Things to do & places to visit in Odense, Funen and Islands, Denmark

The quirky, millennium-old capital of Fyn (or Funen), Odense is populated by street corner sculptures of trolls and monster-footed benches. Hans Christian Andersen's birthplace is crammed with fairytale-related attractions. A plethora of castles awaits in the surrounding countryside, including the 1554 Egeskov Castle with its dramatic moat, 18 miles away. Bike or walk to visit manatees at the zoo, open-air museums, the impressive cathedral, the art cinema and bustling cafés, or see the town by riverboat.

Odense municipality in , Denmark. Timezone: Europe/Copenhagen, current date and time: Thursday, May 16, 2024, 4:16.

Odense Weather Statistics view more »

General weather summary in May

59°F - 46°F

Temperature Highs - Lows

Moderately chilly and breezy

Feels like

21%

Chance of rain

67.0 millimeters

Amount

16.4 mph

Wind speed

76%

Humidity

16.2

Daylight length

5:10 AM

Sunrise

9:19 PM

Sunset

49%

Cloud cover

Jacket

What to wear

Top things to do (23)

Top places to visit (30 attractions) view more »

5.0 Locked Escape Room - Odense (54 reviews)
- Fun! And well-suited for new players
Escape Games

Få en intens, spændende og sjov oplevelse sammen med familie, venner eller kollegaer! Hos LOCKED Odense har vi 4 “next level” Escape Rooms indrettet i meget autentiske rammer. LOCKED Odenses lokaler er indrettet som en mystisk tidslomme, som gør at oplevelser allerede starter i lobbyen. Se mere på vores hjemmeside. See more..
5.0 Odense Bunker Museum (53 reviews)
- Excellently restored bunker.
Military Museums

This bunker is as good as any museum that l have come across and probably the best cold war bunker in existance. The volunteers have put everything possible into making this a complete exhibition, right down to the paperwork and displays. With the added bonus of a good collection of East German equipment, uniforms and ephemera and the highly knowledgeable guides, it is unimaginable that anyone could grumble at the very reasonable entrance fee. Lots of things to buy to further support their splendid work. See more..
5.0 Odense Skydivingcenter (22 reviews)
- Sky dive with my teenage son
Thursday: 9:00 AM - 10:00 PM Spent 2-3 hours Rides & Activities

I Odense Faldskærmscenter specialisere vi os i unikke oplevelser. Spring ud af en flyver spændt til en smuk fremmede i form af et tandem faldskærmsspring eller hvis du hellere vil have et solokursus og derved lærer at springe selv. Alle vores instruktører har tusinde af spring og internationalt erfaring, sa du er sikker pa at fa en tryg og sikker oplevelse. Spørg alle der har prøvet! See more..
5.0 Carl Nielsen's Barndomshjem (8 reviews)
- Place of pilgrimage for music lovers
Speciality Museums

The childhood home (not birthplace) of Carl Nielsen, as described in his memoirs "My Funen Childhood". Small, in a charming spot, impeccably restored and maintained and filled with treasures from Nielsen's youth. Small, friendly gift shop. Real sense of the composer's personality and roots - if you love Nielsen's music, it's unmissable. See more..
4.5 Egeskov Castle (1.489 reviews)
- Lots to do for family with kids
Thursday: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM Spent 2-3 hours Points of Interest & Landmarks • Castles

Renaissance Castle from 1554, Historic Gardens,cars motorbikes exhibitions, camping outdoor museum, fire and Rescue museum, outdoor playground. See more..
4.5 Odense ZOO (859 reviews)
- Not flashy, but a lot of heart
Thursday: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM Zoos

Odense ZOO has been elected the best zoo in Europe. We prioritize the well-being of the animals and try to give the animals as natural surroundings within their cages as possible, to increase the quality of their life as well as to give our visitors the experience of seeing the animals as close to their natural invironments as possible. See more..
4.5 The Funen Village (354 reviews)
- A gentle day out in the country
Thursday: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM Spent 2-3 hours Speciality Museums

Take a trip out to our outdoor Museum - a village from the time of Hans Christian Andersen, where everyday life is as it was in a 19th century Funen rural environment. Mediators from Living History give you an exciting, authentic glimpse of what everyday life was like back then, operating as farmers, craftworkers, labourers and servant girls in historical dress. See more..
4.5 The Danish Railway Museum (334 reviews)
- Magnificent!
Thursday: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM Spent 2-3 hours Speciality Museums • Points of Interest & Landmarks • History Museums

Experience the history of Denmark’s railways in the authentic roundhouse from 1954. We have 21 tracks featuring iconic engines and carriages. Look inside the royal carriages, experience travelling first class and see Denmark’s oldest preserved steam engine from 1868. You can enter many of the museum’s engines and carriages. You can sit on the old wooden seats or stand in the driver’s cab of a steam locomotive. We provide a rewarding outing for the whole family, and visitors of all ages are welcome. Visit the child-sized Children’s Railway Station, brimming with trains and rails for you to play with. Go for a ride on the popular mini-train which runs every day. It is possible to enter many of the carriages and engines. All activities are free once you have paid the entrance fee. See more..
4.5 Funky Monkey Park (122 reviews)
- Amazing experience!!
Thursday: Zipline & Aerial Adventure Parks

A wonderful and entertaining experience to really push one's limits in an enticing and crazy experience. Would definitely recommend! See more..
4.5 Ladbyskibet (78 reviews)
- The Ladby Viking Ship Grave & museum & reconstruction
Thursday: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM Speciality Museums • Ships • History Museums

This viking museum is worth visiting. Far out in the countryside close to Kerteminde - North East of the Island Funen, Denmark. Go by car - or bike - have someone take you. You'll find a small but very nice viking museum close to the only existing original vikingship grave - and it is open to visitors via the museum which shows original artifacts from the grave and the area. In front of the museum we find the reconstruction building site of the Ladby vikingship. One trained vikingship builder together with some 30 local volunteers build this 1:1 reconstruction of a 32 oars warship to be launched in 2014 for sailing in Danish waters. Wood cutting and smithie people working the viking way - on Wednesdays and Saturdays. See more..
4.5 Munke Mose Gardens (75 reviews)
- The green heart of the city
Gardens

A beautiful park, cool and green in the summer heat, but beautiful all year around. You will find flower gardens, art, fountains, quiet spots for relaxation and good spots for picnics here. The river winding through the gardens is in central role and the water element really brings an added charm to the gardens. Kids will enjoy the fun and cool playgrounds here. See more..
4.5 Tidens Samling (56 reviews)
- Worth a visit
Thursday: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM Spent 1-2 hours Speciality Museums • History Museums

Tidens Samling is a museum of everyday life in the 20th century. It is a hands-on museum where you are allowed to touch the items, sit in the furniture, open the drawers and try on the clothes. The museums permanent exhibition consists of nine living rooms from 1900 to 1999 with original and authentic interiors from typical Danish homes. Besides the permanent exhibition, once a year a new special exibition is represented, focusing on a specific topic from the century fx 'Youth Life in the 70s' or 'Women's life through 100 years'. The museum also has an area for dressing up. Here children and adults are welcome to try on clothes, shoes and hats from the various decades. See more..
4.5 GenbrugsHallerne (39 reviews)
- Nice 2nd hand concept store
Antique Shops • Flea & Street Markets

Lovely place with great atmosphere and loads of cool stuff. Best place for unique souvenirs or random treasures for cheap and affordable prices. See more..
4.5 Afgrunden Ved Vissenbjerg (33 reviews)
- A peaceful nature
Nature & Wildlife Areas

A beautiful green place with roads for mountain bikes and a lake for fishing and swimming. Not a wheelchair friendly place. See more..
4.5 Jumping Fun (27 reviews)
- Great!!!
Spent 1-2 hours Parks • Playgrounds

I totaly enjoyed my time spent there. The trampolines are extremely exhausting so I can recommend it to anyone who wants to be sporty! See more..
4.5 Hans Christian Andersen Gardens (22 reviews)
- Characters around the place
Gardens

This is a very tiny but pretty park, you can find some tiny little chateau here where we found people dressed up as H.C. Andersen characters when we visited. See more..
4.5 Stige Ø (15 reviews)
- Lovely place
Spent 1-2 hours Points of Interest & Landmarks • Scenic Walking Areas

Charming place.:) I could go Stige Ø everyday and wont get bored. Recommend this place even for the whole day. Enjoy! :). See more..
4.5 Museum of Photographic Art (8 reviews)
- Museum and more
Thursday: 12:00 PM - 9:00 PM Speciality Museums

It was the photographic part that we came for but got so much more in our wisit. The photos are amazing take you far away all over the world and each floor has some new adventure waiting for you. I love the part that you can record sound and try greanscren. Staff was lovely See more..
4.0 H. C. Andersens HUS (826 reviews)
- Needs some help with execution
Thursday: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM Spent 1-2 hours Speciality Museums

A visit to H.C. Andersen House is a surprising and fascinating journey into the author’s creative universe – and his world-famous fairy tales. Beauty merges with imagination at the museum, where world-class architecture and spaces bring nature indoors, and provoke us to turn things on their head and speculate about today and tomorrow. Via sound, light, space and scenery designed in collaboration with 12 international artists, in this innovative exhibition, we experience Andersen and his works speak to us. Our imagination is our only compass. See more..
4.0 Odense Cathedral - Sct. Knuds Church (231 reviews)
- Splendid cathedral
Thursday: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM Historic Sites • Architectural Buildings • Religious Sites • Churches & Cathedrals

A beautiful cathedral with among other things a fantastic choir triptych, a crypt and historic relics in the form of a murdered king (St Knud). See more..
4.0 Kunstmuseum Brandts (130 reviews)
- You need to see it
Thursday: 10:00 AM - 9:00 PM Spent More than 3 hours Speciality Museums • Art Museums

In the heart of Odense, you'll find Kunstmuseum brandts, which has a long tradition of putting on exhibitions of some of the best image creators in the world. In the town's former clothing factory, you can move around among classic works of art, photography and film. With five storeys to explore, there is plenty of scope when you stop af Funen's largest art museum. See more..
4.0 Montergarden Museum (96 reviews)
- Really informative history of Odense City Life
Thursday: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM Spent 2-3 hours Speciality Museums

Don’t miss a visit to the culture-historical museum Møntergarden, where the old houses and picturesque courtyards look as they did in Andersen’s age. The museum features a kaleidoscopic exhibition about Funen from ancient times up to the present day as well as special exhibitions with archaeological finds and culture-historical themes. Here you will also find Møntergarden’s museum for children! When little Hans Christian run around in wooden clogs, there were lots of children in the small backyards of Odense. Just as in the Children’s Backyard: a miniature urban environment from the 19th century with hens, water pump, clothes to dress up in and other fun activities. See more..
4.0 Odense City Hall (83 reviews)
- Magnificent
Historic Sites • Architectural Buildings

I was surprised that the building of Odense city hall is relatively young, built at the end of 19th century, later enlarged and completely finished in 1955. It is beautiful and impressive and definitely one of must see in the city. See more..
4.0 Terrariet (80 reviews)
- So cool and interesting
Thursday: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM Spent 2-3 hours Zoos

Terrariet Reptile Zoo is a specialized zoo with one of Scandinavia's largest collection of reptiles and amphibians. Come and meet the biggest, most dangerous, fastest, most beautiful and most venomous species within the reptilian and amphibian world. See more..
4.0 The Tin Soldier (68 reviews)
- Fairy Tail
Monuments & Statues

This is another nice statue of Andersen's fairy tails character. I almost missed it because of busy traffic around, it was lost among plenty of people walking around. I am glad I found it in the end. It is really nice. See more..
4.0 King's Garden (41 reviews)
- beautiful park
Gardens

It is so nice to go through this small park day or night. This is a great park for a family visit, but they also have lots of sponsored activities. See more..
4.0 Sct. Albani Church (38 reviews)
- Under reconstruction
Churches & Cathedrals

This church is currently under reconstruction so it doesn't look as good from the outside. We were lucky enough to see it inside and it was very nice. Unlike most Danish churches this one is a Roman Catholic church. See more..
4.0 Hans Christian Andersen on Bench (37 reviews)
- Must see in Odense
Monuments & Statues

It is definitely a must to see this magnificent statue of the famous story teller. And it is also pleasurable experience. See more..
4.0 Emperors New Clothes (33 reviews)
- My favorite one
Monuments & Statues

I am glad that I arrived to this statue when it was dark already because illuminated it looks ingenious. It became my favorite statue in Odense. See more..
4.0 Hollufgard (18 reviews)
- Skulpturer i smuk naturpark
Thursday: 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM Speciality Museums

En overset kul- & naturperle i udkanten af Danmarks 3. største by.
Tilmed en svalende skovpark med søde overraskelser. See more..