A guide by pennyrua
It’s touristy and it’s often chilly but you can’t beat a ride on the canal boats. They ferry tourists on a guided tour by sea around the capital and through the maze of canals. Yes, you get to see The Little Mermaid - don’t worry - although your photo will be populated by tourists on shore doing the same thing as you.
It’s a great way to get acquainted with the city and get a bit of history thrown in - in three languages. I loathe to admit it but even as a local I look forward to having guests from out of town solely because I get to take them on a refreshing canal boat ride.
All the boats depart from Nyhavn - the canal that ends at Kongens Nytorv. Most of them have a hop on - hop off system. Prices vary but count on roughly 30 kroner.
Various companies depart Nyhavn throughout the day.
www.canal-tours.dk/
I live here and recommend it for a mini break or much longer. The shops, by the way, are now open in the city until 5pm Saturday and open 10am Monday. However, during December they open each Sunday too.
Take a canal boat ride to cover many buildings and monuments quickly. Everyone is amazed at how tiny the famous Little Mermaid is.
Rosenberg Castle near the centre of town is open for tours and you can see the crown jewels. Nearby is the Round Tower, which gives a fantastic view across the city.
Avoid Tivoli in favour of the Bakken fair (30 minutes from the centre on a train). At four hundred odd years old, it is Europe's oldest funfair and has a carnival like charm that beats Tivoli's middle class appeal in my opinion. The scary ride mentioned earlier is there.
The Carlsberg factory North of the centre does free tours with two free beers at the end, or soft drinks for children. Nearby is the Experimentarium - a great afternoon of hands on experiments for children up to about fourteen and fantastic if the weather is cold and wet.
Easily the best museum in Copenhagen, bursting with history, the Royal Theatre Museum is located among the Parliament buildings behind Christian IV's Stock Exchange. Check out the opening days and hours, which are generally limited to Wednesday and Saturday afternoons because of fire risk. It also tends to be closed for periods of renovation. The last wooden theatre in Europe, the theatre (which is still in use) contains posters from Ibsen premieres as well as of more recent performances.
Here, as cool baroque music plays, you can imagine the last doomed waltz of Queen Caroline Mathilde, sister of George III of England, with her dashing lover, Count Struensee, the German-born Prime Minister and moderniser of the Danish government. They returned after their last tryst to their rooms by secret tunnels, only to be arrested in the middle of the night. Struensee was sentenced to death for lese-majeste. His right hand was chopped off before he was brutally executed. The barbarity of his death shocked the Europe of his time. Caroline, married to an elderly, mad King Frederik, bore Struensee's child. She was "deported" to North Germany, where she died of a broken heart at only 22.
Get there early to soak up the atmosphere and avoid the crowds, although only theatre aficionados seem to head for this unmissable jewel.
Tucked away in the Danish Parliament buildings.
Try the sausages from a ‘pølsevogn’ - sausage stand - on the street. Traditional Danish fast food at its greasiest. Grab a sausage on a cardboard tray, place two globs of ketchup and mustard next to it, order two pieces of bread and get dipping. These portable sausage stands are so revered as cultural institutions that long lines of cars don’t dare honk when the respective vendor is walking the stand down the streets to get to work on a city street corner.
On a street corner or city square near you
Even in a modern design utopia on the cutting edge of technological progress it’s still a treat to see marching soldiers. At the Queen’s palace, Amalienborg, the changing of the guards takes place every day at 12 noon. The whole bearskin hat, snapping of the heels thing is always enjoyable. It’s amusing to see a group of soldiers carrying loaded machine guns with an ambling policeman armed with a little pistol as their minder.
Amalienborg Palace is on Amaliegade or entrance from Toldbodgade along the harbour.
kongehuset.dk/artikel.php?dogtag=k_en_pal_ama
Every day at 12
A former hippy commune, and also former hash-market, it used to represent everything that was great about Denmark; relaxed, accepting, friendly, open...now that the government has come over all conservative, it is being systematically shut down to eventually be sold for redevelopment. Shame on you Denmark!
Still well worth a visit for the arts/crafts and cafes/concerts, as well as a peaceful stroll around the lake; very unusual and uniquely Danish. Enjoy it while you can!
Take a number 8 bus from the main station or cycle over the bridge, hang a left and you can't miss it!
From outside it's a big, impressive old building. But it's what's inside that counts.
The Town Hall is beautiful and church-like inside. Check out the Wedding Rooms - the murals on the walls are worthy of a religious building. But this is where Copenhageners get hitched in secular fashion. Show up on Saturday and witness the atmosphere in the waiting area. It's magic. Hey, why not sneak in with a large wedding party? Nobody will notice. My wife and I are still wondering who those two ladies in all our wedding photos are.
The Town Hall is, not suprisingly, located on the Town Hall Square or Rådhuspladsen.
We stayed at Avenue Hotel (Aboulevard 29), which was absolutely lovely.
It was a fair walk from the centre, but nothing too far. Nice, functional bedrooms. Lovely, comfy bar/lounge (nice food, but a choice of only two main meals). Brilliant breakfasts, lovely decor and very good staff.
You have to shop around a lot of websites to find a good hotel for a good price, it is one thing which is generally a lot more expensive than the UK.
Aboulevard 29
Think you know everything about tea? Think again. Visit the legendary AC Perch's Tea Shop and immerse yourself in scents and experiences.
It's a tiny shop and it's been there since 1835. Little has changed since then which makes it fantastic. The current owners have had it for four generations and the whole family is behind the counter on busy Saturdays. An amazing area of leaves. Don't miss it, English person!
Kronprinsessegade 5 in the heart of town.
Their webshop can ship around the world, too.
www.perchs.dk/engelsk/index.asp
No guide to Copenhagen can fail to mention Christania. For many years it has ranked as the most visited 'attraction' after Tivoli. In 1972 a group of people squatted in an unused military area just south of the city. They established a self-governing, independent community and it flourished. Many houses were built, businesses set up and even daycare institutions established.
Often called Europe’s greatest social experiment and with big names like Bob Dylan on the support list, Christiania is facing a bleak future. The right-wing government has shut down the famous Pusher Street, which sold hash and pot in colourful booths and is threatening to reclaim the area for development. Development meaning expensive flats and offices on the prime real estate.
Nevertheless, Christiania soldiers on. Great cafés, restaurants and one of the city’s hottest concert venues are to be found within her fences.
Located in the Christianshavn neighbourhood.
20 min. walk from the city.
The most beautiful art gallery I've even seen. The cafe has sea views and after a hectic day touring the city, spending the Sunday here was the perfect end to the weekend.
www.louisiana.dk/
About an hour's train ride from the central station
An old world cake and pastry teashop.
Although slightly expensive, this is the place to visit if you wish to enjoy Danish cakes and pastries, good coffee, real hot chocolate (with whipped cream) - wonderful on a cold day!
All set in a cosy set of cluttered rooms.
Skoubogade. Not far from the town hall square, this street is just next to Nytorv/Gammeltorv on 'Stroget', the walking street.
Stroget, the long pedestrianised shopping street, has some good places on it, but - rather like London's Oxford Street - has acquired too much tourist tat. The smaller streets running parallel and at angles either side are much more interesting. There are some very good antique shops in the city - concentrated around Bredegade (beyond Kongens Nytorv).
Don't bother with the Little Mermaid (pointless), Christiania (it makes the whole island pretty horrible), the Opera House (too hard to get to and you have to go to Christianshavn), Danish Architecture Centre (considering Denmark's architecture, its architecture centre is pretty limp plus it's on Christianshavn).
Don't expect any interesting galleries, there aren't any.
I wanted real Danish food and boy, did I get it! This is a cozy, family/worker restaurant with giant portions (easily enough for 2 to share) and resonably priced. I ordered frikerdeller (Danish meatballs) and was so full I could hardly move. Good value and great food.
Enghavevej 4, off the Vesterbrogade, about 15 minute walk from the train station.
The name says it all. The guardian of all things old in the name of the state. Great exhibitions, both permanent and temporary. The definitive museum for the discerning museum-goer.
Ny Vestergade 10 - A short walk from the Town Hall Square.
50 kroner for adults. Children under 16 free.
Open 10-17. Closed Mondays.
Tel: (+45) 33 13 44 11
www.nationalmuseet.dk/sw20374.asp
A fairytale castle from 1607 in the heart of town in the King's Gardens (Kongens Have). Houses the crown jewels and crown regalia in the basement and the rest is a museum telling the story of the Kings of Denmark over 300 years.
A great museum letting you get close to the exhibits.
Located in Kongens Have. 65 kroner for adults. 20 kroner for kids aged 5-14. www.rosenborgslot.dk
One of the best-kept secrets in town is the cafe atop the Post and Telegraf Museum. A stunning view of town and light, traditional Danish courses for lunch. Loads of blue-haired, sophisticated ladies, but that’s part of the charm.
Café Hovedtelegrafen
Købmagergade 37, 5th floor
Use the elevator at the back of the museum
Tel: (+45) 33 41 09 86
The main tourist information bureau is opposite the main gate of Tivoli, on the railway station side of the Town Hall square. Lots of leaflets, helpful staff - but usually a long queue. If arriving at the airport there is an information desk there which can usually help and very seldom has more than a couple of people ahead of you - it's diagonally ahead on your left as you come out of the customs end of the arrivals area.
For local (greater Copenhagen) transport info and tickets use the glass box building in the Town Hall square.Its an integrated system and the same tickets cover buses, local trains, the metro and the waterbuses.
A few brave souls refused to accept Denmark's official cooperation with the Germans and this museum is about their struggle. While the rest of the country sighed and accepted it these men acted. A moving tribute.
Located in Churchillparken near the harbour and the Little Mermaid.
www.nationalmuseet.dk/sw10155.asp
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