Central Nordsjælland [1] 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 build 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, fueled by a property boom (the prices are still 30-40% higher than the country average) in the 1990'ties and early 2000's, 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 2km south on Ganløsevej), ☏ +45 4818 4361. Ruins of the strongest medival tower in Denmark. Built around 1100. The wall is 6 meter thick and the tower had a diameter of 21 meter. 

• 2 Birkerød Church (Birkerød Kirke), Henrik Gerners Vej 2, Birkerød (Walk 5 minutes north east from Birkerød Station), ☏ +45 4581 8822. 8:00-16:00, 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. We 10:00-noon, 13:00-17:00. 

• 5 Birkerød Former Vicar's Residence (Birkerød Gamle Præstegård), Stationsvej 32, Birkerød, ☏ +45 45 82 60 15. Tu-Frl 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. Mo, Tu, Th, Fr 14:00-18:00; Sa 11:00-14:00; We, 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 center with concerts, plays and other entertainment. 

• 2 Mungo Park, Fritz Hansensvej 23, Allerød, ☏ +45 4813 1300, mungopark@mungopark.dk. Newly built theater. 

• 3 Drive In Bio, Nymøllevej 1, Lynge. The only drive in movie theater 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 avaiable. 

• 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. Mo-Th 10.30-22.00;Fr-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. M-F from 4PM, Sa-Su from noon. Buffet 119 DKK (Fr-Sa 149 DKK). 

• 3 Jægerhytten, Bakkevej 85 (At the south shore of Sjæl Lake), ☏ +45 4581 0867, info@jaeger-hytten.dk. May-Sep 11:30AM-2:30PM, 6PM-9PM. Danish restaurant beautifully located at the lake side and surrounded by forest. Mains from 149 DKK, five course menu 465 DKK. 

• 4 Kinesisk Restaurant - Birkerød kro, Hovedgaden 40C, Birkerød (Next to the church, right in the center of Birkerød), ☏ +45 4582 2829. Mo-Tu noon-22:00, We-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 DKK (F-Su 109 DKK), mains 65-118 DKK. 

• 5 Ninas NaturCafé, Kirkeltevej 101, Kirkelte, Allerød, ☏ +45 4828 0602, nina@naturcafe.dk. May-September W-Su noon-5PM, December Th-Su noon-5PM. Small lunch meals 58 DKK. 

• 6 Proppen, Hovedgaden 27, Birkerød, ☏ +45 4581 5362, proppen@cafeer.dk. Mo-Th 11:00-23:30, Fr-Sa 11:00-13:30 or 15:30; kitchen working hours M-F 11:30-15:15, Sa noon-16:00M. Danish lunch restaurant transforming to a bar when the kitchen is closed. Lunch courses 49-99 DKK. 

• 7 Restaurant Hestkøbgaard, Hestkøb Vænge 4, Birkerød (Furesø Golf Club), ☏ +45 4581 3214. February-March Sa-Su 11AM-8PM, April 11AM-9PM, May-August 11AM-10PM, September-October 11AM-9PM, November-December Sa-Su 11AM-8PM. Mains around 150 DKK. 

• 8 Ristorante Boscaini, Johan Mantzius Vej 7A, Birkerød (Entrance from inside Mantzius Gården), ☏ +45 4582 1921. This is a real restaurant and not a pizzeria. The service and fittings are ok, but the food is not very good and the taste is far from being Italian. Pasta from 69 DKK, meat dishes 138-198 DKK. 

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 9AM-8PM, F 9AM-2PM, Sa 9AM-6PM, Su 9AM-2PM. Coffee from 15 DKK, beer from 20 DKK, sandwiches from 38 DKK. 

• 2 Café l'Oase, Allerød Stationsvej 5, Allerød, ☏ +45 4817 3703. Mo-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 DKK including breakfast, often discounted to like DKK 795. 

• 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 DKK 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.