Denmark Guide
Zealand
As the largest of Denmark's islands and the home of its capital, Zealand (Sjælland) is the country's most important – and most visited – region. It would be perverse to come and not visit Copenhagen – easily the most extrovert and cosmopolitan place in the country, and as lively by night as it is by day. But once there it's well worth making at least a brief journey into the country to see how different the rest of Denmark can be. Woods and expansive parklands appear almost as soon as you leave the city – and even if you don't like what you find, the swiftness of the metropolitan transport network, which covers almost half the island, means that you can be back in the capital in easy time for an evening drink.
North of Copenhagen, the coastal road passes the outstanding modern art museum of Louisiana and the absorbing Karen Blixen museum at Rungsted before reaching Helsingør, site of the renowned Kronborg Slot (better known as Elsinore Castle), an impressive fortification that nevertheless quite unfairly steals the spotlight from Frederiksborg Slot, an even more eye-catching castle in nearby Hillerød. West of Copenhagen and on the main route to Funen is Roskilde, a former capital with an extravagant cathedral that's still the last resting place for Danish monarchs, and with a gorgeous location on the Roskilde fjord. South of Copenhagen is Køge, which – beyond the industrial sites that flank it – has a well-preserved medieval centre and long, sandy beaches lining its bay.
In the south, Næstved, surrounded by lush countryside, gives access to three smaller islands just off the coast: Lolland, Falster and Møn. Each of these is busy during the summer, but outside high season you'll find them green and peaceful, with Lolland offering a leisurely backdoor route, via Langeland, to Funen.
Not part of Zealand, but conveniently reached via Øresunds Link from Copenhagen, is the island of Bornholm. A huge slab of granite in the Baltic, it houses a few small fishing communities and has some fine beaches and an unusual history.