Danish singer, composer and pianist Agnes Obel, whose music has featured in the series Euphoria, Big Little Lies, True Detective and The Last of Us, has spoken about her favourite travel destinations and her own rules for comfortable flights. The musician grew up in Copenhagen, now lives in Berlin and has been touring the world constantly for more than a decade.
Among her most vivid travel memories, Obel recalls a festival in Italy where concerts took place in several mountain towns. The final performance was held in Piedmont, near Alba, and the team stayed at the Villa Beccaris hotel on the top of a hill with views over the town and the vineyards. According to the artist, there was a sense of quiet and a particularly calm atmosphere.
Her favourite beach is the coastline near Skagen in northern Denmark, where two seas meet. She remembers the waters, dangerous for swimming, the strong wind, the distinctive light and the yellow houses of former fishermen, where her family would go every summer.
In Obel’s view, the best nightlife is in Berlin, which she calls home. She notes that club culture there is a phenomenon in its own right, and Sunday is considered the main day for going out, especially to Berghain.
Among her favourite places to shop, the musician highlights Tokyo, particularly the districts of Shimokitazawa and Nakameguro in the Daikanyama area, as well as the small streets of Harajuku, where she loves to wander and hunt for vintage clothing. She considers the best flea market to be Frederiksberg Loppemarked in Copenhagen, where she once bought a Poul Henningsen lamp and a high chair by Finn Juhl.
Among museums, Obel recommends the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art north of Copenhagen, noting that the building and its architecture alone are reason enough to visit, and the exhibitions are usually worth seeing. Her favourite hiking route is Striding Edge in England’s Lake District — a scenic and somewhat dangerous mountain ridge.
The most romantic city in the world, in her opinion, is Marseille, thanks to the combination of the sea, the food and the depth of urban life, similar to Berlin’s. For a more peaceful break she recommends the nearby town of Cassis, as well as the Norwegian town of Kragerø in the south of the country, with its quiet fjords and crystal-clear water.
Speaking about food, Obel recalls trips with her parents, who often travelled in search of gastronomic experiences. One of her most striking memories is a breakfast at Falsled Kro on the island of Funen in Denmark, where the chef prepared dishes right by the table, including a thin, crisp pancake with wild berries. In Berlin, her favourite bakery is Le Brot, known for its sourdough bread, and in Copenhagen she recommends Hart, which offers a contemporary take on classic Danish pastries.
Among the restaurants she believes are worth boarding a plane for, Obel names Sandi in Milan, where it is best to book a table in advance and go for lunch. Another favourite Milan restaurant is Ristorante Nuova Arena, opened by a brother and sister in July; the musician praises its friendly atmosphere and good wine list.
Talking about flying, Obel lists noise-cancelling headphones, a book and a notebook among her in-flight essentials. For long-haul journeys she takes a large wool scarf, which she uses as a pillow and an extra blanket. She opts for loose clothing made from natural fabrics such as silk and cotton, adding a big jumper or roomy hoodie.
For skincare on the road, the singer always carries moisturising products: eye drops, almond oil with vitamin E, a rich fragrance-free cream, as well as a hairbrush and dry shampoo. When she remembers, she tries to fly without make-up.
In terms of tech, Obel usually takes an iPhone, a notebook and two pairs of headphones — in-ear and over-ear Bose with active noise cancelling — so she can choose how cut off from her surroundings she wants to be. She often listens to demo recordings while flying because, as she puts it, your thoughts become freer when there is nothing around you but clouds and sky.
Her main travel hack for flights is listening to impressionist piano music — works by Debussy and Ravel, which help calm the nervous system and ease you into a new place. To cope more easily with jet lag, she advises spending as much time as possible in nature, avoiding the city centre in the first few hours after landing and making sure you go out for dinner, even if you are very tired and travelling alone.
Among useful apps for travel, Obel highlights Flighty for tracking flights, IDF and TFL Go for public transport in Paris and the United Kingdom, Atlas Obscura for finding unusual spots, NTS Radio for walking around the city with music in your headphones, European Coffee Trip and Beanhunter for finding coffee shops, as well as The Michelin Guide and Happy Cow for choosing restaurants, including those with vegetarian and vegan options.
As part of her touring schedule, Agnes Obel will perform at the Brisbane Festival at QPAC in Brisbane on 24 September, at Hamer Hall in Melbourne on 26 September and at the Sydney Opera House on 27 September.