North Sea Cruise: North Denmark

In this second post of a multi-part series, Bethany embarks the Crystal Serenity and explores North Denmark on her North Sea cruise.

Join me as I embark on the gorgeous Crystal Serenity in Copenhagen! After the first wonderful evening on the ship, I then set out on a full-day excursion to northern Denmark to visit three different royal castles/palaces. It was a wonderful day.

North Sea Full Itinerary

Below is the full itinerary for the trip. This post includes details about North Denmark. Looking for info on other stops? Check out the ‘Links’ section at the end of this post!

• August 5-6: Copenhagen, Denmark
• August 7: North Denmark
• August 8: Kristiansand, Norway
• August 9: Sandnes, Norway
• August 10: Kirkwall, Orkney, Scotland
• August 11: Lerwick, Shetland, Scotland
• August 12-13: Tórshavn, Faroe Islands and a sea day
• August 14-17: Reykjavik, Iceland
• August 16: South Coast of Iceland

Embarkation Day

After spending a couple of wonderful days exploring Copenhagen on my own, I embarked on the Crystal Serenity on the afternoon of August 6. After a very quick check-in process, I enjoyed a welcome glass of champagne. I then made my way up to the top deck for some lunch at The Marketplace, followed by some fantastic gelato at Scoops. I also found and captured the Denmark flag…not a new one for me, but fun to capture it nonetheless!

While this is my third time sailing with Crystal, this is my first on the Serenity. It is very similar in size and layout to the other ship I have sailed on, the Symphony, but with a few minor differences. I stayed in an Oceanview cabin for solo travelers again this time. I love that Crystal has a block of cabins dedicated to solo travelers.

After unpacking and getting settled in, I headed to Waterside, the main dining room on the ship, for my first fabulous dinner onboard. While savoring the delicious meal, I was also treated to a gorgeous full rainbow – a wonderful foreshadowing for a fabulous upcoming cruise!

• Appetizer: charred Wagyu beef crudo, with mashed potatoes and horseradish cream
• Soup: lobster bisque
• Main course: pink roasted milk-fed veal rib eye, with pumpkin pearl couscous, broccolini, and veal Demi-glace
• Dessert: “Beehive” (honey custard, fig, meringue, Greek yoghurt sorbet)

The Little Mermaid

My full-day excursion on August 7 started with a brief stop to see the iconic Little Mermaid statue. It was early in the morning, so we were fortunate to have her all to ourselves!

Fredensborg

After a pretty drive north along the coast of Denmark, we arrived at our first palace of the excursion: Fredensborg Slot. The baroque palace was commissioned by King Frederick IV and was built in the 1720s. There was a peace treaty between Denmark, Norway, and Sweden signed in 1720 here on the site of the unfinished palace and the name (Fredens Borg, “Peace’s Castle”) was used to commemorate this. As the summer residence of the Danish royal family, it hosts royal state visits and family gatherings. This was a quick photo stop only since the palace is not open to the public…unfortunately the royal family did not invite us in for tea! We were here in time to see the changing of the guard, though, which is always interesting to watch.

Kronborg

The next stop on today’s castle tour was Kronborg, a castle and historical stronghold in the town of Helsingør, Denmark. It is immortalized as Elsinore in William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet. A stronghold, Krogen, was built here in the 1420s to control the entrance to the Baltic Sea. In the late 1500s, King Frederick II had it transformed into a magnificent Renaissance castle. It was then rebuilt in the mid-1600s by King Christian IV after a fire destroyed much of the castle. The castle was then converted into barracks for the army in the late 1700s. The army left the castle in 1923, after which it was thoroughly renovated and opened to the public.

The first stop is the gorgeous chapel, inaugurated in 1582. During the time when the castle was used as army barracks, the chapel was used as a gymnasium and fencing hall. The original furniture was returned in 1838 and the chapel was re-inaugurated in 1843.

We continued the tour into the Royal Apartments, Ballroom, and Little Hall.

After the tour ended, we had a bit of free time to explore a bit more of the exterior (and the gift shop, of course!).

A Typical Danish Lunch

From Kronborg, we stopped for some lunch before our final castle visit of the day. We ate at Gamle Humlebæk Kro, a delightful restaurant that is nearly 400 years old! I enjoyed a family-style lunch of traditional Danish food. First we had a few different types of fish: two different types of pickled herring and a fried white fish. Then I enjoyed roast pork (with the most delicious crunchy skin!), meatballs, liver and mushroom pate, cabbage, pickles, and bread. We ended the scrumptious meal with some Danish cheese.

Frederiksborg

They saved the best for last on this excursion: Frederiksborg! This gorgeous castle complex, built as a royal residence for King Christian IV in the early 1600s, replaced an older castle acquired by Frederick II and became the largest Renaissance residence in Scandinavia. Frederiksborg is the first Danish castle to be built inland, and also the first to be built for purely recreational purposes rather than for defense.

First is the stunning chapel, consecrated in 1617. Although a fire in 1859 damaged most of the complex, the chapel largely escaped damage and is the best preserved part of the complex. The organ, with its 1,001 wooden pipes, was built in 1610 and it is the oldest organ in Denmark.

Our tour of Frederiksborg continued through the Great Hall, the Rose Room, and the Audience Chamber. Around every corner was something even more stunning than before! The beauty and opulence throughout is breathtaking.

Setting Sail From Copenhagen

After a magical day of exploring opulent castles and palaces in North Denmark, we made our way back to the ship. We set sail shortly after returning from the excursion. I enjoyed some pretty views of Copenhagen as we set sail and began our journey north.

As we sailed further north we passed a tiny island called Ven. We also sailed past Kronborg (the “Hamlet Castle” I visited earlier in the day).

As we passed Kronborg, we threaded a small needle of water between two countries – Denmark is on the left and Sweden is on the right! I then sipped a glass of bubbly in The Crystal Cove before dinner.

Dinner at Beefbar

I had a decadent dinner tonight at one of the specialty restaurants on the ship, Beefbar. On Crystal, you get to eat at each specialty restaurant once during the cruise without an extra charge…you just need to make a reservation.

• Bao buns to start: Korean buns, jasmine tea soaked Wagyu beef
• Steak frites main course: Black Angus filet mignon, fries (honestly some of the best I have ever had!), black truffle butter sauce
• Gelato dessert: Presented as a make-your-own dish, with toppings like almonds, pistachios, fresh berries, caramel sauce, and hot fudge sauce.

Conclusion

My day in the northern part of Denmark, exploring three different castles/palaces, was a fantastic start to the cruise. It was a lovely day, with picturesque views during the drive north and opulent castles and palaces along the way. Lunch was also quite a treat, eating some typical Danish food in a restaurant that has been around since the 1700s. This was a nice way to kick off the cruise…more fun to come in the following days!

Links

Check the main page for this cruise to read more about my adventures:

Click the button below for more information about Crystal Cruises:

Note: I fully funded this trip on my own and received no compensation or any other benefits from any service providers I used along the way. The opinions expressed here are my own and I am not being compensated by any service providers.