Denmark

Yellow and red houses along a seventeenth-century harbour canal — the image most people have of Copenhagen. Andersen lived here, and the canal boats leave from the same quay.

A garden amusement park opened in 1843 and widely credited as an influence on Disneyland. The lighting in summer and at Christmas is the point; it closes between seasons.

Barely the height of a person, which surprises nearly everyone. Treat it as one stop on a harbour walk rather than a destination.

The real castle Shakespeare set Hamlet in, looking across the sound to Sweden. Under an hour from Copenhagen by train.

Separated cycle tracks cover the whole city, so hiring a bike for a day is easy even as a visitor. The signalling and hand-signal conventions are taken seriously, so follow the locals slowly at first.

The first Legoland, in the village where the company is still based. With children it takes a full day, and it closes over winter.

A tenth-century rune stone carrying the first carved use of the name Denmark. It also records the king’s adoption of Christianity.

A Renaissance fortress that collected tolls from ships passing through the Øresund. The underground passages and gun positions remain.

A brick Gothic cathedral holding the tombs of the Danish royal line. The Viking ship museum next door is usually seen with it.

The largest tidal flats in the world, continuing into Germany and the Netherlands, and a stop on the migration routes. The autumn starling murmurations here are famous.

Design shops, serious food and canals in one city, all reachable on foot or by bike. Malmö in Sweden is forty minutes away over the bridge.

The rainbow walkway on the art museum roof is its emblem, and an open-air museum reassembles whole historic streets. Three hours from Copenhagen by train.

His birthplace and a dedicated museum, in a town small enough for half a day. It sits between Copenhagen and Aarhus, so it is an easy stop.

You can watch the North Sea and the Baltic collide at the end of the sandbar. The quality of the light drew a colony of painters, so there is a gallery too.

Known for round churches, cliffs and smoked fish, and a summer retreat for Danes. Reached by ferry or plane.

A path runs along white cliffs standing over a hundred metres above the sea. A day trip from Copenhagen with a car.

The days lengthen and outdoor seating opens. The wind is cold, so bring a jacket.

Light until ten at night makes for very long days. Danes take their own holidays now, so beaches and islands fill up.

Crowds thin and prices drop. This is when the migrating flocks pass over the Wadden Sea.

Dark by half past three, but Christmas markets and indoor culture are well developed. Many outdoor attractions close.

Up to ninety days in any one hundred and eighty across the Schengen area. Greenland and the Faroe Islands are outside Schengen and have their own rules.

The euro is not used, and cards are taken virtually everywhere. You can travel without cash at all, so there is little need to exchange much.

Eating out and alcohol are especially expensive. Mixing supermarkets and street food cuts the cost sharply.

Bridges and ferries link the islands, and trains run on into Sweden and Germany. The Copenhagen metro is driverless, so the front window is worth taking.

Almost everyone is comfortable in English, so communication is rarely a problem. Place names sound nothing like they look, so writing them down is quicker than saying them.

The pan-European number reaching police, ambulance and fire, with English available. For non-urgent medical advice, 1813 directs you.