Day trips from Copenhagen: South of Copenhagen

To the south of Copenhagen, great white cliffs, forests, and fields beckon, with plenty for visitors to explore in a day trip or longer. This part of the country has a more limited public transit connection, so we recommend renting a car for these attractions. You can rent a car at Copenhagen airport and various locations across the city. For more car rental advice, see VisitCopenhagen.

Daytrip 1: The white cliffs of Møns Klint & Stevns Klint

One of the most-visited sights south of Copenhagen is Møns Klint, a series of stunning white chalk cliffs with an epic staircase of steps down to a beach strewn with fossils below. It is a 2-hour drive from Copenhagen.

Start at the top, in Geocenter Møns Klint, where you can find out about the geological history of the area, including stories of dinosaurs and meteor showers. Then, take a walk around the cliff path and the beautiful woodland areas before tackling the 497 steps to the beach. It’s a kind of natural stairmaster.

Another famous cliff, Stevns Klint, lies on the same coast, between Møns Klint and Copenhagen. It’s a good alternative to Møns Klint if time is short. This cliff is a UNESCO heritage site and is the best place in the world to see the traces of the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. It shows up as a layer of clay on the cliff. Find out more about it at the interactive Stevns Klint Experience.

There are some small cafés in the area, in particular at the Geocenter Møns Klint and at Stevns Klint Experience; these natural spaces are also a great place to bring a picnic.

Daytrip 2: Camp Adventure & Gisselfeld Manor House

An hour’s drive south of Copenhagen takes you to Camp Adventure, home of the Forest Tower, a modern spiral tower in the middle of a forest with views as far as Sweden. It was listed in TIME magazine’s 100 of the world’s greatest places to visit when it opened in 2019. Climb the 150 feet to the top and enjoy the immersion it gives you in Danish nature, whatever the time of year.

The tower is part of a complex of activities at Camp Adventure, including forest high-wire courses, street food-style dining options at all price points, walking paths, yurts, and Northern Europe’s largest flower field, a patchwork of multicolored blooms with a two-mile path running through it. There’s plenty to do there in a half-day or longer.

Camp Adventure is part of Gisselfeld Kloster, a 16th-century manor house surrounded by landscaped gardens. Rumour has it that Hans Christian Andersen was inspired by the swans on the pond here to write The Ugly Duckling. It’s worth dropping into the tea rooms in the grand glasshouse in the gardens, particularly for coffee and cake.

A 30-minute detour from Gisselfeld takes you to Vesterhave Vineyard, Denmark’s largest organic winery, where guided tours and tasting experiences of their award-winning wines can be arranged. The route back to Copenhagen takes you within 15 minutes of Holmegaard Værk, Denmark’s modern glassware museum, which celebrates the history of glassblowing and glass art. Then, it’s an easy hour’s drive back to Copenhagen.

Daytrip 3: Experience the Dark Sky Reserve

From September to March, the area around the island of Møn is one of the best places in Denmark to see the night sky. It’s also possible outside these times, but due to the northerly location, there are fewer hours of darkness in the summer months.

There are several Dark Sky experience options to choose from, including nature guides, guided tours and a dark sky safari. Møns Klint is a popular place to view the stars and Milky Way above you, from a position on top of the cliffs, where the stars also reflect in the still water below.

As this experience takes place at night, it’s advisable to book a night’s accommodation in the area. Many of the local B&Bs offer ‘dark sky certified accommodation’ with an aim to reduce light pollution; discover options here.