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Visiting Denmark? There are a few things you should probably know before you arrive.

Yes, Copenhagen is beautiful. The metro is fantastic. The pastries are everywhere. But your Danish survival guide probably forgot to mention the naked communal showers, ruthless bike lanes, unwritten food rules, cashless everything and the fact that you really, really need to buy that metro ticket.

In this episode of The Scandi Shift, Meg and Selena turn years of hosting friends and family in Denmark into an unofficial survival guide for visitors — and discover that watching other people experience Denmark for the first time is also a surprisingly good way to realize just how Danish you've become.

We talk about:

• Copenhagen's bike culture and why visitors need to learn the rules before hitting the bike lane
• Cargo bikes, tourist bikes and the occasional cycling disaster
• How to use public transportation in Copenhagen — and why "I didn't know" won't save you from a metro fine
• Denmark's largely cashless culture and why your euros aren't particularly useful here
• The Danish rules we've somehow become very serious about following
• Why Danes aren't big on small talk with strangers
• Danish food, smørrebrød and the surprisingly specific rules about what goes on your rye bread — and in what order
• Why visitors aren't always as enthusiastic about Danish licorice as we'd hoped
• The naked shower rule at Danish swimming pools and why being the only person wearing clothes can somehow feel even stranger
• Shoes off inside, recycling everything and other Danish home habits visitors have to navigate
• The parenting, trust and everyday behaviors we've adopted without realizing it
• The strange moment when your visitors make you realize: wait... have I become Danish?

There are plenty of guides explaining what to see when you visit Denmark. This is about what it's actually like to be here.

And for those of us already living in Denmark, having visitors can be its own kind of culture shock. Suddenly someone is jaywalking, wearing shoes in your house or standing in the bike lane and you're thinking:

We don't do that here.

Which raises a slightly uncomfortable question...

When did we become the Danes?

Whether you're visiting Denmark, planning a trip to Copenhagen, hosting friends and family from home, or already living here and wondering when you became the person policing the recycling bins, this one's for you.

Keywords: visiting Denmark, Copenhagen travel, Danish culture, Denmark travel tips, visiting Copenhagen, living in Denmark, Danish customs, Danish etiquette, Copenhagen bike rules, Copenhagen metro, expat life Denmark, Danish food, Danish swimming pools, international life Denmark.

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