Denmark: Things to do with kids

Denmark is known as the land of the Vikings and the creators of LEGO, so it is no surprise that this country with over 400 named islands has something to offer any family holiday.

You might know of the capital city of Copenhagen, but throughout Denmark you will find perfect spots for your next family getaway; from clean sandy beaches, and some of the best amusement parks, to interactive museums, and plenty of places to play outdoors.

Denmark: with swimmable harbours and fairy tale gardens in the capital

Capital cities are not always the obvious choice for a family holiday, but the walkable and cycle-friendly Copenhagen might just be the perfect place to start the break with the family. There are plenty of green spaces and the harbour is so clean that you can swim in it. The Harbour Baths at the Copenhagen neighbourhood Islands Brygge even has two dedicated pools for children.

If you feel like hitting the water but don’t fancy a swim, the solar powered GoBoat is a fun and renewable way to get around Copenhagen’s harbours and be the captain of your own boat.

You can also visit the beautiful and historic Tivoli Gardens located in the heart of Copenhagen, which offers rides, shows and musical events. The world famous Danish fairy tale writer Hans Christian Andersen got inspired to write the fairy tale ‘The Nightingale’ in the park and Walt Disney found inspiration to his Disneyland when he visited the park.

Safari in Denmark? Why not!

Less than 2 hours’ drive from Copenhagen, on Denmark’s southern island, Lolland, you will find Scandinavia’s largest safari park, Knuthenborg Safari Park. Glamping in the monkey forest and on the African savannah has become a popular way to experience the zoo at night throughout the seasons. And in the spring of 2021, a glamping area opened in Europe’s largest elephant habitat where four former circus elephants enjoy the vast space. This is sure to be a hit with the children – especially if that safari in Africa is a bit too long of a flight away.

H.C. Andersen’s House – Where fairy tales come to life

Two hours west of Copenhagen, you will find Denmark’s third largest city, Odense, which is known as the birth place of the fairy tale writer, Hans Christian Andersen. In June 2021, a new museum, H.C. Andersen’s House, opened to the public. The museum site covers an area of 5,600 square meters, out of which two thirds is underground, flowing into a magical children’s universe. The building intertwines with a labyrinthine magic garden. Add to this a wide array of the newest technologies and set design concepts, and together, they bring Andersen’s magical universe to life.

The island of Funen, where Odense is located, is known as Denmark’s fairy tale island. Here you will find plenty of beautiful castles and cosy cobbled stoned streets.

A LEGO-filled universe

The area around Billund in Jutland has so much to offer families, and with Billund Airport conveniently located close to all of the attractions, it makes it very easy for families to visit.

The original LEGOLAND in Billund is a must-visit on any family holiday to Denmark. The new area, LEGO Movie World, which opened in spring 2021 includes Scandinavia’s first flying theatre, as well as a spaceship playground. Joined by characters from the movie, visitors will be sucked into the lifelike LEGO® MOVIE™ universe for an action-packed ride in Emmet’s Flying Adventure – Masters of Flight and can take on a mission to fight the DUPLO® invasion from outer space in the interactive ride Apocalypseburg Sky Riders.

LEGOLAND has a cool castle hotel with themed rooms which is a certain winner with the kids. And at LEGO House, children and those who are young at heart can build their own LEGO and see it come to life, for example at the Mini Chef restaurant where you can build your own food.

Vikings and theme parks

WOW Park in Billund opened in 2020 and includes tree houses and forest walkways where children get to play in the outdoors, swinging in giant Tarzan swings, slide on wild slides and explore underground caves. An hour’s drive from here, you will find the newly opened Naturkraft which takes on a more fun and educational aspect to learning, and seeks to show visitors the impressive powers of nature. And the holiday park Lalandia offers indoor waterparks, an ice rink, a ski slope, climbing wall, bowling, wellness and much more. Here you can stay in cosy wooden cabins to relax with the family after a day of fun.

Denmark has a rich Viking history and plenty of Viking sites that are just waiting to be explored. The interactive museum Kongernes Jelling tells the fascinating history of Denmark and its Viking heritage. Denmark’s oldest town, Ribe, is a picturesque spot which dates back around 1,250 years. At Ribe Vikingecenter you can step back in time and live like a Viking. Discover how a farm, town, church and marketplace looked back then; try out archery, sword fights and wood carving or watch as glass beads are made.

Denmark: why not hit the beach?

After days filled with fun and adventure, you might simply want to take a day to relax at the beach. Denmark is probably not the first beach destination that comes to mind, but the country actually has some of the most beautiful beaches in Europe. With over 8,000 km of coastline, including 174 Blue Flag beaches and 18 Blue Flag marinas, choosing the best of Denmark’s crowd-free beaches is tough. To help you, we have collected a list of some of our favourites here.

For more information do visit https://www.visitdenmark.com/ – where there are loads more details on Denmark, and things to to in Denmark with kids.

We have tried to give you a flavour of Denmark here, we do hope you like it. Check out some of the other travel articles on the site too:

Here are a few tips and ideas for travelling with kids from sites other than ourselves too; we aren’t the only site that offers great travel advice of course:

We do also have some excellent travel themed printables as well – feel free to check these out too:

We do love a spot of UK travel too, as this is where we are based. Check out our city farms in the UK must visits too, if you are ever here.

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Take care,

Helen

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