Denmark is praised by many of its visitors as a top-tier destination with wonderful nature and coasts, impressive castles, family-friendly activities and accessible and safe cities. Many tourists leave the country with fond memories of their holiday in the little Nordic kingdom. But not everyone.
A scroll through some of the reviews on travel website TripAdvisor suggests that some of the popular tourist spots across the country are not to everyone’s tastes. Here are some of the harshest (and potentially funniest) comments.
All of the below comments were made on the Tripadvisor page for the corresponding Danish attraction between 2020 and 2023.
Tivoli
The 180-year-old amusement park Tivoli is normally a huge favourite among Copenhagen locals and visitors, with its fairground rides, evening concerts and special events at Christmas and Halloween oft-mentioned highlights. But the below visitors saw things differently.
“Not worth the money. Over rated. Gardens – seen better in nurseries. OK if you’re under 10 years old. Otherwise don’t bother.”
“Rather than allure, the overall feel is exorbitant has-been.”
“There were no gardens….We left after 20 minutes wandering around looking for the gardens.”
“The fish in the aquarium need MUCH more space – confining them together in such close quarters in not humane.”
“Far too packed for any enjoyment.”
Nyhavn
Nyhavn, the face of a thousand stock images of Copenhagen, is inarguably photogenic. That didn’t stop some visitors from being put off.
“Smelly place.”
“Found a hair cooked inside my waffle.”
“Rip off.”
“We went into this hell pit of tourism and didn’t know how fast to leave it.”
“Don’t waste your time unless you truly get some sort of sick satisfaction by taking the exact same 12 pictures everyone else has taken here.”
Hans Christian Andersen’s House
Odense’s Hans Christian Andersen museum was reopened by Queen Margrethe in 2021 after a 10-year renovation project was completed. The new H.C. Andersen’s House is designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. To the chagrin of a few.
“How is it possible to remove all the joy from this potentially charming subject by stupid, self-conscious commentary that tries, and completely fails, to be clever and funny.”
“Buy a fairy tale book and read it. That will be much more enjoyable.”
“The new museum building is beautiful, but the imagination and fairy dust of his stories are unfortunately completely missing.”
Christiania
Christiania has suffered its share of problems in recent years and the government and residents have now agreed to put an end to the infamous Pusher Street hash market. The alternative ‘freetown’ enclave is a popular spot for tourists to visit, in part because it is so unique, but it’s not to everyone’s tastes.
“A hippie place with very bad vibes.”
“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.”
“It’s had its heyday and now it’s just a dump.”
Viking Ship Museum, Roskilde
The Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde showcases five extraordinarily well-preserved ships from the Viking era for which Denmark is famed. Decades of archaeological study have gone into the ships and their preservation.
“The ships themselves are not all that impressive. Just a few rotten looking planks attached to metal frames representing the shape of the original vessels.”
“The museum is pretty small and all they have is 5 old ships. It is too expensive compared to what you experience in it. But at least you can climb aboard a fake ship outside (at least we did it, not sure if it is allowed)”
The Little Mermaid
Okay, we’ll admit it, the Little Mermaid statue can be underwhelming. But perhaps expectations should be set a little lower when you’re viewing a small sculpture of a fairytale character? Edvard Eriksen’s Little Mermaid sculpture has stood on the Langelinie Promenade since 1913 and remains one of Denmark’s most popular tourist attractions. Its image rights are strongly protected so we won’t publish a photo here but, despite the hammering it gets in the comments below, we still think it’s worth taking a look for yourself if you happen to be in the area.
“Pointless. Tiny statue stuck on a rock.”
“The stinky little sculpture isn’t even all that well crafted and so tiny it feels like they ran out of bronze at the factory.
“Literally just a tiny statue in the water.”
“The Danes are huge fans of Monty Python…and so this statue has to be a homage to Cleese and co. It is like the dead parrot. It is no more, it has ceased to be.”
Legoland
Denmark’s iconic toy brand Lego is showcased at the large Legoland amusement park in Jutland town Billund, where you can go on rollercoasters, view Lego versions of world famous sites and take part in family activities.
“Paid to spend our day waiting in lines!”
“Poor attractions overcrowded , everything super expensive: one of the worst experiences ever, we will never go back!”
“This isn’t Legoland it’s Queue-land.”
Adapted from an article first published in 2015.
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