Louisiana Museum of Modern Art

Louisiana is the museum that people fly to Denmark to see, and it lives up to its reputation. It stands on the coast at Humlebaek, about 35 kilometres north of Copenhagen, in a nineteenth-century villa whose first owner named it after his three wives, each of them called Louise. In 1958 the businessman and collector Knud W. Jensen opened a museum there for modern Danish art, and it has since grown into one of the leading museums of modern and contemporary art in the world, without ever losing its intimacy. The secret is the building: low, white, glass-walled wings that wind through the park, linked by corridors that open onto lawns, trees and views of the Oresund, so art, architecture and landscape flow into each other. The collection covers international art from the Second World War to the present, with strong holdings of Giacometti, whose tall, thin figures stand in a room facing a lake and a garden, Picasso, Jorn, Warhol and Danish artists, and a much-loved permanent work by Yayoi Kusama, Gleaming Lights of the Souls, a mirrored room of infinite coloured lights. But Louisiana is best known for its exhibitions, several a year, which bring major artists and themes from around the world. The sculpture park, with works by Calder, Henry Moore, Miro and others, slopes down to the sea, with the coast of Sweden across the water. The children's wing offers workshops for families, and the cafe terrace, overlooking the sound, is one of the best places for lunch in the country. The museum is open from 11:00 to 22:00 from Tuesday to Friday and 11:00 to 18:00 at weekends, and closed on Mondays. Adults pay around 145 DKK, students less, and under-18s go free. Direct trains run from central Copenhagen to Humlebaek, and the museum is a short walk from the station.

What makes Louisiana special is the way it feels. The museum was conceived as a place where art could be met in a relaxed, human setting, with views, daylight and gardens, and visitors often spend as much time on the lawns and terraces as in the galleries. The Giacometti room, with its window onto the lake, is one of the most perfect rooms in any museum; the walk down through the sculpture park to the sea, with a Calder mobile against the sky, is unforgettable on a fine day. The museum also hosts concerts, talks and the Louisiana Literature festival, which brings writers from around the world to the lawns each year, and Louisiana Channel, its online video series, has made it known to art lovers far beyond Denmark.

How to visit well: take the coastal train, the Kystbanen, from Copenhagen Central Station or Norreport to Humlebaek, a ride of about 35 to 45 minutes, then walk about ten to fifteen minutes to the museum. Check the exhibitions before you go, as they are the main reason for many visits, and plan at least three to four hours including lunch. The late opening until 22:00 from Tuesday to Friday makes an evening visit possible, and the light over the sound at the end of a summer day is magical. In winter, the museum is quieter and the views across the grey sea have their own beauty.

Make it a day: Louisiana and Kronborg are on the same coastal line, so many visitors combine them, starting at Kronborg in Helsingor in the morning and stopping at Humlebaek on the way back for the afternoon and an evening at the museum. The coast between them, the Danish Riviera, is lined with villas, beaches and small harbours. The Tiqets venue page offers the Copenhagen Card, which includes both admission to Louisiana and the train journey within the capital region; if you are buying a single ticket, the museum also sells admission directly.