Visiting Odense, on the Danish island of Fyn, feels like stepping into one of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales. From golden pantaloons in mirrors to talking peas and towering stacks of mattresses, the city’s HC Andersens Hus museum immerses visitors in the whimsical world of the 19th-century author. The redesigned museum, opened in 2021 by Japanese architects Kengo Kuma and Associates, presents Andersen’s life and stories with humour, irony, and perspective, offering playful spaces for both children and adults. Even the gardens make visitors feel small with clever plantings, winding paths, and imaginative features.
The museum explores Andersen’s life through autobiographies, letters, and friends’ perspectives, highlighting that he was an unreliable narrator at times. It provides a captivating tour of his art, stories, and thought processes, including a basement play area called Ville Vau for younger visitors. Outside, Odense itself is charming, with cobbled streets, colourful wooden houses, and Andersen-themed details such as traffic lights featuring his signature top hat, brass footprints for walking tours, and a sculpture trail.
Every August, the city celebrates the HC Andersen festival, showcasing art, theatre, dance, and music in over 500 mostly free performances. Visitors can enjoy stilt-walkers, acrobatic dancers, storytelling sessions, and family workshops. The festival and the annual Magic Days event extend the city’s storytelling legacy beyond Andersen himself.
Cycling is the best way to explore Odense and Fyn. A “cycling highway” runs through the city centre, connecting attractions such as harbour-side swimming pools and Stige Ø, a peaceful small island perfect for picnics, fishing, paddleboarding, or swimming. Food in Odense also celebrates storytelling: at Restaurant Under Lindetræet, dishes are inspired by Andersen’s poems and tales, with readings accompanying the courses, making dining part of the narrative experience.
Fyn is home to 123 castles and manor houses. Day trips from Odense include Egeskov Castle, a Renaissance water castle still home to Count Michael Ahlefeldt-Laurvig-Bille and Princess Alexandra zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg. Valdemars Castle, built by King Christian IV in the 17th century, is now open to visitors, showcasing contemporary art alongside historical interiors. Andersen himself loved challenging expectations, and the mix of modern art and classical architecture would have delighted him.
Exploring further, the MS Helge ferry takes visitors around the South Fyn archipelago, a UNESCO Global Geopark. Cycling along coastal trails, visitors can enjoy quiet country lanes, hedgerows full of blackberries, and gentle hills, with ebikes making the routes accessible for all abilities. Broholm Castle, with 700 years of history and ghost stories, was a favourite of Andersen and appears in his novel Only a Fiddler. Following his footsteps across Fyn reveals a landscape rich in castles, stories, and colourful characters.
Odense and Fyn remain a place of myth, magic, and adventure, offering a unique journey into the world that inspired one of the greatest storytellers in history.
Hotel Odeon offers rooms from 1,100 kroner (£128) B&B, while Broholm Castle doubles start at 1,695 kroner B&B.