Denmark’s Christmas Markets

Welcome to Denmark! Upon arrival at Copenhagen Airport, you’ll be greeted by your driver and transferred to your hotel. After settling in, it is time to immerse yourself in the Danish Christmas culture. On your walking tour, you will learn about Christmas traditions such as why Danes hide an almond in their rice pudding, and why they dance around the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve. Dinner this evening is at an intimate basement Bistro in the heart of Copenhagen. We should warn you from the beginning – eating and drinking to your heart’s content is a predominant part of Christmas for Danes, so you better prepare for lots of great Christmas food over the next several days. Enjoy!

Highlight (included): Private walking tour

Overnight in Copenhagen
Tenon Recommends: Hotel Nyhavn 71
(Dinner included)

Enjoy time at leisure this morning, then experience a longstanding Danish holiday tradition: a Christmas lunch. This afternoon, you will learn about Danish beer history on a guided walk in one of the most vibrant and cool local neighborhoods. Danes love beer and have been drinking beer for more than 2,000 years. In fact, breweries even brew a special Christmas beer!

Highlights (included): Christmas lunch, Private guided beer walk with tastings

Highlights (optional): Visit the annual exhibition of Christmas tables at the Royal Copenhagen Flagship store, or find your way to the oldest patisserie in Denmark, La Glace, where they, since 1870, among many sweet delights, have made the traditional Danish Christmas marzipan pig 

Overnight in Copenhagen
Tenon Recommends: Hotel Nyhavn 71
(Breakfast and lunch included) 

This morning you will discover Copenhagen from the water by canal boat complete with a canopy and warm blankets so you stay warm throughout the trip. A cup of hot chocolate will be served to enjoy en route to make it even cozier.

Late afternoon is the perfect time to feel the enchanting magic at Tivoli Gardens, where the Christmas spirit is a mix of cheerful visitors, twinkling lights, Christmas trees, and joyful, festive tunes. Wander among the decorated vendor stalls and shop for gifts, and definitely sample some of the traditional Christmas goodies such as the beloved Danish classic, Æbleskiver.

Highlights (included): Canal boat tour, entrance to Tivoli Gardens

Overnight in Copenhagen
Tenon Recommends: Hotel Nyhavn 71
(Breakfast included)

Pick up your rental car to continue your journey to the island of Funen. It is known as the birthplace of the world-renowned fairy tale writer Hans Christian Andersen, and for its stunning archipelago and scenery. You’ll explore Odense with a local guide, walking in the footsteps of Hans Christian Andersen. He wrote around 200 fairy tales, including The Little Mermaid, The Emperor’s New Clothes, and The Ugly Duckling. You will hear the many fascinating stories of his early life in Odense while walking through the old parts of the city and narrow cobblestone streets. Along the way, you will stop for coffee and Brunsviger cake, a local specialty. Your guided tour will end with an audio-self-guided tour in the new Hans Christian Andersen Museum. 

Highlights (included): Walking tour of Odense, entrance to Hans Christian Andersen Museum

Overnight in Odense
Tenon Recommends: Hotel Odeon
(Breakfast included) 

Today, cross the strait of the South Funen archipelago by ferry to the idyllic island of Ærø with a history dating back thousands of years. This charming island has the best-preserved 18th-century town in Denmark, where you will stay two nights in a small hotel right at the town square.

Overnight on the island of Ærø
Tenon Recommends: Hotel På Torvet
(Breakfast and dinner included)

Visitors often see the well-known Christmas markets in the cities, unaware of many lesser-known, rural, and charming markets. But today, after a good sleep and a relaxed breakfast, you will tap into the sweetest backdrop for a Christmas market just outside the doorstep of your hotel. Have you ever strolled the cobbled streets on a small island in a Danish archipelago looking at Christmas stalls? Today is your chance. Perhaps the perfect spot to find an original Christmas present you won’t find elsewhere. 

Overnight on the island of Ærø
Tenon Recommends: Hotel På Torvet
(Breakfast included) 

Enjoy a leisurely breakfast before your ferry trip back to Funen, where one last Christmas experience awaits before heading back to Copenhagen. Egeskov Castle is recognized as the best-preserved Renaissance castle in Europe where the current residents, Count Michael Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille and his wife, Princess Alexandra of Sayn- Wittgenstein-Berleburg, host an annual Christmas fair during weekends with more than 100 Christmas vendors. Their castle is home to a vintage car museum and beautiful grounds, and in the lovely café in the former estate stables, you can admire the Christmas table wonderfully decorated by the Princess. 

Drop your rental car, and enjoy your last evening in Christmassy Copenhagen.

Highlight (included): Egeskov Castle entrance

Overnight in Copenhagen
Tenon Recommends: Hotel Nyhavn 71
(Breakfast included) 

The day has come for you to go home, although you might be tempted to stay longer in this little “gem” of a country. Your family better prepare themselves for Christmas presents that are more unique than in previous years!  

(Breakfast included)