Central Nordsjælland covers the northern part of Rudersdal Municipality (named after Rude Forest on the eastern boundary of the area) as well as Allerød Municipality. It is just north of what is considered the boundary of greater Copenhagen and is a diverse area, with green beech forests, lush farmland, and up-scale satellite towns and villages for people working white collar jobs in Copenhagen.

Understand

The area consists of several closely spaced urban areas; Allerød, Lillerød, Lynge, Uggeløse and Birkerød which all used to be sleepy villages before a railway to Hillerød was built in the mid-19th century. Allerød and Birkerød had stations built in the process, and grew by leaps and bounds in the following years, especially after the S-train commuter network was expanded here in 1934, while the other villages have mainly retained a more sleepy village feel to them.

While many of the towns have mushroomed and almost grown together, fuelled by a property boom (the prices are still 30-40% higher than the country average) in the 1990s and early 2000s, there are still patches of green forests, farms and pretty lakes sandwiched between the more built-up areas. The western part of the area around Lynge and Uggeløse maintains a distinctly more rural feel to this day.

Get in

Birkerød and Allerød can be reached by a half hour S-train trip from Copenhagen. To reach Lynge, take S-train E to Allerød and then change to bus 335 or 381, or take S-train A to Farum and change to bus 335.

Get around

Moving around inside the towns is manageable by foot. Travelling between Allerød and Birkerød is done by a few minutes in the S-train. Travelling to Lynge is most easily done from Allerød Station by bus 335.

Reaching other places in the area will often be time consuming by public transportation. A good alternative is taxis:

• Taxinord, ☏ +45 4848 4848. 

See

Historical sites

• 1 Bastrup Stonehouse (Bastrup Stenhus), Stengårdsvej 4, Lynge (south of Lynge, north of Bastrup Lake, take bus 335 from Allerød Station or 308 from Farum Station to Lynge, walk 2 km south on Ganløsevej), ☏ +45 4818 4361. Ruins of the strongest medieval tower in Denmark. Built around 1100. The wall is 6 m thick and the tower had a diameter of 21 m. 
• 2 Birkerød Church (Birkerød Kirke), Henrik Gerners Vej 2, Birkerød (walk 5 minutes north east from Birkerød Station), ☏ +45 4581 8822. 08:00-16:00, except for during religious ceremony. Built around 1175 but rebuilt several times until around 1475. The church is famous for its frescos. Free. 
• 3 Uggeløse Church (Uggeløse Kirke). 

Museums and galleries

• 4 Birkerød Local History Arcives and Museum (Birkerød Lokalhistoriske Arkiv og Museum), Vilhelm la Cours Vej 5, Birkerød, ☏ +45 4582 0036, fax: +45 4582 1221, blam@os.dk. W 10:00-12:00, 13:00-17:00. 
• 5 Birkerød Former Vicar's Residence (Birkerød Gamle Præstegård), Stationsvej 32, Birkerød, ☏ +45 45 82 60 15. Tu-F 14:00-17:00, Sa 11:00-15:00, Su 14:00-17:00. Art exhibitions. 
• 6 Potteriet Anno 2001, Kollerødvej 27, Allerød, ☏ +45 4817 4212, fjalland@adr.dk. M Tu Th F 14:00-18:00, Sa 11:00-14:00, W Su closed. Stoneware gallery. 
• 7 Allerød Art Society (Allerød Kunstforening), Kirkehavegård, Kirkehaven, Allerød, mail@alleroedkunst.dk. 

Do

Theaters

• 1 MantziusLive (Mantziusgården), Johan Mantziusvej 7A, Birkerød, ☏ +45 4582 2220, mantziusgaarden@rudersdal.dk. Cultural centre with concerts, plays and other entertainment. 
• 2 Mungo Park, Fritz Hansensvej 23, Allerød, ☏ +45 4813 1300, mungopark@mungopark.dk. Newly built theatre. 
• 3 Drive In Bio, Nymøllevej 1, Lynge. The only drive-in movie theatre in Denmark. 

Golf

• 4 Mølleåens Golf Klub, Rosenlundvej 3, Lynge, ☏ +45 4818 8631. 

Woods

The area has plenty of woods well suited for a walk:

• 5 Bistrup Wood (Bistrup Hegn) (Birkerød). 
• 6 Ravnsholt Wood (Ravnsholt Skov) (Allerød). 
• 7 Tokkekøb Wood (Tokkekøb Hegn) (Allerød). 
• 8 Uggeløse Wood (Uggeløse Skov). 

Lakes

There are also several lakes in the area, which are worth exploring:

• 9 Birkerød Lake (Birkerød Sø) (Birkerød). 
• 10 Bastrup Lake (Bastrup Sø) (Lynge). 
• 11 Sjæl Lake (Sjælsø), Birkerød (best accessed from The Hunter's Shed (Jægerhytten) at the north end of Bakkevej). Marked routes through woods and along the lake. It should be possible to catch fish here. It is also possible to take a swim a bit further east. Restaurant, café and toilets available. 
• 12 Bure Lake (Buresø) (Lynge). 

Buy

There is not much of interest in the area when it comes to shopping. For daily stuff, try the main shopping street in the area:

• 1 Hovedgaden, Birkerød. 

Eat

• 1 Cafe Alex, Hovedgaden 40, Birkerød, ☏ +45 4582 8201. M-Th 10:30-22:00, F Sa 10:30-23:00, Su 10:30-22:00. This place looks more like a restaurant than a café and many of the patrons come here to eat.. Steaks and pasta. Nice seatings outside on the pedestrian street on warmer days. 
• 2 Blovstrød Kro, Kongevejen 21, Allerød, ☏ +45 4817 7000. 12:00-22:00. Buffet 119 kr (F Sa 149 kr). 
• 3 Jægerhytten, Bakkevej 85 (At the south shore of Sjæl Lake), ☏ +45 4581 0867, info@jaeger-hytten.dk. May-Sep: W-Sa 12:00-16:00, 17:00-23:00: Su 10:00-16:00; Tu 17:00-23:00; M closed. Danish restaurant beautifully located at the lake side and surrounded by forest. Mains from 149 kr, five course menu 465 kr. 
• 4 Kinesisk Restaurant - Birkerød kro, Hovedgaden 40C, Birkerød (next to the church, right in the center of Birkerød), ☏ +45 4582 2829. M Tu noon-22:00, W-Su noon-23:00. This is not just another Chinese mediocre restaurant. This one is located in Birkerød's charming old inn and serves excellent Chinese food, especially the Mongolian barbeque. Buffet 99 kr (F-Su 109 kr), mains 65-118 kr. 
• 5 Ninas NaturCafé, Kirkeltevej 101, Kirkelte, Allerød, ☏ +45 4828 0602, nina@naturcafe.dk. May–Sep: W-Su 12:00-17:00; Dec: Th-Su noon-17:00. Small lunch meals 80 kr. 
• 6 Restaurant Hestkøbgaard, Hestkøb Vænge 4, Birkerød (Furesø Golf Club (non-members welcome)), ☏ +45 4581 3214. 10:00-22:00. Smørrebrød, sandwiches, steak, chicken etc. Beautiful patio. Mains around 130 kr. 

Drink

• Café Creme-Fraiche, Hovedgaden 36, Birkerød, ☏ +45 4582 0950. Despite the name, this is more of a bar than a café. Mostly frequented by not too young regulars. 
• 1 Café Grundtvig, Bistrupvej 1, Birkerød (Inside Birkerød Sports Center (Birkerød Idrætscenter)), ☏ +45 4582 7276, +45 2637 3460, mail@cafegrundtvig.dk. M-Th 09:00-20:00, F 09:00-14:00, Sa 09:00-18:00, Su 09:00-14:00. Coffee from 15 kr, beer from 20 kr, sandwiches from 38 kr. 
• 2 Café l'Oase, Allerød Stationsvej 5, Allerød, ☏ +45 4817 3703. M-Sa 14:00-17:00. Red Cross cafe. Coffee and tea served. 

Sleep

• 1 Hotel Birkerød, Kongevejen 102-104, Birkerød, ☏ +45 4581 4430, fax: +45 4582 3029, mail@hotelbirkerod.dk. Three-star hotel with rooms with free internet and minibar. Listed prices for doubles 995 kr including breakfast, often discounted as low as 795 kr. 
• 2 Hotel Lynge Kro, Højrisvej 22-24, Lynge, ☏ +45 4818 7788, fax: +45 4818 9441, info@hotellyngekro.dk. Does also have a restaurant. Doubles 850 kr including breakfast. 

Connect

You will find the following post offices in the area:

• Post Danmark, Birkerød, Stationsvej 40, Birkerød, ☏ +45 8020 7030. 
• Post Danmark, Allerød, M. D. Madsensvej 2, Allerød, ☏ +45 8020 7030. 
• Post Danmark, Lynge Posthus, Lynghøjvej 8, Lynge, ☏ +45 4818 7245. 

Go next

• Kongernes Nordsjælland National Park has some of Denmark's largest forests