DENMARK: A 7-DAY ITINERARY (ROAD TRIP!)

This is just a portion of our overall road trip across Denmark, Norway, and Scotland, so we are going to break it down by country. Here is the lineup for Denmark:
        Day 1: Copenhagen
        Day 2: Copenhagen
        Day 3: Møns Klint (via Roskilde)
        Day 4: Fåborg (via Funen)
        Day 5: Ribe
        Day 6: Aarhus
        Day 7: Skagen (overnight cruise from Hirtshals to Stavanger, Norway)

What we packed:
        Checked bag - Camping/hiking gear
        Checked bag - Clothes/toiletries
​        Carry-on bag - Camera backpack
        Carry-on bag - Hiking backpack

Day 1 & Day 2 - Copenhagen
See our previous post here - Copenhagen: A 2-day Itinerary!

Day 3
Total drive time: 2h 14m
Route: Copenhagen - Roskilde - Møns Klint
Accommodations: Camping Møns Klint

We walked from our Airbnb to pick up our rental car in downtown Copenhagen. Just a small manual vehicle with a hatchback works great.  We stopped back by our Airbnb to pick up our bags and the grocery store to pick up a few snacks and started towards Roskilde. When we arrived in Roskilde, we parked near the cathedral and started to walk the streets.  It was a calm, quiet area. There was even a small market going on in the town's square.

​After Roskilde, we drove to set up camp at Camping Møns Klint. After setting up our tent, we started off on our hike to Møns Klint, which is just a walk across the street to get to trails and the beach.
 
Here is the map  we used to plan our hike - Møns Klint Hiking Map. We started out at Camping Møns Klint - took route 2 to the beach - hiked the beach to route 4 - took route 4 stairs up and worked our way back to Camping Møns Klint.  This took one and a half to two hours, and beware of the stairs!  There is a wooden staircase to get to and from the beach, and it consists of roughly 500 stairs.
 
The white cliffs at Møns Klint are a must-see, as well as the view of the Baltic Sea.
 
We ate dinner at the campground - which had a casual setting with wine, pizza, and a variety of other food options.

Day 4
Total drive time: 3h 22m
Route: Møns Klint - Funen - Fåborg
Accommodations: Nab Strand Camping
 
We headed out early in the morning to get to Egeskov Castle. This place is magical - it truly is a fairy tale castle. This was the coolest castle we saw in Denmark.  The gardens are the most magical piece, with over 15 gardens you will need at least a couple hours to fully wander.  You can also explore the old stables, which now consist of museums with old farm equipment, cars, and small airplanes.  This is certainly worthwhile, and you can spend the day here.

​After Egeskov, take the short drive to the seaside town of Fåborg. This is a great place to just wander the streets. We had dinner at Spisehuset.

​We set up camp for the night at Nab Strand Camping.

The original plan for the day was to take the ferry from Fåborg to Ærø and camp on the island. We changed our minds due to the cost of the ferry and the amount of time left in the day. So we opted to camp near Fåborg.
 
Day 5
Total drive time: 1h 58m
Route: Fåborg - Ribe
Accommodations: Ribe Camping

In the morning, we headed off to Ribe. We went straight to the city center and found a place to park. We saw Ribe Domkirke, did a mini self guided walking tour of the old streets (Old Town Walk), and ended the day at the Museet Ribes Vikinger. Ribe is one of Scandinavia's oldest towns. The cobblestone streets date back to 869 AD! Walking these streets reminded us of Lord of the Rings and we really enjoyed it here.

After walking in Ribe, we headed out to Mandø, which is one of the Danish Wadden Sea Islands. This island is not always accessible due to the tide, so be sure to check the tide schedule out before you go!

​On the way back from Mandø, we saw this house, which reminded me of Snow White, so I had to grab a picture!

We set up camp at Ribe Camping for the night.
 
Day 6
Total drive time: 1h 45m
Route: Ribe - Aarhus
Accommodations: Airbnb - https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/18985495
 
In the morning, we set off for Aarhus. We didn't really have a plan for the day. We knew we couldn't check into our room until the afternoon, and it started to rain, so we thought we would check out the ARoS Art Museum. We really enjoyed it - there are ten floors, each with a different theme. The top floor gives you a colored panoramic view of the city.

After the museum, we checked out ​Mollenstien Street - which is perhaps the prettiest street in Denmark.

We had dinner at the Aarhus Central Food Market and Aarhus Street Food (another market a few blocks away). Food was amazing! Lots of places to choose from, you will not be disappointed!

We wanted to get a drink at St. Pau'ls Apothek - http://stpaulsapothek.dk/ - but it was closed when we showed up :(.

After dinner, we returned to our Airbnb and for the night.
 
Day 7
Total drive time: 3h 6m
Route: Aarhus - Skagen - Hirtshals
Accommodations: Overnight ferry to Stavanger
 
In Skagen, we went to Grenen - Denmark's northernmost point. Here, you can walk out on a narrow sand patch where two seas meet. Parking was limited and it is a bit of a walk along the beach. If it is a nice day, it is worth going for a few hours.  Next we went to check out Old Skagen, known for its yellow houses, and then had lunch down by the harbor.

On our way out of town, we stopped at Den Tilsandede Kirke, also known as the 'sand-covered church'. This church was built during the 14th century,  but after a terrible sand drift, the congregation moved out. All that is left of the church is the tower.

We returned the rental car in Hirtshals. It was a bit of a hike to the ferry port (we walked it and it took us about 45 min., but we recommend taking a taxi). We took an overnight ferry to Stavanger, Norway. 
 
Tips:

• Denmark was much more expensive than we thought.  So to cut costs, we shopped frequently for breakfast, lunch, and snacks at the grocery stores (peanut butter sandwiches were our go-to)
• We bought lots of boxed wine (don't need an opener, it remains sealed, and doesn't clank in the car).
• We ended up splitting most meals when eating out (since we had no place to store leftovers and the portions were enough for two).
• You can drink pretty much anywhere in public.
• Renting a manual vehicle is MUCH cheaper than an automatic.