5km (3 miles) S of Copenhagen's Kastrup Airport
Even if you have to skip the rest of Denmark, head to this little fishing port to see what an idyllic Danish village looks like. Though we don't mean to put it down, the Frilandsmuseet was an artificially created site -- and a grand one at that -- but Dragør is the real thing. Young professionals are flocking here from Copenhagen to purchase homes. They're within an easy commute of the city, but in the old-fashioned world of Dragør that goes back to the 19th century at night (albeit with modern conveniences).
This old seafaring town on the island of Amager is filled with well-preserved half-timbered ocher and pink 18th-century cottages with steep red-tile or thatched roofs, many of which are under the protection of the National Trust.
Dragør (pronounced Drah-wer) was a busy port on the herring-rich Baltic Sea in the early Middle Ages, and when fishing fell off, it became a sleepy little waterfront village. After 1520, Amager Island and its villages -- Dragør and Store Magleby -- were inhabited by the Dutch, who brought their own customs, Low-German language, and agricultural expertise to Amager, especially their love of bulb flowers. In Copenhagen, you still see wooden-shoed Amager locals selling their hyacinths, tulips, daffodils, and lilies in the streets.
