Arken Museum of Modern Art in Ishøj, just 20 km from Copenhagen, is beautifully situated sail-shaped building overlooking the water. It focuses on Scandinavian art of the late 20th-century, particularly the post-war years.

AroS Museum of Art in Århus opened in 2004 and has made a big splash on the international art scene with innovative exhibitions of art from Scandinavia and around the world. It contains art from the 1700s to the present day as well as the personal archives of Danish painter Per Kirkeby.

Hans Christian Andersen lived at several places in Copenhagen, but the attic room on the third floor of Vingårdstræde 6 is the only one of his
former homes that still looks as if he had just stepped out of the door. The H.C. Andersen Musuem is the only authentic Hans Christian Andersen home in Copenhagen that is open to visitors.

The Karen Blixen Museum at Rungstedlund, north of Copenhagen, is a tribute to the colorful author of Out of Africa, better known as Isak Dinesen. The building was her home in Denmark.

Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Humlebæk is an easy 30 minute train ride from Copenhagen. The parklike grounds are home to a wonderful sculpture garden and the museum’s permanent collection includes works by world-renowned and up-and-coming contemporary artists.

Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen is home to the fascinating array of antiquities, paintings and sculpture collected by Carl Jacobsen, founder of Carlsberg Breweries. Notable works in the permanent collection include a series of paintings by Paul Gauguin. An extensive renovation and restoration of the Glyptotek will be completed in mid-2006.

Royal Danish Collections at Amalienborg and Rosenborg Castles in Copenhagen showcase Denmark’s illustrious royal history. (Danes can claim the oldest continuous monarchy in Europe.) Exhibitions, many of which are presented in historically furnished rooms, include artwork, costumes and, of course, the Danish crown jewels.

Statens Museum for Kunst, the National Gallery of Denmark, houses collections of Danish and international painting, drawing and sculpture from the 14th century to the present day.

Thorvaldsens Museum is an inspiring showcase for the work of Danish neoclassical sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen. Go for the building itself – a series of ornate yet intimate galleries – and for Thorvaldsen’s awe-inspiring Christ and the Twelve Apostles.

The Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde was built beside the fjord where a cache of Viking age ships were scuttled more than a thousand years ago, as a trap for would-be invaders plotting to attack the town. Today those very ships are displayed in the main hall of this museum.