5 things to remember about the Danes

Don’t cross at a red light — First of all, it is strictly forbidden and will cost you a lot of money if the police see it. Nevertheless, the Danes would properly look a bit weird at you if you cross at a red light. Wait until the green man is smiling at you and letting you cross the street. 

Do be on time!! — One thing is for sure. If you want to piss off a Dane, you just have to be late without giving a notice. So just be on time The Danes are very time-focused and will not wait for you more than 2 minutes, and that’s already way too long time waiting. If you, of some reason, cannot be there in time, please let them know. Send a text, give them a call - just don’t let them wait.

Don’t small talk in public — When Danes walk through the city, take the bus, go grocery shopping or other things in public, they do not small talk with strangers. They would politely answer you, but properly not try keeping the conversation going. However, don’t be afraid of asking them about directions or other things you need them to help you with. They will always help you as much as they can. 

Do watch for the bikes to not run into you — Maybe you are thinking about taking the train or the bus while you are here, which also is very convenient in Copenhagen. But most Danes are not using the public traffic — they go by bike no matter how much it snows and how many bags of food they have to carry. Copenhagen is ideal for biking, as there are bike paths all over the city. Make sure you are not walking on the bike path or be prepared to run for your life when the bikes come.

Do love and drink beers — If you don’t already love beers, you have to learn to love them. Danes produce, distribute and drink a lot of beers. There are more than 100 breweries in Denmark, which speaks for itself. Depending on where you come from, beers are also very cheap in Denmark and you can get them everywhere at any time.

Updated on: 25/02/2020