Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WORTH A TRIP
DRAGSHOLM SLOT
Fancy a night in a culinary castle? Then pack your bag and your appetite and check in at
Dragsholm Slot
( 59 65 33 00;
www.dragsholm-slot.dk
;
Dragsholm Allé, Hørve; s/d from
Dkr1895/1995; ). Located at the edge of Zealand's fertile Lammefjorden (Denmark's
most famous 'vegetable garden'), its medieval walls are home to
Slotskøkkenet
(Castle
Kitchen; 5/7 courses Dkr700/900; 6-10pm Wed-Sat Jun, 6-10pm Tue-Sat Jul-early Sep, reduced
hrs rest of yr), a New Nordic hot spot headed by ex-Noma chef Claus Henriksen. 'Locally
sourced' is the catch-cry, from the area's prized carrots to herbs from the castle's own
garden. The end result is deceptively simple, with sublime creations such as watercress
and crayfish with radish and smoked lard, or candied herbs with skyr and celeriac. Up-
stairs, the more casual
Lammefjordens Spisehus
(2-course lunch Dkr245, 3-course dinner
Dkr345; noon-3pm & 6-10pm daily) offers cheaper, pared-back Nordic dishes using the
same top-notch ingredients (think herb-marinated herring or hay-smoked salmon).
Bookings are a must for Slotskøkkenet and recommended for Spisehuset.
Nosh aside, whitewashed Dragsholm is famed for its 800-year history, which includes
the imprisonment of Roskilde's last Catholic bishop and the secret burial of a love-struck
girl in the castle walls (eerily visible behind a plexiglass panel). While some rooms -
spread across the castle and the nearby porter's lodge - feature contemporary styling,
most ooze a distinguished baronial air, with anything from canopy beds to fleur-de-lis
wallpaper and (in some cases) Jacuzzis. Add to this a string of Late Romantic salons and
ballrooms and rambling fairy-tale gardens, and you'll soon be feeling like a well-fed noble.
Check the website for dinner and accommodation packages (often cheaper than the offi-
cial room rates), and request a room with field or garden views.
Dragsholm Slot is 91km west of Copenhagen via motorway 21. Getting here by public
transport is very difficult.
SOUTHERN ZEALAND
While northern Zealand lays claim to most of the island's must-see sites, the island's south
is not without its drawcards. You'll find Denmark's best preserved ring fortress at Trelle-
borg and its oldest half-timbered house in Køge. The region is also home to one of Den-
mark's most shamelessly charming enchanting hamlets, Vallø, as well as the Unesco
World Heritage-listed natural wonder that is Stevns Klint.
