Eat your way across a country generously scattered with Michelin and Michelin green-starred restaurants for world-class dining. It’s not all high end, though – the Danish culinary scene offers up experiences across all budgets

Irrespective of rain or sunshine, the Danes are always ready to embrace hygge, a concept that involves enjoying the good things in life – and that definitely includes enjoying the excellent cuisine the country has on offer. Dive into Denmark’s gastronomy at these top-notch eateries which carefully source and celebrate every ingredient.

Geranium, Copenhagen
Copenhagen’s restaurants have often bagged the coveted number one spot at the annual The World’s 50 Best Restaurant awards and Geranium took this title home in 2022 – as well as holding an exceptional three Michelin stars. Apart from its impressive menu, serving meat-free seasonal produce, Geranium stands out because it is on the top floor of the national football stadium, offering panoramic views of the city. We won’t lie, the prices are steep, but the dinner experience is worth adding to the culinary bucket list.

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© Photograph: Markus Christoffersen

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© Photograph: Markus Christoffersen

Freewheel around Scandinavia’s capital of cycling and discover the greenest way to see Denmark

Denmark is a haven for cyclists of all abilities, with 11,000km of marked cycle routes to ride. From adventurous cycling on multi-day trips that take in the country’s most varied scenery, to day trips and wine tours, these are the country’s best bike routes for everyone, from hobbyists to expert-level athletes.

To make it extra easy, accommodation options line the routes, including simple campsites and shelters, run by the Danish Nature Agency and offered for free or almost free, as well as B&Bs and hotels especially set up for cyclists, with bike rooms, e-bike charging stations and rooms made available for fixing your bike as you go. Aktiv Danmark has a list of bike-friendly accommodation and there is also a group of Danish Bike Hotels that have bike facilities. Bike rental is available in major cities and towns all over the country.

The Harbour Circle
Start in Denmark’s capital with this 13km cycling route around the main harbour. It’s easy to fit into a short break, and takes in Copenhagen’s harbour swimming spots, waterside wine bars such as Rosforth & Rosforth, major attractions such as the colourful Nyhavn waterfront, and off-the-beaten-track treasures such as Cafe Slusen, where you can eat sardines from the tin and sip beer with a calm view of the entire harbour.

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© Photograph: Daniel Villadsen

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© Photograph: Daniel Villadsen

You don’t really ever need extra reasons to visit Denmark, but the country’s sheer variety of cultural highlights looks set to enliven any stay this year

Stargazing, seals and sandbanks in Mandø
Denmark’s wilderness zones and sparsely populated isles have long been havens for nature lovers and stargazers. Mandø, on the south-west coast of Jutland, is the most recent addition to the country’s four Dark Sky Parks. A small island in the Wadden Sea National Park, Mandø is most easily accessed at low tide via tractor bus over the causeway from the mainland – adding to the adventure and reducing the chances of latecomers’ annoying car headlights ruining your night vision. By day, you’ll likely want to visit the lovingly preserved, thatched and white-walled Mandø House museum (an early 19th-century shipmaster’s home), not to mention the island’s landmark windmill and church. Observe thriving seal and migratory bird species on a bike ride around the marshes and sandbanks.

Raise a glass to (probably) the world’s best beer
Not content with producing, probably, the best beer in the world, Carlsberg has created the impressive Carlsberg City District in one of Copenhagen’s most historic quarters. The recently completed Home of Carlsberg is the result of an extensive five-year museum revamp to bring history to life through interactive displays and guided tours of the old cellars. With a beautifully appointed gallery of vintage bottles, a stable with draught horses that hark back to the days of carts hauling barrels through Copenhagen’s cobbled streets, and tasting sessions too, if you’re in Copenhagen and you love beer, this is one not to be missed. Definitely.

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© Photograph: trabantos/Shutterstock

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© Photograph: trabantos/Shutterstock

Thinking about visiting Denmark? From saying hello, to talking about owls in the bog, here’s how learning a little local lingo can enhance your trip and leave you feeling like an egg yolk …

OK, we’ll admit it. Danish isn’t the easiest language to learn – pronouncing certain words involves some invigorating tongue gymnastics and a talent for gulping down glottal stops. With just 6 million native speakers, Danish hardly matches widely spoken Mandarin (941 million speakers) or Spanish (486 million speakers) either.

But mastering a few basics – how to order a coffee or commenting on the weather by talking about windswept pelicans (seriously, read on) – can deeply enrich your experience when visiting Denmark. The Danes are a convivial bunch and will truly appreciate your efforts getting to grips with their Old Norse-descended syntax (no matter how foolish you may feel). Try to speak Danish in a snug cafe or pub and it could lead to some illuminating conversations and lifelong friendships. Heck, you might even be able to watch an episode of The Killing/Borgen with the subtitles off when you get back home too …

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© Photograph: Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images

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© Photograph: Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images

Shot over 15 years between Denmark and Pakistan, the film-maker captures day-to-day life in Karachi, and explores how freedom and human rights are not doled out equally

Shot over the course of 15 years, Anita Mathal Hopland’s documentary provides a cinematic bridge between two countries. Born in Denmark to a Norwegian mother and a Pakistani father, the director lived in Copenhagen yet found herself unmoored between cultures. Camera in hand, Hopland makes several trips to Moosa Lane, the street in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, where 25 members of her father’s family share a single dwelling. Through her lens, she lovingly documents the colourful day-to-day lives of her relatives. In the face of diasporic longing, the act of filming embodies a desire to connect and set roots in a world divided by borders.

Focusing on three of her family members, Hopland’s film also observes changing cultural attitudes among Pakistani youths. Readying herself for an arranged marriage, Hopland’s niece Saima is content to follow tradition. Meanwhile, Alishba, who was only two years old when shooting started, has grown into a spirited teen who dreams of pursuing financial and professional independence. A ball of energy, Alishba approaches the dangerous streets and the beautiful open beaches with the same zest for adventure. As Hopland’s camera zigzags between Karachi and Denmark, the montage articulates how the idea of free movement is reserved only for the privileged. Her journeys to Pakistan had always been one-sided, as it was nearly impossible for her relatives to travel to Europe, for economic and visa reasons.

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© Photograph: Sonntag Pictures

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© Photograph: Sonntag Pictures

From Denmark’s festive cream puffs and layered cake to everyday croissants and cinnamon buns, there’s a bakery and patisserie that can entice every gastronome

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© Photograph: Marc Skafte-Vaabengaard

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© Photograph: Marc Skafte-Vaabengaard

Blaze in Bagsvaerd, in greater Copenhagen area, is second at a Novo Nordisk site in a week

A large fire broke out on Wednesday at an office building in Copenhagen belonging to the Danish pharmaceutical group Novo Nordisk, maker of the weight loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy.

After more than three hours, the blaze, initially described as a “massive fire” involving 100 firefighters, was “under control and we have gone down to about 30 firefighters,” fire brigade chief of operations Martin Smith told AFP.

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© Photograph: Liselotte Sabroe/AP

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© Photograph: Liselotte Sabroe/AP

There are real benefits to a society where people feel safe enough to leave their babies and bikes on the street. How have the Danes achieved this level of faith in their fellow citizens?

Over the years, Denmark has emerged as the good faith capital of the world. Nearly 74% of Danes believe “most people can be trusted” – more than any other nationality. On wider metrics, such as social trust (trusting a stranger) and civic trust (trusting authority), Denmark also scores highest in the world, with the other Nordic countries close behind.

The political scientist Gert Tinggaard Svendsen argues that trust accounts for 25% of Denmark’s otherwise inexplicable wealth. By his reckoning, a quarter of that wealth comes from physical capital (means of production and infrastructure), half comes from human capital (the population’s level of education and innovation), and the unexplained final quarter is trust: they don’t sue one another, they don’t waste money on burglar alarms, businesses often make binding verbal agreements without sweating the contract. People who hold power in Danish institutions – the government, police, judiciary, health services – are trusted to be acting in society’s best interests, and there is very little corruption.

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© Photograph: Valdemar Ren/The Guardian

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© Photograph: Valdemar Ren/The Guardian

From airlines to pork sellers, corporate brands face legal and regulatory challenges for misleading the public with lofty climate claims.

© Eva Plevier/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images