How to Spend One Day in Odense, Denmark

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Ever have a destination you know you need to visit but do not know exactly why? That’s how I felt about the city of Odense in Denmark. Planning my Denmark trip at the start of the year, I knew I needed to visit Odense. I wasn’t aware of too many Danish destinations but it was one that I was sure I’d heard other travellers talk about before. It became this foregone conclusion that I was going to go there and I yet I had no idea how to spend even one day in Odense.

When you start planning and looking at things to do in Odense, a few things become clear. Firstly, there are things to see and do there, with the city having its share of culture and history. Secondly, the name Hans Christian Andersen comes up a lot and your potential interest in him is going to determine how many of the previously mentioned things you’re going to want to do. But don’t worry, Odense is quite a well-rounded destination and more than capable of entertaining visitors for 24 hours.

A Little Bit About Odense

Chances are you’re probably not all that familiar with Odense, so let’s start with a quick rundown of the city. After all, you need to know whether visiting Odense is worth your time right? Well, let me assure you it is, as Odense is the third largest city of Denmark and perhaps the most important place to visit on the island of Funen. It’s a great option if you want to see what Denmark offers beyond Copenhagen and don’t feel like travelling to the lovely city of Aarhus.

With a long history to its name, Odense has been a major settlement since the Viking days of the 11th century. These days, the city is mostly a commercial and cultural hub for the region of Southern Denmark. For tourists, Odense is best known as being the birthplace of acclaimed author Hans Christian Andersen. That fact is hard to miss when you come to Odense, as several of the below Odense attractions relate to the city’s favourite son.

Møntergården

One of the best places to visit in Odense hands down is the Møntergården museum complex. Essentially its own little neighbourhood, Møntergården explores in detail the culture and history of Odense. If you want to learn more about the city of Odense, this is the place to do it.

A visit here starts with the Funen exhibit in an incredibly modern building, with two floors dedicated to the history of Funen. With plenty of audio-visual displays and artefacts, the exhibit highlights everything from before the Viking age right up to the present.

From there, it’s over to the impressive collection of Renaissance-era buildings including the red half-timbered house seen above. Walking through these well-preserved buildings you can learn about life during the Middle Ages here. There are also some small cottages next door that show what homes looked like for destitute widows. Plus, if you have kids, there are several other exhibitions including a puppet workshop and a special treehouse.

Odense Old Quarter

Just a short walk away you’ll come across an unbelievably pretty part of Odense, its Old Quarter. Only made up of two or three cobblestone streets, the houses in this area are mostly small and traditional. Some are brightly painted and it all comes together to make this area feel unlike anywhere else in Odense.

Hans Christian Andersen’s Birthplace

It’s here in the Old Quarter that you’ll find your first landmark with ties to Hans Christian Andersen. It was inside one of these humble homes that the author was born at 1 am on 2 April 1805.

The birthplace has been preserved as a tiny museum to the writer, highlighting the family’s low status at the time. His family was on such hard times that this was his father’s aunt’s house who took them in. Inside the house, you can also learn about his grandfather and grandmother, both interesting characters.

H. C. Andersen Museum

Of the sights to see in Odense, one of the most common is the H. C. Andersen Museum. After all, he was an acclaimed author who has 156 fairy tales, 1000 poems, 14 novels and short stories, plus much more to his name. Works of his you may know include “The Ugly Duckling”, “Thumbelina”, “The Princess and the Pea”, and of course, “The Little Mermaid”. So yes, it makes sense that Odense would dedicate a museum to this prolific writer.

Inside the museum, you have the chance to learn about the life of H. C. Andersen. Exhibits will take you through his schooling, his professional career and his rather unfortunate love life. What’s helpful is that Andersen wrote memoirs of his life which are often quite revealing, allowing you to get to know the man.

As informative as the museum is, it is housed inside a building that is a little dated. The museum obviously recognises this as they are currently in the process of building a modern museum to be opened in 2020. “House of Fairytales” is the concept behind the new museum and judging by the concept design, it’s going to be incredibly fitting for this fairy tale creator.

Odense Town Hall

Heading into the centre of Odense we have the stately figure of Odense Town Hall. Built in 1885 to replace a smaller building whose Gothic architecture was deemed out of fashion.

While it’s a shame that they tore down a 400-year-old landmark like that, its replacement is a decent consolation prize. With a bit of a historic Italian influence to it, this may be the nicest town hall I have seen while in Denmark.

St Canute’s Cathedral

Across a small street from the Town Hall lies another major Odense landmark in St Canute’s Cathedral. It’s hard to miss the tall tower of this brick Gothic church, nor should you. While it may have a rather plain white interior, there’s plenty of history to this cathedral that dates from the 1300s.

Named after Canute IV of Canute the Holy who died in Odense, whose bones can see down in the cathedral crypt. He’s not alone either, as King Hans and Christian II are also buried there. Also worth a look are the elaborate chests found in a side chapel of the cathedral. While I don’t know who they belong to, they’re quite something.

H. C. Andersen Childhood Home

Our last stop on the Hans Christian Andersen tour of Odense is the author’s childhood home. From the time he was two until the age of 14, this was where Andersen grew up. Within this one house were three flats, one of which belonged to Andersen’s poor parents. The home has been furnished as described in the author’s biographies and tells stories of his formative years.

Munkemose Park

Venturing a little southward across the Odense River you’ll arrive at the pleasant Munkemose Park. Home to several small lakes, playgrounds and plenty of greenery, it’s a nice change of scenery from the city streets. What struck me the most though visiting in March were the little budding wildflowers sprouting everywhere. It was a nice reminder that spring was on its way because the weather was still super chilly.

Odense Palace

Across town, we have time for one last landmark that’s worth at least a look. With the King’s Park on one side and the Arfou Duckling Park, another stands Odense Palace. Built for King Frederik IV, it’s a great deal plainer than some of the other royal residences in Denmark. Still, it has an air of elegance about it and has housed various administrative offices over the years. But honestly, it’s the pretty parks here that are the real draw as you can’t go inside.

Storms Pakhus Street Food

For an interesting dinner option, you need to look no further than the Storms Pakhus Street Food Hall. My Airbnb host recommended it to me as a great place to get food with a mix of cuisines and she wasn’t wrong.

Located on the far side of the train station, it’s a little removed from the city centre but worth the brief walk. There’s food from all over; Thai, Indian, Mexican, Middle Eastern etc. Best of all, you’ll find vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options making it suitable for all. The night I went, there was even a trivia night taking place, with plenty of the tables in on the action.

Visiting Odense

Now for the info to help you with your visit. Whether you spend one day in Odense or longer, you’re going to need a bed to sleep in. There aren’t as many places to stay in Odense as I expected. If you can’t find something suitable there, do as I did and look to Airbnb. When accommodation options are limited, that is when I find Airbnb is most useful.

As for getting to Odense, you again have your options open to you. The city sits between Copenhagen and Malmo to the east and mainland Denmark to the west, so it’s the perfect place to stop on your Denmark trip. It’s worth looking at both the Danish rail network and Flixbus to see which best works for you.

Related Articles

To learn more about which destinations in Denmark to add to your trip, be sure to see these other Denmark blog posts:

• 10 Best Things to Do in Aarhus, Denmark
• Enjoying a Roskilde Day Trip from Copenhagen, Denmark
• A Simple Sightseeing Guide to Helsingor, Denmark
• How to Visit Frederiksborg Castle in Hillerød, Denmark

Have you had the chance to visit Odense before? What other places to visit would you add to this Odense travel blog post? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

This article is now available as a mobile app. Go to GPSmyCity to download the app for GPS-assisted travel directions to the attractions featured in this article.