How to Live in Denmark
Episodes
My Awkward First Year in Denmark
29 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
One thing no one ever tells you about moving to a new country is the incredible awkwardness of it. As a newcomer, you are constantly doing or saying ...
The Spontaneous Dane: Why Friendship Needs a Calendar
30 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Danes usually don't do spontaneous. They do calendars. This episode looks at why a country that can count 8,000 ballots in three hours still needs two...
Danish dinner party customs & why it's OK to break your Royal Copenhagen cup
15 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Some might say that the most Danish piece of furniture is the chair. The Swan Chair, the Egg Chair, the Wishbone chair. They're all international desi...
Danish Movies and TV as a Guide to Danish Culture
22 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Watching Danish movies and TV shows is a great way to survive the long Danish winter—and if you're learning Danish or trying to understand Danish c...
December: Little Nisse, Big Money: The Danish Year Part 12
03 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The nisse is a centuries-old figure in Danish folklore, and every December these tiny, mischievous spirits take center stage. While Santa Claus makes ...
November Rain and "daylighting" buried rivers: The Danish Year Part 11
22 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
November always seems like the rainiest of Danish months, but it isn't, actually. October is. But November feels rainier, because the sky is so grey, ...
October, democracy in denmark, and competitive poster hanging
13 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Election posters are a colorful part of democracy in Denmark. In October, the campaigns swing into gear, and when the whistle blows on a set date at p...
September, elite sport, and the not-quite death of Jante Law: The Danish Year Part 9
16 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Denmark may be a small country, but it produces world-class athletes in cycling, tennis, handball, badminton, and golf. How do they do it? And how d...
August, The first day of school, and how children learn to be Danish: The Danish Year Part 8
10 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Denmark is a very good place to be a child, and to have children, yet the birthrate is dropping as it is in so many other countries. Some preschools h...
July, Nature in Denmark, and following The Daisy Route: The Danish Year Part 7
01 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
July is vacation month in Denmark, and it's ironic that many Danes go elsewhere on vacation at just this time of year, when you have the best chance o...
June: Danish pride, women in uniform, and the reverse Jante Law: The Danish Year Part 6
01 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As of this month, girls who turn 18 can be drafted into the Danish military. This is new, even though girls in Norway and Sweden have been eligible ...
May, the candle in the window, and getting old in Denmark: The Danish Year Part 5
02 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There's a lovely May tradition in Denmark of setting a candle in the window on the evening of May 4. This is to commemorate the surrender of the Germa...
April, Gardening in Denmark, and what it means to be "Pear Danish": The Danish Year Part 4
03 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As the long Danish winter finally draws to an end, it's time for Danes to start planting their gardens. Now, in early April, it's rhubarb, parsnips,...
March, "Gække Letters", and the things lost in Digital Denmark: The Danish Year Part 3
05 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Gækkebrev are a great Danish tradition, but like many other Danish traditions, they are fighting to survive amid the country's ambitious digital agen...
February, the Cat in the Barrel, and the Absence of Faith: The Danish Year Part 2
09 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Fastelavn is one of the Danes' favorite holidays. It takes place in February, when the light is finally beginning to come back after a long season of ...
January, Skiing, and Income Inequality: The Danish Year Part 1
30 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you're one of the bottom 80% of Danish earners, you'll probably spend most of your dark January evenings and weekends at home, hoping your bank acc...
The Danish Empire - without Greenland?
05 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Denmark, as Danes like to tell you, is a little country. But it used to be a much bigger country, a bit of an empire. Norway was once part of Denmark...
Learning Danish through song lyrics
02 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
One of the tips I often give to newcomers in Denmark is to learn Danish through song lyrics. Find a Danish lyricist whose music you enjoy lis...
Job switching in Denmark
03 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Denmark has one of the highest job mobility rates in the world - about 20% of Danes start new jobs each year. Frequent job changes are a reflection of...
The Design Quirks of Copenhagen
08 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Did you know that Copenhagen has its own color? It's called Copenhagen Green, and it's a dark emerald green, mixed with a fair amount of black. A litt...
Who is Holger Danske?
07 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Many countries have a fictional character who represents them. Uncle Sam for the USA, Marianne in France, Mother India. Others have a legendary figure...
The white magic of the Danish graduation hat
12 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In June of each year, the streets of Denmark are suddenly full of young people wearing stiff white caps with bands of various colors - burgundy, midni...
Do you have to speak Danish to work in Denmark?
29 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If you're only in Denmark for a few months, it might not be worth the investment in time to learn much more than the basic pleasantries in Danish. B...
Why Danes Find Compliments So Awkward
24 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A story I've heard over and over again when I talk to internationals working in Denmark is this: They thought they were going to get fired. They'd bee...
Romance in Denmark
06 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Whether you're navigating the cobbled streets of Copenhagen on a first date, exploring the charming countryside with a new companion, or swiping right...
Finding light in the Danish Winter Darkness
10 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Many internationals newly arrived in Denmark struggle with the long Danish winter. The darkness that starts to fall in the early afternoon means tha...
New Year's Eve Traditions in Denmark
26 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's almost Week 1, in the weekly numbering system that's widely used in Northern Europe, where the year starts with week 1 and runs through to Week 5...
How to Handle a Conflict in Denmark
18 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If you are an international who lives in Denmark, or someone who wants to, you have to learn the Danish way of dealing with conflict. This might be wi...
Drugs in Denmark
29 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Denmark is getting rich selling pharmaceuticals to other countries, but within Denmark itself, the approach is inconsistent. Getting illegal drugs doe...
Equality and the Electric Bike
27 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When I first arrived in Denmark, you could shut down any dispute in Denmark by appealing to equality and the common good. Solidarity - "solidaritet" -...
How to Meet a Dead Viking: The Mummies of Denmark
01 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Many people who visit Denmark are fans of the Vikings, the colloquial name for Scandinavians before the medieval era, although technically speaking th...
No ice cream in July: Scenes from the Danish summer vacation period
29 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In Denmark, the right to a long summer vacation is enshrined into law - the national vacation law, which states that all employees have a right to thr...
Rich in Denmark
26 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Denmark is a rich country, but does it have rich people? It does, but Denmark's wealthy tend to keep a low profile, due to the informal Jante Law in D...
What Newcomers to Denmark Ask Me
30 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When you've been an international in Denmark for a while, as I have, you sometimes forget what it was like to arrive here for the first time and know ...
Denmark and Butter: A Love Story
10 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The hottest competitive sport in Denmark over the past year hasn't been handball, or football, or badminton. It's been chasing cheap butter in the su...
Randers is not a joke
21 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It seems as if every country has a city or region that it is the butt of jokes. The rest of the country makes fun of the locals' unattractive accents ...
The Bridges of Denmark
01 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A country like Denmark, with so much coastline and water, needs a lot of bridges - and there have been 5 new colorful, stylish bridges built in Copenh...
On returning to Denmark: Swimming in Copenhagen harbor, picking wild blackberries, and admiring Danish law and order
17 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After some time out of Denmark, Kay returns and finds a whole new list of things to love. Swimming in Copenhagen harbour is a delight - the once-indus...
Ballad of the Danish Royal Teenagers
14 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's hard to be a teenager no matter who you are or where you live, but spare a thought for the two teenagers of the Danish Royal Family. 16-year-old ...
Tivoli vs Bakken: How two amusement parks show the two sides of Denmark
28 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Denmark has several amusement parks, including the original Legoland, but the ones I know best are the ones in Copenhagen - Tivoli Gardens and Bakken....
On the Road: Copenhagen Northwest, beyond the cherry trees
19 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's springtime, and the cherry trees are about to bloom in Copenhagen Northwest, which is usually the only time people who live outside Northwest bot...
The Secret Strategy for Practicing Spoken Danish
02 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Newcomers to Denmark often complain that the locals aren't chatty. Danes don't want to converse on the bus, or on the train, or in line at the superma...
Queen Margrethe, Denmark's good-humored, much-loved monarch
14 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
No matter how they feel about the institution of royalty, almost everyone likes Denmark's Queen Margrethe, who is celebrating 50 years on the throne t...
The Non-Drinkers' Guide to Danish Christmas parties
11 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Drinking, and drinking heavily, is common in Denmark at holiday time. Whether it's the traditional "gløgg" - hot spiced wine with nuts, orange peel a...
Denmark's Big and Wonderful Second Hand Economy
18 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Denmark has a thriving second-hand economy, in part because people generally don't look down on second-hand goods here. The Danes are practical people...
On the Road: The Tunnel to Germany
26 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Getting to Sweden from Copenhagen is easy: you take a quick trip across the Øresund Bridge in your car or on the train. Getting to Norway from Copenh...
On the Road: Riding Copenhagen's big yellow "Harbor Bus" ferry
08 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
One of Denmark's cheapest and most colorful vacations is a few hours riding back and forth on Copenhagen's big yellow Harbor Bus, or "Havnebussen", a ...
On the Road in Denmark: Esbjerg, Ribe, and Fanø
19 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When I mentioned going to Esbjerg for a few days off this spring, many of my friends in Copenhagen said - why? Esbjerg doesn't have a reputation as a ...
Saving money in Denmark: How to get around for less
26 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
No matter what the tourist brochures suggest, you probably won't go *everywhere* on a bike in Denmark. And along with food and housing, getting around...
Saving money on food in Denmark
24 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Anyone who has spent time living in Denmark knows that it's one of the most expensive countries around. That's true when it comes to food shopping, to...
Books about Denmark from the second hand store
27 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
I love old books. I love the kind of old books you get at antique bookstores or on the Internet Archive. And I have a good collection of old books abo...
Practical tips for moving to Denmark
21 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
While I'm not an authority on the Danish visa or immigration systems, I'm often asked for practical tips about moving to Denmark. So here are a few th...
Gender equality in Denmark
13 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Denmark has had two female prime ministers and about forty percent of the people elected to the Folketing, the Danish Parliament, are women. But whe...
Danish beaches in winter
10 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It might seem like a counterintuitive time to talk about beaches, in the middle of a long, very cold winter. But in these times of COVID, beaches are ...
Driving in Denmark
06 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
I like to drive. I like to be on the open road, like in the American Southwest - Arizona, Nevada, Utah. Put your pedal to the metal, no one in front o...
Dining in Denmark: From crispy fried pork to flower juice with champagne
30 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When visiting Denmark, you'll be offered Danish food, and expressing enthusiasm for it will go a long way towards generating harmony with your Danish ...
Denmark and the Coronavirus Summer
13 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It's a funny kind of summer this year in Copenhagen, quieter than usual, and more like a family event than a cosmopolitan city. Coronavirus came early...
Animals and Denmark: Swans, pigs, and horses
08 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Among the many cultural questions I ask audiences during my How to Live in Denmark Game Show is "Which animal represents Denmark best?"? There neve...
The Danish Alcohol Culture
17 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Alcohol has a long history in Denmark. The Vikings brewed four types of beverages: ale, mead, fruit wine, and syra, a fermented milk – and for many ...
Debt in Denmark
22 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
January, February, and March are some of the dreariest months in Denmark – it's dark, with no Christmas lights to pep it up – and many people are ...
Making Danish friends: A few tips based on experience
01 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
If you're newly arrived in Denmark, making Danish friends is not easy – in fact, surveys show that one of the main reasons internationals end up lea...
Nudity in Denmark: The naked truth
02 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The relaxed approach to nudity in Denmark can be a surprise for many newcomers. It's something they're often confronted with at the local swimming hal...
Politeness in Denmark: Some thoughts on Danish etiquette
12 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
"Is there politeness in Denmark?" That was the question I was recently invited on a national TV show to discuss. The implication was that I was supp...
What I say when I'm welcoming newcomers to Denmark
01 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
One of my favorite types of speaking engagement is introducing Denmark to some of the smart, motivated young people arriving from around the world to ...
Summer Vacation in Denmark: The Agony and the Ecstasy
02 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Planning your summer vacation in Denmark is like playing the lottery. You could hit it lucky, with golden days and long, warm evenings, when you can s...
April Fool's in Denmark, and the rough game of Danish humor
31 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
April 1st is April Fool's Day – Aprilsnar in Danish – and each Danish newspaper will feature a clever but false story for the unwary to be foole...
Motivating Danish employees: Tips for Foreign Managers
03 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Motivating Danish employees is very different than motivating other groups of people because there are two big factors missing – hierarchy and fear....
The sound of Denmark? Quiet. Very quiet
07 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Denmark is a quiet country, even within the cities. Especially this time of year, February, when it's too cold to do anything but scurry from place to...
Tips for Living with a Danish Family
09 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As the new academic semester starts up, some of you may be planning to live in a Danish home. It could be you'll rent a room in a household, maybe you...
Alone for the holidays: What to do for Christmas in Denmark when you're on your own
15 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Being alone for Christmas in Denmark can be tough – one of the downsides of Danish "hygge" is that people who are not inside the "hygge" circle can ...
Christmas gift giving in Denmark: Package games, Almond Gifts, and Why It's OK to Exchange Whatever You Get
02 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Like so many other aspects of life in Denmark, gift giving in the holiday season comes with dozens of unwritten rules and unspoken expectations. Shoul...
Autumn in Denmark: The slow fading of the light
21 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Autumn in Denmark actually starts in mid-August, when the kids go back to school. Danish kids have a very short holiday – usually only about 6 weeks...
The story behind the How to Live in Denmark Podcast: Fifth anniversary episode
31 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
This is a special episode, because this is the fifth anniversary of the How to Live in Denmark podcast.The podcast began in the summer of 2013; at the...
What to wear to work in Denmark: Fashion in blue, black, grey, and for the adventurous - beige
03 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
There's no reason to spend a lot on what you wear to work in Denmark. Danes, by nature, are not flashy dressers. In most Danish business environments,...
Your first day at work in Denmark: Flowers, handshakes, passwords, and several people named Mette
07 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
On your first day at work in Denmark, you may find a pretty bouquet of flowers on your desk to welcome you. (This terrified a Chinese acquaintance of ...
Can I date my Danish colleague?
07 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Many Danes meet their future spouses at work. Yet there are also strict laws in Denmark against sexual harassment. Where do you draw a line between ha...
Understanding your Danish boss: Less like a general, more like a sports coach
29 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
In an anti-authoritarian country like Denmark, being a boss is a precarious (social) position. Danish bosses don't like to flaunt their authority. In ...
The Danish Flag: 800 years old and going out fashion?
03 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
People visiting Denmark can't help but notice that the Danish flag is everywhere. Christmas trees here are decorated with little Danish flags. Cucumbe...
Your free daily banana and five weeks off: Job benefits in Denmark
27 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
On-the-job benefits in Denmark come in three categories: the kind every Danish worker gets, the kind everyone at your company gets, and the kind every...
Danish gangsters: Night-time helicopters and the risks of a knit hat
20 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
If you live in Denmark or follow the Danish media, you'll know there's been a lot of talk of gangsters over the past week. One Danish gang is trying t...
The Trailing Spouse in Denmark
13 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
If you're coming from abroad to work in Denmark, you may be bringing along your spouse. That can be great – it's nice to have someone to shiver thro...
Why job titles aren't important in Denmark
05 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
One of the most important words in the Danish language is "ligestilling" – equality. The belief that all (Danish) people are basically equal perme...
Danish union vs A-kasse: What's the difference?
25 Jan 2017
Contributed by Lukas
When you first arrive in Denmark to work or look for work, the last thing you need is another monthly expense. So many foreigners "save money" by not ...
Networking in Denmark: 5 useful tips for making Danish business contacts
23 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Networking in Denmark is tough, even for Danes. This is a culture where it's considered bad manners to talk to someone you don't know, unless you're d...
It's all about the cake: The secrets of socializing with your Danish colleagues
04 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
When you work in a Danish office, you'll often find yourself invited to impromptu in-office social events with your Danish colleagues. Somebody's birt...
The Danish art of taking time off
15 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
When I first began working in Denmark, people used to start saying around April or May, "So – are you taking three or four?" What they meant was, ar...
The Danish job interview
22 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
If you've been asked for a job interview at a Danish company, congratulations. Danish companies don't like to waste time, so they wouldn't be setting ...
Finding a job in Denmark: Cover Letters, LinkedIn, plus two magic words
21 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
I often give presentations to job hunters in Denmark, and I tell them there are two words you can add to your cover letter that will virtually guarant...
Looking for a job in Denmark: Your Danish cv (And why you might want to consider a Danish nickname)
18 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
When you're putting together a cv for Denmark, titles and grades and long descriptions of examinations (unless they're required for the job, as they a...
Getting a job in Denmark: Fine-tuning your approach to the Danish job market
22 Feb 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Foreigners in general are often trying to look for a job in a way that works well in their home country, not Denmark. Basically, this works as about a...
How to date a Dane: The two-speed bicycle and the flexible word
01 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
In Denmark, romance is like a two-speed bike. Speed one is casual sexual affairs with someone you may never see again: speed two is a serious relation...
Danes and Beauty: Miss Denmark, the empty museum, and why you shouldn't expect compliments
21 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
If you really want to get a Dane all hot and bothered, start talking about some thing that is beautifully designed. In Denmark, beauty is usually ...
Arriving in Denmark: Some tips from my experience
23 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
August in Denmark brings the first signs of fall: a crisp chill in the air, the changing color of the leaves, the annual posters warning drivers to b...
Danish babies: Rolling Royalty and Tribal Names
14 Jul 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Denmark is a small country, and Danish people tend to think small things are good. Small cars. Small homes. Small ambitions when it comes to internat...
Private-equity pastry and the decline of bodegas: How Denmark is changing
31 May 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Every country changes, and so does Denmark. When I hold How to Live in Denmark events, people often ask me how Denmark is changing, or has changed s...
Danes and Fear: What is there to be afraid of in Denmark?
10 May 2015
Contributed by Lukas
In general, Denmark is not a fearful country. You could argue, what is there to be afraid of in Denmark? It seems like a safe little corner of the...
Spring in Denmark: Hot Wheat Buns and Highly-Educated Drunks
19 Apr 2015
Contributed by Lukas
It's spring in Denmark, and spring is by far my favorite season here. The wonderful white Scandinavian sunlight is back after the dark days of the wi...
Danish Birthday Traditions
12 Apr 2015
Contributed by Lukas
It has been said that Danish birthdays are the most important in the world. Adults, children, even the Queen of Denmark make a big deal about birthda...
Danes and Singing
08 Mar 2015
Contributed by Lukas
There have been very few international singing stars from Denmark, and that's a surprise, because Danish people love to sing. Joining choirs is very p...
Danes and Inequality: Private Schools and Migrants Who Sleep in Sandboxes
25 Jan 2015
Contributed by Lukas
I was on Danish morning TV recently, which isn't really something to boast about. In a country of 5 million, 10 guests a show, 365 days a year – y...