Odense Funen Island Denmark
Denmark
Frequently Asked Questions
In the inner basins, a few kilometres from the historic heart. Odense has a quirk: its harbour is not on the sea. A canal cut in the early 19th century links the quays to the sea, and only smaller vessels can come up it.
Depending on the line: shuttles, taxis, or a walk of around thirty minutes. The route crosses a former industrial area in full transformation, where cranes and silos sit next to cafés and student housing. This is not a call where you step straight into the old town.
The Hans Christian Andersen museum, the yellow house on Munkemøllestræde where he grew up, then the footprint-marked trail of about 2.5 kilometres, which is in fact the best guided tour of the centre. Keep time for the riverside gardens.
A museum designed by the Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, which buries much of its space beneath circular gardens, like a tale whose pages you turn by walking. The exhibitions give voice to The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling and their kin without ever tipping into theme park.
A shoemaker's son born here, who left these streets at fourteen to try his luck in Copenhagen, and whose tales travelled the world. The modest yellow house on Munkemøllestræde where he grew up puts it in perspective: it all began in two rooms with worn floorboards.
A route marked on the pavement with footprints, about 2.5 kilometres long, linking the places associated with the writer. It passes St Knud's Gothic cathedral, where a Danish king murdered in the 11th century lies, runs along the half-timbered houses of Nedergade and Overgade, then drops down to the river.
Eventyrhaven, the fairy tale garden, spreads at the foot of the cathedral. From there small excursion boats drift downstream towards Munke Mose park and the zoo; you can also rent a pedalo or follow the bank on foot. This green corridor softens the visit.
The Danish krone. Denmark has not adopted the euro. Cards work everywhere, including in the museums, on the excursion boats and in the pedestrian district shops.
Danish, with excellent English across the population — this is the country's third city with a large student population. Museums offer English materials. French is rare.
Very much so. The Andersen museum was designed to be walked through rather than read, the footprints on the pavement turn the walk into a game, and the Funen Village open-air museum at the southern edge of town recreates 19th-century Danish countryside with animals, kitchen gardens and costumed craftspeople.
