Not for the faint-hearted: ice swimming in Copenhagen

Denmark's 8,700km-long coastline offers numerous opportunities for winter swimming, with Copenhagen's frosty beaches and harbour baths ideal for a polar plunge

- Teja Lele

Denmark has 182 winter swimming clubs with more than 68,000 members. The capital has harbour baths, swimming pools that are ideal for relaxing

As the year draws to a close, Danes follow a tradition like clockwork: they stand on chairs just before midnight and jump off when the clock strikes 12, to avoid stepping into the space between the old and the new year. And Søndervig, a small town on the Danish west coast, has made another tradition mainstream: bringing in the new year with a jump into icy waters, followed by oysters, champagne and thick slices of kransekage, the Danish New Year cake.  

Ice swimming, a common practice in Nordic countries and Eastern Europe, has now become popular in the US and Canada as well, with polar bear plunges often held to ring in the new year. But in Denmark, winter swimming is a national pastime. The Danes have been throwing themselves into cold water on wintry days since the end of the 19th century, when the first winter bathing establishment was established in Copenhagen. 

The Nordic nation’s 8,700km-long coastline offers opportunities galore for ice swimming and polar plunges. As the days darken and the wind gets colder, it’s common to see locals head to frosty beaches and secluded harbour baths to get rid of winter blues by jumping into chilly waters. Winter runs from December to March, with temperatures hovering around freezing. February is usually the coldest month—and the warmest is August, when temperatures touch 15 degrees Celsius.