Introduction

Denmark is a fragmented country in every sense. Once the home of the most intrepid and fearless seafarers in history – the Vikings – as you might expect, its territory extends far and wide over the cold waters of the North Sea, the Baltic and even the North Atlantic.

It is made up of several territories, comprising literally hundreds of islands. The Jutland Peninsula, Funen and Zeeland form the majority of the homeland of Denmark, but the country also has sovereignty over the self-governing Faroe Islands and semi-independent Greenland, the world’s largest island.

Denmark proper forms a link between the European mainland and the Northern European territories of Sweden and Norway, both physically (since the completion of the two massive tunnel and bridge projects that link Funen to Zeeland and Zeeland to Malmo in Sweden) and ideologically.

In truth, although the Jutland Peninsula north of Germany forms a large part of Danish territory, the Danes have more in common with the Scandinavian nations than they do with their only land neighbour, the Germans.

The verdant and gently undulating landscape is ideal for rambling or cycling – one of the best ways to tour the country. The majority of it is flat and rural, similar to the Netherlands and punctuated by medieval towns and cities, such as Aarhus, Roskilde and the beautiful capital of Copenhagen. Naturally the peninsula and the islands have long stretches of coastline, less spectacular than the rocky inlets of the other Scandinavian coasts but no less picturesque.

Weather

There is a huge difference between the winter lows in Russia, which are so low as to be life-threatening in remote areas, and the blazing summer temperatures. May to September are the optimum months for pleasant travel, with the added reliability that transport is unlikely to be cancelled due to bad weather.

Moscow and St Petersburg both have warm summers, that can verge on being hot at times but rarely average over 20 degrees. However, winter temperatures in both cities plunge well below zero. Although both cities arguably appear at their best in the winter months you should take warm winter clothing with you if visiting at this time. Rainfall is high year round, and waterproof clothing is essential.

Average Weather Guide:

Temperature in Degrees Centigrade

Rainfall in Millimetres

The tables above are intended as guidelines only.