Denmark

Denmark
Information
Language:	Danish
Capital:	Copenhagen
Population:	5,475,791
Currency:	Danish Krone (DKK)
Hitchability:	<rating country='dk' />
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<map lat='56' lng='10' zoom='6' view='0' height='350' country='Denmark' />
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File:P1010369.JPG

Calle on his way to Sweden.

Denmark is a country in Northern Europe. It is a member state of the European Union as well as the Schengen Agreement.

According to Wikivoyage hitchhiking is legal in Denmark except on motorways. Most drivers speak English, but especially in the western and southern part people are often able to speak German as well. If your German isn't good enough, English will help here too. Most drivers are very friendly and hospitable. There was a hitchhiking project done in 2006 called The Search for Danish Mentality, and in 2007 there was a follow-up called The Search for the Commons.

Please note that due to the current (2015/16) discussions and changes in policies concerning asylum seekers and refugees you have to expect ID checks while entering the country, especially from the south. Furthermore you could experiencing problems in any cross-border hitching, especially while travelling north (e.g. from Denmark to Sweden).

When hitching on slip roads to the motorway, people rather stop if you are at the top of the slip road than at the bottom of it. This is due to the fact that it is illegal to walk as a pedestrian on the highways (behind the green highway signs). Most ramps in Denmark have enough space for cars to stop.

Cities

• Århus
• Copenhagen – the capital
• Country_Town - Place of the Hitchgathering/2019
• Gedser
• Helsingør
• Hirtshals – ferries towards north
• Odense
• Rødby – ferry port towards Germany

Hitchhiking car ferries

Generally, hitchhiking ferries in Denmark is easy and fun, since most people know about this 'paying per vehicle' thing. It is also possible to hitchhike ferries to a lot of smaller Danish islands, which otherwise are not accessible.

Here's a list of easily hitch-able ferry connections:

• Odden <-> Århus
• Odden <-> Ebeltoft
• Gedser <-> Rostock (Germany)
• Rødby <-> Puttgarden (Germany)
• Helsingør <-> Helsingborg (Sweden)
• Esbjerg <-> Fanø
• Kalundborg <-> Ballen (Samsø)
• Als <-> Fyn (Bøjden/Fynshav)
• Ystad (Sweden) <-> Rønne (Bornholm)
• Køge <-> Rønne (Bornholm)
• Sassnitz (Germany) <-> Rønne (Bornholm)
• Spodsbjerg <-> Tårs (Langeland/Lolland)

At other connections you pay per person, however, it might be possible to hitchhike a truck (no experience, anybody else?).

Directions

"Århus to Copenhagen - Copenhagen to Århus" When going between the two biggest cities in Denmark, almost all hitchhikers choose to go by the car ferry between Sjællands Odde and Århus. Not only will most people going on this distance go all the way to either Copenhagen or Århus, it is also just as fast as hitchhiking over the bridges and twice as fun! It is very easy to hitchhike the ferry from Århus to Copenhagen, since the ferry docks in the city center of Århus.

Hamburg to Copenhagen

From Hamburg to Copenhagen you can hitch to a ferry at Puttgarden and get a ride straight to Copenhagen. If you ask people after they paid the ticket you can cross for free (and save EUR 7). Tickets are per vehicle, not per person.

You can watch a video of a lovely Danish landscape. It was made by amylin in February 2008 when going on a ferry to Denmark.

File:KathaliftartillBerlin.jpg

Katha on her way to Berlin.

From Denmark going South

From Jutland

First, hitch a ride to Padborg which is in the South Jutland - it is located just before the border with Germany. There you'll find Denmark's largest truck-stop. Most trucks leaving from Denmark stop there. With some luck you'll find someone going to most destinations in Europe. Ask the drivers while they are getting ready, filling-up or walking from the diner to their vehicles.

From Zealand

First, get a ride to Gedser which has ferry lines to Rostock (Germany), or go to Rødbyhavn which has a ferry connection with Puttgarden (also in Germany, close to Kiel and Lübeck). Most cars heading to the ferry go to Rødby, from where a ferry sails every half an hour. Gedser might be a lot harder to reach than Rødby, also because it's like at the end of the world, and very few locals drive to and from there. So try to locate a good petrol station on the way and look for the right German plates. There is also a big truck stop with a toll office on Falster, close to Nørre Aslev (see map). You can ask truck drivers there - German truck drivers will say, as usual, that it's forbidden to take people on board, so concentrate on trucks coming from other places.

A ferry ticket for a car includes up to 9 car passengers (incl. the driver) so it should be quite possible to get a free ride over the sea (and maybe even further).

Border crossing

Even though Denmark and its neighboring countries are members of Schengen, there has currently been established temporary border controls on all Danish borders. It differs as to which direction your heading and which country is going to perform the border control and some controls are randomized picks, but you should always bring your passport to and from Denmark.

Sweden

From Denmark to Sweden:

You will be checked by Swedish border control. There differences in document requirements:

Citizens of Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden)can use passport, driver’s license or national ID.

EU/EEA (EU+Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway) citizens can use passport and national ID.

All others must use passport and other relevant documents e.g. visa.

This applies to all border crossings.

From Sweden to Denmark:

At the moment, no border control is being performed when entering Denmark from Sweden. It is, of course, always recommended to have it and other documents readily available.

The Swedish Departmentof Justice has since Nov. 12th, 2015 upheld the temporary border control. The latest extension expires on Nov. 11th, 2018.

Germany

From Denmark to Germany:

There is no official border control crossing in this direction. However, as mentioned before, it is recommended to have your passport readily available, as you can be asked to provide proof of citizenship in any Schengen country.

From Germany to Denmark:

Everybody has to be able to provide proof of identity, passport being the universally accepted document. For non-EU/EEA other documents might be required as well.

Since Jan. 4th, 2016, there been a temporary border control in effect from all German crossings (land and sea). The checks are random, but it is not worth the risk.

The latest extension expires on Nov. 12th 2018 (I personally expect a further extension as that possibility has already been opened by the EU-commission - LordSkateboard).

Links

• www.trafikken.dk - Map for all rest areas in Denmark
• Facebook group for Danish hitchhikers
• BLAF - A yearly hitchhiking competition around Denmark - the best way to see the country.

Personal Experiences

From our experiences, hitchhiking in Denmark is quite easy but most people only drive a few dozens kilometers to the next big city (at least during work days).

Crossing into Denmark from Puttgarden, I ended up drawn in by the sea and forgot to try to get a lift while on the ferry. Once back on land, it seems the train station has been decommissioned and I was the only person exiting the ferry on foot! I had to hike for a mile or so and stealthily cross some highways to near a Circle K. A car or two passed in about ten minutes, there is no through traffic from the ferry here. A bad spot, but I luckily got a ride in about twenty minutes to Koge, right outside Copenhagen. A week later returning from Sweden through Denmark, I had great luck, mostly standing on the shoulder of a ramp or small road with a sign for the next small city. Many Danish people gave me lifts culminating in sleeping in a home-cooked meal and sleep in a tiny house 50 meters from the sea in Gedser, a depressed town but with long stretches of undeveloped land along the coast. I was told while hitchhiking that if you say to the attendants at the ferry that you are trying to travel "using as little money as possible," they will let you on for free; however, I took the first ferry and no attendants were there, just a machine to buy a ticket, so you will likely have to ask for forgiveness vs. permission here.

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Regions of Denmark

Hovedstaden • Midtjylland • Nordjylland • Sjælland • Syddanmark

Autonomous regions: Faeroe Islands • Greenland