Bus Tours

ScanAm World Tours (tel. 800/545-2204; www.scanamtours.com) offers a tour through the "Heart of Fairy Tale Denmark." You can choose a 5-day, 4-night trip through Hans Christian Andersen country, including a visit to Odense (his birthplace) and an excursion to Legoland. Tours begin at $620 per person.

Self-Drive Tours

Several companies offer self-drive tours, which usually include accommodations, rental cars, and customized itineraries. Scantours Inc. (tel. 800/545-2204; www.scantours.net) features the 5-day "Taste of Danish Castles & Manor Houses" tour, which is available year-round. Prices begin at $785 per person. The company also sponsors a tour of Danish inns. The 4-day self-drive tour includes accommodations, breakfast, car rental, and an itinerary. The typical price for an inn is $182 per night in a double room, and the trip builds from there.

Bicycle Tours

An excellent way to explore the flat, rolling Danish countryside is on a bicycle. Numerous organizations (including Scantours Inc. and ScanAm Tours) sponsor bike tours through various regions of the country. You can choose one that covers the castles, beaches, and fjords of northern Denmark; the southern Funen islands; the beaches and marshland of western Jutland; or the lake country in eastern Jutland. Blue Marble Travel (tel. 800/BLUE-8689 [258-3868] or 215/923-3788; www.bluemarble.org) offers 7-day excursions to Hans Christian Andersen country and several small islands in the Baltic for $1,508 per person. Dansk Cyklist Forbund, Rømersgade 7, DK-1362 Copenhagen (tel. 33-32-31-21; www.dcf.dk), can provide the latest information on cycling tours in Denmark.

Adventure Travel Operators

In North America -- Crossing Latitudes, 420 W. Koch St., Bozeman, MT 59715 (tel. 800/572-8747 or fax 406/585-5356; www.crossinglatitudes.com), offers sea kayaking and backpacking expeditions throughout the region; and Blue Marble Travel, 211 South St., Philadelphia, PA 19147 (tel. 215/923-3788; www.bluemarble.org), features reasonably priced biking and hiking trips in Denmark and Norway.

In the U.K. -- The oldest travel agency in Britain, Cox & Kings, Gordon House 10, Greencoat Place, London SW1P 1PH (tel. 020/7873-5000; www.coxandkings.co.uk), was established in 1758. Today the company specializes in unusual, if pricey, holidays. Its offerings in Scandinavia include cruises through the spectacular fjords and waterways, bus and rail tours through sites of historic and aesthetic interest, and visits to the region's best-known handicraft centers, Viking burial sites, and historic churches. The company's staff is noted for its focus on tours of ecological and environmental interest.

To cycle through the splendors of Scandinavia, you can join Britain's oldest and largest association of bicycle riders, the Cyclists' Touring Club (CTC Parklands, Railton Road, Guildford, Surrey GU2 9JX; www.ctc.org.uk). Founded in 1878, it charges £12 to £35 ($23 to $60) a year for membership, which includes information, maps, and a subscription to a newsletter packed with practical information and morale boosters, plus recommended cycling routes through virtually every country in Europe. The organization's information bank on scenic routes through Scandinavia is especially comprehensive. Membership can be arranged over the phone with a credit card (such as MasterCard, Visa, Access, or Barclaycard).

Learning Vacations

Danish Cultural Institute (Det Danske Kultur Institutu), Farvergade 27L, DK-1463 Copenhagen (tel. 33-13-54-48; fax 33-15-10-91; www.dankultur.dk), offers summer seminars in English, including a course in Danish culture. Credit programs are available, but many courses are geared toward professional groups from abroad. An especially interesting course for those with some knowledge of Danish is "Danmark, Danskerne, Dansk," which includes language instruction.

An international series of programs for persons over 50 who are interested in combining travel and learning is offered by Interhostel, developed by the University of New Hampshire. Each program lasts 2 weeks, is led by a university faculty or staff member, and is arranged in conjunction with a host college, university, or cultural institution. Participants may stay longer if they want. Interhostel offers programs consisting of cultural and intellectual activities, with field trips to museums and other centers of interest. For information, contact the University of New Hampshire, Division of Continuing Education, 6 Garrison Ave., Durham, NH 03824 (tel. 800/313-5327 or 603/862-2015; www.learn.unh.edu).

Another good source of information about courses in Denmark is the American Institute for Foreign Study (AIFS), River Plaza, 9 W. Broad St., Stamford, CT 06902 (tel. 866/906-2437; www.aifs.org). This organization can set up transportation and arrange for summer courses, with bed and board included.

The largest organization dealing with higher education in Europe is the Institute of International Education (IIE), 809 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017 (tel. 212/883-8200; www.iie.org). A few of its booklets are free, but for $47, plus $6 for postage, you can buy the more definitive Vacation Study Abroad. The Information Center in New York is open to the public Tuesday through Thursday from 11am to 4pm. The institute is closed on major holidays.

One well-recommended clearinghouse for academic programs throughout the world is the National Registration Center for Study Abroad (NRCSA), 823 N. 2nd St., P.O. Box 1393, Milwaukee, WI 53203 (tel. 414/278-0631; www.nrcsa.com). The organization maintains language study programs throughout Europe.

Heritage -- The Search for Roots

More than 12 million North Americans have Scandinavian roots, many in Denmark. To help you trace your ancestry, Danish consulates can furnish fact sheets. Many original Danish records are available on microfilm from The Family History Library, 35 N. West Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84150 (tel. 801/240-2331).

Established in 1992, the Danish Immigrant Museum, Elk Horn, Iowa (tel. 712/764-7001; www.dkmuseum.org), is devoted to telling the story of migration to the United States.

In Denmark itself, the major archives concerning immigration are held at Det Danske Udvandrerarkiv (Danes' Worldwide Archives), Arkivstræde 1, P.O. Box 1731, DK-9100 Aalborg (tel. 99-31-42-20; fax 98-10-22-48; www.emiarch.dk).

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.