Copenhagen Day Trips

Checking Out Skåne: Malmö

Highlights: charming Old Town; attractive cultural mix; relaxing vibe
Duration: four to eight hours
Exertion level: low
Accessible by: train

We don't want to insult patriotic Danes, but we think that the Swedish city of Malmö, just across the sound from Copenhagen, makes a great day trip. Located in the southern corner of Sweden known as Skåne, Malmö wins high marks for its liberal sprinkling of public parks, its dynamic immigrant mix, and its cute, canal-encircled Old Town.

Until about 350 years ago, Malmö was a part of Denmark, and you'll see lots of architectural reminders of Copenhagen here. Today, the Copenhagen-Malmö metropolitan region, also known as the Öresund Region, is one of the world's most successfully interconnected metropolitan regions; what makes it so interesting is that it straddles an international border.

Malmö is especially delightful in the summer thanks to its leafy parks. The Old Town's squares are lively and interesting. Café hounds will enjoy observing the differences between Danish and Swedish café culture.

The journey from Copenhagen to Malmö takes just 34 minutes by train.

For more information about Malmö, check out the city's the official tourist site.

Countryside Idyll: Møn

Highlights: cute country villages, stunning cliffs, bucolic landscapes
Duration: six to ten hours
Exertion level: low to medium
Accessible by: train, bus

The tiny island of Møn (pronounced Muuhn) offers up the cute village of Stege as well as a dramatic physical counterpoint to the more typical Danish landscape. Møn's white cliffs would likely force tourists to stop moving and gape even if they weren't such an unusual sight in the context of the Danish countryside.

Stege is the main town on Møn. It's a quiet little village, for the most part nondescript, though it does have an intriguing village church and a well-stocked tourism center.

The Møn Cliffs are massive chalk affairs, rising well over 100 meters. They're a dramatic physical shock after the pastoral fields of Denmark. Believe it or not, many visitors to the cliffs are actually drawn by the woods that sit above them. All things considered, the Møn Cliffs are quite remarkable.

Møn can be reached by train and bus. First you'll need to take a train to the town of Vordingborg, connecting there to Stege and/or the Møn Cliffs by bus.

The train journey to Vordingborg takes just over two hours. A one-way train journey from Copenhagen to Vordingborg costs around DKK110 (€14.50). A 45-minute bus journey connects you from Vordingborg to the village of Stege. Another connecting bus runs in the summer from Stege to the island's distinctive cliffs at Møns Klint. The journey from Stege to Møns Klint takes just over 30 minutes. The two bus journeys combined should cost around DKK50 (€6.75).

Cute University City: Odense

Highlights: Home of Hans Christian Andersen; relaxing pace; lively locals
Duration: six to ten hours
Exertion level: low
Accessible by: train

Odense, Denmark's third biggest city is a quick train journey from Copenhagen. Despite being the capital of the island of Funen, Odense is much smaller than Copenhagen. It has the appealing feel of a well-read provincial town.

One of Odense's big claims to fame has to do with the most famous Dane of all time, Hans Christian Andersen: it is the birthplace of the well-known author. Today, the city boasts a Hans Christian Andersen Museum that attracts fans from around the globe.

Odense is a university town, and it feels like one. Cyclists are everywhere, headed to work and to play, and the city's pedestrian zones are well-trafficked. Anyone familiar with European and North American university towns will register a glimmer of recognition when they first visit Odense.

Train journeys between Copenhagen and Odense take between 90 and 120 minutes. A one-way adult journey costs DKK225 (€30).

More information about Odense can be found on Visit Denmark's Odense city break page.