My gift giving tips: Gifts from Denmark for local and faraway friends

I get a lot of questions from the internationals who follow my blog and podcast about gifts from Denmark they can send or bring to friends back home.

Here are a few of my favorite gifts from Denmark that show Danish craftsmanship and Danish style. If you’re ordering from abroad, you’ll probably notice that Danish style comes with Danish prices, which can be hefty. I’ve tried to choose medium-priced, high-quality items.

I should make clear that (regrettably) I’m not getting paid by any of these companies to promote them. I’m just a fan.

(You can read about general Danish gift giving customs in my post Gift Giving in Denmark.)

Danes are world champions at kitchenware
The Danes do kitchenware very well. In particular, I like the colourful cotton aprons, oven mitts, and dishtowels from H. Skjalm P in Copenhagen, and have given matching aprons and mitts to both men and women.

I also like the kitchenware from the Danish brand Eva Solo, which I think is attractively designed and reasonably priced.

I have a lot of Eva Solo stuff in my own kitchen.

 

Tasty gifts to eat and drink
Danish candy is well-made and comes in exquisite packaging that gives it a festive feeling. Johan Bulow chocolate-covered licorice has a lot of exciting and exotic flavors and is packaged in little jars that are great for a host or hostess gift if you’re invited to a dinner party.

Peter Beier chocolate (including the pink-colored Ruby chocolate) is wonderful, and I also love Karamelleriet chewy caramels, a special recipe from Bornholm.

The hard candies from Bolcheriet are cute too – they have little pictures on them. Hard candies are also easier to ship than chocolate.

And I also like the little honey jars from ByBi, which sources its honey from beehives all over the city of Copenhagen. Each honey has a distinct taste, and your recipient will enjoy tasting the difference between “City Hall” and “Botanical Garden”.

Tea and teacups
Tea is another popular gift, and AC Perch is known to have the best tea in Denmark. Buy online if you can’t visit their famous store on Kronprinsessegade in Copenhagen.

If you’d like to include a teacup with your gift, Royal Copenhagen patterns are always popular as well. The classic blue and white patterns are no longer hand-painted in Denmark, however. Check out a vintage store for those items.
 
Wearable gifts from Denmark
The Danes do jewellery well, and I particularly like Jane Kønig’s silver collection, which has options at every price level and comes prettily packaged.

My teenage daughter loves this brand, and she also recommends DAY bags and Mads Nørgaard stretchy long Ts/jumpers. These tops are one-size-fits-all, very high quality, and something women often keep for a lifetime.

For teenage boys and young men, one of the hip local brands of the moment is Wood Wood, which offers baseball caps and sweatshirts that are easy to gift.

And any kid into sports might also enjoy a Danish national team jersey or hat.

Graphic design gifts from Denmark
If your recipient loves graphic design, I recommend the classic posters from Dansk Plakatkunst, which come in both big and small sizes. I have a couple of these in my own home. You can get them pre-framed if your recipient lives nearby, or without the frame if you are giving long-distance.

Emma Sivell sells lovely prints of both Copenhagen and her native London at her Sivellink shop and I’m also partial to Rikke Jensen’s posters of Nordvest, an often overlooked part of Copenhagen.

And, of course, anyone who enjoys fine literature would be happy to receive a copy of one of my books. The flip book “Working with Americans: Tips for Danes/Working with Danes: Tips for Americans” is always popular, as is the classic “How to Live in Denmark” and “How to Work in Denmark“. They’re available on Amazon and Saxo, but if you buy them from my How to Live in Denmark webshop, I will be happy to autograph a copy for your recipient.

 

Hear all our How to Live in Denmark podcasts on Spotify and on Apple Podcasts (iTunes).