What's must-see in Denmark beyond Copenhagen?
 

We're planning a cruise out-of and back-to Copenhagen this summer (from the U.S.). My wife is fearful that a flight delay might cause us to literally miss the boat. Hence she wants to arrive a day early just to be safe. We plan to spend some time in Copenhagen after the cruise. (And so finally to the question ...) <BR> <BR>Where else should one go in Denmark? The ideal spot would be within a three hour dash of the docks in Copenhagen, with direct air service from New York, and a world renowned site that I've somehow overlooked.(Well, "typical Denmark" would be welcomed, too, even though "typical" tends to rule out "world renowned.") Any suggestions?

We visited Copenhagen (which we adored) a few years back and enjoyed a day trip to a place I believe is called Roskilde which is located on an actual fiord and boasts a very interesting viking museum which included a full scale reproduction of an actual viking ship. It was a pleasant little town and we had a good lunch and were glad we'd made the trip. We took the train from Copenhagen which seems to me took an hour or so.

I enjoyed my visit to Hamlet's Castle in Helsingor. It is a few miles north of Copenhagen and easily reached by train. It was a grey, foggy day. One could almost see the ghosts in the mists, with a little imagination of course.

Fredricksborg Castle is magnificent. Built by Christian IX (a contemporary of England's Henry VIII), it is possibly the finest Renaissance castle in Europe. If you can, take a guided tour.

If you're interested in Tycho Brahe and the history of astronomy go visit the island of Hven, where Tycho did much of his work. There's a small museum there and some reconstruction of Tycho's original sites. The island is a beautiful place to spend an afternoon. It's only a 20 minute or so ferry ride from Copenhagen.

I second the vote for Roskilde... charming town in addition to the above mentioned attractions :) Thestory of the viking ships in Roskilde is well worth the trip. <BR>My advice would be to do some of Copenhagen in the time before the cruise and save Roskilde, Elsinore etc... for when you won't be worrying about "missing the boat." There is also a wonderful modern art museum, Louisiana, on the way to Elsinore.

Near the Louisiana museum is the birthplace and home of Isak Dinesan, who wrote "Out of Africa." Really interesting as a house and because of the woman who lived there.

I vote for the castles. You can take the train to Fredricksborg Castle in Hillerød from Copenhagen, then a train from Hillerød to Helsingør to see Kronbørg Castle and be back in Copenhagen by 6 PM. Fredricksborg is an extremely ornate palace, while Kronbørg was built for toll-collection and defense, so is more of a fortress. From Helsingør you can also take an inexpensive 20-minute ferry ride to Sweden.

The birth place of the Danish fairy tale writer Hans Christian Andersen is in the city of Odense about 2 hours from Copenhagen by train. I believe there's a museum and everything, but (being Danish) I'm ashamed to admit I've never been. Going to Odense will also take you over the new bridge/tunnel between the islands of Sjaelland and Fyn.