To Do

Go back in time in Odense’s old quarter, where Hans Christian Andersen grew up and got inspiration for his numerous fairy tales. Learn about the events that shaped his life and stories in the Hans Christian Andersen Museum – one of the world’s oldest museums dedicated to a writer.

Explore the fairy tales and life of acclaimed writer and Danish national icon Hans Christian Andersen. The Hans Christian Andersen House in Odense is a contemporary art space in which sound, imagery and imagination shed new light on the timeless masterpieces.

- Opens June 30^th 2021

The Tinderbox (in Danish: Fyrtøjet, and the name of one of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy-tales) is a children’s cultural centre located right next to the Hans Christian Andersen museum. Plays, storytelling, theatrical productions and visual arts bring the famous writer’s magical fairy-tales to life. The purpose of the centre is to inspire play and it’s packed with activities for children and parents to enjoy.

Odense Zoo is one of Europe’s best zoological gardens and offers the whole family a unique and fantastic experience. Discover exotic animals from around the world; be mesmerised by the lions and Siberian tigers, watch chimpanzees swing high above your head, and follow the giraffes and zebras as they roam the savannah habitat.

The Danish Railway Museum (Danmarks Jernbanemuseum) is the largest railway museum in Scandinavia. 19 railway tracks filled with historic locomotives and carriages. The museum is situated just behind the central train station Odense Banegård Center and enables young and old to explore the history of the Danish railways at close quarters. You can look around the royal carriages, discover how people in olden days travelled in first class, and see Denmark’s oldest preserved steam locomotive from 1868.

The Funen Village (Den Fynske Landsby) is an open-air museum, a complete village environment, where the present meets the past. The village includes more than two dozen furnished old buildings, farm animals, a windmill and a village pond. Learn about life in Denmark during the 19^th century, when Hans Christian Andersen brought his fairy-tales to life. During summer, period actors make history come alive and the experience even more authentic as the maids tend to the geese, the blacksmiths hammer away in the forge, and the cooks prepare dinner based on the year’s harvest. Interaction is highly encouraged.

St Canute’s Cathedral is named after the Danish King Canute the Saint (Knud den Hellige) also known as King Knud IV. The brick-built Gothic cathedral was rebuilt in 1300 on the remains of an earlier church destroyed by two fires. In 1089, King Canute the Saint and his brother were murdered close to the church after a rebellion, and their bones are at display in the crypt. Claus Berg made the magnificent altarpiece comprising more than 300 carved figures in the 1500s.

Egeskov Castle is one of Europe’s finest Renaissance buildings with an impressive garden, spires, a real moat and a knight’s hall. The living castle is a family-friendly destination with a large park, treetop walks, a maze and old-fashioned games. The best part? You can actually set foot in the castle and see the magnificent interior as well. It’s open for the public from late April to late October.

Do you want to go for a walk through the city, we recommend to start in the city centre. Here, you’ll find a path that takes you through the park (Mosen) and leads you through Odense Zoo. Walk right past the tiger cages and camels, before ending your walk at “Skovsøen” (Forest Lake). Pro tip: you’ll find the best ice cream cones in town here!

If you want to experience the city from the water, rent a cycling boat and take the same trip, just sailing through the city canal instead.