Copenhagen is clean, safe, and bike-friendly. More people bike than drive. The city is compact and easy to explore. Nyhavn (the colorful canal with 17th-century townhouses) is the postcard image of Copenhagen. It's touristy but beautiful. Tivoli Gardens is an amusement park in the city center that's been around since 1843. It's charming, especially at night when it's lit up. The Little Mermaid statue is iconic but tiny and always surrounded by tourists (it's disappointing, but everyone goes anyway). Christiania is a semi-autonomous neighborhood (founded by hippies in the 1970s) with colorful buildings, street art, and an open drug market. It's interesting but controversial.

Copenhagen has great museums (National Museum, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek) and a lively food scene. Street food markets like Reffen and Torvehallerne are cheaper than restaurants but still expensive by European standards.

Copenhagen is expensive. Hostels run $35-50/night. A meal at a restaurant is $20-30. A beer is $7-10. A coffee is $5-7.

Roskilde (30 minutes from Copenhagen) has a Viking Ship Museum and a massive music festival in summer.

Aarhus on the east coast is Denmark's second-largest city. It has a charming old town (Den Gamle By, an open-air museum), ARoS (a modern art museum with a rainbow panorama on the roof), and a younger, more affordable vibe than Copenhagen.

The countryside has beaches, dunes, and small towns. Skagen at the northern tip is where the North Sea and Baltic Sea meet. It's beautiful and windswept. Møn has white cliffs overlooking the Baltic Sea.

Danish food is open-faced sandwiches (smørrebrød), pastries (wienerbrød, which Danes invented despite the name), hot dogs from street stalls, and new Nordic cuisine (if you can afford it). Noma (in Copenhagen) is one of the most famous restaurants in the world, but you need to book months in advance and spend hundreds of dollars.

Danish people are reserved, polite, and speak perfect English. They value work-life balance and hygge (a concept of coziness and contentment). Danes are friendly but not overly warm. Don't expect small talk.

Getting around is easy. Trains connect Copenhagen, Aarhus, and other cities. Buses go everywhere. Copenhagen has an excellent metro and bike infrastructure. If you want to explore the countryside, rent a car.

Denmark is one of the most expensive countries in Europe. Budget travelers struggle here. If you're on a tight budget, limit your time in Copenhagen, cook your own meals, and stay in hostels.

When to go: Summer (June-August) is the best time for weather (though "best" is relative). Days are long, temperatures are mild (15-20°C/60-68°F), and everything is open. Spring (April-May) and fall (September-October) are cooler and quieter. Winter (November-March) is cold, dark, and gray.

Denmark is clean, safe, and expensive. If you have the budget and want Scandinavian culture, it's worth it. If you're broke, skip it or just pass through.