3 Best Sights in Klampenborg, Bakken and Dyrehaven, Side Trips from Copenhagen

Herds of deer roam freely in the verdant, 2,500-acre Dyrehaven. Once the favored hunting grounds of Danish royals, today the park has become a cherished weekend oasis for Copenhageners. Hiking and biking trails traverse the park, and lush fields beckon nature-seekers and families with picnic baskets. The deer are everywhere; in the less-trafficked regions of the park you may find yourself surrounded by an entire herd of deer delicately stepping through the fields. The park's centerpiece is the copper-top, 17th-century Eremitagen, formerly a royal hunting lodge. It is closed to the public but is sometimes rented for private events. Dyrehaven is a retreat for hikers and bikers, but you can also go in for the royal treatment and enjoy it from the high seat of a horse-drawn carriage. The carriages gather at the park entrance near the station.

Located within the peaceful Dyrehaven, Bakken is the world's oldest amusement park (since 1583!) and one of Denmark's most popular attractions. Here a mostly working-class crowd lunches on hot dogs and cotton candy. Tivoli, with its trimmed hedges, dazzling firework displays, and evening concerts, is still Copenhagen's reigning queen, but unpretentious Bakken is unabashedly about having a good time. Bakken has more than 30 rides, from quaint, rickety roller coasters (free of Disney gloss) to newer, faster rides to little-kid favorites such as Kaffekoppen, the Danish version of twirling teacups, where you sit in traditional Royal Copenhagen–style blue-and-white coffee cups.

The residents of Klampenborg are lucky enough to have this pleasant beach nearby. In summer this luck may seem double-edged, when scores of city-weary sunseekers pile out at the Klampenborg S-train station and head for the sand. The Danes have a perfect word for this: they call Bellevue a fluepapir (flypaper) beach. Bellevue is still an appealing seaside spot to soak up some rays. Amenities: lifeguards, showers, toilets. Best for: partiers, swimming.