Odense – The fairytale island

As one of the oldest cities in Denmark and home to probably the greatest creator of children’s stories, Hans Christian Andersen, Odense blends over 1000 years of fascinating history, steeped in medieval beginnings and fairytale fantasy, with lively modern cultural attractions to make it a vibrant and interesting option for a weekend break.

Situated on Denmark’s 3rd largest island Funen, with the Odense River running through its heart and in close proximity to the Odense Fjord, this picturesque city of Viking origin has all the ingredients for a memorable weekend away. With excellent historical, cultural and outdoor activities, great shopping and a thriving café and restaurant scene, it has something to suit all tastes.

As the birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen, (museum.odense.dk) author of some of the world’s best loved fairytales, Odense has a definite fairytale feel about it. A visit to his house and the new cultural centre Fyrtøjet (The Tinder Box - fyrtoejet.com) are equally fascinating to young and old alike and a two hour walk around the town in his footsteps reveals many of the places that were important to his early life and career.

In addition, the city can boast a number of other historical attractions. For music lovers the Carl Nielsens Museum is dedicated to the life of the famous composer (museum.odense.dk/Carl_Nielsen.aspx) and railway enthusiasts will enjoy the sites and sounds of Denmark’s Railway Museum with its collection of locomotives and carriages spanning more than 150 years of Danish travel (jernbanemuseum.dk).

For an alternative historical journey, the Funen Village is an open-air museum, located just outside the town, with a fascinating collection of ancient rural buildings and craftwork (http://museum.odense.dk). Whilst in the heart of the city, Brandts Klædefabrik, is a former textile factory that has been converted into a modern and lively culture centre, contains a superb selection of art galleries, cafés and cinemas as well as the city’s Museum of Photographic Art (http://brandts.dk).

Surrounded by a 3km network of attractive pedestrian precincts, with more pedestrian streets to be added in 2009, many hours can be easily spent meandering around the shops and small galleries, enjoying a leisurely coffee or more simply heading to the river for a quiet stroll along its banks. Very keen shoppers might also want to head to Denmark’s largest shopping mall, with over 140 shops under one roof (rosengaardcentret.dk/).

As a university town, nightlife playing an important part in Odense and the city offers plenty of great cafés, restaurants, music venues, discos and pubs, including the hip café/ bar ‘Franck A’ in the city centre or for a typical Danish delicacy try a traditional Inn such as ‘Den Gamle Kro’ in Ovengade (visitodense.com).

Some of the island’s finest cuisine can be found just outside Odense at Munkebo, where Thomas Pasfall’s has his award winning restaurant and hotel, ‘Munkebo Kro’ (thomaspasfall.dk). Here diners can enjoy some of Funen’s freshly caught fish and home smoked cheeses whilst taking in the magnificent views out over the sea. Alternatively, it is possible to sample other local dishes in the rustic surroundings of ‘Sortebro Kro’ in the picturesque grounds of Funen Village (sortebro.dk).

For the more energetic visitor, Odense can easily be explored by bike on no less than 350km of cycling paths or by paddling along the now mostly disused canal and river waterways.

Throughout the year, Odense also plays host to a large range of festivals, from music to themed celebrations. One of the most spectacular is the annual Flower Festival in August, when the centre of the town is carpeted with a beautiful display of the islands stunning blooms. Or for a more unusual event look out for the biennial Robot Festival, which is due to take place in September 2009.

The origins of the event can be found at the Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute in Odense, which has a long history for the development of robots. And stepping back in time, from mid November a charming 19th century style Christmas market is recreated in the town to resemble the time of Hans Christian Andersen, with traditional stalls and entertainment.

Getting There

Although there are no direct flights to Odense the city is only 90 minutes from Billund in Jutland whereto Sterling has direct daily flights from Gatwick (sterling.dk). Alternatively, with Denmark’s efficient road and rail system, it is just over an hour and 15 minutes by rail from Copenhagen and with over 300 flights a week from across the UK in Copenhagen there is a wide choice of times and carriers, including Sterling, SAS and BMI. Odense also offers a good range of 3 and 4 star hotels with costs from approximately £90- £160 per night for a double room on a bed and breakfast basis.

For more information on Odense go to Visitodense.com
For additional information on Funen go to Visitfyn.com
For more details on Denmark go to Visitdenmark.com