The very words “roadside inn” evoke the time when stagecoaches would pull up in front of the inn, unhitch a weary team and let jolted wayfarers clamber out to rest and take a meal at the inn – before continuing their uncomfortable, arduous journey through the country. For as long as there have been roads, and people with journeys to make, there has been demand for a place to stop, and get a decent meal and lodgings for people and horses. But Denmark is the only country in the world where the inns were granted something as prestigious as a Royal Licence.

In Denmark we have some 450 inns, of which around 100 are original Royal Licence establishments and fortunately preserved as part of the Danish heritage. Some of the inns are found in charming villages, but the majority are situated in open country, surrounded by beautiful scenery. At the fords and canals the ferry inns still tempt in travellers as of yore, while the country roads are home to the centuries-old inns with thatched roofs and half-timbered frames that sit tucked away behind the old inn gardens with their herbaceous borders and gnarled fruit trees - the ideal place to sit back and enjoy a cup of coffee.

Indoors there is a unique atmosphere in the low-ceilinged parlour rooms where the pot plants decorate the windowsills and copper pots gleam brightly from the walls. This is the place to sink down with a drink in front of the hearth after a long day of sightseeing or a round of golf. In the snug you can join the locals and play cards or cast dice as elbows are bent and the air grows thick with tall tales.

Mouthwatering local specialities

Meanwhile, back in the parlour, your hosts bring in plates piled with steaming delicacies – food of the Gods, firmly rooted in traditional, regional fare and based on the finest and freshest produce. At inns affiliated with Danish Inns & Hotels visitors can also order the 2-course Dan Menu fra a price of DKK 135 / EUR 19.

Nowadays the wayfarer would be lucky to get a fresh team of horses or procure the innkeeper’s home-brew. Many inns are newly built, ultra-modern buildings. Others are centuries old and even if they still have a thatched roof and half-timbered frame much will still have happened since they were first built. The buildings have been restored and the rooms converted to provide modern comforts.
A few of the inns have even turned into exclusive restaurants, have laid out golf courses or provide conferencing facilities.

Still a part of everyday life

But new or old, the Danish inns all cherish their cultural heritage and there is always the sense that the local inn is still part of everyday life in the community. Here is where the locals come to sip a frothy lager followed by the odd chaser. This is also where the family parties are held – birthdays, wedding receptions and confirmations – and where the final farewells are said to the dear departed at the traditional funeral wake.

The majority of inns offer overnight accommodation and country-inn holidays can be spent in two ways: you can either settle in for the duration and thereby avoid having to pack your suitcase every day and can simply turn up for a hearty breakfast buffet, or you can opt to make a tour taking in the different regions of Denmark while sampling the local fare as you go.

Service and hospitality are key words at the typical Danish inn and fairly inexpensive at the price too, thanks to a number of inn cheques and discount schemes that make country-inn stays a very affordable form of holiday accommodation. At the same time an inn provides a very flexible type of accommodation, as the majority have family rooms where you can easily make up an extra 1 or 2 beds for the kids. And not forgetting that the family dog will also be welcome at half of the Danish inns – in many places even free of charge!

Danish Inns & Hotels
Larsen's Hotel and Inn holidays