One of our absolute favourite days of the whole road trip was this one. Egeskov – The Living Castle – is such a wonderful place and is located on the island of Fyn/Funen. Here are six excellent reasons to visit with kids, including a very unique and magical number 6!

1. THE GARDENS AND GROUNDS

The gardens are stunning, extensive, innovative, full of colour, and offer views of the castle from all angles. One particular highlight is a hedged circle of fountains planted for the four seasons and with a hidden garden in the centre. The abundant kitchen garden is where staff gather fresh ingredients for the stunning on-site restaurant. Topiary, a dahlia garden, statues, lawns and a Japanese bridge are there for discovery too. You could wander around for hours and not see it all. Thankfully there were a few places to shelter: you’ll see in the photos that the weather took some dramatic turns during our day!

2. THE PLAYGROUND

The playground is next level. It ranges from a high ropes trail and a zip line to bouncy pillows, climbing frames and all sorts of unusual bits for children of all ages. If you were local – or staying for a week – the annual pass would be worth it, just for the playgrounds! [Not many photos as I wandered off to buy a crêpe!]

3. THE FOOD

There are several snack kiosks and shops as well as a cafe for hotdogs, burgers and ice creams. Picnic tables are scattered around the grounds too. You can also dine at the beautiful Brasserie Rigborg. I popped in to have a nosey around and to buy coffee and a very fancy dessert-to-go! There was also a selection of open sandwiches (below) which are very popular in Denmark.

4. THE MUSEUMS

Egeskov is home to the most eclectic selection of museums we’ve come across in one place! They’re dotted about the grounds and cover a diverse selection of topics: camping, Dracula, emergency services, motorcycles, fashion, a recreated grocery store from the past… If it rains, as it did during our visit, these are ideal to pop into and even young children will find things to grab their attention like the variety of different tents set up as if in use, the rows of cars and motorbikes, and the planes suspended from the roof!

5. THE CASTLE

Complete with moat, the 1554 castle is very well-preserved and is, in fact, still home to the Alhefeldt-Laurvig-Bille family (a Count and a Princess!) once all the tourists have gone home. The castle sits in a small lake and used to be accessed only by drawbridge. It’s built on piles of oak – a whole forest of oak trees according to legend – which gives the castle its name: Egeskov = oak forest.

With the help of the free Digital Castle Guide, you can explore several of the 66 rooms inside, from The Deer Passage to The Captain’s Room, The Klunk Room to the Banqueting Hall!

6. TITANIA’S PALACE

I’ve saved my favourite thing until last! Inside the castle is the most amazing dolls house you’re ever likely to see! 

Sir Nevile Wilkinson must be a strong contender for the world’s best dad. His daughter, Guendolen, was watching the Elf Queen Titania, Prince Consort Oberon and their seven children play in the garden, but worried that they had to live in caves. 

So, Sir Nevile commissioned the 18-part casing in 1907 then, alongside expert craftspeople from around the world, worked on every minute detail over the following 15 years until it was complete.

3000 objects. 6 square metres in area. 185cm tall. Bedrooms, bathrooms, a music room, a chapel, a museum, a courtyard, a knight’s hall… Sir Nevile thought of everything.

It became so renowned that Queen Mary came to the inauguration. In the years that followed, it toured the world, raising money for children in need. It’s now owned by the LEGO foundation and, since 2007, has resided in Egeskov Slot, continuing to fundraise. 

It was every bit as magical as it sounds. You could look at it forever and never run out of new things to spot! 

Key Information: adults cost £30 / 265 DKK / €35, children (4-12) cost £18 / 160 DKK / €21, under 3s are free; the outside spaces are pramable and there are changing spots around the site; various concerts and events take place throughout the year.

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Egeskov was just one stop in our 2.5 week road trip from Derbyshire (UK) to Copenhagen in Denmark. The full itinerary, using our own car, is below. I’ll come back and link in future blog posts as I write them. It was a great trip but, if we did it again, we’d add another night on the way up north to break the journey up, and possibly the same again on the way back down.

Day 1: home to Folkestone for our LeShuttle crossing; drive to Bailleul, France (or similar for 1 night) (a long travel day but broken up so it didn’t feel too bad)

Day 2: long travel day #1 – breakfast in France, lunch in Belgium at Chateau d’Hélécine (free bouncy castles and amazing playgrounds next to a lake and café) and dinner in Germany (stay 2 nights in Weilerswist or similar or stay in Cologne if preferred)

GERMANY

Day 3: visit Cologne

Day 4: long travel day #2 – Cologne to Fleckby (or similar for 1 night) via Bremen Rhododendron Park (playgrounds, walks and a pricey/busy café so maybe bring a picnic) 

DENMARK

Day 5: travel to Svendborg (4 nights) and visit Odense

Day 6: visit Aero island by passenger ferry

Day 7: visit Egeskov Castle

Day 8: visit Langeland island (self-drive tour)

Day 9: visit Sagnlandt Lejre (Land of Legends) then travel to Roskilde (or similar or stay in Copenhagen if preferred for 2 nights)

Day 10: visit Copenhagen

Day 11: visit Lisleje Beach; travel to Askeby (or similar for 2 nights)

Day 12: visit Mon island (self-drive tour)

Day 13: long travel day #3 – Askeby to Lubeck (2 nights) via a stop in Heiligenhafen Pier

GERMANY

Day 14: visit Lubeck

Day 15: long travel day #4 – Lubeck to Oberhausen (or similar for 1 night) via a stop in Celle

BELGIUM

Day 16: visit Ghent, Belgium (stay 2 nights in Wingene or similar or in Ghent/Bruges if preferred)

Day 17: visit Bruges

Day 18: Bruges to home

All information is correct at the time of posting. Follow us on Instagram @four_go_exploring for more independent family adventures.