H.C. Andersen House was definitely one of the most exciting museums we have ever visited.

We expected H.C. Andersen's House to be the highlight of our trip to Odense. Was it really that good?

The next destination on our road trip through Denmark was Odense, the birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen. Naturally, one of the top things to do there is to visit H.C. Andersen's House, which we made our first stop.

If you have not heard his name before, Hans Christian Andersen was a legendary Danish fairy tale writer from the nineteenth century. Some of his most famous stories include The Little Mermaid, The Snow Queen, The Ugly Duckling, The Princess and the Pea, and The Emperor's New Clothes.

That is just scratching the surface, though. He wrote over 150 fairy tales and short stories, plus a lot more, like poetry, novels, and even travelogues (finding that out was pretty cool since it kind of makes us fellow peers!).

But seriously, while we were familiar with a few of his most popular stories, we did not know much about the man himself or the rest of his work. We showed up at H.C. Andersen's House expecting a standard museum visit. What we got was something way more exciting. The way the museum is laid out and how it tells the story of Andersen's life was nothing like we imagined. So let's get into it.

H.C. Andersen's House

H.C. Andersen's House sits right in the heart of Odense. Since we arrived a little early, we spent some time exploring the city while it was still waking up, and then made our way to the museum just as it opened.

We got there a few minutes after opening, but instead of heading inside, we walked around the outside of the museum to check out the architecture. And let me tell you, H.C. Andersen's House is far from your average museum building. It is a cluster of round, timber-framed structures surrounded by beautiful greenery.

This view of H.C. Andersen's House's architecture says more than a thousand words.

It feels more like a small park, with winding paths, a courtyard on a sunken level (a large part of the museum is actually underground), and some truly unique architecture. The aerial photos of H.C. Andersen's House really show how striking it is, but from street level, we just took in the views and the peaceful setting.

We visited on a weekday, so the museum was probably less crowded than it would be on a weekend, but it was not exactly quiet either. Once inside, I put my daypack in a locker (since they are not allowed inside), Lucie grabbed the tickets, and we picked up the somewhat funny-looking headphones. After a quick explanation of how they work, we were off to the first exhibition area.

With headphones on, we began our journey through H.C. Andersen's life. And right from the start, we have to say, this museum was like nothing we had experienced before. We did not need to do anything. The headphones took care of everything, so we just focused on the narration. Each section of the museum has clearly marked stops, and as soon as we approached one, the audio started playing automatically.

The narrated story of H.C. Andersen's life and works is delivered through headphones.

That was really awesome, but the best part was that it allowed us to become fully immersed in Andersen's world and fairy tales. It took a few moments to get used to how sensitive the headphones are, but once we figured it out, the experience was fairly smooth. Sure, it was not perfect; sometimes the audio would not start right away, but with a bit of patience and some stepping around, we got it working almost every time.

What made the experience even more enjoyable was the way the story was told. The focus is much more on the narrative of Andersen's (fairy tale) world than on a list of dull facts. There is still plenty of information about his life, but the storytelling pulls you in. It is almost a poetic journey through his imagination, very different from the usual wall texts you see in museums or reading through a Wikipedia article. For me, a definite highlight was the English narration by Simon McBurney; he did an incredible job bringing it all to life.

The museum's design, like H.C. Andersen's fairy tales, is very imaginative.

As a comparison, I remember visiting the Hanstholm Fortress earlier on this road trip, where we were given a paper with English translations of the exhibits (aside from that, it's a great museum). That could not be further from this kind of immersive experience. The closest we've come to something like this was at the Hotel de la Marine we happened to visit in Paris, though the stories were, of course, completely different.

Along with the timeline of Andersen's life, the museum includes interactive displays and themed sections for many of his most famous stories. There were personal items, notes from his travels, delicate paper cuttings, and handwritten fairy tales.

The installation of The Princess and the Pea bed with a small pea under twenty mattresses and twenty featherbeds.

So the only hiccup of our visit to H.C. Andersen's House was that my headphones stopped working near the end, which made the whole immersive experience a lot less immersive since there was very little text to rely on.

I tried to fix them myself, but the headphones seemed to have a mind of their own, and nothing worked. I looked around for a staff member who might help, but there was no one nearby. Since we were almost at the end, I just waited while Lucie finished listening to everything she wanted, then borrowed her headphones. It wasn't the ideal solution, but given the situation, it was good enough.

How Long Should You Stay at the Museum?

It took us about ninety minutes to do the self-guided tour of H.C. Andersen's House, and then we spent another ten-fifteen minutes or so wandering around the gardens. If you're short on time, an hour should be enough. Of course, you can spend longer inside if you listen to everything, explore all the exhibits, grab a coffee at the café, or visit Villa Vau (the kids' area known as Fairy Tale Land). We didn't check that out, though.

Our full visit to H.C. Andersen's House took less than two hours.

Travel Insurance

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H.C. Andersen's Childhood Home

Even though we finished exploring the museum, our journey with Hans Christian Andersen's story wasn't over yet. We spent some time wandering around the historic quarter surrounding the museum before heading to Hans Christian Andersen's Childhood Home (H. C. Andersens Barndomshjem).

The small, yellow, half-timbered house sits on Munkemøllestræde, about 600 meters southwest of the main museum. After such a super immersive and interactive museum experience, stepping into the little house where H.C. Andersen lived with his parents during his childhood felt like traveling back in time. The museum itself is pretty basic, just three small rooms and a tiny garden, so it only took us a few minutes to see everything. And that was pretty much it.

Hans Christian Andersen’s childhood home makes it clear he came from very humble beginnings.

After leaving Odense, we headed to Egeskov Castle, which Hans Christian Andersen visited a couple of times later in life. Today, the castle houses, among other things, some of his paper cuttings.

Is H.C. Andersen's House Worth Visiting?

Thanks to the amazing narration and beautiful architecture, H.C. Andersen's House offered us a truly overwhelming experience, in the best way. I'm not sure how this kind of museum would work for other authors, but for the guy who wrote fairy tales full of imagination, it was perfect. If you find yourself in Odense, visiting H.C. Andersen's House is definitely a must. The Childhood Home, however, didn't add much to the overall experience, so if you're in a rush, it's okay to skip it.

H.C. Andersen's House is definitely not your typical museum.

Practical Tips for Visiting

Getting There

Odense is roughly a two-hour drive from Copenhagen and only about 38 minutes away by train. If you're planning a day trip to H.C. Andersen's House from Copenhagen, the train is clearly the better option. Driving is really only worth it if you're making Odense a stop on a bigger road trip around Denmark, like we did. Just remember that Odense sits on Funen Island, so crossing the Great Belt Bridge is necessary, and there's a toll. If you're interested in the road trip idea, you can compare rental car prices here.

H.C. Andersen's House is only a 5 to 10 minute walk from the Odense train station.

Parking

When it comes to parking near H.C. Andersen's House, Q-Park Odense City (Odeon Center) is your best option. It's an underground garage less than a five-minute walk from the museum. Just be aware they don't use an automatic system yet, so you'll need to register your car's license plate right after you arrive, unless you want to risk a hefty fine.

We ended up parking at a smaller lot called Parkering Odense on Google Maps (GPS coordinates: 55.38930, 10.384501), which is about 1.2 kilometers from H.C. Andersen's House. It wasn't free, but the rates were very reasonable and the parking rules were more relaxed.

Pretty much every parking spot in the central area of Odense is paid.

Opening Hours

H.C. Andersen's House hours are 9 AM to 6 PM from July 1 through August 31. During the rest of the year, it's open from 10 AM to 5 PM, except in November and December when it closes at 4 PM.

Entry Fee

Tickets to H.C. Andersen's House cost between 165 and 175 DKK per adult, depending on the day you visit. The ticket is definitely on the pricey side, but it also includes entry to Villa Vau and H.C. Andersen's Childhood Home.

We thought about booking a day in advance for the earliest morning slot just to be safe, but it turned out to be unnecessary. During the booking process, you can see how many spots are left for each time slot, and when we checked, there were plenty available. So we decided to buy our tickets in the morning when we arrived. Of course, it varies by day, so it's a good idea to check ahead.

Accommodation

There are several nice hotels within a five-minute walk of H.C. Andersen's House. Among the most popular options are Comwell H.C. Andersen Dolce and Hotel Odeon. Both are modern, comfortable hotels that make a great base for exploring not just the museum, but the entire city of Odense. On the day we visited, all those hotels were either fully booked or very expensive, so we stayed the night before at Frederik VI's Hotel, which is about 10 kilometers away.

Travel Resources

Here you can find links to all the travel resources we use and which you might find helpful when planning your next holiday.

Accommodation: When looking for accommodation, we usually search hotels via Booking.com or Hostelworld.

Tours: Although we love to travel independently, some places are better to visit with a guided tour.

We prefer GetYourGuide for its easy-to-use interface and solid reputation. Another great alternative is Viator.

Rental Cars: When going on a road trip, we always use Rentalcars.com, a reliable site for booking a rental car in advance.

Flight Tickets: When looking for flight tickets, you can search Skyscanner to find the best price.

Travel Insurance: World Nomads and SafetyWing cover against risks of travel.

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Visiting H.C. Andersen's House in Odense