Denmark has been a kingdom by the sea for 1,000 years and any of its many ports is worth a call by the visitor. The Jutland peninsula divides the Skagerrak and Kattegat straits; islands make up the rest of the country. Openness is a hallmark, whether it be the famous open-faced sandwiches of Copenhagen or the open-hearted nature of the Danes.

Copenhagen is on the island of Sealand. Its pleasures include strolling along the milelong Stroget pedestrian boulevard and passing the time at a comfortable cafe. Visit the National Museum, newly renovated and expanded; Christianborg Palace, official residence of Danish kings until 1794, with its lavish reception rooms; or Rosenborg Castle where a dazzling collection of crown jewels and royal regalia are on display. On the waterfront, the Little Mermaid offers arrivals a serene welcome. The best shops in Copenhagen are along or just off the Stroget. Familiar names include Georg Jensen silver, Royal Copenhagen and Bing & Grondahl porcelain. Illums Bolighus and Illums Department Store offer floors of quality Danishdesigned goods. Birger Christensen has reopened with shops featuring the best fur designers in the world.

Odense, native city of Hans Christian Andersen, is on the lovely garden island of Funen. Andersen's house is a museum containing letters, manuscripts and possessions

Arhus, the second-largest city, dates to the Viking era. The Old Town is an open-air museum with 60 original furnished houses and other buildings dating to the 17th and 18th centuries. The Prehistoric Museum, located in a 200-year-old manor house, traces Danish life back 2,000 years

Alborg, in northern Jutland, recently was named Europe's cleanest city. It also has more than 200 pubs and restaurants and is situated less than an hour's drive from some of the finest beaches on the North Sea coast. There are Viking settlements at Lindholm Hoje, just outside of the city

Check our "Rhapsodies" for quick city visits' rates. Rhapsodies are 2 or 3 nights program in major cities with hotel accommodation selected by central location and value. usually, a city tour is also included. Use them as they are for a single city visit or combine them for a more complete program. To check rates, select the date of your stay from the calendar that will appear.