Autumn break in North Zealand: 6 events in the autumn landscape you shouldn't miss

Mushroom picking, everlasting flowers, contemporary art, and medieval mysticism. We've gathered six activities you shouldn't miss on your cottage trip when the air turns crisp and fresh, and the forests and castles of the North Coast are enveloped in autumn's clear colours.

Get airborne and feel blue-blooded in Fredensborg

Get up close and personal as Falkonergaarden's birds of prey take flight every day at 3 PM during the autumn break. Here, falconers fly with birds of prey, and you can see eagles and buzzards dive at 200 km per hour to snatch their prey – and perhaps even get to stroke a falcon.

Falkonergaarden is a perfect excursion destination for a day in nature, surrounded by forest, horses, and beehives. Feel free to combine your visit with a trip to Fredensborg's opulent pleasure palace, baroque garden, and Nordmandsdalen with its abundance of sandstone sculptures of Norwegian and Faroese fishermen and farmers.

Stock up on crisp autumn greens for dinner

Spend a slow Saturday morning at Dyssekilde Station. Here, the local Torup Market is brimming with cuttings, plants, herbs, and greens, and Saturday, October 15th, marks the very last market of the year with the theme 'Completely Wild'. From 10 AM to 3 PM, you can fill your baskets with locally produced specialities for your cottage kitchen. Perhaps you'll find a pumpkin to carve, apples to press, or cuttings and plants to sprout and grow on your windowsill – or maybe you'll be inspired to try a wild autumn meal with pheasant or venison.

After the market, you can stop by the neighbouring village of Dyssekilde, which offers Saturday tours among the villagers' inspiring eco-homes, creative workshops, and sustainable ways of living together. A tour is free for children, while adults pay 50 DKK.

Fold flowers that never wither

Even though summer is winding down, you don't have to miss out on colourful flowers. Grab your friends or family and head to Mejeriet in Hundested, where Florafabula invites you to creative Flower Salons.

Here you can learn to fold your own simple and beautiful everlasting flowers for your cottage from Italian crepe paper. On Wednesday during the autumn break, poppies are on the program, while Sunday offers bouquets, bubbles, and Middle Eastern-inspired tapas.

Pick mushrooms in Hegnet and the Plantation

Autumn is one of the most beautiful times of the year for a walk in the forest, where the leaves are a riot of crimson, yellow, and brown, the trees are laden with chestnuts for beautiful chestnut animals, and the forest floor is teeming with chanterelles, boletes, and other delicious edible mushrooms that you can conjure with in your cottage kitchen.

So when the autumn weather shows its best side, just put on your thermal suits, grab your baskets and mushroom knives, and go hunting for the golden treasures of the Danish forests. Tisvilde Hegn and Asserbo Plantage are perfect destinations for mushroom hunting – just remember to orient yourself thoroughly with a good mushroom guide, and get inspiration for what you can cook with your foraged mushrooms using the Vild Mad app.

Explore bodies and forests in contemporary art

Spend an afternoon immersed in contemporary art with the special exhibition Heroic Bodies at Rudolph Tegners Museum & Statuepark. The exhibition alternates between Tegner's own works, which revolve around the muscular, naked heroic body, and bodily works from a range of international contemporary artists. The bunker-like museum is also worth a visit for its barren and raw surroundings in Ruslands Bakker, where you can get a breath of fresh air on a brisk walk or settle down for a cup of coffee or hot cocoa at Traktørstedet Sørens Café.

If you haven't had enough art yet, Munkeruphus invites you to the special exhibition Drifting Woods, created by Pia Rönicke, which embarks on a journey of discovery into the wondrous universe of northern forests and trees. Outside, art and nature merge in Munkeruphus' statue park with exotic trees in autumn colours.

Go on a medieval treasure hunt in the cistern monastery

During the autumn break, Esrum Kloster opens its doors to medieval mysticism with 'The Secret of the White Monks' – a game for the whole family that sends you back to an 800-year-old secret through letters, riddles, and tasks. Along the way, you can colour and seal your own Lodge letter with real wax, hear enigmatic tales in the dungeon, and visit the Alchemist's secret room.

If you need a rest after your tour around the monastery walls, Møllecaféen offers coffee and monastery beer fresh from the tap, and the monastery shop has shelves filled with special goods from bygone times. You can also stroll through the monastery garden and let the kids loose on the nature playground.