Denmark travel guide: Everything you need to know before you go

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. open image in gallery Wadden Sea National Park is a Unesco-listed area with beaches and estuaries Fyn vineyards Denmark was only accepted as a commercial wine growing area within the European Union in 2000, but what’s remarkable is how the country has one of the fastest growing viticulture industries on the planet. Samsø Hiking clifftop paths, cycling fertile farmlands, swimming on child-friendly beaches, watching sunrise while fishing the coast – the island of Samsø offers all the usual holiday draws, but with one major exception: it’s the world’s first renewable energy island and is completely self-sufficient. open image in gallery There are extensive bike paths for cycling along the Copenhagen waterways Stay in a ‘badehoteller’ Flitting between sun-drenched shoreline and wind-whipped wild coast, the Danish seaside offers up a hit-or-miss proposition, but nonetheless the country has a strong tradition of beach hotels. The Vikings worshipped many gods in Denmark, from Odin and Thor to Frey and Freyja, but today it’s fair to say that it’s Sól – the sun god – who lodges in the mind.