If you’re wondering what’s it like to live in Denmark, well I want to share my experience (as a foreigner) with you.
Now I was only in Denmark for a week, but I was staying with a Danish family and getting to experience what life in Denmark is like for them.
It was very nice to be away from the beautiful, but touristy, capital city of Copenhagen and see Danish life in a small town.
Maybe you are wondering why I went to Denmark – especially since my blog is about slow traveling and work exchanges.
First of all, my reason for going was to mainly visit my Danish friend and her family because they were celebrating her graduation and birthday.
This gave me the chance to meet her relatives, and a small peek into how these celebrations are done in Denmark.
Plus, in general, I love seeing the style of clothes in different countries, as well as what people wear to special occasions like this.
At Anna’s party, we played a fun Viking game. I didn’t get a picture of it, so here is one from the internet.
Danish Water
Let me tell you a quick story. My Danish friend, Anna, moved from Denmark to Scotland a few years ago.
She was nervous that her English wouldn’t be good enough and it might be hard to make friends.
Her time living in Edinburgh happened to coincide with my time there and the rest is history.
When she first moved to Scotland, she and her family went out to dinner one night.
When the waiter came to take their order, Anna asked if she could have Danish water.
In Denmark, ‘Danish water’ is the term for sparkling water with lemon. Of course, the waiter was confused and Anna’s mother was laughing at the mistake.
Mutual friends Rebecca and Clare also came from Edinburgh to visit.
Anna told us this story as we were trying some of the ‘Danish water’ (sparkling water).
I loved it and in general, it’s popular all over Europe. If you go to Denmark, you should try it.
If you have tried it, let me know what you think in the comments.
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What’s It Like To Live In Denmark?
We did more than drink water, I promise!
Staying at Anna’s home for a week was great because I got to see how they have decorated, what foods they eat; what you can classify as daily life in Denmark.
Anna lives a 15-minute drive away from the seaside. The Scottish girls and I had to take advantage of this because of the hot weather 28C / 82 F (I was told these temperatures are unusual for Denmark).
Usually, in the UK, it is too cold to swim in the already freezing water.
Danish Style & Design
The design and decorations of buildings and houses took my attention.
It seems that Danes favor houses with a bright/clean atmosphere and lots of natural light, so they usually have large windows and everything inside painted white.
Normally, I would think the white would be boring, but with the excess of natural light, it works well together.
I stayed with Anna’s family in Helsinge, but we also visited her ‘mormor’ (the danish name for a maternal grandmother) in Roskilde.
Her small, city-center flat was similar in design; such a cute little place. There is something to be said for simple design!
Even larger buildings follow this trend of having bigger windows for natural light.
Denmark seems to be environmentally focused so I’m sure this is encouraged since it saves energy.
There’s More Than Just Copenhagen
It seems that when most people visit Denmark, they don’t leave Copenhagen – at least that’s what Anna said.
We went there for a day; it was a beautiful city with so much to offer.
I think I prefer the low-key atmosphere that is present outside of the big city though.
If you’ve ever wanted to visit Denmark or other similar Nordic countries, but don’t have the budget for it – you should look into house sitting as a way to get free accommodation.
You don’t have to wonder what’s it like to live in Denmark anymore because it can be affordable!
This way, you get to stay in a local neighborhood and see life in Denmark up close, not just touristy spots.
There are a lot of house-sitting websites, but the largest and most reliable is TrustedHousesitters.
You can sign up to be a house sitter or to list your own house sit. They even have a combined membership for you to do both too.
Life In Denmark Usually Means Healthy Food & Lifestyle
Danish people seem to maintain a healthy weight and cycle everywhere, at least that’s one of the things I noticed first.
I understand that staying with one Danish family doesn’t give me the authority to generalize about the whole population though.
From what I did experience, the day-to-day food that is eaten is far healthier compared to common food found in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and definitely the US.
Food in Denmark is more likely to be sustainable, organic, and have more sugar-free options.
I think if you are looking to start a life in Denmark and healthy food is a priority, then you will be all set.
Final Thoughts
I hope that my experience has given at least a little bit of an answer to the question – what’s it like to live in Denmark?
I know I wasn’t there for a long time so I can’t give the same perspective as a resident, but for my time I did try to soak up as much as I could.
There’s a lot to discover about life in Denmark, which is why I highly suggest you find a housesitting gig there to fully immerse yourself!
And if you want to know more about slow travel, make sure to sign up below for my freebie!
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