Denmark
First for women's safety in the WPS Index, and priced like London
The short verdict
Yes, Denmark is one of the safest countries anywhere for travelling alone: first in the Women, Peace and Security Index 2025/26 and fifth in the Rainbow Map 2026. The problem is cost, with Copenhagen priced like London and Oslo according to its own tourist board. Suits people who love cycling, saunas and small cities.
Solo Score
| Safety | 94 | |
|---|---|---|
| Safety for women | 100 | |
| LGBTQ+ inclusivity | 90 | |
| Trans recognition | 95 | |
| Social life | 46 | |
| Ease | 95 | |
| Cost for one | 0 | |
| Nightlife and events | 90 | |
| Singles demographics | 100 |
version v1 · How we calculate it
Denmark is the country to pick if feeling safe matters most. It tops the Women, Peace and Security Index 2025/26, nearly half of all households are a single person, and nobody finds it odd that you eat, go to the cinema or sit in a sauna on your own. English is spoken almost everywhere: Denmark is seventh of 123 countries in the EF English Proficiency Index 2025, so you will rarely need a phrasebook, even outside Copenhagen.
Money is the catch. Visit Copenhagen compares the capital's cost level with London and Oslo, so Londoners will find it familiar and almost everyone else will find it steep. Take the rules seriously too: every illegal drug, cannabis included, is banned, Christiania included, and covering your face in public earns a fine.
The country is small and Odense and Aarhus are both reachable by train from Copenhagen. A week is enough for the capital and a couple of day trips; with two weeks you can cross Funen and Jutland all the way up to Skagen at the northern tip.
Who it's for / who it's not for
- Women travelling alone who put safety first
- LGBTQ+ travellers wanting some of Europe's strongest legal protections
- Anyone who loves saunas and harbour swims in the middle of a city
- Travellers who want to get by entirely in English
- Tight budgets
- Anyone after cheap nightlife
- People who struggle with dark, cold winters
Safety
General
The FCDO rates crime as generally low, with pickpocketing mainly in Copenhagen, and says terrorist attacks cannot be ruled out. Italy's foreign ministry reports youth gangs behind thefts and assaults in the capital, and advises night-time caution in Nørrebro and parts of Odense and Aarhus. Denmark is 11th in the Global Peace Index 2026.
Women
First of 181 countries in the Women, Peace and Security Index 2025/26.
LGBTQ+
Same-sex relationships and marriage are legal, as the FCDO notes, and Denmark is fifth in the Rainbow Map 2026.
Trans people
Legal gender can be changed by self-determination since 2014, with a reflection period, and passports can carry an X marker. This section needs review by a trans person before publication.
Emergency numbers
- 112Emergency
- 114Police non-emergency
- 1813Medical helpline, Capital Region
LGBTQ+
Same-sex relationships are legalchecked on 2 November 2026
- Marriage
- legal since 2012
- Legal gender
- self-determination since 2014, with reflection period
- Spartacus 2026
- #15
- Rainbow Map 2026
- 85.1%
Same-sex relations are legal. In 1989 Denmark became the first country in the world to introduce registered partnerships, which are no longer available to new couples; marriage equality followed in 2012. Since 2014 legal gender change has worked by self-determination with a reflection period, according to the ILGA World Database. Denmark is fifth of 49 in ILGA-Europe's Rainbow Map 2026 with 85.10%, and 15th in the Spartacus Gay Travel Index 2026.
AreasLatin Quarter (Copenhagen)Vesterbro (Copenhagen)
Entry and documents
British visitors need no visa for short stays within the Schengen limit, but Schengen passport rules and the new Entry/Exit System apply, so read the current FCDO page before you travel.
Official source ↗Culture and customs
Two rules matter more than any others. Drugs, cannabis included, are banned even in small amounts, with sentences of up to 10 years according to the FCDO: Christiania is not an exception. And covering your face in public is illegal, with a fine of 1,000 kroner, around 115 pounds. Everyday life is otherwise straightforward: tipping is optional, tap water is drinkable and cards are accepted almost everywhere, though the 1,000-krone note stopped being valid in May 2025. According to Eurostat, 47.4% of Danish households are a single person.
Solo itineraries
7 days
Copenhagen and Zealand
- Copenhagen
- Roskilde
- Helsingør
Five nights in Copenhagen for neighbourhoods and museums, with an evening in a harbour sauna, then day trips by train to Roskilde and Helsingør.
14 days
From the capital to Skagen
- Copenhagen
- Roskilde
- Odense
- Aarhus
- Aalborg
- Skagen
Two weeks by train across Funen and Jutland to the country's northern tip. In parts of Aarhus and Odense the same night-time caution applies as in the capital.
Cost for one
- Low DKK 700per day
- Mid DKK 1,800per day
- High DKK 4,500per day
Daily bands for Copenhagen estimated by Visit Copenhagen, accommodation included. At 27 October 2026 rates (8.92 kroner to the pound) that is about 78, 202 and 504 pounds. We found no reliable source for the single supplement.
Verified on 27 October 2026
Recurring events
- Music · FebruaryVinterjazzA nationwide jazz festival held every February since 2001, with around 600 concerts at more than 120 venues.
- Music · JuneDistortionStreet and club parties in Copenhagen, in 2026 from 3 to 7 June.
- Pride · AugustCopenhagen PrideA week of events and activism in August.
Cities
Frequently asked questions
Is Denmark safe for solo women?
It ranks first of 181 countries in the Women, Peace and Security Index 2025/26 and 11th in the Global Peace Index 2026. The FCDO calls crime generally low, with pickpocketing concentrated in Copenhagen, and advises extra care in Christiania and Nørrebro late at night.
What do I need to enter from the UK?
No visa for short stays within the Schengen limit, but passport rules and the EU Entry/Exit System apply. Check the current FCDO entry page before you book.
How expensive is Denmark?
Visit Copenhagen puts a tight budget in the capital at around 700 kroner a day, about 78 pounds, and a mid-range trip at 1,800 kroner, about 202 pounds.
What is the legal situation for LGBTQ+ travellers?
Denmark introduced the world's first registered partnerships in 1989 and same-sex marriage in 2012. Legal gender change has worked by self-determination since 2014, with a reflection period. It ranks fifth of 49 in the Rainbow Map 2026.
Is cannabis legal in Christiania?
No. All illegal drugs, cannabis included, are banned even in small amounts, and the FCDO warns of jail sentences of up to 10 years. Covering your face in public is also illegal, with fines from 1,000 kroner.
When should I go?
June to August for long days, Distortion in early June and Copenhagen Pride in August. February brings Vinterjazz across the country, and late October the MIX Copenhagen queer film festival.
Sources
19 sourcesContent checked against sources, waiting for an editor's sign-off. Not indexed yet.
- Danimarca, scheda paese, Ministero degli Affari Esteri, Viaggiare Sicuri · official source · accessed 27 October 2026
- Denmark travel advice, entry requirements, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office · official source · accessed 27 October 2026
- Denmark travel advice, safety and security, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office · official source · accessed 27 October 2026
- Distortion 2026, Copenhagen Distortion · official source · accessed 27 October 2026
- Distribution of households by household size (EU-SILC, ilc_lvph03), Eurostat · official source · accessed 27 October 2026
- EF English Proficiency Index 2025, EF Education First · index · accessed 27 October 2026
- FOLK1A, Folketal den 1. i kvartalet efter område, Danmarks Statistik · official source · accessed 27 October 2026
- Frequently asked questions, Wonderful Copenhagen (Visit Copenhagen) · official source · accessed 27 October 2026
- Global Peace Index 2026, Institute for Economics and Peace · index · accessed 23 October 2026
- ILGA World Database, ILGA World · index · accessed 23 October 2026
- ILGA-Europe Rainbow Map 2026, ILGA-Europe · index · accessed 23 October 2026
- Is Copenhagen expensive?, Wonderful Copenhagen (Visit Copenhagen) · official source · accessed 27 October 2026
- MIX COPENHAGEN LGBTQIA+ Film Festival 2026, MIX Copenhagen · official source · accessed 27 October 2026
- Safety in Copenhagen, Wonderful Copenhagen (Visit Copenhagen) · official source · accessed 27 October 2026
- Spartacus Gay Travel Index 2026, Spartacus · index · accessed 23 October 2026
- Tassi di cambio di riferimento, base EUR, ExchangeRate-API (open.er-api.com) · official source · accessed 27 October 2026
- The ultimate LGBTQIA+ guide to Copenhagen, Wonderful Copenhagen (Visit Copenhagen) · official source · accessed 27 October 2026
- Vinterjazz 2027, Copenhagen Jazz Festival / JazzDanmark · official source · accessed 27 October 2026
- Women, Peace and Security Index 2025/26, Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security · index · accessed 23 October 2026
- Sources: 19
Photos
- Volden, a street in the Latin Quarter of Aarhus, in the early evening: Sten / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Updated on 2 November 2026