In the island nation of Denmark, you’re never more than an hour’s drive from the sea. Inspired by its rugged coasts and seafaring past, we travel along an inspiring itinerary in search of authentic experiences and hidden treasures.
DENMARK HAS ALWAYS LOOKED TO THE SEA. This nation of over 400 islands is the land of The Little Mermaid, the country of the Vikings, and a nation of bold traders and courageous adventurers going back over a thousand years. It’s a place where, until relatively recently, ferries connected the country instead of bridges, and where water has never been a barrier or border, but a route to discovery and an opportunity to be seized. We’ve come on a seven-night journey to discover it for ourselves, following the path of one of Relais & Châteaux’s 146 international Routes du Bonheur–curated itineraries that seek to offer authentic cultural immersions in a region. We make our way through these spectacular landscapes at our own speed, with stopovers at five delightful hotels and restaurants.
Denmark’s modern-day renown in the areas of gastronomy, design and architecture can be traced back to these sea routes, and tales of the intrepid travelers who returned, bringing new ideas back to the nation and embedding them with their own cultural and culinary heritage. The original owners of our first stop, Kong Hans Kælder in Copenhagen, are one such example: a couple who introduced the French culinary tradition to Denmark, having been inspired by the cuisine of another seaside town, Biarritz on France’s Atlantic coast.
© Line Klein
Set across a large public square from the colorful houses and twinkling lights of Nyhavn harbor, once home to carousing sailors and now the heart of the city’s tourist trade, Kong Hans Kælder quickly became the location of Denmark’s first Michelin star. Since 2021, it has been one of only eight restaurants in the country to hold two. “Nordic minimalism is what we’re very known for,” says Mark Lundgaard, head chef. “We don’t over add: I’m into less is more, so I try to keep it very minimalistic and always focus on the produce.” So far, so Danish. When it comes to defining the cuisine here, minimalism is certainly a good starting point. It helps, of course, if you have the right products to work with, and Denmark, with its farming landscapes and fishing history, has something to say about that.
Chef Lundgaard’s six-course signature menu features the freshest green asparagus, just now in season in the fields of Fyn, served with a salted lemon and saffron sauce, along with a dish of local langoustine, tomato and bisque that lingers on the tongue.
© Line Klein
An hour-long drive through the soft hills and green landscapes of Zealand, the largest island in Denmark, takes us to our second stop, Dragsholm Slot, in Hørve: an 800-year-old castle hotel with views of the Kattegat Sea and a unique story to tell about Danish history. This former royal residence now houses historic and modern rooms along with a series of dining experiences, including a Michelin-starred restaurant and a food house with local products to be enjoyed on the terrace.
From the hill where the castle hotel stands, fields of carrots and greens stretch ahead of us, forests hide drifts of pigs and a formal herb garden adds an aristocratic air. This place has a secret to discover too: the UNESCO-listed landscape was once under the sea, only reclaimed in the late 1800s as arable land. The fertile soil is studded with centuries-old seashells, creating a singular terroir found only in this part of Denmark. “The concept for our food here is local sourcing,” explains Peter Fagerland, the castle’s head of gastronomy. “We have a particular minerality in the soil that is so good for vegetables and now even for wine. We also lean toward the old stories: what did they do back then? How can we recreate those older traditions in a modern way?” One way the hotel does that is by hunting (pheasants, wild deer and ducks), so the kitchen serves meat that is in season. Vegetables, fish and shellfish make up the rest.
© Line Klein
We now drive on a windless day across a great stretch of blue water on Denmark’s longest bridge to the island of Fyn. At Restaurant Lieffroy, nestled between the forest and the beach, this situation creates a special atmosphere for guests and chefs alike. Today’s treasure is something intangible: the feeling of hygge. Denmark’s most famous yet wonderfully untranslatable word is effectively wired into the consciousness of its people. While there’s no single word that articulates it in English, it combines variously a sense of coziness, an appreciation for the little things in life and the unending search for a feeling of contentment.
“The location sold this place to me,” says owner and head chef Patrick Lieffroy, who lives in the property with his family and works in the kitchen alongside his father–a family connection that breeds an unmistakable warmth. “Of course, we’re by the sea, so we have the force of that with us, and it works for our concept. We buy a lot of fish from nearby, including lobster, langoustine and cod.” Drinking champagne on the terrace, with the sound of rolling waves in your ears as the bubbles burst on your tongue, brings the location and the experience together perfectly.
© Line Klein
Through the forest and beyond, on the other side of the island, a delightful rural drive takes us to Falsled Kro, a former coaching inn, beloved in Denmark for its extraordinary blend of hospitality and heritage. There’s also a joyful sense of discovery as you exit the forest and find yourself in this charming hamlet of half-timbered houses, heritage apple orchards and blossoming cherry trees. Head chef Simon Juel Petersen revels in this inimitable blend of rich produce and historical and local relevance. “We use a lot of things from the garden, we use a lot of things from the sea and I can always cook them the way I want,” he says. But cooking in one of Denmark’s most renowned traditional hostelries means that there is a certain expectation. “I tend towards cooking with familiar products. That would be turbot or pigeon, monkfish or something we can get outside the door–we are not talking about fermentation! I’m very lucky: rabbits are just down the road, there are eggs from around the corner and dairy from nearby too.” Dinner concludes with a dish of a signature taste of Denmark in summer–the sour-meets-sweet of rhubarb, paired with white chocolate– and the evening ends in front of a roaring fire in the half-timbered lounge.
© Line Klein
Beyond Fyn and over to the south of Jutland, not far from the border with Germany, Dyvig Badehotel reveals itself as we drive through a tunnel of trees down to the edge of the Als Fjord. Its striking red roofs, a characteristic Norwegian note from the architect who built the property in 2010, are hidden in the landscape for those arriving by car, but act as a beacon for anyone arriving by sea. Owner Hans Michael Jepsen originally bought an inn on this spot, which overlooks farmer’s fields and the Als Fjord, but rebuilt it in 2010 to create his own ideal of what a seaside hotel should be: art-filled and luxurious, with a capacious wine cellar and an atmosphere that makes your shoulders drop and relaxation take over.
Light-filled bedrooms look down over the calming fjord while, in the grand tea salon downstairs, there’s a nod to the South Jutland tradition of the cake table with a show-stopping cake trolley. This tradition dates back to a struggle for national identity in the region when it was under German rule in the late 1800s. Danes got together to share cake in community centers across the region, bringing ever more delicious treats to the table. When the area returned to Danish rule, the cake tradition continued, and now it’s one of its key gourmet treats, hewn in the psyche of its population.
Dyvig has two restaurants, Brasserie Skipperstuen and gourmet restaurant Amstrup & Vigen, serving plenty of local fish in both, including lobster, langoustine, turbot, lemon sole and more. Brasserie Skipperstuen’s signature stjerneskud (shooting star) dish is arguably the perfect introduction to Danish seaside food: hearty and comforting, the plate piled high with fried and steamed red sole fillets atop bread, with hand-peeled Swedish prawns and a light salad as an accompaniment. It’s all in line with head chef Christian Boisen’s philosophy about creating an experience where the food complements the view. Looking from the light window in the sky-blue walled gourmet restaurant, that view is of the fjord and beyond in the near distance, fields from which the kitchen sources new potatoes. While life by the sea brings fresh fish, sea air and a soundtrack of shimmering waves, it also brings the unexpected. Who knows what might wash up on the shore with the next tide? A little of Dyvig Badehotel’s magic remains hanging in the brisk sea air as we join the dots at the end of the journey.
On this foggy day, the sea and sky seem to blend together and boats almost appear to be floating impossibly in midair. Then it’s back through softly curving hills, past views of untouched sandy beaches through the trees. Sun-dappled roads lead to the suburbs and on further still to the ancient and modern towers of the city of Copenhagen. Beside them, through it all, the blue water of the harbor loops on like a ribbon, the thread that connects it all.
