The Danish Railroad Company DSB (Danske Statsbaner) is the largest train operating company in Scandinavia, transporting more than 195 million passengers each year. This year marks 140 years since the founding of DSB in 1885. To honor this occasion, Last Week in Denmark has been publishing a monthly column called “Jeg Tog To Tog” (“I took two trains”). Each episode highlights the basic history, quirky charm, and hidden treasures of some of Denmark’s small towns, which can be reached by traveling with DSB.
This month, we are stopping at Fredericia. You’ll probably need a Dane to pronounce “Fredericia” correctly; my written attempts wouldn’t do it phonetic justice. I did find a website with a few automated audio options, though. Good luck with that.
Although we struggle with saying its name, my family frequently stops at Fredericia Station, which overlooks the marvelous Madsby Legepark. This sprawling family fun zone has a moon-car track, boats for rental, multiple ziplines, and farm animals that you can pet and feed. There is even an onsite train which transports you to a miniature replica of the town as it was when it was built. On a sunny day, there’s no better stopover.
Inside Fredericia Station, there’s a quiet little nook known as knudepunktet—which Google helpfully translates as “the node.” It’s essentially a cozy waiting area with a few tables, a small library of books and games, and two surprisingly luxurious massage chairs. Across the lobby, the Seven Eleven currently features a very special and unique offer: if you purchase two bottles of Faxe Kondi soda, you get two stylish Faxe Kondi armbands for free. I know, right?! They also have a substantial selection of wines in both bottles and boxes, and a prominently featured sale on “Denmark Chocolate.”
The challenge with Fredericia (in context of this column) is that the city center is nearly two kilometers from the train station, making many of the attractions and highlights somewhat inconvenient to access by foot. The parking lot outside the station is uncommonly large, which leads me to believe that many commuters drive to the city center from there.
Our family loves Street Food halls, and Urbania Food Hall hits the mark, offering a standard lineup: pizza, sushi, burgers, Thai, Mexican, and a brewpub. Next door is Mair’s cafe, a cozy and beloved spot schpecializing in Wienerschnitzel. It will be hard to find a restaurant more Danish than Brød og Snaps, pairing excessively gourmet smorrebrød with small glasses of Denmark’s favorite acquired taste. For fine dining on the waterfront, you should make a reservation at Ti Trin Ned, which was awarded a Michelin star in 2024.
Another surprising treasure in this unsuspecting town is Fredericia Musicalteater. The community-minded theater promotes new works and features local talent, offering state-of-the-art facilities and encouraging engagement from young audiences. The star-shaped Ramparts of Fredericia is a beautiful and fascinating interactive walking experience combining hiking trails, wildlife, and military history. There is even a child-friendly beach, Østerstrand, peacefully neighboring the defense fortress.
Fredericia is easy to miss but full of surprises, much like the tiny electric vehicles you occasionally see skimming through Danish bike lanes. Known as kabinescooters, these compact cars glide on electricity and are allowed in bike lanes or along quiet roads. I used to joke about owning one, until this column gave me an excuse to test drive one at Rex Kabinescooter, just outside of town. They sell new ones starting at around 35.000 DKK, and slightly used ones for slightly less than that.
Scooting through farmland in the outskirts of a town whose name I can’t properly pronounce, I thought to myself, “This could be my life.” With a top speed of 25 km/hour, a kabinescooter would make it possible to get from the Fredericia train station to the city center in under five minutes. In fact, it would make the life of a travel journalist much more efficient, and broaden the parameters of where I am able to explore.
I’m not sure where the money would come from, but I’ll cast the net wide here, with shout-outs to @LastWeekInDenmark, @RexKabinescooter, @BusinessFredericia, and @GoVisitDenmark. Just imagine the prestige you’d gain by funding the world’s first Electric Scooter Travel Blog. If you’re intrigued, reach out. Future episodes could be powered by electricity instead of diesel.
Next Stop: A majestic island village, reachable only by ferry from a coastal train town we’ve visited before…
