A self-guided walk through Royal North Zealand, from Copenhagen’s leafy outskirts to Hamlet’s Castle in Elsinore, past three of Denmark’s finest royal residences.
7 Days / 6 Nights
Easy to Moderate
North Zealand, Denmark
1 April to 31 October
Around 111 km
€1,050
North Zealand is sometimes called Copenhagen’s green front garden, and walking it makes clear why. This route leaves the capital’s leafy outskirts and heads north through royal parks, quiet woodland and wetlands, past some of Northern Europe’s most striking castles, ending at Kronborg Castle in Elsinore, the setting Shakespeare gave to Hamlet.
Along the way, two more castles punctuate the route. Frederiksborg Castle in Hillerød, the largest Renaissance castle in Scandinavia, sits on its own lake surrounded by royal gardens, often compared to Versailles. Fredensborg’s Baroque palace, the Danish Queen’s summer residence, sits quietly on the shore of Lake Esrum. The landscape itself carries UNESCO World Heritage status, recognised in 2015 for the distinctive “par force” hunting grounds of Great Deer Park, Gribskov Forest and Jægersborg Deer Park, laid out in a baroque star pattern by King Christian V, with original 17th-century marker stones still visible along the trail.
Accommodation: Comfortable hotels throughout, all rooms en-suite. Additional nights can be booked at any point along the route.
Meals: Breakfast included every morning. Lunch and dinner aren’t included.
Availability: Starts any day of the week, between 1 April and 31 October.
Difficulty: Graded easy to moderate. Most days offer a choice of a longer or shorter route, on woodland paths, lakeside trails and some short train or bus connections between sections.
Distance: 10 km, Walking time: around 3 hrs Settle into a city centre hotel, then take in Copenhagen's architectural and cultural highlights on a self-guided walk: the castles of Rosenborg, Christiansborg and Amalienborg, the harbourside houses of Nyhavn, and the Little Mermaid. An extra night in Copenhagen can easily be added if you'd like more time to explore.
Overnight: Copenhagen
Distance: 15 km, Ascent: 120 m, Descent: 110 m, Walking time: around 4 hrs A short train ride to Klampenborg starts the day, with the option of a swim at Bellevue Beach first. The route enters Dyrehaven, the royal deer park established in 1670, home to grazing deer, the Ermitageslottet hunting lodge, and the world's oldest amusement park. From the park's northern gate, the route follows the Mølleåen river through a landscape rich in industrial history, past old water mills, to the town of Lyngby, then a short train ride to Gentofte.
Overnight: Gentofte
Distance: 20 km, Ascent: 115 m, Descent: 100 m, Walking time: around 5.5 hrs A scenic loop around Denmark's deepest lake. The route follows Lyngby Sø and forest paths to Frederiksdal, then along the southern and western shores of Furesøen through the forests of Frederiksdal Skov and Nørreskoven, with a swim option at Furesøbad. The final stretch crosses cornfields and the Vaserne wetlands, good for birdwatching. A boat trip from Lyngby can shorten the first section, if preferred.
Overnight: Holte
Long option: 21 km, 146 m ascent, 160 m descent, around 5 hrs Short option: 12 km, 78 m ascent, 92 m descent, around 3 hrs The longer route follows the Rudersdal Route through woodland to Lake Sjælsø, past a quiet beach and the thatched Hunter's Cottage restaurant, then boardwalk through marshland and on to the Kongedysse dolmen, a stone-age monument. Both routes join for the final stretch through the UNESCO-listed Store Dyrehave hunting park into Hillerød, with views across the lake to Frederiksborg Castle.
Overnight: Hillerød
Long option: 20 km, 152 m ascent, 148 m descent, around 5 hrs Short option: 12 km, 102 m ascent, 90 m descent, around 3 hrs Both routes begin by walking through the courtyard and grounds of Frederiksborg Castle, with time to explore its baroque gardens. From there, a choice of a direct woodland route to Fredensborg, or a longer path via Lake Esrum's southern shore and the Stenholt bird reserve.
Overnight: Fredensborg
Distance: 25 km, Ascent: 169 m, Descent: 199 m, walking time: around 6 hrs A short walk from the hotel reaches Fredensborg Palace, the Danish Crown Prince's residence, with gardens running down to Lake Esrum. The route continues through Danstrup Hegn forest to Zealand's north coast, with the Swedish coast visible across the strait, then along a ridgetop path with sea views before descending to Elsinore's beach and marina, finishing at Kronborg Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the Elsinore of Shakespeare's Hamlet. This route can be shortened to around 13 km using the train for part of the way.
Overnight: Elsinore
The holiday ends after breakfast. Direct trains run from Helsingør station to Copenhagen city or the airport.
From
€1,050
per person
Sharing basis · High season supplement applies · Minimum 2 people per booking
