TRAVEL TIPS FOR DENMARK - 2007

      Danish campsite web sites      Camping cards
      Camping Gaz in Denmark      Guidebooks for Denmark
      Danish maps      Driving in Denmark
      Supermarkets and credit cards      Review of Danish campsites

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DANISH CAMPSITES:





 

 

 



 

 

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There are 496 campsites in Denmark, accredited (godkendt) by the Danish Camping Board which inspects sites annually and awards their star-ratings. Of all the sites we experienced, most had a very high standard of facilities: clean modern toilets and showers, with heating in the cold season, reliable hot water and good wash-ups. Where they varied was in the attitude shown by owners and the level of hospitable welcome and helpfulness; unfortunately this does not figure in the Danish Camping Board's accreditation assessment, but certainly is reflected in the ratings we have given in our Danish Campsites Review over-page. Wild-camping in Denmark is illegal, and with such a wealth of campsites, there is no excuse for ignoring signs forbidding wild-camping at beaches, rural car parks and harbours.

Danish campsite charges may seem expensive compared with other parts of Europe; typically out of the peak summer period (when you would not want to be there anyway!), a night's charge might be around 170 kroner (£16) with showers usually extra, either paid with a coin or token (polet).

Most of the campsites are understandably in popular tourist areas and do tend to be overcrowded with mainly static caravans, leaving often minimal space for visitors. It also unfortunately can mean intrusive noise levels, particularly from TVs played inconsiderately loudly in caravan awnings. Better therefore to visit Denmark in early autumn as we did or in springtime when the statics are less occupied and you can enjoy nature's peace without disturbance.

Another welcome feature of Danish campsites is that many now have wi-fi internet hotspots, both pay-on-line, pay the campsite or included free in the campsite charge; typical costs are 30 kroner (£2.80) for half hour's usage, certainly cheaper than using a 3G datacard.

DANISH CAMPING
WEB SITES:

These web sites are invaluable in planning a trip and locating Danish campsites:











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  Danish Camping Board web site

This is the most useful web site by far in planning a trip to Denmark, listing all accredited campsites. Click on the regional map, then on your selected site for its details: each site has a reference number, given also in column 1 of our ratings under the campsite name; notice also the pie-chart indicating the Camping Board's rating of facilities, buildings and grounds (explained on the Quality Assessment page). What they do not take into account are the human attitudes, and our assessment aims to address this shortcoming. On the campsite's page, click on the 'Prices' tag for opening and closing times, essential when travelling early or late in the season; the 'Maps' tag is indispensible to print the site's precise location - no more searching remote country lanes in the dark! Our experience is that details given on the Camping Board's web site are reliably accurate.

  DK Camp web site

This camping organisation's web site also contains interactive maps with campsite details. Although difficult to read being all in Danish, their DK Camping Guide is worthwhile and available free of charge at campsites and service stations. If you are travelling late in the year, the Winter Camping brochure lists those sites open during the winter months. Even if a campsite is open in winter, it is worth phoning ahead to check and to ensure access. For thrifty campers who like to overnight in a car park, have a look at the Quickstop scheme which offers aire type facilities outside some campsites.

CAMPING CARDS:




 

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You must have a valid camping card to stay at Danish campsites. This can be the Scandinavian Camping Card which is valid also across Europe (see Danish Camping Board), or a Camping Card International (CCI).

The Camping Card International (Camping Carnet) is a worthwhile small investment; it only costs £4.50, lasts for a year and can be bought through Camping Organisations  eg  Camping and Caravan Club   It gives a degree of camping insurance, and since it also carries passport details, you can offer it to campsites in place of your passport during your stay. But on leaving, always ensure you have been given back the right card.

CAMPING GAZ IN DENMARK:

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In such a civilised country as Denmark, Camping Gaz 907 (2 kgm) refill cylinders are readily available at many camp sites. Doubtless you could also exchange your empty cylinder for a refill at the usual sports, camping or hardware shops. We paid 195 kroners (around £18) for a refill at Absalon Camping, København and saw them at a number of other sites.
GUIDEBOOKS FOR DENMARK:





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Those we found most helpful were:

Rough Guide to Denmark:   published by Rough Guides, April 2007
                                       ISBN no: 978-1-84353-717-5  Price £13.99


Lonely Planet Denmark:      published by Lonely Planet, February 2005
                                       ISBN no: 1-74059-489-4  Price £14.99

Insight Guide to Denmark: 
over-pricey (£16.99) and of little substance as a serious
                                       guide book, but pretty pictures for post-trip nostalgia
DANISH MAPS:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 




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For the soundest advice and supply of Danish maps, as always we recommend consulting:

   The Map Shop, Upton upon Severn, Worcs

For general use and motoring, the most useful maps are the 3 sheets at 1:200k scale published by Mair (click map, right) price £4.50 each; details on The Map Shop web Site.

The 1:100k and 1:50k walking maps are very expensive, not all that legible and in fact unnecessary: the Danish Forest and Nature Agency (part of their Environment Ministry) publishes a series of over 120 leaflets covering all areas of natural interest (coasts, cliffs, dunes, hills, lakes, woodland) across Denmark (see left for sample). Unfortunately only a few are translated into English, which is a real pity since they do contain a wealth of topographical detail; they also however incorporate a 1:25k map of the respective area which will certainly meet the needs of walkers. The leaflets are available free of charge at Tourist Offices and campsites. You can also download the leaflets for printing from the Forest and Nature Agency's web site:

   Forest and Nature Agency map-leaflets

Move between the 3 pages of listings with <Næste> for next and <Forrige> for previous

   Leaflets translated into English

On both sites, click on the required leaflet then you can download and print both leaflet and map as PDF files - click on <hele folderen> and <kort> tags. You can similarly print a PDF file of the map-leaflets index (take these indices with you so that you know what is available in each part of the country):

   Index of map-leaflets for Jutland and Funen

   Index of map-leaflets for Zealand

In Denmark itself, the best cartographers we found was in København:

   Nordisk Korthandel cartographers, København

Their address is: Studiestræde 26-30, DK-1455 København,  Phone +45 3338 2638
Here you can not only browse and buy maps, they also keep a full stock of the Danish Forest and Nature Agency free of charge map-leaflets.

DRIVING IN DENMARK:






 










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Like the rest of Danish society, Danish driving standards are refreshingly courteous, making this one of the most relaxed countries for driving. Danes generally observe the out of built-up areas 80 kph (50 mph) speed limit, not out of grudging compliance with the law but simply a sense of social responsibility. If ever you are aggressively tail-gated by a speeding motorist, the likelihood is it's a visiting German!

For useful information on driving in Denmark, visit the Danish Roads Ministry's web site

   Driving in Denmark

In addition to the maps recommended above, the Danish Roads Ministry's Motorvej atlas (see left) gives motorways maps, and details of service stations, city-maps, campsites and traffic regulations. It really is a valuable guide for travelling around the country and you can pick this up free of charge at service stations, garages, TICs and campsites.

At a more relaxed level of travelling. keep an eye open for the sign-posted Marguerite Routes, a 3,500 km long network of attractive minor roads and quiet back lanes marked by brown-white-yellow Marguerite Daisy signs. On maps, the route is highlighted with a green line, and offers a more relaxing way to negotiate Denmark's scenic byways.

Parking: almost all public car parks in Denmark, whether on or off the street, are time-limited with signs announcing the local limit: the Danish word time (plural timer) means 'hour', so 2 timer is a 2 hours limit. You are obliged by law to display in your windscreen a parking disk set with your arrival time. Disks can be obtained at garages, shops and tourist offices, and there is a 500 DKK on-the-spot fine for not displaying one; being a visitor is no excuse. It is also illegal (with hefty fine for contra-vention) to park on the 'wrong side' of a street, ie facing against on-coming traffic.

SUPER-MARKETS:








CREDIT CARDS:


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Part of the fun of finding your way around a new country is doing your daily shopping; a word therefore about the practicalities of Danish supermarkets, since it is with your shopping bill that you will notice the Danish higher cost of living. In our experience, Brugsen and Kvickly offer the best choice and value. Both supermarket chains are operated by The Danish Consumers Co-operative Society. Brugsens, with larger stores called Super Brugsens, have shops in most towns around the country. Perhaps more useful are the smaller Dagli'Brugsens found in many villages. The supermarket chain Føtex, despite all the glitziness of their stores, are poorly stocked, ultra-pricey and refuse to accept non-Danish credit cards - best avoided, as of course are the German Lidl and Aldi stores.

Having been accustomed to using a credit card in every corner of Europe, it came as something of a shock to find Danish supermarkets or garages refusing to accept non-Danish credit cards. Even if credit cards are accepted, a 5% surcharge will regularly be added to your bill for the privilege. In visiting Denmark, you may want to take this into account and budget for more cash transactions than you might normally. For such a modern and civilised country, Denmark is still in such curious ways rather introverted.

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