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DISCOVER DENMARK

Eight great places to visit during autumn in Denmark

Autumn is the most "hyggelig" season to be outside in Denmark, and the country's large beech and oak forests make it a perfect place to see the autumn colours. We asked foreigners from Copenhagen for some of their favourite places to go.

Eight great places to visit during autumn in Denmark
A 2021 drone photo of Denmark in the autumn. What are your favourite Danish day trips when the leaves are golden? Photo: Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix

1. Bornholm

The sea surrounding Denmark’s most easterly island shifts its summer a few weeks later than most other places in Denmark, with the waters retaining their heat well into September (not that you’ll necessary want to go swimming, this is the Baltic after all!). But it’s still possible to enjoy a visit to some of the stunning beeches which ring the island. 

That’s not the only reason to make an autumn visit to this quaint Danish outpost, which closer to Poland than to Copenhagen. The Almindingen forest in the centre of the island is one of the largest in Denmark, and has huge expanses of beech forest, and patches of the original mixed oak forest. 

The ruins of Hammershus Castle on the north coast of Bornholm, as seen in late August. Photo: Semko Balcerski/Visit Denmark

There are four walking paths through the forest, all about 4km long. Walk one starts at the excellent but pricey Christianshøjkroen restaurant in Aakirkeby, and takes you out to Rokkestenen, seven tonnes of rock left by a retreating glaciers, which you are supposed to try and rock. Walk two takes you through Ekkodalen, Bornholm’s longest rift valley. Walk three takes you through an arboretum, and walk five takes you around several lakes, to the ruin of a Viking-era castle, and to Lilleborg Castle.

A lovely autumn route through the Hareskoven Forest. Photo: Guillaume Baviere/Flickr
 
2. Enjoy the autumn colours in Hareskoven Forest 

Hareskoven, which skirts the northwestern fringes of Copenhagen, is the closest place to the capital with a decent stretch of beech forest, which turns satisfyingly golden in the autumn. There are also scattered oak, linden and maple trees, with some majestic examples of the former, such as ‘The Tailor’ or Skrædderen.

Photo: VisitDenmark

4.Visit the beautiful Rold forest near Aalborg. 

Rold forest near Aalborg in the north of Jutland is Denmark’s second largest forest. It’s known particularly for the Troldeskoven, or magic forest, filled with gnarled beeches many of which are as much as 300 years old, close to the maximum age for a beech tree. 

There’s also the ‘old growth forest’ or Kyø Skov, which also has has 300-year-old trees, protected because they once belonged to the Kyø manor house southwest of Sebbersund. Other places worth a visit are the Store Økssø lake and the Hvass Sø lake. 

Rowing on one of the lakes at Frederiksberg Have. Photo: Visit Denmark

5. Frederiksberg Have 

Within Copenhagen, the Frederiksberg Have park is a great place for an autumn walk with its lawns, beautiful trees, winding paths, lakes and canals. There’s a café right by the entrance where you can either have coffee before or after your walk, or buy a take away to keep you company on your round. 

Artist Malik Mabe takes the Halloween Jack o’ Lantern to a whole other level. Photo: Christoffer Anias Sandager/Tivoli

5. Halloween at Tivoli 

Another urban autumnal thing to do, Halloween at Tivoli, the unique funfair right by Copenhagen’s central station, is quite special, with inventive decorations, over 20,000 pumpkins, and lots of people in scary costumes. 

6. Pick your apples, pears, plums (or pumpkins for that matter)

Pick-your-own is huge in Denmark, and on the Selvpluk website, you can search and find dozens of apple and pear orchards within a day trip of Copenhagen. It’s a lovely way to spend a bit of time outside and come back with your own extremely fresh harvest. 

A man cycling in the the Store Dyrehave in northern Jutland. Photo: Tine Uffelmann/VisitNordsjælland

7. Enjoy the autumn colours in the Store Dyrehave

Store Dyrehave, meaning literally ‘large animal park’ was enclosed by stone walls in 1619–28 as a royal deer park for hunting, and is now comprises 1,230 hectares of forest, mostly beech with some oak. It’s just south of the North Zealand town of Hillerød, and takes less than an hour to get to by public transport from Copenhagen. The park is popular with mountain bikers and joggers and has a series of marked out routes, making it easy to get around. The geometrical road system laid down by King Christian V for hunting is still in place. 

Stags preparing to rut at Jægersborg Dyrehave. Photo:Niels Christian Vilmann/Ritzau Scanpix

8. Watch rutting stags at Jægersborg Dyrehave

Jægersborg Dyrehave boasts impressive oak trees and red and fallow deer which have their rutting season in September. This means if you’re lucky you can see the stags clattering their horns together in the hope of winning mates. It’s also possible to go horse riding in Jægersborg Dyrehave. Book ponies at Fortunens Ponycenter

 

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CULTURE

Five music festivals happening in Denmark this summer

Summer is the season of festivals in Denmark, so if you've been patiently waiting for nice weather, exciting line-ups, and being part of energised crowds, here are some events worth knowing about.

Five music festivals happening in Denmark this summer

Northside

Northside is an annual three-day music festival in Eskelunden, Aarhus. With between 35,000 and 40,000 people attending the festival over the course of three days, plus four stages and sideshow events, it is one of the largest music festivals in Denmark.

NorthSide wants to become the most sustainably driven and environmentally conscious festival in the Nordic countries. In 2022, the festival ran on electricity from the grid for the first time and became the first festival in Denmark to go plant-based. 

When: 6th-8th June 2024

2024 Lineup: There’a a wide range of music genres from rock, indie, electronic, to hip-hop. This year’s line up includes Pulp, Massive Attack, Kaytranada, St.Vincent, The Smile, Troye Sivan, Royal Blood, Love Shop.

Tickets: The current price for a three-day ticket is 2,395 kroner. These tickets are substantially cheaper the earlier you book. A day ticket costs 1,295 kroner. A two-day ticket costs 1,995 kroner.

Accommodation: There isn’t any camping or accommodation at the festival, or parking for cars. But the festival is accessible by public transport, walking or bike and there are camping or other accommodation options close by.

Northside Festival

NorthSide in 2023. Photo: Mikkel Berg Pedersen/Ritzau Scanpix

Tinderbox

Based in Odense, Tinderbox hosts a mix of international artists, Danish musicians and electronic music, playing out from Magicbox, the electric stage.

The festival is held in the Tusindårsskoven nature reserve in western Odense, which you can walk to from the city centre.

The festival bills itself as encompassing electronic music, nostalgic 90s in the Groove box, comedy acts, Ferris wheel rides, a champagne hill, local culinary experiences and sustainability.

When: 27th-29th June 2024

2024 Lineup: Raye, Avril Lavigne, David Guetta, Benjamin Ingrosso, Bryan Adams, DK Sashi, Kind Mod Kind, James Arthur, Miss Monique, Kaizers Orchestra.

Tickets: 2,595 kroner for a full three-day pass, 2,295 for a two-day ticket and 1,395 for a one-day ticket. You can also upgrade to a VIP option.

Accommodation: Camping, glamping or something called a sleep box with a foam mattress are the options. Outside of the festival, there’s accommodation in Odense but it gets booked up quickly. Alternatively, there’s camping at Dyrskuepladsen.

Crowds enjoying George Ezra play at Tinderbox in 2023. Photo: Helle Arensbak/Ritzau Scanpix

Vig Festival

This is very much a family festival, over three days in Vig, which is located in the northwestern part of Zealand. The music ranges from rock, pop and blues and there are activities for all ages.

When: 10th-13th July 2024

2024 Lineup: Infernal, Gobs, Zar Paulo, Mads Christian, ISSE, Gabriel Jacobsen, Rasmus Seebach.

Tickets: A one-day ticket costs between 925 kroner and 1,025 kroner depending on the day you attend.

Children up to the age of 11 can enter for free, as long as they are accompanied by a paying adult.

A full festival three-day ticket costs between 1,375 kroner and 1,825 kroner, depending how early/late you buy.

A full festival family ticket for one adult (18+) plus a child aged 12-15, costs 2,125 kroner.

Accommodation: There are various camping options, from the free site, where it’s first come first served and pitch your own tent; to pre-booked and paid for camping sites with or without electricity, or without music. There’s the option for a tent to be pitched for you, which you then take home, or you can stay in a caravan or a room at the nearby højskole.

All options come with varying prices which includes the price of the festival ticket. 

There’s parking on site and a festival shuttle bus.

Smukfest 

Located in a forest in Skanderborg, the name Smukfest comes from its beautiful location. The main stage is set in a national amphitheatre, surrounded by old beech trees.

Running since 1980, the festival is more than music and celebrates being together, with young, old and families all welcome. It sells itself as a festival with social, environmental and economic sustainable values.

The festival is big, second in size to Roskilde, with around 60,000 people attending. There are over 200 acts across 6 stages plus art installation and other activities, over five days.

Smukfest

Smukfest in 2023. Photo:Helle Arensbak/Ritzau Scanpix

When: 4th to 11th August. Smukfest is unusual in that it is a five-day festival with three warm-up days. 

2024 Lineup: The festival includes rock, pop, folk, heavy metal, hip-hop and electronic music.

This year’s artists include Diana Ross, who is performing on Saturday, Example, Sam Smith, The Prodigy, Faithless, The Darkness, VETO, Zara Larsson, Moonjam, Ankerstjerne, Mads Langer, Rasmus Seebach, Sanne Salomonsen with The Antonelli Orchestra, Abba tribute, Queen Machine and the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra.

Tickets: Access to the whole week (partoutbillet) costs 3,495 kroner. This includes being able to camp in your own tent, ride the shuttle bus and use the cloakroom.

A one-day wristband costs between 1,695 kroner and 495 kroner depending on the day. Children’s day tickets cost 150 kroner.

If you’re staying, you pay for accommodation as part of entry.

Accommodation: There’s a variety of places to stay for different budgets and festival goers, in various festival ‘neighbourhoods’.

You can camp on site, or a shuttle-bus away in a forest, stay in a hut or luxury cabin house (5000 kroner), or bring your caravan or camper van on site (950 kroner). There is the option for the festival to set up a tent for you that’s ready and waiting when you arrive and you get to take the tent home with you afterwards. The price for this is 1,200 kroner and 2,400 kroner depending on tent size.

Smukfest

Drew Sycamore playing at Smukfest in 2023 Photo: Helle Arensbak/Ritzau Scanpix

Roskilde 

The big one – in fact the largest music festival in the Nordic countries and one of the largest music festivals in Europe. To give you an idea of scale, the 130,000 festival goers who attend, would rank the festival as Denmark’s fourth largest city. 

Created in 1971 by two high school students and a promoter, it’s now run as a non-profit organisation with approximately 30,000 volunteers.

There are eight stages and around 200 music acts, plus artists, authors, performers, speakers, graffiti artists and architects.

The festival is also famous for its annual naked run on the Saturday. Started in 1999 and organised by Roskilde Festival Radio, runners dash around a fenced-in track around the camp site, completely naked. The male and female winners receive a ticket for the following year’s festival. 

When: Sat 29th June – Sat 6th July 2024 (music starts on Wednesday 3rd July).

2024 Lineup: From rap, pop, alternative rock, neo-soul, jazz, and electronic, there’s a whole range of artists. Danish hip-hop star, Lamin, will open the Orange Stage. Other acts include Foo Fighters, Ice Spice, Omah Lay, Bondshell, Aurora, Gilli, PJ Harvey, Tems, J Hus, Medina, Jane’s Addiction, Overmono. 

Tickets: Full festival tickets cost 2,400 kroner, one day tickets cost 1,200 kroner.

Accommodation: The festival campsite covers nearly 80 hectares (200 acres) and access to it is included in the ticket price. It usually opens on the Saturday afternoon and you can turn up and pitch your tent.

You can upgrade your camping experience with the festivals ‘special camping’, which includes a reserved site, tents that are put up for you that you then take home, quiet camping, tent houses, places to park your motorhome, caravan or an area for those with motorbikes.

There’s also something called Community Camping, where you get to create your own community by applying to a specific area/community beforehand and you give something back by looking after the area and helping with the clean up.

Roskilde Festival

Roskilde Festival 2023 in front of the Orange Stage. Photo: Torben Christensen/Ritzau Scanpix
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