Most people who know me have heard me raving about Dragør, probably more than once. It’s also where I like to take friends for a little adventure getaway time. And now I’ll be raving about it to you!
I’ve loved Dragør since the first time I discovered it in 2018. It’s a tiny little town 12 km away from Copenhagen. The moment you arrive, it feels like you are well away from the big city life and on a relaxing summer vacation.
I often bike there when I’m in need of a mini holiday that I can go on for free. Oftentimes I only bike through the more boring parts of the road and walk through the more scenic stretches. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to walk all the way from Vestamager metro station to Dragør old town.
Now it’s important to mention that there is also a much shorter way, in case that’s what you prefer. I rarely (if ever) take the shortcut through Tårnby. It mostly follows Englandsvej, through the tunnel under the airport runway. There’s nothing wrong with that route of course. If you just want to get there fast, you can even take a bus. For me however the journey is as important (sometimes even more so) as the destination itself, so I always take the scenic route.
Today let’s walk the scenic route!
It starts at Amager Nature centre (Granatvej 5). We head east, follow Kanalvej all the way to the dam at the end. On the way we shall enjoy the fields. We can stop at Ullerupdiget to admire the view over the sea and the forest, depending on which way you chose to turn.
Then we take the path down (follow the bike road signs to Dragør) through the Kongelund forest. It’s a beautiful (mostly) oak forest, though it’s not as peaceful as it ought to be. It falls right under the path of the planes as they land or take off. I discovered this area during the lockdown and it was a lot more enjoyable then. I think it still makes for a nice walk, even with the noise. If the time of year is right, we’ll discover a lovely forest harvest alongside the path. This time I found wild strawberries, but raspberries and blackberries will follow soon.
We leave the forest to cross Kalvebodvej and are soon back walking another forest path. A large section of pine trees have been recently cut down here. It still makes me a bit sad to see it every time I pass through. I’m not sure of the reason why it was cut down, but I hope they are going to plant new trees soon again.
We will soon reach an open meadow and see a large stone semi circle. I suggest we wander a bit off the path to meet one of Thomas Dambo’s forgotten giants: Bjarke Cirkelsten. It’s also a nice spot to have a little picnic.
Now let’s continue through the forest and cross Fælledvej. Enjoy the last stretch of the forest. Once we leave the wooded area we’ll see the sea on your right side and the Øresund bridge in the distance. On this part of the way we walk right alongside the backyards of some dreamy beach houses on one side and the beach on the other. Here is where I like to “window shop” for dream house ideas. I like to fantasise about my dreamhouse. Ideally I’d have mine in the forest and/ or in the mountains, 😁 but to be honest, I wouldn’t really refuse any of these either 😋
Then we continue straight through the field at the edge of some farmland, keeping the sea on our right side. At this point you can already see Dragør in the distance. We just have about 15-20 min more through the fields and beach and we will reach the Dragør Fort. We can climb up the hill to enjoy the view. We can also explore the little harbour nearby, maybe have some ice cream by the water!
We then must explore the old town with its tiny cute streets straight from a fairy tale!
As Wikipedia puts it:
“Dragør has many well-preserved historic buildings. The old part of the town consists of idyllic cobbled streets with yellow-painted houses and red brick roofs. Most of the buildings are from the 18th and 19th centuries. The harbour has a well-preserved cultural environment and is currently used by recreational sailing boats, smaller fishing boats and as a base harbour for pilot boats.”
The walk took me about 4 hours at a very leisurely pace with plenty of stops for berry picking, picture taking and picnic making, so I’m sure it can be done faster if you want to. It’s probably not more than an hour if you rather bike and you can always take the shorter (boring!) way back or take the bus. I did take the bus back this time. Luckily the bus also travels the scenic route, so I give it extra points for that!
Few things that are important to remember if you go for this walk: put on sunscreen! Most of the time you’ll be exposed to the sun. You can also choose to go on a cloudy day if the sun and/ or heat bothers you, though you should probably still wear sunscreen! Maybe bring an umbrella too… it’s Denmark, you never know!
Bear in mind that there are no toilets on the way, except the ones you claim for yourself in the forest 😅
Another thing: there are quite a lot of mosquitoes, flies and other bugs in the forest this time of year. They can be a bit annoying, but well, nature is nature! If you’d rather avoid them, go later in the year, maybe in October.
If you love to relax in a more active way, but also don’t have the time or funds to go further away, if you are up for a scenic rural walk that will take you to a cute old town, if you want to enjoy field, forest and beach alike- this may be the perfect day walk for you. If you decide to go on this little adventure, make sure to share how you enjoyed it below 👇
