, Zealand, the Øresund Region, and southern Sweden including Scania. It is the second largest airport in the Nordi ...

is the largest airport in

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and S ...

. The airport is located at

Kastrup Kastrup () is a suburb of Copenhagen, Denmark, on the east coast of Amager in Tårnby Municipality. It is the site of Copenhagen Airport. In Danish, the airport is often called ''Kastrup Lufthavn'' (Kastrup Airport) or ''Københavns Lufthavn, Kas ...

, 8 km from central

. It is connected by train to

Copenhagen Central Station Copenhagen Central Station ( da, Københavns Hovedbanegård , abbreviated ''København H'') is the main railway station in Copenhagen, Denmark, and the largest railway station in Denmark. With more than 100,000 travellers every day, it is the ...

and beyond as well as to

Malmö Malmö (, ; da, Malmø ) is the largest city in the Swedish county (län) of Scania (Skåne). It is the third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the sixth-largest city in the Nordic region, with a municipal popul ...

and other towns in

. For the west of the country, the major airport is Billund although both

, and

Karup Karup is a town in Viborg Municipality, Denmark. Notable people * Morten Bødskov Morten Bødskov (born 1 May 1970 in Karup) is a Danish Social Democratic politician, and member of the Folketing, currently serving as the Minister for Busine ...

have smaller airports with regular connections to Copenhagen. Motorway map Denmark

Rail

Denmark has a good national railway network. There are also frequent train services to Malmö and other parts of Sweden. Germany is connected both by rail services using the ferries from

Puttgarden is a ferry harbour and a village on the German island of Fehmarn. It lies on an important route between Germany and Denmark known as the Vogelfluglinie which crosses the strait, the Fehmarnbelt, to Rødby on the island of Lolland. Overvie ...

Rødby Rødby is a town, with a population of 1,983 (1 January 2022),Flensburg Flensburg (; Danish, Low Saxon: ''Flensborg''; North Frisian: ''Flansborj''; South Jutlandic: ''Flensborre'') is an independent town (''kreisfreie Stadt'') in the north of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Flensburg is the centre of the ...

Padborg Padborg (german: Pattburg) is a southern Danish border town with a population of 4,311 (1 January 2022)city bikes" stationed at various spots in the downtown area of Copenhagen and Aarhus. The idea is that anyone can take a bike from one of the spots, ride it to another spot and leave it there for the next person. There are numerous

national and regional bicycle routes throughout Denmark The Danish National Cycle Routes ( Danish: ''Danmarks nationale cykelruter'') together form the national cycling route network of Denmark. There are currently 11 such long-distance cycling routes across Denmark largely established mainly to promot ...

. They are all marked and include rest areas with benches and other necessities.

Sea

International overnight ferry services connect

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

, Norway, to Copenhagen every day.

Harwich Harwich is a town in Essex, England, and one of the Haven ports on the North Sea coast. It is in the Tendring District, Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the north-east, Ipswich to the north-west, Colchester to the south-w ...

, south-east England, used to be connected to

, west Jutland three times a week. The Esbjerg–Harwich connection was closed in 2014, after nearly 140 years of operation. There are also a number of ferry services connecting the Danish islands.Færger mellem landsdelene, Trafikken.dk.
Retrieved 19 March 2009.

References

External links

Copenhagen-Portal - General Tourist Site & Cultural Guide about Copenhagen & Denmark

VisitDenmark
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tourism In Denmark Economy of Denmark

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...