Practical information
Emergency
In acute life-threatening emergencies such as fire, grievous bodily assault and acute illness, call 112.
Chemists
At the chemist you can buy prescription and non-prescription medicine. Many supermarkets and petrol stations sell various kinds of non-prescription medicine such as painkillers and cough medicine.
Chemists are normally open between 09.00 and 17.30 on weekdays, with the exception of Saturday when the majority close at 13.00 or 14.00.
In addition, chemists take turns in offering 24-hour service. You can find out which chemists operate a 24-hour service by calling your nearest chemist or by logging onto www.sundhed.dk.
You will have to pay a charge for buying medicine outside normal opening hours.
Banks
Banks are open on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 10.00 to 16.00. On Thursdays, banks stay open longer, until 17.30 or 18.00.
Many banks have cashpoint machines where it is possible to withdraw money using a Dankort card or credit card.
Libraries
All municipal authorities have libraries where you can borrow books, CDs and videos and gain free access to the Internet.
Most main libraries are open on weekdays from 10.00 to 19.00, and from 10.00 to 13.00 or 14.00 on Saturday. Local libraries usually have shorter opening hours.
Check your municipal authority website for local library opening hours.
Borger.dk (citizen.dk)
Borger.dk is a portal that deals with public authorities in Denmark. Here you can find information on all public authorities and their respective areas of responsibility. The website also provides information on what you can do yourself, and who to contact to find out more. There are many self-service options, for example, how to notify authorities when you move or how to find your nearest GP or chemist.
Shops
All shops are allowed to stay open Monday to Saturday from 06.00 to 17.00. Shops must normally close on Sundays, public holidays, Constitution Day, Christmas Day and after 15.00 on New Year's Day. Shops with a small turnover, however, may also stay open on Sundays and public holidays.
All shops are also allowed to stay open on six Sundays a year. Two of these Sundays must be in July or August. In addition to these six Sundays, shops are allowed to stay open on the first Sunday of each month as well as all Sundays in December leading up to Christmas Day.
Most small shops are open Monday to Thursday from 10.00 to 18.00. They stay open longer on Friday and close earlier on Saturday. Many of the major supermarkets and department stores are open from 08.00 or 09.00 to 20.00 or 21.00 in the evening.
Museums
There are about 850 museums and collections around the country. One hundred and forty are national museums or receive grants from the state. Some of these charge an admission fee, but children and youngsters under 18 have free admission to national and state-approved museums in Denmark. Adults also have free admission to the National Museum and Statens Museum for Kunst, and certain other museums offer free admission on selected days.
Danish museums include the major national museums of art and history as well as the smaller museums of local history and those with special themes such as maritime, trade and fishery. Denmark also has special prison museums and museums of medicine and medical knowledge, not to mention toy, chocolate, bicycle, potato and bottle ship museums.
Find out more about museums by logging onto www.borger.dk and clicking on "Culture and leisure time".
Public authority offices
Most public authority offices have fixed office hours and times when they are open to the public. Many stay open longer on Thursday and close early on Friday. Municipal authorities, regions and ministries have their own websites with information and self-service options.
We refer to www.borger.dk for further details.
Public transport
Denmark has a well-developed public transport system, both national and locally. You can buy a monthly travel card and a discount card for buses and trains. Ask at your train or bus station, or ask your municipal authority if you need further information. Or log onto www.rejseplanen.dk.
Post
Some kiosks and newsagents sell stamps, which are otherwise sold at post offices. Post offices dispatch letters and packages, and handle domestic and overseas payments. You can also notify the authorities of a change of address at your local post office. Here it is also possible to buy tickets for the theatre, concerts and various sports events.
National and overseas mail must be placed in the red letterboxes that you will find almost everywhere. Collection times are posted on the letterboxes.
Local post offices have different opening hours but most are open daily from 09.30 to 17.00. Post offices close at 17.30 on Thursday and 13.00 on Saturday.
Log onto www.postdanmark.dk for a complete list of postcodes and post office opening hours.
Telephone
Telephone boxes are to be found in many public places. Here you can use coins or a special pay card, which is available from newsagents and post offices.
All local areas have their own telephone directory which is distributed to all households. In addition to telephone numbers, it contains a good deal of practical information about your municipal authority, the emergency doctor service, the police, associations, museums, a map of the local area and the "yellow pages" which provide information on local businesses.
You can also find telephone numbers by calling "directory enquiries" on 118, or by logging onto www.degulesider.dk, www.krak.dk or www.eniro.dk, for example.