Frommer's Denmark (Frommer's Complete Guides) [Paperback]

Imagine moving to Denmark as a U.S. citizen and working for a Fortune 500 Firm. Now think of bringing your family here for a week of house hunting and 2 months of summer, while you complete your 9 month assignment. Now begin your research on books regarding Denmark. "Ah Frommer's has a new first edition!" "Okay I'll purchase it." The errors our family noted were- 1)on a cold day in February my daughter (14) and I walked to the Carlsburg Brewery (it was about 1 mile from our Radisson SAS Hotel in Fedricksburg) because it was open on Monday while the museums were closed (We'll make good use of our 9 day initial visit.) Frommer's was wrong, it is not open on Mondays. 2)Hey we are going to live in Denmark for the summer, let's plan on venturing to the Legoland, since we had children ages 4, 11 & 14 to entertain. Time to make the overnight accomodations for our visit to Legoland; okay, let's pull out the Frommer's. Read about Legoland, then contact the Legoland Hotel on site (the only hotel listed by Frommer's for the town of Billund). When we contacted the phone number listed for Legoland we reached not the Legoland Hotel but a travel agency! Hotel Legoland had no rooms available for the July dates we needed, however,they recommended a nearby hotel called Hotel Propellen. It turned out to be the nicest family suite our family has ever encountered. (2 large rooms (a bath with a 7ft. tub, 8ft. double sink,and a separate shower; bar; deck with wooden patio furniture). The hotel offered a kidde pool, large pool,sauna, tanning beds, dining rooms, outside dining, heart shaped whirlpools, exercise room, parking lot, walking trails, a playground for big kids and little kids (2)- with a large trampoline which was low lying, and an enormous breakfast buffet (with a child's play area in the breakfast area)that was included in our room price . This hotel was only 500m (a 3-5 minute walk to the Legoland entrance). Why hadn't Frommer's recommended it and why did they only list one Hotel for a resort that is as hugely attended as Disney World, Disney Land, and Sea World! 3)There was another error in Frommer's recommendatons but I forget what it was. I veiwed the rest of their information with caution and wondered what else might have been in error if they couldn't get these major attractions correct. The Danes are great with promoting their towns' and cities' attractions on colorful literature. The City of Copenhagen even promotes "Copenhagen This Week" complete with events, times and phone numbers. I found this free information more valuable and a greater breath of knowledge than "Frommer's Denmark". July 2001

On our recent trip to Denmark, I purchased Frommer's guide to aid in finding quaint places to stay and sites to see. We found on several occasions that many quaint places to stay had closed down within the past few years and were no longer operating. In Copenhagen we used Frommer's guide to help us find a tourist information booth. When we arrived at the location, it did not exist. A local business told us the information booth had shut down a few years ago. It became a joke between my husband and I to put the Frommer's guide away and just enjoy Denmark. Although the guide is a recent edition, I felt it was not updated with current information snd found the guide to be quite unreliable.

Thorough, Comprehensive and well-put together.

From all the travel books out there on Denmark this one is not a compilation of mere facts, photos, phone numbers and page-fillers.

What sets Frommer's apart is the information provided and the style in which is presented. You will find lodging options for various budgets, a list of most important sites to see and even suggested ways to spend time in a city if you have only 1 day or as much as 5 days, great places to eat and great places to splurge if you can stretch your dollar. Be aware that this is not a book for the ones on a shoestring budget. Frommer provides a good introduction to Denmark without being overloading you with mass amounts of information or pictures, a truly well-balanced book.

The first chapter is entitled "The Best of Denmark" and it contains:
1) Best Danish Experiences
2) The Best Hotels
3) The Best Restaurants
4) The Best Buys
5) The Most Scenic Towns and Villages
6) The Best Active Vacations
7) The Best Castles and Palaces
8) The Best Offbeat experiences
The rest of the 12 chapters, focus on planning for the trip, suggested itineraries for the time you have available, and specifics on the capital, or specific regions and islands. There is a chapter on Bornholm (island) but none on Greenland or the Faroe Islands.

The information I found for the town of Odense (hours and days of operation) were very accurate. Always it is a smart idea to make a call before visiting a place to make reservations or check on restricted hours. The Danes do have a lot of holidays, especially in the first 5 months.

The only accompanying guide besides this one that I would recommend is, "Eyewitness Travel Guides - Denmark" by DK (visual guide). Happy Travels!