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             Cycling Denmark

Denmark is a “fairy tale land”; not just because it’s the birthplace of Hans Christian Anderson, but also because it’s filled with castles, palaces and quaint thatched roof cottages.
It is also one of the most bicycle friendly European destinations. Bicycling is a way of life in Denmark and the country has miles and miles of bicycle paths. You’ll encounter cycling tourists of all ages wherever you go. Due to its location in the north of the northern hemisphere, above Germany, it’s also blessed with long daylight hours and moderate temperatures in the summer months. Denmark also has a mix of fun destinations to explore, from cosmopolitan Copenhagen to the tiny island town of Ærøskøbing. It also has some beautiful countryside and farms and some great beaches….something for everyone. Follow the map as you read the following description of a round trip from Copenhagen. The entire route is a total of 469 km, including round trip to and from the airport and sightseeing around Copenhagen.
It’s easy to reach Copenhagen by bike from Kastrop airport, just a few kilometers from town; or, Copenhagen is easily reached by train. We arrived by air and after reassembling our bikes at the airport and stowing the boxes, we easily pedaled the 6km into town on a nice level route.
We had booked a hotel in advance, as reasonable reservations can be hard to find in the busy summer months; especially when there are special events like Jazz or Rock festivals. After a good nights sleep to help get over the jet lag, we were set to start our tour.
The 1st stage is a 51km ride north from Copenhagen to Helsingør. Armed with our maps we wound our way out of the city and up the coast. The trail takes you by the water and then into the woods on a designated cycle path.
The 2nd stage is a 54 km ride. We continue north along the coast from Helsingør to the tiny coastal town of Gillejlie. From there we turn south to Hillerød for a visit to the royal castle and grounds of Frederiksborg.
The 3rd stage is a complicated route of 48 km, which takes us to the Viking city of Roskilde to see the famous cathedral and view the restored and replicated Viking ships at the Viking Museum. This city can get lots of crowds during the famous Rock festivals which are held every summer. During that week, the town’s population grows by hundreds of thousands as people from all over Europe flock to see the renowned groups who play here.
The 4th stage is a 51 km ride to the crossroads town of Ærøskøbing. This puts us in a good position for the next day’s ride and crossing to the island of Fyn.
The 5th stage is a 39 km ride toward the coast at Korsør, where we load our bikes into special bicycle carriers and ourselves into the busses that pull them and cross the 18km suspension bridge to the island of Fyn and the coastal town of Nyborg.
The 6th stage is a 35 km ride from Nyborg to the city of Odense, the birthplace of the fairy tale writer and artist Hans Christian Andersen.
The 7th stage is a 59 km ride. Starting in Odense, we turn south and head for the south coast of Fyn with a fun stop along the way to see how the rich live at Egskov castle. We end our ride in one of the prettiest towns in Denmark… Fåborg. At this point we were ready for a break and what better place than this pleasant seaside town to take that extra day of rest and see the local sights.
After our day off, the 8th stage started with a ferry ride to the tiny island of Aero. This island is only 6 X 22 miles, so it’s easy to see much of it in a day. We chose to stay in the seaside town of Ærøskøbing, which is about 20km from the ferry landing at Soby (incl the ride from our Fåborg hotel to the ferry). We checked in, lunched and took off on an island circuit of 30 km to see the sights, before returning to Ærøskøbing for dinner.
The 9th stage started by boarding the ferry at Ærøskøbing for a scenic cruise back to Fyn; but this time landing at Svendborg. From there we worked our way up the coast and back to Nyborg… a ride of 49 km.
The 10th stage is by rail. We boarded the train in Nyborg; along with our bicycles and the next thing we knew we were back in Copenhagen. There is so much to see and do in this city, we stayed on a few more days to take in the sights and enjoy the jazz festival which was going on as well.
After of final smorgasbord and Danish pastry, we bid farewell and headed to the airport for our flight home.
 

If you'd like to know more details about this ride, check out our DVD.