When to visit Denmark

"April light was unlike any other. It had a charming, optimistic unreliability like an overbid hand in poker. It gave a promise of spring that it wasn't sure it could keep."

Peter Hoeg, The Quiet Girl

Denmark has the least extreme climate in Scandinavia, consisting of warm summers, colourful autumns, green springs and cold, windy winters, and each season has many attractions. Spring is generally sunny and cloudless, and a good time for city visits, when the main attractions are less crowded, but the most popular time to visit is undoubtedly the summer months of June, July and August, when the weather is reliably sunny, and the countryside is in full bloom. Copenhagen in particular has year-round attractions, but tourism peaks in July and August. May, early June and September are probably the best times to go. Many Danes take their main holiday in July, so coastal and countryside areas can be crowded.

Autumn brings glorious colours across the countryside, but don't think of taking a late beach holiday, as coastal waters are chilly by September. Winters are cold, but nothing like the Arctic temperatures of Denmark's northerly neighbours, and daylight hours are short. With little snow and few slopes, winter activities are more limited than in the rest of Scandinavia, but there are excellent Christmas markets throughout the country in December.