Egeskov Castle, Denmark.

©Abhi G/500px

Egeskov Slot

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Complete with moat and drawbridge, Egeskov Slot is a magnificent example of the lavish castles that sprang up during Denmark’s 'Golden Age'. Though still lived in, you can look inside many of the furnished rooms and/or explore the beautiful 15 hectares of garden, sections of which have a vast range of family friendly activities, a treetop walk of shaky bridges with push-button birdsong and several museums displaying a remarkable collection of antique vehicles.

The castle was built in 1554, requiring a foundation of thousands of upright oak trunks. Accessible rooms display antique furniture, grand period paintings and an abundance of macabre hunting trophies. But most intriguing is the 'never-moved' figure in the toy-filled attic plus Titania’s Palace, a superb room-sized dollhouse built as a miniature fantasy palace for a 19th-century version of Shakespeare's Queen of the Fairies.

Check the website for 'Open by Night' events (usually Wednesdays in peak summer), when the grounds stay open until 11pm, with a program of evening concerts and fireworks. There's also pre-Christmas activity, a midsummer bonfire and an international rock festival.


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