Family holidays in Fjordlandet: Drømmesteder’s top tips for experiences the whole family will enjoy

Fjordlandet is just a half-hour drive from Copenhagen, yet it feels as though you’ve stepped into a completely different pace of life. There are no big crowds here, and the many things to see and do are scattered among the fjords, forests and towns. You’ll find everything from well-known attractions to little hidden gems. A holiday in Fjordlandet isn’t about fitting in as much as possible, but about lingering a little longer whenever you feel like it.

We’ve been transported back to the age of the Vikings, enjoyed meals surrounded by the charm of traditional half-timbered buildings, gone swimming, stayed in some wonderful places and eaten what might just be Denmark’s best ice cream – and much more besides.

Welcome to our personal family guide to Fjordlandet – packed with inspiration for adding a little something extra to a relaxing holiday, with nature always in view.

*As a family, we’ve visited Fjordlandet twice, in the summers of 2025 and 2026. We brought our dog along both times, and he loved every minute just as much as we did.

Part 1:
A scenic viewpoint, a coffee break and a charming little garden café

Ejby Ådal: Rolling hills, fjord views and plenty of wow factor

Ejby Ådal was our first stop in Fjordlandet – and perhaps also the first place that made us fall a little bit in love with the area. It’s a little landscape made for adventures, with a walking trail that takes you through beautiful rolling hills overlooking Isefjord.

The walk is around 3 km long, and you can either follow it as a circular route or simply walk out and back. Whichever you choose, I think you’ll naturally find yourself stopping several times along the way just to take it all in. Even though we experienced it in the rain, it still had plenty of wow factor.

For the children, it was the perfect way to burn off some energy, and on a warm, sunny day, I can imagine it would be hard to resist a dip in the fjord. Don’t forget to make your way up to Mortens Høj, where you’ll be rewarded with the best views across the area. 
Find a suggested walking route here

SeaLevel Kaffebar: Coffee, food, ceramics and views across Isefjord to Orø

We then continue a little further north, where a small red house suddenly appears, overlooking the fjord and the cable ferry to Orø. SeaLevel Coffee Bar is a small, family-run coffee bar where Christian has a real passion for good coffee beans, while Stephanie loves creating handmade ceramics, which are used to serve all the food and drinks.

There’s such a lovely atmosphere here, with indulgent sourdough toast, juice, coffee and the most wonderful views.

You’ll also find a selection of Danish rum truffles, cinnamon buns, Hansens ice cream and more, as well as a stack of games that practically invites you to stay a little longer. And that’s exactly what we felt like doing - because this really is the sort of place you’ll want to linger.

Chefs Cottage and Garden Café: Enjoy lunch in the charming garden

Another stop you shouldn’t miss is this charming little garden café, Chefs Cottage and Garden Café. Especially if, like us, you have a soft spot for beautiful gardens – this one has 47 different varieties of trees, a large kitchen garden, a charming half-timbered cottage and a wonderfully warm welcome from Susanne.

Sitting here in the middle of the garden, enjoying a delicious homemade, organic lunch, feels like a little slice of idyllic Danish country life.

Remember to book your table the day before – both to help with planning and to avoid unnecessary food waste. You can eat here all year round, so on days when the weather isn’t quite right for dining outdoors, you can enjoy your meal inside instead. In winter, they even light the fire, making it especially cosy.

Part 2:

The Midgard Serpent, woodland trails and a special green oasis near Roskilde

Boserup Forest: The Midgard Serpent and the hidden slope

A few kilometres outside the city of Roskilde, you’ll find Boserup Forest, which forms part of Skjoldungernes Land National Park. There’s plenty of room here for mountain biking and walking, as well as what our children thought was the most fun of all: the Midgard Serpent and Lerskrænten.

We parked at Boserupvej 100, where the 300-metre-long Midgard Serpent begins at the far end of the car park. Made from tree trunks, it offers a series of little balancing challenges that the children immediately threw themselves into as we made our way through the forest and towards the fjord.

From here, we continued along the path towards Lerskrænten, a steep clay slope that appears as you follow the fjord eastwards. Once you reach the top, you suddenly find yourself among swaying beech trees, with beautiful views across the slope and fjord. Do bear in mind that the slope is steep and can be slippery, so I wouldn’t recommend it for young children. With sturdy footwear and a little care, though, the area has everything you need for hours of outdoor fun – not least down by the calm waters of the fjord.

The walk is around 2.5–3 km in total.

Sct. Hans Have: A green oasis with a café, garden shop and nursery

After burning off some energy in the forest and down by the fjord, it made perfect sense to drive around 4 km east to Café Garden of Sct. Hans, where woodland adventures give way to flower beds, greenhouses and leafy garden spaces.

There’s a café, garden shop and nursery here, where berries, fruit and flowers are grown organically – just as they have been for almost 200 years, since the psychiatric hospital was established on the site. Today, Sct. Hans Have is a social enterprise that draws on the history of the place with the aim of promoting mental wellbeing. And it’s something you really sense among the colours, scents and flavours of the gardens.

Part 3:
Summer days by the beach, bellies full of ice cream and life on the farm

Kulhuse Beach: Perhaps the best beach for swimming in Fjordlandet

Fjordlandet may not be known for the wide sandy beaches you find along Denmark’s North Sea coast. Instead, you can look forward to small, family-friendly bathing spots dotted along the fjords, where the water is often shallow and calm. Absolutely perfect for families like ours who love catching crabs and going for a swim without having to contend with big waves. Here, you can splash about at the water’s edge and simply enjoy the peaceful views.

One of our absolute favourite spots turned out to be Kulhuse Beach. Follow Kulhusvej all the way to the end and you’ll reach the northern tip of the Hornsherred peninsula, where a lovely sandy beach awaits. Head over to the harbour area, and there are plenty of opportunities for the children to try their hand at catching crabs.

Tarzanskrænten: Bare feet, sand and views across the fjord

Another little stop that gives you much the same feeling as Lerskrænten in Boserup Forest is Tarzanskrænten. It’s another of those places that feels like a little hidden gem, tucked away behind the beech trees with the loveliest views across the fjord.

To get here, park in the small public car park along Færgelundsvej. From here, it’s just a short walk of a couple of hundred metres through the beech forest before you reach the steep sandy slope known as Tarzanskrænten. Our boys kicked off their shoes and wasted no time running and playing up and down the sandy slope. Do bear in mind that the terrain can be very challenging for very young children and anyone with limited mobility.

Hansens Ice Cream Parlour and Café: Perhaps Denmark’s best ice cream stop

Although we’re big fans of packing Danish rye-bread sandwiches for a day out, we also wholeheartedly agree with the motto: “You can’t eat rye bread all the time.” After plenty of playing and our packed lunch, it was time for an extra treat. Just a seven-minute drive later, we stopped at what we like to call perhaps Denmark’s best ice cream stop: Hansens Ice Cream Parlour and Café

We love Hansens ice cream, so there was something really special about finally visiting the dairy and café, both housed under the same roof. Today, it’s the fourth generation, brothers Anders and Rasmus, who are carrying on the family’s passion for ice cream – a story that began back in 1922. The ice cream is organic and made with milk from local farms, and you can just tell that quality goes into every last detail.

A farm holiday with room for the whole family

We’re staying in this part of Fjordlandet and this time heading to a rather special little place to stay, which we’ve visited several times – both during and outside the peak season: Nordgården – countryside holidays

This really is a little holiday haven. A small, manageable farm with exactly what it takes to make our children forget there’s anywhere else they could possibly want to be.

Horses, sheep, pigs, chickens, rabbits, Viggo the cat, Alma the dog and a lovely enclosed garden with plenty of room to play make Nordgården a holiday experience in its own right. It’s the lovely Sarah – aka bondekonen, or “the farmer’s wife” – who welcomes you and runs many of the activities, including meeting and feeding the animals, horse riding, cosy gatherings around the campfire and more.

Please note: Activities vary depending on the season and the type of stay you book.

During our most recent stay, we hired some of Sarah’s e-bikes (the children had brought their own bikes) and set off on one of her suggested cycling routes. The fact that we’d chosen a rainy day only made us all feel twice as brave after 14 km of pedalling up and down little country lanes with beautiful views.

We’d certainly worked up an appetite too, and it felt like such a luxury to return to our cosy holiday apartment, with our own hot shower and a large kitchen where we could cook dinner.

And that’s probably part of what makes Nordgården so special. There’s plenty to experience in the surrounding area if you’re in the mood for another little adventure, but there’s also space to simply slow down and find your own pace.

Part 4:
For those who want to experience history first-hand and sleep under the stars

Sagnlandet Lejre: A day immersed in history

Sagnlandet Lejre is a large open-air museum where you immediately feel as though you’ve stepped straight back in time. Here, the past is brought to life once more through the Vikings’ royal hall, the Iron Age village and historic farmsteads, which together give you the feeling of becoming part of an important chapter in Denmark’s history. The staff really immerse themselves in their roles, making the experience feel authentic and engaging, while bringing history to life in a way that everyone can enjoy and understand.

We were there from opening until closing time, and somehow it still didn’t feel like enough. It was even just an ordinary weekday without lots of extra activities, yet the hours simply flew by. We tried everything from chopping firewood and grinding flour to rowing a boat, playing on the giant Midgard Serpent and much more.

The boys were completely absorbed in it all – especially when we visited Denmark’s largest Viking hall, which was reconstructed based on archaeological excavations carried out just 3 km away. Here, they even got to chat and play with someone they’re still not entirely sure wasn’t a real Viking.

For lunch, we ate at the cosy half-timbered Café Hvidesøhus. A great tip is that your admission ticket gives you free entry for the rest of the year. We took advantage of this the very next day, returning for another couple of hours – a lovely way to round off the experience.

A night in a shelter: Lavringe Å Shelterplads

After a drive of around 10 minutes from Sagnlandet Lejre, we arrived at our home for the night. It felt like a natural continuation of the day, allowing us to carry on at the same simple, unhurried pace. Even though the rain arrived, we still managed to get the campfire going and set out our sleeping mats and sleeping bags – and yes, thankfully the rain eventually stopped again. We spent the rest of the evening chatting, playing cards and reading bedtime stories. The two shelters also fitted perfectly with the theme of the day, rising towards the sky like the prow of a Viking ship.

There is a composting toilet at the site, but remember to bring plenty of water and any other equipment you may need. Just a few steps away runs Skjoldungestien, a well-known 50 km hiking trail through the historic landscape around Roskilde and Lejre, making this a great place to stay if you’re on a walking holiday in the area.

Find booking information for Lavringe Å Shelterplads.

Hegnsholt: Farm life, local produce and a farm shop

We decided to enjoy just a little more of the good life out here in the fresh air. Less than a kilometre from the shelter site, we came across Hegnsholt.

An organic farm with a farm shop and a small café, where we could settle in with coffee, delicious sourdough bread, ice cream and cinnamon swirls. Yes, just a whole lot of delicious things that were rather hard to resist after a night in a shelter.

We also somehow ended up taking a few extra goodies home with us, as the shop is packed with delicious local vegetables, eggs, grain products and much more. In many ways, it’s places like this that remind us once again of what Fjordlandet does so well: nature, time to slow down and great local flavours.

Even though we’ve already experienced so much on our trips to Fjordlandet, we know we’d love to come back. Both to revisit some of our favourite holiday spots and to discover even more of the hidden gems the area has tucked away.

Because that’s exactly what we think Fjordlandet does so well – creating family holiday memories at an unhurried pace, with experiences that everyone can enjoy together.