So you live in L.A. and keep hearing about the city of Solvang, but only have a day to spare to make the trip. This blog post is for you. I’ve broken out hour-by-hour how to see Solvang in a day.
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The great thing about Solvang is that you don’t have to go to Denmark to see Danish architecture, eat authentic Danish pastries, and experience a bit of Danish culture. The biggest attractions are obviously the buildings which aim to resemble a young thriving Danish community or city like Copenhagen. Of course, there’s the Windmill – you can’t miss it. It’s the most prominent building that lets visitors know they’ve finally arrived at the “Danish Capital of the America.”
(Fun Fact: Solvang means “Sunny Field” in Danish and there are actually seven windmills in the small city, but the most famous is the Blue Windmill on Copenhagen Dr.)
At this point in the post, I feel a strong obligation to be honest here. Solvang is the “Danish Capital of America” but there are a lot of American and other global influences here. I wouldn’t come here with the expectation you’ll be time-machined into a 1900’s Danish community. The town is very modern, has elements of traditional Denmark, but screams American tourist trap.
Now when it comes to food and drink, I’m not totally sure how much Danish folk drink wine, but there are more than a handful of wine tasting rooms. You might also have a gelato parlor (Italian), a ramen joint (Japanese), among other various retailers that are clearly not related to Denmark. So in a sense, little Denmark loses its authenticity since this place has become so commercialized to favor the tourists that come for a weekend visit.
Alas, it wasn’t all that bad. I actually enjoyed Solvang. Because Solvang has roots in Danish settlement, there are traces of Danish pride. There’s the Hans Christian Andersen Museum dedicated to the author who wrote The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling, and many, many more. There’s also the various gift shops to explore, like the one listed below that houses every cuckoo-clock imaginable.
Check out my hour-by-hour itinerary from L.A. to Solvang, and back. Drop a comment to let me know your thoughts or if I’ve missed something super important. It’ll give me an excuse to go back!
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7:30am – Leave Los Angeles and head towards Santa Barbara. I would leave as early as possible but 7:30am is reasonable. On your way to Solvang, be sure to take in the breathtaking rolling hills landscape known as Santa Ynez Valley. You’ll get most of the same views returning home around sunset too, and it’s mesmerizing- really!
9:30am – Arrive in Solvang; Breakfast at Brekkies (1655 Mission Drive)
Brekkies is the spot for breakfast around these parts. As soon as you park, book it to the restaurant where there will surely be a growing line of people, then peek at the menu. You order and pay before you are seated, so it’s best to think about those extra side dishes before sitting down.
Now for the actual food… The menu is pretty standard- a mix of American or Mexican morning grub created with unique spins by the kitchen staff. Best of all, the food is very reasonably priced. Overall, a good bite!
12pm – Explore the Streets of Solvang
One of my favorite things to do when I touch down in a new city is walking. So it was no different in Solvang. From Brekkie’s, Solvang Park looked like a good place to dwell for a bit, and it was directly across the street. There’s not a ton to do in this park… it is after all a body of grass, but I imagine it’s a good place for local festive gatherings (I bet Oktoberfest in Solvang is legiiittt).
Just past the park, you’ll find Hamlet Square donning a smaller but still iconic Danish windmill. The square has a charming outdoor lobby/lounging area that houses the Solvang Trolly Ice Cream Parlor among some other shops and boutiques. The sweet waffle cone aromas seeping out of the ovens is dangerous and will make you want to buy an ice cream cone. Dieters beware!
Hamlet Square, in my opinion, is the best place for photo ops. Yep… even better than the famous Solvang Windmill on Copenhagen Drive street. The brick wall lined with black trimming is the perfect backdrop for portrait-mode photos and offers enough privacy so that the larger groups of pedestrians don’t really see you hogging up the space just for photo-taking (which I am absolutely guilty). My curly-haired friend and I had quite the photoshoot in this square, so I feel it’s only right to advertise this to other visitors.
Now moving on to Solvang Pebble People (1608 Copenhagen Dr # B). Talk about a Solvang novelty store! It’s cuckoo clocks galore in here- do not skip this store even if you’re not going to buy anything. The store is family-owned and they specialize in handmade crafts such as jewelry, music boxes and other trinkets. But I found the biggest draw to be the cuckoo clocks. As I walked through the aisles in amazement, my favorite were the kit cat clocks which slightly creeped me out but also I also found super hard NOT to stare at.
For the next hour footing it through the streets of Solvang, I would suggest stopping at The Windmill (yep, the famous one) for another photo opp, some gelato or coffee nearby, and maybe even some beer and pretzels. Indulge a bit.
1:30pm – The Little Mermaid Statue (1693 Mission Drive)
Taking a stroll to the Little Mermaid Statue is a must solely because this is the only Little Mermaid sculpture on this side of the Atlantic. The other one is the more famous bronze statue in Copenhagen. BEWARE: the statue is small so play it safe and lower your expectations. You might miss it altogether.
To add a little flair to seeing the statue in person, my friend and I broke out in song to the tune of “Part of Your World” from Disney’s “The Little Mermaid.”
1:45pm – The Book Loft (1680 Mission Drive)
If it were up to me, I’d live in a library because I freaking love books. So it was only right that on this excursion to Solvang that I visited The Book Loft. I’ll be honest, although Solvang does get a lot of tourists and therefore caters to all walks of life who visit, I was not expecting this bookstore to be super inclusive. Believe it or not, there are many cities in California that lean right, and because Solvang is deep in Santa Barbara County, I assumed it was a “red” city and a conservative-leaning bookstore.
Boy, was I wrong to assume that and I am so happy to see this bookstore stocked with books (especially children’s books) by authors from under-represented demographics.
Apart from the selection of books to choose from, the store-front is cozy and charming. Browsing through the shelves, I felt like brewing some coffee, throwing on a fuzzy sweater, and reading the first chapter of a new historical fiction which is my favorite genre. No corporate bookstore vibes here (looking at you Barnes & Noble, Amazon Books).
The Book Loft gets extra cool points for participating in Banned Books Week during this critical time where censorship and freedom of speech is plaguing our country’s libraries. Definitely check this book-nook out!
2:00pm – Hans Christian Andersen Museum (1680 Mission Dr)
The greatest part about The Book Loft is that right up the stairs, there is an entire exhibit/museum dedicated to a famous Danish children’s author, Hans Christian Andersen. The Little Mermaid? The Ugly Duckling? The Princess and the Pea? Yep, many of your favorite and legendary fairy tales were authored by Andersen, and the museum holds content relating to his life story, different iterations of his published works, and illustrated adaptations of his famous short stories.
2:30pm – Birkholm Bakery (460 Alisal Rd)
You cannot visit Solvang without a Danish pastry. I mean, why do yourself dirty like that? To wrap up our day in Solvang, we had to decide whether we should make the two-hour drive back to L.A. on a full stomach of wine… or coffee. Coffee is always the right answer. Coffee and a danish? Golden.
There are so many (maybe too many) Danish options and their menu extends beyond Danishes too. Just look at the display case and prepare to be overjoyed and overwhelmed. Thankfully the staff are friendly, and accustomed to the inquiries from tourists, so ask as many questions about the pastries as possible. In the end, I played it safe and purchased a mango-flavored Danish with an iced coffee.
3:00pm – Fill the tank up and head back to L.A.
Unfortunately traffic going out or coming into L.A. is almost always guaranteed, doesn’t matter what time of the day it is. So just prepare for traffic on the way back to LaLaLand with a good playlist and snacks from 7-11. With traffic, you can expect to arrive home in L.A. around 7 or 8 pm.
Put a fork in it – that’s your one-day road trip to Solvang from L.A.
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