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Danish Castles & Coast

The spectacular Danish Riviera
 
The extremely cycle-friendly culture is ideal for self-guided hotel-to-hotel cycling, with luggage transported. Visit thatched villages, explore grand castles, and relax on white-sand beaches. You stay in two wonderful seaside hotels and savour delicious fish and seafood.
Danish Castles & Coast. 4 nights
+44 (0)1653 617001 Call now
Danish Castles & Coast. 4 nights
+44 (0)1653 617001 Call now
 

Holiday information

 

A cycling break in north Zealand

This beautiful corner of Zealand, Denmark's largest island, is a paradise for cyclists, with enticing tracks following the shoreline and winding inland through farmland and forest. Visit pretty villages of thatched-roof cottages, explore grand royal castles surrounded by manicured gardens, and take time out to relax on vast beaches of white sand, where brightly coloured beach huts line up against a backdrop of rolling dunes and vast blue skies.
On top of all this, you stay in cosy, hospitable accommodation situated on, or very near the coast, and can savour superb regional cuisine featuring, of course, the freshest of fish and seafood.
You cycle largely on the flat, on well-signed trails, and because the distances are reasonably short, you can take your time to explore – call in at artisan producers of chocolate and schnapps, linger over picnics of open crab sandwiches, enjoy dips in the sea, and admire the far-reaching vistas along the coast and across the sea.
 
Gallery
 

Itinerary

The key to Inntravel holidays is flexibility. You can start on the day of your choice, and are free to add extra nights.

Pay locally for all visits and train journeys mentioned in the itinerary.

We have not provided elevation profiles for any of the routes on this holiday because it is largely on the flat.
  • The average maximum daytime temperatures and monthly rainfall relate to the nearest weather station and are intended as a guide only.
    Average temperatures and rainfall
      Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
    °C 2 3 5 10 16 20 21 21 17 13 8 4
    mm 51 31 41 41 43 54 70 62 62 57 63 59
  • Arrival in Snekkersten
    Night 1: at Villa Brinkly (the first of two nights here).
    As your first night's accommodation is on the day of travel, Day 1 is your first day of cycling.
  • Choice of routes from Snekkersten: 20km or 42km

    Circular route from Snekkersten: 42km
    Our recommended route winds through forest and villages of thatched cottages to picturesque Gurre and its ruined castle. Here, it is well worth a short detour to the home and small factory of passionate chocolatier Peter Beier, before continuing past a lake to the magnificent Royal Palace of Fredensborg on the edge of the Royal North Sealand National Park. Known as the ‘Danish Versailles’, it still serves as the royal summer residence. The palace is only open in July, though you can still admire its elaborate façade as you stroll through the grounds at other times. From here, you return through woodland and along largely traffic-free farmland tracks to the coast at Niva, before passing impressive villas and small villages on your way back to sea-facing Snekkersten.

    Linear route from Snekkersten: 20km
    For a very different day, another option is to catch the train to Vedbæk. Cycle through Rungsted – home to a museum devoted to Karen Blixen, author of Out of Africa  – and then head up the coast, perhaps stopping at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art to break your journey. (NB both museums are closed on Mondays.)
    Fredensborg Palace
  • Snekkersten to Gilleleje: 32km
    Pedal north to the walled coastal town of Helsingør, where imposing Kronborg Castle was the setting for Shakespeare’s Hamlet (performances of the play are held here during a three-week festival every August). You then continue parallel to the north coast, often close to the dunes, to Hornbæk, which boasts the finest of many white-sand beaches in the area and is ideal for a swim on a hot day. Whitewashed cottages with thatched roofs and colourful rose beds make for an attractive approach to your destination, the Gilleleje Badehotel in Gilleleje, a traditional fishing village where you can witness the day’s catch being landed on the harbour or watch the world go by from the pretty green.
  • Choice of routes from Gilleleje: both 30km

    Linear route from Gilleleje: 30km
    Our recommended route follows a woodland cycle path through the Royal North Sealand National Park to reach Frederiksborg Castle and its impressive grounds. The largest Renaissance castle in Scandinavia is located in the pretty town of Hillerød, which has a good selection of shops and cafés to explore before you return to Gilleleje by train.

    Circular route from Gilleleje: 30km
    Alternatively, head south via the idyllic village of Esbønderup, to the 10th-century abbey of Esrum. Here, you can visit the cloister and sample some of the abbey’s produce – the monks not only brew beer, but also produce schnapps, honey, salami and mustard, among other things. You return across farmland, with the option of detouring via the Tegners sculpture park, where the wild heathland of Rusland serves as an impressive backdrop for a collection of intriguing works of art.
    Frederiksborg Castle
 

Accommodation

You stay in intimate, beautifully decorated seaside accommodation, conveniently located right by the cycle trail.
 

Extend your stay

 
Prices & travel options
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  • 4 nights: 13 May 2023 - 30 September 2023 & 18 May 2024 - 30 September 2024

    Start any day | End by latest date(s) shown above

    Starting Price Single room
    13 May - 3 Jun 2023 £1090 £360
    4 Jun - 1 Sep 2023 £1140 £395
    2 - 26 Sep 2023 £1080 £385
    18 May - 3 Jun 2024 £1200 £400
    4 Jun - 1 Sep 2024 £1255 £435
    2 - 26 Sep 2024 £1190 £425
    3rd & 4th person discount -£70 to -£77
    Single traveller supplement £70 to £77

    Includes accommodation, meals, bike hire, luggage transfers and any other services integral to the holiday as described, plus cycling notes and maps, but no travel from the UK, nor any connecting travel from the airport unless stated below.

    Price includes: return rail from Copenhagen Airport

    E-bikes available: add £150pp

    Book your flights through us and we'll find the best route and times to suit you. Please contact us to find out more about our flight booking service. We can also book connecting travel - see below.

  • Room upgrades (£ per person per night)

    Villa Brinkly, Snekkersten
    Forest View: 13 May - 30 Sep 2023 £18
    Forest View: 18 May - 30 Sep 2024 £20
    Sea view & balcony: 13 May - 30 Sep 2023 £40
    Sea view & balcony: 18 May - 30 Sep 2024 £44
    Gilleleje Badehotel, Gilleleje
    Sea view & balcony: 13 May - 30 Sep 2023 £15
    Sea view & balcony: 18 May - 30 Sep 2024 £17

    Extra nights (£ per person per night) in a double or single room

    Prices include an extra day’s hire of a standard bike. If you are upgrading to an e-bike, add £11pp per day.
    Villa Brinkly, Snekkersten (B&B) Double room Single room
    13 May - 30 Sep 2023 £135 £230
    18 May - 30 Sep 2024 £150 £255
    Gilleleje Badehotel, Gilleleje (with dinner) Double room Single room
    13 May - 30 Sep 2023 £199 £259
    18 May - 30 Sep 2024 £220 £286
  • RECOMMENDED AIRPORT(S):
    Copenhagen
    As an alternative to flying, we can arrange rail travel from London

    Travelling from the UK

    Travelling from outside the UK

    If you are flying from outside Europe,  we recommend flying via Copenhagen. To discuss onward connecting travel to the start of your holiday, please contact us.

    Travelling from outside the UK
    We have many years' experience catering for customers who live outside the UK, and will be happy to make tailored arrangements to fit with your plans.

    You have two options:

    1) Book your own flights to London, from where we can book flights and onward connecting travel to your hotel.

    2) Book your own flights direct to an airport appropriate to your chosen holiday. You can either make your own way from the airport to the hotel, or we'll be happy to book onward connecting travel for you. Please consult with us before booking your flights, so that we can advise you on the suitability of your proposed route and timings.
    Outward route Airline
    Aberdeen - Copenhagen SAS 
    Aberdeen - Copenhagen (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Birmingham - Copenhagen SAS 
    Birmingham - Copenhagen (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Bristol - Copenhagen easyJet 
    Bristol - Copenhagen (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Edinburgh - Copenhagen easyJet,  Norwegian,  Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    Glasgow - Copenhagen SAS 
    Outward route Airline
    Leeds Bradford - Copenhagen (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Gatwick - Copenhagen easyJet,  Norwegian 
    Outward route Airline
    Heathrow - Copenhagen British Airways,  SAS 
    Outward route Airline
    Luton - Copenhagen Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    Stansted - Copenhagen Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    Manchester - Copenhagen easyJet,  Norwegian,  SAS 
    Outward route Airline
    Newcastle - Copenhagen SAS 
    Outward route Airline
    Newquay - Copenhagen SAS 
    Outward route Airline
    Norwich - Copenhagen (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Travelling from outside the UK

    If you are flying from outside Europe,  we recommend flying via Copenhagen. To discuss onward connecting travel to the start of your holiday, please contact us.

    This list of flight options should be used as a guide only, and you should check each airline’s website for current routes, frequency and schedules. Not all flights operate daily, and may not run for the entire season. You should also heed the latest flight arrival time and earliest flight departure time stated in the connecting travel section, as it may not be possible to arrange connecting travel outside these times. Please do not book your flights until we have confirmed your accommodation to you. Alternatively, our expert reservations team will be happy to offer advice and to make flight bookings for you for any of the options listed above. We charge £35 per person for our flight booking service. Your flights are then covered by our package-booking conditions, which give you greater protection in the event of delay or cancellation, as well as providing ATOL cover.

  • Prices below are based on 2 people travelling together. If you are travelling solo or as a party of 3 or more and our arrangements include a taxi, please contact us for prices; additional passengers often pay less.

    Where a price range is given, the price you pay depends on your date of travel.

    Connecting travel options - flying via Copenhagen airport

    Outward route Price per person Latest flight
    arrival time
    rail Copenhagen airport to Snekkersten (1h), hotel transfer to hotel (0h02) included 1700
    Homeward route Price per person Earliest flight
    departure time
    hotel transfer to Gilleleje (0h05), rail Gilleleje to Copenhagen airport (1h55) included 1200
What is included
  • 4 nights
  • 2 dinners
    4 breakfasts
  • luggage transported
  • high-quality bicycle
  • route notes and maps
  • GPS navigation
  • return rail from Copenhagen Airport
 
Reviews

If you've experienced this holiday first hand, why not write a review?

We are keen for as many customers as possible to review their holiday. To make it easier to do so, we include a specific review section on our post-holiday questionnaire, and this is what we publish here, unedited. Read our full review policy >

All 4 reviews
  • Anon
    11 August 2023

    This was a thoroughly delightful short cycling trip, through varied pretty landscapes and with contrasting but comfortable and very welcoming accommodation along the way.

  • Walking Brummies
    08 August 2022

    The weather when we went was excellent, so we were pampered by not being either hot or cold. In Snekkersten you miust go to the Vores Skotterup restaurant. Not cheap but the welcome and food is superb. The walk to Helsinger is flat and very enjoyable. Helsinger itself is a lovely city to enjoy. For the best open sandwiches try Persille's handmadder on Sct Anna Gade. We got the train to Gilleleje which was very clean and on  time. Gilleleje is lovely fishing port. The fish markets and shops are superb - it was shame that we werent self catering! We walked to the lighthouses and discovered the Fyrkroen restaurant. Not cheap but lovely location and food - well worth it before walking to our lovely hotel. In the evenings we discovered that the sunsets were amazing after dinner at the hotel and we walked along the ridge above the sea to see these. Altogether, this is a superb walking holiday! Sadly we couldnt do the cycling as we found that it just isn't us!

  • Mr P Hodson
    London
    11 July 2022

    Villa Brinkly eccentric and friendly and comfortable. I liked the mix of seaside and forest/farmland cycling. 

  • Mrs J Patrick
    London
    01 June 2022

    We thought the cycle rides and cultural sights were great and the accommododation, particularly Gilleleje Badehotel, was excellent. On Day 1 we can recommend the circular brick kiln museum at Niverod, which is not mentioned in Inntravel notes. There is only limited access to Fredensborg castle grounds. On Day 2, Louisiana Art Gallery is a must; it was closed on Monday but we made a special day trip from Copenhagen. Also on Day 2 we particularly enjoyed Helsingor Castle and Maritime Museum. 
 

FAQs

If you have any questions relating to this or any other Inntravel holiday, our friendly travel experts will be happy to help. You might also find our General FAQs section helpful.
  • We’ll send you route notes and maps 2-3 weeks before your holiday. The route notes not only contain directions to get from hotel to hotel, but also include practical information about places of interest and eateries along each route, plus cultural information about the area. On mornings when you are moving between hotels, you leave your luggage in reception as you leave, and it will be transferred ahead to your next accommodation so that all you need to take with you are a camera, sun cream, drinks, food and waterproofs.

    For more detailed information, see our cycling holidays in Europe page.
  • Our chosen bike rental shop will provide you with a hybrid bike with 24 gears; a waterproof map case on the handlebars; panniers/saddlebags; pump; puncture repair kit; and a lock.
  • While we would always recommend that you take your own well-fitting helmet, they can be provided free of charge by the supplier. Please let us know at the time of booking if you would like to hire a helmet.
  • Yes, we will provide GPX tracks for this holiday prior to departure so that you can follow your route on your smartphone or dedicated GPS device if you wish. (We also provide maps and our tried-and-tested route notes, which remain the principal means of navigation).
  • You are responsible for damage to or loss of the rental bike while it is hired to you. Always be careful to lock it up, ideally to an immovable object, and remove all easy-to-steal accessories whenever you leave it unattended.
  • We can book a wide range of routes from the UK with a variety of airlines. As well as being more convenient for you to book all elements of your holiday together, it also means that we’ll accept liability for your travel arrangements, so if things go wrong, such as the airline going bust, we’ll make suitable alternative arrangements for you. The fee for this service is £35 per person (£15 for children aged 2-11). More information on flights >
  • We can’t book flights that originate outside the UK, but if you wanted to book your own flights to London (or elsewhere in the UK), we can make all onward travel arrangements (including flights) from there. Alternatively, if you are booking your own flights to an airport in continental Europe that’s appropriate for your holiday, we can book onward rail travel and/or taxis. More information about how we can tailor holidays for customers outside the UK >
  • Absolutely! We are experts in tailored rail travel. Making use of sleeper trains or stopovers in cities along the route, we can get you from London to virtually anywhere in mainland Europe. We can even make arrangements to Mallorca, Sicily and Norway with a combination of ferries and rail. Please contact us to discuss your plans.
  • Once you’ve decided on your exact itinerary (our travel experts will be happy to offer advice), you need to provide us with your party’s details, either by phone or via our booking form. At this point we also ask you to pay a deposit so that we can secure a room for you immediately on confirming availability with the hotel(s). If it turns out that we can’t secure the accommodation for the holiday you’ve requested, or offer an acceptable alternative, we’ll refund your deposit promptly and in full. After booking your accommodation and other key elements, we'll then book your travel (or you can do so if you’re making your own arrangements) and send you a Booking Confirmation and Invoice.

    More information about the booking process >
    Information about accommodation, general practicalities and more >
    Booking conditions >
  • Yes, it’s something we insist on, even for holidays in the UK. The vast majority of holidays go smoothly, but when things go wrong, it can be expensive to put them right. Buying a new pair of walking boots after your suitcase is stolen mightn’t seem so bad, but the bill for being airlifted down from a mountain with a broken leg or flown home while still recovering from an illness or accident can incur a five or six-figure bill.

    Many insurers offer travel insurance (you can find details on our insurance page of a policy that you may like to consider if you are a UK resident), but you do need to make sure that you’re covered for medical emergencies – including falling ill with Covid-19 while on holiday – and repatriation. We also recommend that you are covered for other eventualities, such as cancellation and loss of luggage and passports.

    When you purchase a policy, be sure to check that it covers the activities you'll be doing on holiday and that it is adequate for your own individual needs.
  • It is your responsibility to ensure you are in possession of the correct travel documents, with the correct validity. If you’re a UK citizen, you need a full British passport to travel to Denmark, but not a visa (please note, however, that a new travel authorisation system is being introduced). If you are a citizen of another country, you’ll need to check requirements with the national embassy or your own consulate.

    Current information regarding vaccinations and travel health advice for UK citizens can be found through the Travel Health Pro website. You must make sure you have adequate insurance cover for illness, accidents and repatriation (see the insurance question). You should also apply for a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) if your EHIC has expired (if you have a still-valid EHIC, you can use this until it expires).
  • The official language is Danish. The currency is the Danish Kroner. Danish time is GMT/UTC + 1. It uses Daylight Saving Time, so in summer is on BST + 1.
  • For information on the practicalities of travel now that the UK is no longer part of the European Union, visit www.gov.uk/visit-eu-switzerland-norway-iceland-liechtenstein.
  • The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) provides up-to-date, country-by-country travel advice, as well as information on security, local laws, passports and visas for UK citizens.

    If you live outside the UK, see our essential travel information page for a list of relevant websites.
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