Denmark: good to know
The general-information half of trip planning: how expensive Denmark feels, what is considered polite, what is not, and the everyday practicalities - alongside our 205 written places.
Hygge is real but untranslatable; bikes and trust run the country.
✓ Considered polite
- Signal with your hand before stopping or turning on a bike
- Trust the system - honesty boxes and unattended prams are normal
- Dress in layers, not umbrellas - the wind eats umbrellas
- Try smorrebrod properly - it is lunch, eaten with knife and fork
✗ Better avoided
- Walk in bike lanes
- Jaywalk - Danes wait for the green even at empty streets
- Tip beyond rounding - service is included
- Expect effusiveness - warmth here is dry and understated
Worth knowing
- Cards work everywhere; cash is rare
- Copenhagen is very walkable, but renting a bike is the true local experience
- Bakeries open early even Sundays; most other shops close
- Tap water is excellent everywhere
Plugs and voltage: Wikipedia, «Mains electricity by country» (after the IEC World Plugs list), read 15 October 2026.
Some links on this page are Amazon affiliate links - if you buy through them we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Keep planning
Customs are living things - regions differ, cities relax, generations shift. Take these notes as a friendly head start, watch what locals do, and when in doubt a smile and a greeting in the local language cover almost everything.