Five Biggest Cities in Denmark

Denmark has a plethora of beautiful and historic cities that are absolutely worth visiting. In this article, we will present the five biggest cities in Denmark (pr. capita) and inform you about the various sights and experiences you can explore in the five biggest cities in the kingdom of Denmark.

Whether you are passionate about history, wildlife, architecture, cosplay, or something totally different, the sights and experiences you will encounter in the top five cities in Denmark are undoubtedly going to astound you.

Copenhagen

The king’s Copenhagen…

Citizens: 1.336.98 M people

Copenhagen is the capital of Denmark and the biggest city in the country. Copenhagen is located on the Zealand island’s eastern coast. The city was founded in the 10th century as a Viking fishing village. Copenhagen is also called “The king’s Copenhagen” as the city and its architecture has been greatly influenced by various kings over the years. The King who made the biggest imprint on the city was King Christian IV. He expanded Copenhagen a lot and contributed to the architecture with famous buildings like the stock exchange, Rundetårn and Rosenborg castle. Of course, you must also pay a visit to the current royal family’s residence, Amalienborg Palace, where you can watch the changing of the guard, a mesmerizing ceremony that happens every day at noon.

Copenhagen is one of the greenest cities in the world and is famous for being very bike-friendly. In general, Copenhagen has a well-developed infrastructure, it is easy to get around either by bus, metro, or car, but the best way to explore the city is probably by walking. Speaking of infrastructure, the Copenhagen airport, located in Kastrup, is the biggest airport among the Nordic countries.

The Danish capital was named the most livable city in the world and has been named as such four times since 2007, since the inception of Monocle’s list. The capital of Denmark has a lot to offer. It has major attractions like Christiansborg Palace, Tivoli Gardens, the Little Mermaid and much, much more. That is also the reason why more than ten million tourists visit this beautiful city every year.

If you want to know even more about the capital in the kingdom of Denmark, you can read a lot more exciting stuff about it in this article.

Aarhus:

The city of smiles…

Citizens: 282.91 T people

Aarhus is the second-biggest city in the country and is located on the east coast of the Jutland Peninsula. This city was founded in the 8th century as a fortified Viking settlement. Today, because of the industrial revolution and the rapid development of the city, Aarhus is the economic and cultural core of the Region. Aarhus was named the European capital of culture in 2017. Furthermore, Aarhus is one of the highest-ranking conference cities in the world. The city is also the most important industrial port and trade hub in the country, as many of the major Danish companies have their headquarters in Aarhus.

The city of Aarhus has a very nice vibe, which is hard to quantify. It seems like the vibe in Aarhus is always great and the people living there are always in a good mood and optimistic. This is also why Aarhus is known as ‘the city of smiles’.

Aarhus has a very nice and vibrant harbor with exciting attractions like the Dokk1 cultural center, and you can even go for a swim in the harbor baths designed by Bjarke Ingels. Aarhus is also home to one of the best museums in Denmark named AROS, which is an inspiring attraction with its iconic dazzling rainbow panorama halo. Speaking about the Aarhus vibe, the cozy Latin Quarter is a place you must visit. It is the oldest and probably one of the most charming areas in the city and entails a bunch of cozy restaurants, unique shopping opportunities and enjoyable narrow cobblestoned streets.

Odense:

Odin’s Sanctuary…

Citizens: 180.76 T people

The third-largest city in Denmark is Odense, which is located on the island of Fyn. Odense is the birthplace of the famous writer Hans Christian Andersen. The house that HCA grew up in is still standing today on a cobbled street in downtown Odense. Today, this house is one of the oldest poet museums in the world and a great way to start exploring the beautiful birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen. The city can be dated back to 988 A.D. when the Vikings were dominating the North. According to the legend, the Viking city of Odense was home to the chief god called Odin in Nordic Mythology, which is the reason for the city’s nickname: “Odin’s Sanctuary”.

Every year in August Odense is hosting the well renowned Odense international film festival, which strives to be the most courageous and adventurous film festival. At the Odense international film festival, you have the opportunity, along with film enthusiasts from all over the world, to experience films that would otherwise never hit the big screen.

For the cosplay fans out there, Odense is also hosting the Magic Day festival, where you will encounter werewolves, elves, witches and much more in an extraordinary universe of magic and fantasy.

Aalborg:

Paris of the North…

Citizens: 119.82 T people

Aalborg is the fourth-biggest city in the kingdom of Denmark and is the largest city in the northern part of Jutland. Aalborg is located right next to Limfjorden, which connects Nordsøen and Kattegat. Because of Limfjorden, Aalborg has served as one of the most important harbors since the Middle-ages. Furthermore, the city of Aalborg is also known as “Paris of the North” because of the location next to Limfjorden, which could resemble the Seine. Moreover, Aalborg entails nice shopping opportunities and great restaurants. The city is also very rich in history and culture. Like Paris, Aalborg has a lot to offer in terms of museums, concerts, theaters, and so on. Aalborg also has a very vibrant nightlife. The most popular place to party in Aalborg is the famous “Jomfru ane gade” by natives simply called “Gaden”. It is a street in the middle of the city, which only consists of bars and nightclubs. “Gaden” can be an intoxicating experience in more ways than one and is definitely worth a visit.

In late May every year, Aalborg is hosting one of the biggest carnivals in Northern Europe, with around 100 T people participating, and it always gets bigger every year.

Aalborg is also a city that is constantly evolving. In recent years the harbor has been completely renovated – before it was very industrial looking, now it caters more towards tourism and pedestrians in general with a pleasant waterfront promenade with cozy areas for social gatherings.

Esbjerg:

The energy metropolis…

Citizens: 72.04 T people

Esbjerg will round out the top five walkthrough of the biggest cities in Denmark. Esbjerg is located on the west coast of Jutland and is home to the largest nature reserve in the country, the Wadden Sea National Park, which is also a UNESCO world natural heritage site. In the Wadden Sea it is even possible to collect wild oysters from the oyster banks, just slip into some waders and enjoy your fresh oysters with a glass of champagne. Esbjerg also has one of the most astonishing nature sights at the Wadden Sea, which is the breathtaking magical sky dance of migrating starlings.

Esbjerg has a nice coastline where you can find the stunning Man Meets the Sea sculptures, which is the most prominent trademark of the city. During the past years, Esbjerg has evolved from being a fishing town into being an energy metropolis. A lot of the wind-energy production and IT industry in Denmark takes place in the city of Esbjerg. Moreover, Esbjerg is a hub for gas and oil exploration. However, the city is still one of the leading fishing cities in the country.

Five Biggest Cities in Denmark

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