Fredericia is a small town located on the Jutland in Denmark. Fredericia has little to offer as a town itself. As a cruise port, Fredericia is an excellent jumping off point for Legoland, Jelling monuments, or Odense. That said, when you consider travel time, cost, crowd levels, and value of sights for a day trip from the cruise ship port of Fredericia, Odense wins every time.
We spent our day in port in the beautiful town of Odense, the hometown of fairy tale author Hans Christian Andersen. Odense is truly a fairy tale town with classic yellow half-timbered houses that were built for a time when folks were shorter (seriously though: for anyone in your travel party taller than 6 feet – watch your head).
Download a list format of this itinerary below.
Arriving in Fredericia from the Cruise Ship Dock
From the port in Fredericia, you’ll walk through town to arrive at the train station. Buy your ticket from one of the automated machines and hop on the next InterCity or Regional train leading to Odense. Odense is only a 30 min train ride from Fredericia, making it an easy destination to spend the day.
Once you arrive in Odense, get your bearings and prepare for a great day!
Odense
Odense Walking Tour “In the footsteps of HC Andersen”
Prior to our visit, we downloaded StoryHunt, an app that has many free and some paid walking tours of cities across Europe, but especially Denmark.
The tour we followed was called “In the Footsteps of HC Andersen”, but it is not currently on the app. If it ever returns, we recommend following the tour on the app.
Even without the app’s walking tour, you’ll see footsteps on the ground to follow. Yes, when they say “in the footsteps”, they mean it literally! The app’s tour follows the town-sponsored walk that goes around town, starting at the HC Andersen House, so even if you can’t use the app, you can still follow the footsteps to the main sights around town! Each sight has an information sign explaining the significance of the location.
HC Andersen House
Whether you decide to start with the tour or enter the HC Andersen House first, this museum is a must. It chronicles the life and work of HC Andersen in a modern new building. We recommend booking a timed ticket in advance as during busy times it could sell out. You can find more information on their website here.
Tip: If booking activities during a port of call, choose a time in the middle of your day. In case your ship is late, you don’t want to miss out on your plans.
Lunch
Have lunch at Arkaden Street Food Market, a place we never made it to but is noted to be excellent. Alternatively, pick up a picnic lunch in a bakery or grocery store.
HC Andersen Childhood Home
This small museum is included in your ticket for the HC Andersen House. It’s a cute home where Hans Christian Andersen was born into an impoverished family. Take a few minutes to walk through the small rooms still decorated as they were in the 17th century.
Montergaden Museum
This museum covers the history of Odense, and much of Denmark’s as well. We really enjoyed this journey through the middle ages. There were many displays with objects from everyday life in Denmark in the Viking age, middle ages, and beyond. With the HC Andersen House ticket, you will get 50% off admission to this museum. This museum is underrated and forgotten, as many city museums tend to be. It’s worth a visit for those interested in history and artifacts.
Odense Marzipan
All over Denmark, you’ll see Odense marzipan bars in many different varieties. The Odense Marzipan Company unsurprisingly started in Odense. There is a brand store in town that is a bit off the tourist track but if you have time, it would be worth it for those with sweet tooths.
THE BIG PICTURE
Odense is a beautiful and relatively undiscovered town that is, in our opinion, the best option if you ever find yourself in port in Fredericia. There are numerous other great museums around town, including the Funen open air museum. You can find lots of information about other fun activities in Odense on their awesome tourism website here.
