Welcome to my travel oriented blog, first of all I aim at making you discover all the richness Europe has to offer, Iwant to share my passion for Europe by showing you what you could do once you land in the Old continent.
Where to go ? Where to stay ? What to do ? What you cannot do ? What to see ? I hope that all these questions will be answered as I focused my attention on providing you with the most accurate information a tourist would need.
You can use this blog like a perfect travel companion as you can print posts, submit your comments, consult what's the weather like in your desired destination, check European Jazz festivals dates, book tours and activities all over Europe, compare flight rates and even book vacation rentals... There's no doubt about it, I will make my best to get the most useful information that a traveler may need. Check the blog out and don't forget to subscribe to my feed through a reader or through email. I wish you a nice blog surf.


Pick a country from the map and select a city on the bottom of the page

Or browse country with this drop down menu

Staying in Copenhagen - Things to do

Monday, March 16, 2009 / by Agence 2000 /

Copenhagen is the capital of Denmark, a bustling metropolis of 1.1 million, and one of Europe's most enjoyable cities. Situated on the island of Zealand facing the Oresund (Danish: Øresund) strait, with Sweden just minutes away by train, it is a link between mainland Europe and Scandinavia, and has a wealth of cultural and entertaining things to see and do. The city has a reputation for tolerance, the fascinating 'free city' of Christiania, a community of people who have tried to create an equal and just consensus-governed democracy for its people. There is more to here than Carlsberg and The Little Mermaid, and a trip to the wonderful Tivoli Gardens will leave the visitor in no doubt that this is a very special city.

Districts

Districts in Copenhagen
Districts in Copenhagen

Indre By
Downtown. The historical heart of Copenhagen, dotted with churches and historic buildings.

Christianshavn
Originally laid out as a working class neighbourhood 300 years ago, it is now a thriving area notable for its many canals. The Freetown of Christiania is situated in the northern part of Christianshavn, along with the old naval area, turned trendy; Holmen.

Vesterbro
This district still has its share of sex shops and sleazy hotels, but has evolved tremendiously the last years and is now one of the 'hippest' places to live, with cafes and bars dotted along its main artery, Istedgade.

Frederiksberg
A small town which originally formed around Frederiksberg castle, this area is still a separate municipality. Literally surrounded by the City of Copenhagen, it has preserved a special conservative, up-scale feel.

Nørrebro
The most vibrant part of Copenhagen, especially along the main artery, Nørrebrogade, with a mix of immigrants, students, and original working-class Nørrebro-inhabitants.

Østerbro
A cosy neighbourhood north of the center, less vibrant than Nørrebro and Vesterbro, but less quaint than Frederiksberg, is home of the famous little mermaid statue, and the beatifully preserved Kastellet citadel..

Amager
Once a bastion of the working class, this island with it's own distinct atmosphere, is booming with construction activties. Also home of the airport.

Northern suburbs
A visit to these green suburbs and Dyrehavsbakken - the worlds oldest running amusement park, the worlds largest open air museum - Frilandsmuseet or canoeing down the mill river, will leave no doubt that this is a altogether different kind of suburbia. It's often colloqually known to locals as the whiskey belt, due to it's up scale nature.

Vestegnen
Is the suburbs west & south of city.

Understand

Climate

Climate Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Daily highs (°C) 2 2 5 10 15 19 20 20 17 12 7 4
Nightly lows (°C) -2 -2 -1 2 7 11 13 13 10 7 3 0
Precipitation (cm) 3.6 2.4 3.4 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.7 5.5 5.3 4.7 5.2 4.7



























Averages of Copenhagen between 1961-90

Copenhagen, as the rest of Denmark, has four distinct seasons. The best time to visit is definitively from early May to late August, where the weather is generally warm. The current weather forecast can be checked at the Danish Meteorological Institute website[2]

Spring, while a bit risky, as no one knows quite when it sets in, can be the best time to visit the city. On the first warm day, usually in early May, the Copenhageners seem to come out of some state of hibernation, and flock to the city's streets, parks, outdoor cafes - in a veritable explosion of life, relieved that the country's dreary and dark winters are finally over. For many locals this is the height of the year.

Summers in Copenhagen are usually warm with an average temperature of some 20 degrees, and the days are long - reaching it's peak on the 21st of June where the day is almost 18 hours long. If the weather becomes too hot, you can jump in one of the free pools in the clean cool waters of the harbor - right in downtown. Most of Copenhagen's annual events are held during June and July, and when the sun is out there is always life in the streets.

Autumn and winter have a profound effect on the city. The life of the summer withers away and the streets become much more quiet, as most Copenhageners go directly home from work. This is where the Danish concept of hygge sets in, roughly translating into coziness. It's the locals' way of dealing with the short dark days. Friends and families visit each other for home cooking and conversations in candle light with quiet music on the stereo. In week 42 the Danes have an autumn holiday, with many events taking place, such as the night of culture. The height of winter is December, where Christmas brings some relief the short days, with lights and decorations everywhere, in the street, shops and in peoples' windows. Tivoli opens it's doors for their Christmas markets, and most Danes go on a drinking rampage, with the very Danish and traditional christmas lunches, with work and family.

Get in

By plane

Inside Copenhagen Airport's terminal 3
Inside Copenhagen Airport's terminal 3

Copenhagen's Kastrup Airport [3] (CPH) is the one of the hubs of Scandinavia's second largest international carrier SAS - Scandinavian Airlines [4]. Kastrup Airport regularly wins favorable comments from passengers for both design and function — this is a much more pleasant place to transit than, say, London Heathrow or Frankfurt. Check-in lines can get very long however during the peak hours of the summer months so make sure to allocate some extra time for this. Self-service check in counters are actually available, and many people have started to make use of them.

A number of low-cost carriers also fly to the airport. EasyJet [5] serve Copenhagen from London Stansted, Milan and Berlin Schönefeld. Air Berlin [6] flies direct to Düsseldorf, Berlin and Palma de Mallorca. Norwegian [7] offers budget flights to Oslo, Stockholm, Budapest, Amsterdam and Warszawa, and recently Dutch low-cost carrier Transavia has began operating to a number of European destinations like Barcelona, Nice and Rome.

It takes 12 minutes by train to get from Kastrup to the central station (Hovedbanegården) in downtown Copenhagen. You need a ticket for 3 zones. Purchased from one of the automated vending machines or the ticket counter located inside the atrium, this costs 30 DKK for a single journey. The Copenhagen Metro [8] also connects Kastrup with central Copenhagen, with trains leaving every four minutes in daytime and every 15 minutes in the night and taking 14 minutes to the city center (for the same ticket and price of 30 DKK).

Consider Sturup Airport (MMX) in Malmö, Sweden as well - it's 40 minutes by bus from central Malmö, and from there 30 minutes by train to Copenhagen Central Station. Or use the direct bus 737 [9] (DKK 100, 50 minutes). Wizzair [10] from Budapest, Gdansk, Katowice, and Warszawa.

By train

Train waiting at Copenhagen Central station
Train waiting at Copenhagen Central station

While links between the capital and the rest of the country are frequent and excellent, and links with Sweden have developed rapidly since the completion of the Øresund fixed link, connections to the rest of Europe are rather poor.

There are numerous trains connecting Zealand with Funen and Jutland, all crosses the Great Belt fixed link. The Main lines departs from Copenhagen central station, twice every hour, usually divided in a Express and a Intercity train, and runs across the length of Zealand with stops in Roskilde, Ringsted, Slagelse and Korsør before crossing the Belt and Funen, and finaly branching out when they reach Jutland. The most important branches being Århus/Aalborg running North, Esbjerg running west, Struer running north-west, and finaly Sønderborg/Padborg running south. All cross belt trains are operated by DSB (Danish Railways[11]
  • Sweden
    • Øresundstog: Every 20 minutes trains depart from Østerport, stopping at the airport, before crossing the Øresund fixed link to Malmö, most continuing to various connections in Southern Sweden. Journey time is 35 minutes, and a one way ticket is 75 DKK.
    • IC Bornholm: Runs between Copenhagen and Ystad in Southern Sweden, from where a high speed ferry shuttles passengers to Rønne on the island on Bornholm. Journey to Ystad takes a little over an hour, and a one way ticket will set you back 275 DKK.
  • Europe
    • Trains EC30-39 These Eurocity trains connects Zealand, and the capital, with Hamburg, up to 6 times per day, with some trains continuing onwards to Berlin.
    • Train EN482 This daily Euronight service, runs between Copenhagen and Munich / Basel, leaving Copenhagen at 6:53PM.

By bus

The 8 kilometre Øresund bridge leading to Malmö in Sweden
The 8 kilometre Øresund bridge leading to Malmö in Sweden
The Oslo ferry in port
The Oslo ferry in port

Busses between Zealand and Jutland are only marginally cheaper than the train, although there is considerable discounts between Monday - Thursday. The International buses on the other hand offers considerably lower prices than the train. Travel by train, however - has been prioritized politically, therefore Copenhagen still lacks a intercity bus terminal. Most international buses stop somewhere around the Central Station (usually next to DGI-byen), but be sure to check the exact location when you buy your ticket. Domestic long-distance buses mostly leave from Toftegårds Plads, near Valby station.

  • Jutland (Denmark)
    • Line 882: Runs between Copenhagen and Fjerritslev in Northwestern Jutland once every day at 13.00 from Valby s-train station. with the same stops on Zealand as above, Operated by Abildskou[12]
    • Line 888: Connects Copenhagen with Århus and Aalborg several times per day. journey time is 5 hours 15 minutes to Aalborg. On Zealand there is additional stops in Roskilde and Holbæk. Operated by Abildskou[13]
  • Scandinavia
    • Line 300: Links Copenhagen, Göteborg and Oslo, journey time is 8 hours 30 minutes, xxxx price xxx operated by Säffebussen[14]
    • Line 820: follows much the same route to Oslo, and is operated by Swebus[15]
    • Line 832: Runs between Copenhagen and Stockholm via Jönköping xxx and is operated by Swebus[16]
    • Line 866: Connects Copenhagen and Ystad (for connections with Bornholm)
  • Europe
    • Line 902: Links Copenhagen and Berlin via Rostock in 8 hours, leaves Copenhagen daily at 7.25 - and Berlin at 13.30. Operated by Swebus[17]
    • Line E55: Also runs between Copenhagen and Berlin, and departs Copenhagen daily at 10.30 - and Berlin at 9.30. Operated by Gråhundbus [18]
    • Not numered: There is also a service to Hamburg via Rødby, where there is connecting buses to Paris and Amsterdam. Departs Copenhagen daily at 16.10, journey time is 7 hours. Operated by Eurolines [19]

By ferry

Ferries ply between Copenhagen Port and Oslo (16hr) and Świnoujście (Poland). For details check the Get in section of Zealand. If you arriving with your own sails, Copenhagen has several marinas, the biggest of which is Svanemøllehavnen [20]. There are no designated visitor berths but it is almost always possible to find one with a green sign. Daily charge: 75-120 DKK. Copenhagen is also a very popular port of call for cruises touring both the Baltic sea and the Norwegian fjords.

Get around

Map of S-trains and Metro in the Copenhagen area, with districts marked in the background
Map of S-trains and Metro in the Copenhagen area, with districts marked in the background
Map of harbour bus lines in the canals and inner habour, with districts marked in the background
Map of harbour bus lines in the canals and inner habour, with districts marked in the background

The two big hubs are the Central Station (da: Hovedbanegården/København H) with S-trains, Intercity-trains, and buses and Nørreport Station with S-trains, metro, regional trains, and buses. Travels by trains, buses and metro can be scheduled electronically through rejseplanen.dk [21]

Tickets and the zone system

All public transport in Copenhagen, as well as the rest of the country, operates on a zone system. The smallest ticket is the two-zone ticket which cost DKK 21 for adults (DKK 10.50 for children under the age of 16), and can be purchased from ticket offices, vending machines and bus drivers. Two children under the age of 11 can travel for free with one paying adult. It will allow you to travel around Copenhagen in two zones (the zone where you stamped or purchased the ticket plus one adjacent zone) for an hour. You can switch freely between all trains, metro and busses within this hour, as long as you last trip starts before the time is up (your ticket will be timestamped in 15-minutes intervals).

The range of a single zone can roughly be translated to around 7 minutes in the metro or 15 minutes in a bus, but always check the zone maps in the stations, some stations are closer to zone borders than others. Ask local people if help is needed, as the zone system can be complex for visitors. At night (from 1 am. to 5 am.) the ticket price double, and you need to stamp for example 4 zones if you travel in 2 zones. This rule applies to all N-busses (night busses). Night charges do not apply to holders of monthly cards.

A ten-trip klippekort will give you a discount of around 40%, and can be bought in kiosks and ticket offices. You can also purchase a day pass starting at DKK 90. Alternatively, buy a Copenhagen Card [22], which gives free transport throughout the region and free admission to 60 museums and sights. The card costs DKK 199 for 24 hours, DKK 429 for 72 hours.

In regional trains, S-tog and Metro a ticket must be bought and timestamped before boarding the trains. In buses tickets can be bought from the driver but not klippekort which must be bought beforehand. The fine for travelling without a valid ticket is DKK 600 and ticket conductors are common both in S-trains and metros. More information about price and tickets on movia.dk [23]

By S-Tog

The S-train service runs from early morning to late night. Each train (apart from the F-line) runs with 10-minute intervals during the day (from 6 am. to 6 pm. on weekdays), and with 20-minute intervals on early morning and late night (The F-line has departures every 5 minutes throughout most of the day) ; C however stops at Frederikssund and not Ballerup during the day). This means that there are only a couple of minutes of waiting between each train within the city.

Loudspeaker announcement regarding S-trains are given in Danish only, so remember to ask your fellow travelers, but for the most part they are just cursory announcements.

By Metro

The Copenhagen Metro runs from Vanløse, through the city centre, and branching of either to the new-town of Ørestad or to the Airport. The Metro has no timetable, and between Vanløse and Christianshavn trains run with a 4-minute interval (2-minute during peak hour). It runs from 5 am to midnight. During Thursday, Friday and Saturday night the metro runs nonstop with 15-minute intervals. The trains are controlled automatically and are without drivers, so the doors will close at a given time, even if all waiting passengers have not entered the train. Wait for the next train instead of trying to squeeze through in the last second.

More information on the Copenhagen Metro website [24].

By boat

The canal tour boats, here seen docking in Nyhavn, is an excellent way to see many of the city's attactions
The canal tour boats, here seen docking in Nyhavn, is an excellent way to see many of the city's attactions

Going on a canal tour in the inner harbour and canals, is an excellent and easy way to see many of the city's attractions, and fortunately there are many options depending on your taste and preferences. DFDS Canal Tours operates both a unguided hop-on hop-off service, branded as the water bus, arranged into three circular trips at the northern, central and southern part of the inner harbour and canals. They also have 3 guided tours, either by a prerecorded tape available in many languages, or live English & Danish commentary by a guide, be forewarned though, after 75 minutes this can get a bit loud if you are not normally attracted to this sort of tourism. Netto-bådene offers a single fixed tour, but at a much lower price. Please note that services are scaled back considerably between October and mid-March, if you are visiting during winter, you might want to opt for DFDS' red guided tour, as it offers a heated, glass roofed boat, during the winter. Both companies offers starting points in either Nyhavn or Gammel strand (opposite the parliament). A different option is the public harbour bus, which while it doesn't enter the canals, is much faster and is an integrated part of the public transportation system, and uses the same tickets as buses and trains.

  • DFDS Canal Tours, Nyhavn 3, +45 32 96 30 00 (), [25]. 9.30AM-8PM. Waterbus (unguided): Single 40 DKK, All day 60 DKK; Tour (guided): Single 60 DKK, All day 75 DKK. Various discounts avilable. edit
  • Netto-bådene, Heibergsgade (Nyhavn), +45 32 54 41 02, [26]. 10AM-5PM. 30 DKK. edit
  • Movia, Customer center at Rådhuspladen, +45 36 13 14 15, [27]. 7AM-7PM. Uses public ticketing system. edit

An option you may want to consider is a Freedom ticket which gives unlimited transportation for 2 days on both all the DFDS Canal Tour boats, as well as the double decker sightseeing buses of Copenhagen City Sightseeing for 220 DKK.

By bicycle

The fastest and most flexible way of seeing Copenhagen is on bike - as 40 percent of the Copenhageners use their bike everyday the city has been designed to cater for cyclists with separate bicycle lanes along most larger roads. Cyclists are often allowed to ride both ways in one way streets.

Be careful if you are not used to biking in a busy city. In Copenhagen it is a common mean of daily transportation and the locals drive fast and without room for much leeway. Don't expect to get a warning when someone wants to overtake you. Always keep to the right and look behind you before you overtake someone - otherwise you could cause some nasty bicycle accidents.

In the center of the city, you can also get around by the free public city-bikes. These are specially painted by various sponsors, and are very simple bikes that you can find on special stands near some important places like the main train station, the Tivoli park, the port and some others. After you insert a 20DKK coin, you can take the bike and go where you want as long as you stay in the inner part of the city marked on a plan that you will get with the bike. When you return the bike to some stand again (not necessarily the same one), you will get your 20DKK coin back. During winter periods, though, you will not be able to find (m)any bikes, as they are being repaired in the local prisons as part of a 'community service'.

The bikes usually come with a map on which the main attractions are marked. The map also marks the borders of the city within which you are allowed to ride the bike. If you are caught outside these borders, you could be faced with a fine (around 1000 DKK).

Please don't take away city-bikes that you see somewhere not on a stand, because there are high chances that somebody will soon return for it and by taking it away, you would not only deprive him of his means of transport, but also of his 20DKK coin.

The city bikes are not the most comfortable bikes in the world (they have massive tyres), and you cannot always rely on finding one in the stands - they might be in use.

The city bikes have, however, become sort of a Copenhagen landmark. Thus president Bill Clinton [28] was presented with City Bike One as the city's official gift during his official visit in 1997. It was specially designed with the presidential seal [29] on its wheels.

As an alternative to the city bikes you can rent a far more comfortable bike than the city bikes. You can find a little bike rental shop called CPH bike rental [30]on a side-street to Nansensgade on Turesensgade 10, 5 minutes from Norreport station. They rent out bikes on a daily basis and by that they finance the shipment of used bikes to Africa. They also arrange city tours and sell picnic baskets. Their prices start at 60 kroner for 6 hours bike rent. Another bicycle shop are at the Central Railroad Station, where prices start at 75 Danish kroner a day/ 340 kroner a week. At Højbro Plads (next to McDonalds at Strøget) you can find rickshaws for hire with a driver, who will often be trained in providing tourist information as you stroll along. A variety of bike tours are offered by Bike Copenhagen with Mike including a daily City tour at 10 AM departing from Copenhagen Bikes at the Main Train Station.

By taxi

Taxis are abundant throughout the city, and of a very high standard - usually Mercedes or BMW's, but they are pricey and the wait to get one can be long on a Friday or Saturday night. You can hail a taxi on the street, or call for one to come pick you up at a specific address at a specific time at a small extra fee (12-15 DKK). At crucial traffic junctures throughout the city, there are special taxi areas, where taxis hold in line to pick up customers. Except for a very long trip, it is not common (or recommended) to haggle about the price. If you wish to pay with credit card, you must present it for the driver at the beginning of the trip. All taxi's accept major international credit cards, and most taxi companies accepts Euroes and some even list prices in Euro on the meter.

Prices range between 11 and 16 DKK per kilometre depending on the time of day, and the meter begins at DKK 25.

Copenhagen Taxi companies

  • Amager-Øbro Taxi (Central Copenhagen) +45 32 51 51 51
  • Codan Taxi (Central Copenhagen) +45 70 25 25 25
  • Taxa 4x35 (Central Copenhagen) +45 35 35 35 35
  • TaxaMotor A/S (Central Copenhagen) +45 70 338 338
  • Ballerup-Værløse-Herlev Taxa (Northwestern suburbs)+45 44 85 35 35
  • Taxa Selandia (Greve-Solrød) +45 70 10 66 66
  • Taxinord (Northern Suburbs) +45 45 83 83 83
  • Vest-Taxa (Western Suburbs)+45 43 45 45 45

See

Complete listings can be found in the appropriate districts, entrance to most museums are free once a week, mainly on Wednesdays

Art

The winter Garden at Glyptoteket
The winter Garden at Glyptoteket

If you are into the arts Copenhagen has a lot to offer, the natural starting point of which, is a visit to the Danish National Gallery (Statens Museum for Kunst), where you can feast the eye on blockbusters like Rembrandt, Picasso and Matisse. There are a number of paintings by Danish artists from the 'Golden Age'. Continuing in the classical arts a visit to Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, the spectacular building houses paintings from masters like Picasso, Leger and Matisse and a large collection of classical statues and sculptures, and the winter garden is a beautiful place to rest your legs on a rainy day. Both of these museums are conveniently located in the Downtown area. If you are hungry for even more classic art exhibitions an excursion north of Copenhagen to the beautiful Ordrupgaard, which offers you a chance to enjoy Monet, Renoir, Degas & Gauguin. There are several other options for classical paintings if you have not yet tired, but if you are ready for a change, head south to the Arken Museum of Modern Art for a world class exhibition of mainly Scandinavian contemporary modern art, as well as hugely popular temporary exhibitions. If you want to enjoy some local colorite on an art tour, The Hirspung collection on Østerbro features the top of the pops of Danish artists, with a special focus on the Skagen painters, and for something quintessentially Danish, breeze through the wonderfully quirky sketches of the much loved local personality, Storm P, at the aptly named Storm P museum on Frederiksberg.

Science & Natural history

The iconic tower of the Copenhagen zoo
The iconic tower of the Copenhagen zoo

Visit the Nationalmuseet on Ny Vestergade for many exhibits relating to Danish history, Viking weapons, Inuit costumes and stone age tools. If you want your vacation to be educational, or if you want to sneak some knowledge into the kids heads during the vacation, there are several options to consider. The best choice for kids is perhaps the hugely entertaining, and well renowned hands-on science museum, the Experimentarium North of Copenhagen. Another popular and well renowned institution, is the Copenhagen Zoo on Frederiksberg, counting both among of the best, and oldest, Zoo's in Europe. If you are more into stationary animals, the Zoology museum on Østerbro offers a different perspective on the subject, elsewhere on Østerbro, a little known attraction is a display of famous physicist Niels Bohr's study room, along with a setup of his experiments (but as this is not a museum, you should have more than passing interest in the subject to bother them). In Downtown, the University of Copenhagen runs two adjacent science museums, namely the Geological museum where the Dinosaur fossils, moon rock and glow the dark minerals should sparkle some interest in the subject for even the most school wary kid, while the Botanical gardens on the opposite side of the street, is an excellent place for a stroll in the beautiful park, even if you are not botanically inclined, and the classical palm house is a nice place to relax if it's cold outside. If it is poor weather, Tycho Brahe Planetarium on Vesterbro is another option, part planetarium with an interesting astrology exhibition, part omnimax theatre, where they are usually screening science films.

Architecture

Rundetårn is one of the city's most iconic buildings
Rundetårn is one of the city's most iconic buildings

An excellent start of any visit to Copenhagen, is to climb the unique 7.5-turn helical corridor leading to the observation platform of Rundetårn (the Round tower), one of Copenhagen's most iconic buildings, for an excellent view over the city, as any good starting point, it's smack in the middle of the city. If that's not high enough to get your bearings, head to Christianshavn for a climb up the circular stairs on the outside of the church spire of the Church of our saviour, It has always been regarded as somewhat of a manhood test to climb up and touch the globe on the summit, nearly a 100 meters up in the air. And now that you're in the area, head over the opposite side of the street, to Christiania, a self governing community that has been squatting an old naval area since the seventies, and their inventive, brightly coloured, homebuilt houses are spectacular, as is the relaxed atmosphere, it's truly one of Copenhagen's most unique and best attractions. Due south of Christiania, the districts old, crooked and brightly coloured buildings and soothing canals lined with masted ships, makes it an excellent place to continue a stroll. Other fine examples of classical architecture includes the impressive City hall and the massive dome of the Frederikskirken colloquially known as the Marble Church, with a span of 31 meters. the dome is one of the largest in Northern Europe, both are in the downtown area.

However for real architecture buffs, the city's main claim to fame is the modernist architecture and it's native masters. Jørn Utzon (of Sydney Opera house fame) and son is behind a trio of buildings on Østerbro's northern harbour, known as the Paustian complex, there is a fine - but expensive - restaurant in one of the buildings. You can enjoy Arne Jacobsen's work by either sleeping, or sucking in the atmosphere (and great views) of the top floor lounge bar, in the Royal Hotel, one or the the Inner city's very few tall buildings, or head north to Bellavista, a residential complex and theatre near the beach, where there is even a restaurant featuring both his famous furniture and his name. Lastly Henning Larsen, famous for his iconic buildings in Riyadh, is behind Copenhagen's new Opera house, overlooking the habour on Christianshavn, from where you can also catch a view of Copenhagen's latest iconic contraption, The Royal library known to locals as the black diamond, from it's shiny polished black granite walls.

Royal Copenhagen

Amalienborg palace is Copenhagen's royal residence
Amalienborg palace is Copenhagen's royal residence

The four identical classicist palaces of Amalienborg, is the main residence of the royal family, the octagonal courtyard in the centre is open to the public, and guarded by the ceremonial Royal Guard. The relief takes place every day at 12 o'clock noon, and is a highlight for any royalist, there is also a small royal museum on the premises. Rosenborg Palace is a small, but pretty, renaissance palace, surrounding by the lovely King's Garden, which is one of the most lively parks of the city. The palace both serves as a museum of Royal history, and as a home for the crown jewels, which is on display in the catacombs beneath the castle. Unusual for a well founded democracy, the palace that houses the parliament, Christiansborg, is also a royal palace. It's usually possible to visit the Royal reception rooms, stables and the old court theatre here. And for entertainment of royal stature, you can try and arrange tickets to watch a play in the beautiful Royal Theatre facing the Kings New Square. All of these sights are in the inner city. If you are hungry for more, head north, where the park around Sorgenfri palace is open to the public, or have a picnic on the huge open plains in front of the Eremitage Palace in the Dyrehaven park, which used to serve as the kings hunting castle.

Design

Denmark is world famous for it's design tradition, and while the term Danish design has been victim of inflation over the years, it's still a world recognized brand. The natural starting point is a visit to the Danish Design Center in downtown, with temporary and permanent exhibitions, showrooms and workshops relating to the world of Danish design, in a building designed by famous architect Henning Larsen. Not too far away, Kunstindustrimuseet is home of a nice collection relating to the study of design and it's history in Denmark, Also in the district Royal Copenhagen runs a museum display of it's famous porcelein from the early beginnings at it's flagship store. Meanwhile Cisterne on Frederiksberg is an enticing museum showing modern glass art, in the intriguing catacomb like cisterns under a large park. Meldahls Smedie on Christianshavn is run by the Royal Danish school of architecture, which organizes changing exhibitions including final project's from students of the school here.

Do

Guided tours

The Association of Authorized Guides[31] is the semi official entity, which offers an academic approach to ensure their guides are qualified, they offer "authorized" guides to take you through the city in 24 languages. History Tours[32] gives special focus on history and the historical sights throughout the city. Visitors who enjoy doing things in their own pace, will appreciate the approach of Audiowalks [33] who allow you to follow a pre-recoded tour using a mp3 player though themed pod casts. If you want to see a different side of Copenhagen, other than the usual monuments and museums, CPH:COOL [34] offers you personal tours to see the best of the city's shopping, design and culture, that tourists don't usually get to see. Another option is to go on one of the guided Canal tours (see details in the Get around section), or for the ecologically aware, talk to one of the many bike taxis that's lined up in the inner city during the summer, the bikers are often very knowledgeable about the sights, and can give you a good alternative tour of the city, and you can negotiate the price for longer trips.

Beach life

Havnebadet, a large pool area in the clean waters of the inner harbour, is hugely popular on sunny days
Havnebadet, a large pool area in the clean waters of the inner harbour, is hugely popular on sunny days

In the inner habour, water quality has improved so much in recent years that it's possible go for a swim, from early June to late August, in one of the two harbor baths; Copencabana on Vesterbro or Havnebadet at Island brygge on Amager. When it's sunny, during the summer, they are packed with people from all walks of life, enjoying the sunshine, and taking a dip. The municipal administration has put alot of money in effort in to the facilities, so they are quite good, and it's an excellent opportunity for blending with the locals, at their best. If you fancy a proper beach, the closest of these are located at Charlottenlund Fort in Charlottenlund, and the newly erected Amager Strandpark (The Lagoon), on Amager near the Lergravsparken metro station. If the weather is not going your way, you can opt for DGI Byen [35] - a leisure centre and excellent swimming pool near the central railway station, or the Østerbro swimming pool, modelled after a Roman bath (on Østerbro)

Amusement parks

The Tivoli amusement parks main entrance at nighttime
The Tivoli amusement parks main entrance at nighttime

Amazingly the two oldest still functioning amusement parks, with the two oldest still running roller coasters, are both located in Copenhagen, and they are distinctively different. Bakken or Dyrehavsbakken are the oldest of the two, the setting in a beautiful beech forest near Klampenborg north of Copenhagen, gives it a special atmosphere - and it's a lot less touristy than it's counterpart - Tivoli - which is located smack in the city center, in a beautiful park surrounding a lake.

Annual events

  • Copenhagen Fashion Week [36] Held in February and August. Copenhagen is fast emerging as a global fashion centre, with a host of up-and-coming, and already well established names. Two weeks of the year over a 1.000 exhibitors and 50.000 guest come together and celebrate their accomplishments with lavish parties, catwalks at the city's landmarks and 3 trade fairs.
  • CPH:PIX (Copenhagen International Film Festival) [37] Held in April. Is a brand new film festival, and the result of a merger between Copenhagen's two popular long running festivals - The Night film festival and the Copenhagen International Film Festival It will feature 170 screenings competing for the grand prize of 50.000 Euro.
  • International Workers day Held on May 1st, is a major event in Copenhagen. The main festivities are held in Fælledparken on Østerbro, and attracts over a 100.000 visitors, in what has these days have become a 50-50 mix of gigantic party, and a political rally - with speeches, happenings and concerts. Two travelling amusement parks also sets up their gear for the day, one by the main entrance at Trianglen, and one in the eastern part of the park.
  • CPH Distortion [38] Held in the first week of June, is longest and wildest party you have ever been to. Over 60 parties in in 5 days in each of the city's districts, outdoors on the city's streets and squares, in the clubs, and 3 seriously huge parties. Over 32.000 people usually partying away between Wednesday and Sunday.
  • Zulu Sommerbio [39] Held in July and August, Danish television station 'TV2 Zulu' plays open air movies in various parks and squares of Copenhagen. There are movies in both Danish and English and they are free to watch. You can buy beer and popcorn.
  • Copenhagen Jazzfestival [40] Held in early July, 10 days of jazz everywhere in Copenhagen. In parks, cafes, clubs, theatres. Usually have a few headline acts on the program, but there are more than 800 concerts to choose from, and the real attraction is often the obscure concerts you bump into randomly in park or square somewhere in the city.
  • Grøn Koncert [41] Held in late July. Is a one day music festival in Valby parken near Åparken station. It's a major event in Copenhagen, with over 40.000 spectators. There is usually a international headline act, along with several major Danish bands, and the atmosphere is quite unique with people having picnic and beers on the huge field of grass in the park. Tickets are sold through Billetnet, both online and at post offices.
  • Copenhagen Pride [42] held in late July each year, Is a lavish LGBT parade. The week leading up to the parade, is usually full of community events and party's. Count on the City hall square (Rådhuspladen) changing it's name to Pride Square during the week, and hosting live acts, concerts and debates.
  • Strøm [43] Held in August, is an annual electronic music festival, running on it's 3rd year, as a gathering of the best promoters and vibrant venues Copenhagen has to offer mixed up with events at squares, concert halls or unusual locations throughout the city.
  • Night of Culture (Kulturnatten) [44] Held in mid October, on the last Friday before the school holiday in week 42. You buy a badge for DKK 70 and get access to major museums, exhibitions, churches, libraries, schools, organizations, the parliament, etc. also some places that are not open to the public the rest of the year. Open from 6pm to midnight. Attracts about 100.000 people.
  • Copenhagen Gay & Lesbian Film Festival [45] Held in Week 43 (usually October). 10 days of gay and queer cinema at its very best with more than 130 screenings of the worlds best feature films, short films and documentaries with gay or queer relevance, culminating in a champagne party on the final day, where the best film of the year is awarded.

Buy

Check out Strøget [46], a pedestrian mall linking the streets of Østergade, Nygade, Vimmelskaftet, and Frederiksberggade that runs through the center of the city from Rådhuspladsen to Kgs Nytorv and Nørreport. You won't find any Copenhageners here who aren't working in the shops or just passing through, and the place is very touristy - but also loaded with excellent up-scale Scandinavian fashion shops and design stores (e.g. Georg Jensen, Illum and Royal Copenhagen)

Visit Fields [47], the biggest shopping centre in Scandinavia. Take the train to the Airport (Kastrup/Airport) or Malmö and get off at Ørestad Station or go by the Metro to Vestamager and get off at Ørestad station (though it should be noted that most, if not all, of the shops at Fields can be found on Strøget as well).

Good bets for quality one-stop shopping in the inner city: department stores Illum (on Amagertorv on Strøget, at the end of the shopping street Købmagergade which runs south from Nørreport st.) and Magasin du Nord (on Kongens Nytorv at the end of Strøget; you can enter direct from the Metro station).

For less mainstream shopping, some good areas to find interesting small boutiques are: around Studiestræde and Vestergade just north of the Rådhuspladsen end of Strøget; inner Nørrebro around Ravnsborggade and Sankt Hans Torv (walk north from Nørreport station and turn right on the 2nd, 3rd or 4th street after crossing the lake) and a place very much worth visiting - Nansensgade 5 minutes from Nørreport Station, an old street with trees on either sides that has its own special community of Nansensgade-inhabitants.

Take a walk north from the station towards the lakes and turn left one block before the lakes); Vesterbrogade and Istedgade in Vesterbro (walk west from the main station on one of these roads -- you'll need to go a few blocks before hotels/sex shops/thai restaurants turn into more interesting territory); Østerbro around Classensgade and Willemoesgade (these come off the main road Østerbrogade directly across from the eastern end of the easternmost city lake, Sortedams Sø).

Best bets for out-of-hours shopping (apart from the ubiquitous 7-11 and small kiosks): the shops at Central station (offering books and CDs, camping gear, photographic equipment, cosmetics, gifts) are open until 8pm, 7 days a week. Large shopping centres and department stores (e.g. Fields, Fisketorvet, Illum, Magasin) open on Sundays around once a month (usually the first Sunday, right after everyone gets paid!) and more often at peak sale periods.

Plus size clothing can found in the following shops H&M (Fields and Strøget), Nannaxl in Fisketorvet, or Venus & Mars XL in Fields. Søstrene Nielsen is a upmarket store a few blocks off the upmarket end of Strøget.

Antiques on Ravnsborggade (expand)

Eat

Michelin Dining

For a city it's size, Copenhagen has an impressive number of Michelin starred restaurants. Most of them are located in the inner city Noma, Ensemble, The Paul and Geranium offers something as rare as exiting Danish cuisine while Kong Hans Kælder and restaurant MR are the places to go for fine French dining. In other districts Frederiksberg is home of French/Danish restaurant Formel B, far away in the Northern suburbs Søllerød Kro is traditional Inn also offering fine French dining. Christianshavn is home of the only stared Italian restaurant; Era Ora, and Kiin Kiin on Nørrebro is something as rare as a high class Thai restaurant. and finally on Østerbro Paustian's fusion and alchemist kitchen, is an altogether different way of dining.

On a budget

If your budget doesn't really allow for regular dining on expensive Michelin restaurants, don't dispair, there is plenty of other options. Nothing cheaper than the many Shawarma and Pizza joints that you can find on almost every street in the city, you can get a Shawarma from as little as 15 DKK (2,5 USD) and Pizza's usually start from 40 DKK (7 USD), and you can often opt for both take away, or the one or two tables usually offered to sit by, the cheapest places can be found around Istedgade on Vesterbro and Nørrebrogade on Nørrebro

If Shawarmas get a little tiring, there are several mediterranean-style all you can eat buffet restaurants, dotted around the inner city. Riz Raz is popular, with three locations and a huge vegetarian buffet for 70 DKK (12 USD - Grilled meat can be ordered off the menu). The branch on St. Kannikestræde has an infallible ability to seat and feed groups of all sizes. Near by Ankara on Krystalgade offers a Turkish-inspired buffet which includes meat as well as salads.

For breakfast and lunch try one of Copenhagen's Bakeries (Danish: Bager - Look for a Pretzel like contraption out in the front), they are numerous and the quality is excellent. Many offer ready-made sandwiches (around 35 kr), Denmark's famous open faced rye bread sandwiches called Smørrebrød, These sandwiches are small enough to take away and eat either with your hands or a fork and knife, and a wide range of ingredients are available, including some elaborate combinations for the more adventurous. Most bakeries also offers coffee, bread rolls, and cakes (expect to pay 8-10 kr for Danish pastry, here known as 'Wienerbrød'), and several bakeries have at least some form of counter seating.

Pølsevogn
Pølsevogn

For something quintessentially Danish, no visit to Copenhagen is complete without trying out a Pølsevogn (see image on the right), literally meaning Sausage Wagon, where you can get your hands on some of the different forms of tasty hot dogs, with free selection of various toppings, for next to nothing by local standards. It's also one of the few places where you are expected to socialize with the other guest. To blend in remember to order a bottle of Cocio cocoa drink to wash down your hot dog. At night when the wagons are put into storage, 7-11 stores (which is open 24/7) take over the business of satisfying your hot dog crave, and various other eat and walk items like pizza slices or spring rolls.

And finally, remember to look out for the term 'dagens ret' on signs and menus -- this means 'meal of the day' and often translates to a filling plate of hot food for a reasonable price.

Brunch

Brunch is a Copenhagen institution and most cafes will offer it at least on weekends for upwards of 80 kr.

  • Café Noakhali, Smallegade 22, 2000 Frederiksberg, 38 10 86 86, [48], [49]. This cafe is in Frederiksberg and you need to take a few minutes ride with the "Metro" subway from the center of Copenhagen. There is a Bangladesh-like brunch from 11:00-14:00 for 101 DDK including te and juice.
  • Café Norden, Østergade 61, 1100 København K, 33 11 77 91, [50]. On a central square in the old city. Downstairs is high ceilinged with enormous plate glass windows. Upstairs is cozy, with cushioned window sets the length of the room. Brunch is large and costs DDK 160. 80-200 DDK. edit
  • Cafe Sommersko, Kronprinsensgade 6, 1114 Copenhagen K, [51], in the center of Copenhagen has two brunch menus. "The big brunch" is english-like for 115 DKK and with no drinks included.
  • O's American Breakfast & Dinner, Gothersgade 15, 1123 Copenhagen K or Øster Farimagsgade 27, 2100 Copenhagen Ø[52] has been the place to go for authentic American cooking in Copenhagen. After a night on the town, there’s nothing like O’s delicious breakfast and bottomless coffee. Brunch here is cheap and tasty. 79 DKK for a brunch including two large American pancakes with eggs and bacon.

Drink

Nyhavn is a popular place to go for a drink in the summer
Nyhavn is a popular place to go for a drink in the summer

The main tourist area is around Nyhavn while another popular area with many cafes and restaurants is around the old University.

For a range of interesting bars and cafes head to Nørrebro (north and across the lakes from Nørreport station.) From the main street Nørrebrogade either turn left on Blågårds Plads (try Props for a cosy glass of wine on rickety chairs, or Cafe Apotek for interesting imported beers, quirky decor and cheap live music) or right onto Fælledvej to Sankt Hans Torv (as well as the obvious places on the square, there are plenty of places on small streets around, from traditional Danish pubs to trendy cocktail bars and microbreweries).

Vesterbro, Christianshavn (including Christiania), and Copenhagen/Frederiksberg are other good, relatively lively areas to explore. Østerbro is quieter but there are some 'nice' places: the French cafe on the north side of the lake is a great place to enjoy a quiet beer while looking at swans; Panzon on Rosenvængets Alle (near Trianglen) is a good place to splurge on a glass of wine. In the central shopping area head south of Strøget to parallel-running Strædet where there are a number of cosy cafes. If you stay near Nørreport Station it is worthwhile to pay a visit to the bar/cafe Bankeråt in Ahlefeldtsgade, the "interior decoration" supplied by a local artist who places stuffed animalheads on dressed up mannequin dolls - eyecatching. Very popular place with the locals.

Note that Danish 'cafes' are equally ready to serve coffees or beer and wine. At most places the beer on tap is either Carlsberg or Tuborg. In either case there will be a choice of the normal pilsner, and then a slightly redder Special or Classic. Some might also offer wheat or dark beer. A large beer costs 40-50 DKK or so most places in central Copenhagen, but some places on charge DKK 20-30, especially on weekdays or early hours. Unless you come from elsewhere in Scandinavia don't frighten yourself by trying to work out what this costs in your home currency. If you are on a budget you could follow the example of local teenagers and get primed with bottled beer from a supermarket or kiosk (3-7 DKK for a 330 mL bottle). It is legal and very popular to drink beer in public (not on public transport, although it will be accepted if you are not showing drunk behaviour), so buy a beer, sit on a park bench or Nyhavn and enjoy the Danish life.

If you want to watch some rugby or Manchester United there are some expat Irish/British pubs in the inner city. The Globe on Nørregade has a cosy library and does good food; The Dubliner near Amagertorv on Strøget (main walking street) is cavernous and raucous. Or try McGinty's, an authentic Scottish pub, on Vester Voldgade just 100m from the Town Hall Square, expecially pay it a visit when Manchester United plays as it is the Danish hangout for the Danish fans.

For a coastal city Copenhagen has surprisingly few places where you can enjoy a water view with your beer or coffee. Nyhavn is rather crowded and touristy (imitate the locals on a sunny day by buying beer from a kiosk and dangling your legs over the water). There are a couple of swanky places on Langelinie (near the little Mermaid) and the cafe at the base of the Black Diamond has a lovely outlook over the canal. In spring and summer a few cafes on the north side of the city lakes put out tables, chairs and blankets(!) by the water for beer-drinking and swan-watching.

For the beer hunters out there, Copenhagen has a few excellent specialty beer bars:

  • Charlie's Bar [53] Great selection of cask-conditioned ales. Due to its tiny size, its easy to strike up conversations with strangers.
  • Den Tatoverede Enke [54] A little hard to find as it is in a court yard off a street. Just look for a sandwich-board sign off Gothersgade. Large selection of Belgian beers and has an restaurant upstairs to boot.
  • Noerrebro Bryghus [55] Brewpub with some adventurous brews and good food.
  • Ølbaren [56] Cozy place which mostly has Danish micros on draft and a large bottle selection. Also will allow you to bring in outside food.
  • plan·b [57] Good food, huge selection of bottles, interesting drafts, great atmosphere.
  • Cafe Barcelona [58] Fælledvej 21, DK-2200 København N, café, restaurant & nightclub bar'cuda

Copenhagen by night

Copenhagen has a very active nightlife where the party goes on all night. Start an evening by drinking beers or cocktails in one of the trendy spots around Istedgade on Vesterbro, or Studiestræde or Gothersgade in the city center. For late night clubbing, most places will be half empty before 1-2 am. and stay open until 5-6 am. Some areas where a number of night clubs can be found is Boltens Gård in Gothersgade and Rådhuspladsen (main city square). Night clubs usually charge DKK 40-80 for entrance and additional DKK 10-20 for cloakrooms. A pint of beer will normally cost you around DKK 40-55. Most nightclubs have age retrictions of minimum 18-20 years on Wednesday-Friday and 20-23 years on Saturday. It is also possible to get more infomation and a full list of clubs on the mobilephone on the address wap.mobileclubbing.net.

The clubscene is vibrant in Copenhagen, but most clubs are only open Thursday to Saturday. Note that most locals have a party at home with friends, or frequent their favorite bars, before they head out for the clubs, so they rarely get going until after midnight. Below is a breakdown of the main clubs in different genres. Most clubs have cover charge, and the ones that don't are rubbish more often than not. Most clubs maintain a minimum age of 20 or 21, although they are not required to do this by law. Expect a draft beer, or basic drinks, to set you back 40-50 DKK - a bit more expensive than bar prices.

Gays & lesbians

For its size, Copenhagen has a rather large gay scene with a good handful of bars and dance clubs located in the center of the city within walking distance from each other.

  • Foxy Club (Mehldalsgade 4) The city's biggest dance venue for the younger gay/lesbian crowd. Open Thursday, Friday and Saturday with free beer and cheap shots between 11 pm. and 1 am.
  • Rocco (Axeltorv 12E) Big monthly electronic dance party that takes place on the first Saturday of the month and on special occasions. Usually attracts a more mature crowd.
  • Cosy Bar (Studiestræde 24) A small late night bar/club with a very mixed clientele. Open every day of the week and is extremely busy in the weekends. The fun usually never starts until 4-5 am when other places are closed.
  • VELA (Viktoriagade 2-4) Copenhagen's only bar and lounge that's targeted at lesbians. Open Wednesday - Saturday from 9 pm.

Music

Mosts of the music venues in Copenhagen also doubles as nightclubs - so watch for them under the club sections in the different districts. Tickets for almost every even in Denmark and Copenhagen are sold through Billetnet[59] which both has online sales, and a counter available in all post offices. But apart from headline acts, tickets are usually also sold at the entrance. Expect to pay from 100 DKK and upwards.

The Major music venues in Copenhagen are Parken stadium on Østerbro for the biggest stars. In Downtown, Copenhagen Jazzhouse obviously hosts Jazz concerts and The Rock is the spiritual home of the local rock and heavy metal scene. Vega on Vesterbro is one of the major venues, with concerts of almost every genre, by major national and international acts. Nørrebro has three venues; Stengade 30 is a hangout for the alternative and indie scene, Rust's stage is mainly host for mainstream rhythmic music, and Global is it's name would imply, provides a stage for world music. Southwards on Christianshavn, it's no surprise that the Operahouse plays Opera, and not to be missed, the different venues of Christiania is a powerhouse of Denmark's alternative and underground culture.

Sleep

Copenhagen offers all kinds of accommodation but like the rest of Denmark, prices are high. Most hotels are located in Indre By (e.g. the Radisson-SAS which was designed by Arne Jacobsen). Special rates are sometimes available on the internet or from travel agencies, so look around.

  • A cheaper way is by renting furnished apartments from owner :
    - EUROPAPART : info@europapart.eu
Contact

Libraries offer free internet access for one hour at a time, though this often requires signing up in advance. A cheap (under 20DKK/hour) internet café can be found at Copenhagen Central Station. More over, a lot of bars, cafés, McDonald's and petrol stations offer wi-fi hotspots for people with notebooks, though these are a little more expensive than internet cafés The following places offer free wi-fi access.

  • Cafe Escobar at Nørrebro.
  • Københavns Hovedbibliotek (Copenhagen Central Library), Krystalgade 15.
  • Nørrebro Bibliotek, Bragesgade 8A.
  • Café Globen [63], Turesensgade 3.
  • DetNet, Tagensvej 100.
  • Cafe Ludwigsen, Vesterbrogade 113.
  • Herluf Trolle Bar & Natklub, Herluf Trolles Gade 9.
  • Cafe Kassen, Nørrebrogade 18A.
  • Cafe A'fair Kjeld Langesgade
  • The two laundromat cafes on [Copenhagen/Østerbro|Østerbro] and [Copenhagen/Nørrebro|Nørrebro]
  • Dalle Valle, Fiolstræde 3-5.

A complete list of hotspots is kept up-to-date by pocketfreak.dk [64]. 'Gratis' is Danish for 'free'.

The Tourist Information [65] is located near Copenhagen Main Station (2m walk) and is worth a visit. The staff are really friendly and they speak almost all languages. It is possible to book hotels using PC terminals directly from within the Tourist Information. They provide information for all possible activities in Copenhagen - museums, concerts, festivals etc.

For Low Budget Travellers it is recommended to have a look at the Copenhagen on Low Budget Guide [66] that is available for free at the Tourist Information. This page has been removed and all information can only be had from Visitcopenhagen website. However, the first page of the now defunct site says it has collected materials into a brochure that is available in youth hostels.

Cope

Money

Although Denmark is a member of the European Union, the currency is still the Danish Krone, which is pegged to the Euro. In Copenhagen many of the major restaurants and hotels frequented by tourists, and in Nyhavn and Tivoli, accept Swedish kronor and Euro, but it's not common practice anywhere else. On the other hand credit cards are widely accepted, although this is usually limited to Visa cards or Mastercard. Supermarkets will normally only accept Danish credit cards, also known as Dankort. Other credit cards like American Express, Diners, JCB and Unionpay are not widely accepted outside the tourist industry, but they certainly get you further in Copenhagen, than in the rest of the country.

Stay safe

Copenhagen used to be one of the safest cities in the world, and while the situation has deteriorated in recent years, it's still generally a safe city compared to other cities the same size. Like any metropolitan area, Copenhagen does experience its share of crimes, and recent times has seen an increase in very violent gang related crimes on Nørrebro. While crime against strangers is mostly of the non-violent type, such as pickpocketing and petty theft, one should take the necessary precautions, in particular in the neighbourhood of Nørrebro and in the western suburbs, i.e. those municipalities located to the west of Copenhagen proper.

While racism is nowhere as rampant as certain reports will have you believe, it can occasionally be a problem for people of African or Middle eastern descent. However, the only place you are likely to encounter this as a tourist, is in the city's night life. If you are unfortunate enough to experience racism, it's important not to get yourself involved in a heated argument, as people who have not seen the incident will usually be quick to support the offender, due a surge of problems with violence related to immigrant community gangs, who feel alienated by a closely knit Danish society. Instead walk away, and if you feel a need to react, report the incident to authorities, who are required to investigate such cases. Other ethnic groups on the other hand, are not likely to encounter any problems, the situation is probably even a bit better than in most other countries.

Get out

Flakfort
Flakfort

Others

  • Scania, Sweden, with Malmö and Lund is easily accessible through the Oresund bridge, which you can travel by train or car.
  • Amager is the island south of Copenhagen.
  • Dragør Is an old charming city ca. 20 km (12 mi) south of Copenhagen on the island of Amager close to the airport. Get there by bus.
  • Louisiana Museum for modern art [67]. The museum is a 35 minutes train ride from Copenhagen near Humlebæk and houses one of Europes finest collections of modern art. With 10,000 m² (107,639 ft²) of exhibition space, a relaxed atmosphere and a setting in a beautiful old park, located half an hour north along the coast, it makes a good half or full-day excursion from Copenhagen.
  • Elsinore (Helsingør) is in it self worth a visit. Its center with old houses is one of the biggest in Denmark. The center includes the only preserved Danish monastery "Sankt Mariæ Kirke og Kloster"
  • Kronborg castle in Elsinore. The setting of Hamlet. A trip to Elsinore (Helsingør in Danish) is easely combined with a visit at the above-mentioned Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. Elsinore is just three additional stops from Humlebæk on the trainline from Copenhagen.
  • Flakfortet [68]. Artificial island and sea fortress. Has a restaurant, and beds. Get there by ferry from Nyhavn or sail there by yourself.
Middelgrunden
Middelgrunden
  • Middelgrundsfortet [69] Sea fortress. The worlds largest artificial island. Has a restaurant and a hotel.
Trekroner
Trekroner

  • Sporvejsmuseet Skjoldnæsholm [70], Skjoldenæsvej 107 4174 Jystrup. Tram museum located in a beautiful area. The old trams are restored and kept running by volunteers. You can go on trams into the woods around Skjoldnæsholm. Good place for a picnic.
Routes through Copenhagen
KoldingKøge W noframe E MalmöGöteborg
HelsingørVedbæk N noframe S KøgeLübeck
HelsingørVedbæk N noframe S KøgeBerlin


Credits to Stefan Ertmann. Based on work by Frederick Ross and Lorne, Wikitravel user(s) ChubbyWimbus, Spircle and Edmontonenthusiast, Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel and others.

Print this post Labels:

11 Comments:

Comment by Tagaytay Catering on 16/09/2010, 05:42

This were some unforgettable pictures of sceneries. Looking forward to go or visit beautiful places like this.
Thanks for the information. Very informative post.

Comment by Ally on 16/09/2010, 08:50

First of all, great information. I'm planning on going to Europe next summer and this will help me plan my trip. I have a question that, hopefully, you can answer for me. I'm planning on backpacking through Europe. What do I do with my backpack if I want to go to a museum? I'm assuming they don't allow backpacks into museums or stores as it would be easy for someone to steal something. So what do you do with your backpack? I'm looking forward to your response. Thanks!

Comment by Appartamenti Opatija on 07/04/2011, 09:55

The information on racism is good.....

Comment by Apartments Croatia on 11/04/2011, 03:37

Finding countries in drop down menu is very useful....

Comment by Opatija Apartment on 13/04/2011, 04:16

The rent apartment information is very useful....

Comment by Appartement Croatie on 18/04/2011, 04:24

The way you designed this blog is really superb!!!!

Comment by Apartman Opatija on 20/04/2011, 05:18

Beautiful rent apartment..........

Comment by Micle Jhonson on 29/04/2011, 07:24

I have some questions about Copenhagen a couple things I’m reading in the post. What to do Copenhagen.? Thanks!

Comment by Appartamenti Isola Pag on 10/05/2011, 06:20

Thanks for sharing the information on Copenhagen...

Comment by Apartmani Opatija on 28/05/2011, 11:35

beautiful pictures!!!

Comment by Norman on 10/09/2011, 21:28

Great information. Many people have images in their mind about what they are going to see, without actually planning ahead. If an English speaker were planning a trip to various European countries, which European language would you recommend they learn the basics of? My guess would be French as the most broadly used, but I might be wrong. Thoughts?

Post a Comment

Your comment will be reviewed. Only comments with no outrageous content and with no spam will be published. Thank you for your comprehension.