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Denmark
If you liked Rosenborg Palace in Copenhagen you'll like Frederiksborg even more because it's in the same Danish Renaissance style (toy soldier castle) but even bigger. Like most royal things in Denmark it was originally built for Christian IV (about the time of our Charles I) but suffered a disastrous fire in the 19th century. It was then restored to its original appearance by the brewing family of Jacobsen (of Carlsberg fame) and since then has been the Danish Museum of National History.
Its interiors are magnificent and show a range of works of art, including the national portrait collection. Beautiful gardens outside.
Hillerod, a short train and bus ride from Copenhagen. S-tog lines A or E. Buses nos 701 or 702 from Hillerod station. www.frederiksborgmuseet.dk
Roskilde was once the capital of Denmark, and the beautiful cathedral there (a World Heritage site) contains 38 royal tombs, including that of Harald Bluetooth.
The fjord is a short walk down the hill and has an extensive museum and boatbuilding yard where traditional Viking longships are made and sailed before your very eyes.
When I visited the place it was swarming with tiny children all done up in lifejackets enthusiastically climbing aboard these craft and setting sail, under expert supervision. The Vikings are evidently still keen.
Roskilde town, a short train ride from Copenhagen central station. Then walk to the cathedral and fjord.
Have a day trip to the beautiful, cosy fishermen’s village on the southeast coast of Amager island.
Have a glass or two of firewater (akvavit) chased with Danish beer accompanied by various herring (sild) specialities, and ponder about the long forgotten (in other words never forgotten) Danish domination over the southern tip of Sweden across the Sound. You will not regret it.
Old fashioned amusement park and zoo right in the city centre.
Great old wooden roller coaster and plenty of stalls serving Tuborg, Carlsberg and Pølsekorv (the best hotdogs this side of Manhattan).
A child friendly hostel - 10 minutes walk from Bella Center metro stop. My son and I stayed for four days last summer. There are places to play outside and a really good breakfast for 15 Krona.
It costs 95 Krona for IYHA/YHA members and 125 Krona for non members.
Bella Center metro - 15 minutes from the centre of Copenhagen.
Real women, real food, real camping.
Europe's oldest feminist women's camp, founded in the 1970s, hosts an English-speaking International week each year: in 2006 this is August 5-12. Predominantly lesbian, up to 80 women from Europe and beyond meet for a week of workshops, watersports and outdoor life. The camp is between cornfields and the sea on a small island off Lolland, Denmark. All ages, from late teens to 60+ - the average age is 40-something. Paradise for kids (girls of all ages, boys up to 12). Honesty bar, fancy-dress parties, sauna on the beach, stargazing. Reconnect with feminism, recharge your soul, change your life.
Communal cooking (including for vegans and vegetarians), and communal cleaning and camp management.
Prebooking essential: cost £160 per week, food and camping included, for adult women: lower costs for young women (under 21), students, unwaged.
Cheap flights to Copenhagen with SAS and Easyjet: Saturday bus to camp (bookable in advance) from Copenhagen.
Full details on the homepage www.kvindelejren.dk
Great, free collection of plants from all over the world. If you are fed up with the relentless drinking of lager and trips to the Tivoli Gardens, try this. Perfect for a family and great for a simply relaxing couple of hours without having to spend vast amounts of money.
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
In the winter many squares are transformed into skating rinks - in the good-old fashioned sense. Lazy circles, rosy cheeks, laughing kids.
Two of the best bets are the Kongens Nytorv in the centre of town and Frederiksberg Gardens.
It's free, but skate rental will set you back 40 kroner or so.
Kongens Nytorv - city centre.
Frederiksberg Gardens - ten minute bike ride from the central station.
Traditionally a summer pursuit, the world-famous Tivoli now opens from mid-November until after Christmas.
A veritable winter wonderland. Don't miss it if you're in town at that time of year.
Tivoli is between the central station and Town Hall Square.
www.tivoli.dk
Hemingway, upon recieving his Nobel Prize, admitted that the lady should have won. Karen Blixen. Out of Africa.
Visit her home and grounds north of Copenhagen.
It's a lovely, personal museum in honour of a much-loved writer and personality.
Combine it with a trip to Louisiana and Kronborg (Hamlet's castle). They're all on the same rail line.
www.karen-blixen.dk/engelsk/default.html
You've read the play, now see the castle! This was Hamlet's gaff and even though it's not the same castle it's still cool to go home and say you saw Hamlet's castle, isn't it? 200,000 people a year think so. A lovely day trip with the train along the north coast. Combine it with a visit to the world-renowned art gallery Louisiana.
Elsinore is Helsingør in Danish and it's a good 45 min. north of Copenhagen on the train. But the views are great - from the train and the castle.
Sticks n Sushi is a local chain that has the concept well under control. Stylish, Euro-Japanese and trendy. They have four restaurants and they're all cool and good. They have a super kids menu that puts sushi into reach of the up and comers.
Both restaurant and take away.
In Vesterbro - Istedgade 62.
In the City - Nansensgade 47.
For the other locations check their website:
www.sushi.dk
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
Copenhagen’s City Museum is a cosy place, much like the city it represents. It gives you a great impression of the city’s 1000 year evolution from fishing village to thriving European capital.
Kids love the huge model of the city in the old days and there is something for everyone inside. The building itself – former home of the Royal Shooting Club – is impressive. Check out the little Søren Kierkegaard exhibition.
20 kroner for adults, kids under 14 free.
Open 10-16. Closed Tuesdays.
Vesterbrogade 59 – five minutes from the Central Station.
www.bymuseum.dk/uk/default.asp
Zoos are zoos are zoos but Copenhagen Zoo is a great getaway for the family and it is unique in that it is located very close to town. A simple bus or bike ride from Central Station.
Built in 1859, the Zoo has evolved well. The petting zoo is super for kids and Sir Norman Foster has designed the coming Elephant House.
The Zoo is open 365 days a year!
Copenhagen Zoo
Roskildevej 32
www.zoo.dk
Many of the suggestions on this page are child-friendly. Nevertheless it’s worth mentioning that Copenhagen has more than 60 museums. Everything from the National Museum to smaller-scale ventures like the Danish School Museum and the Museum of Customs and Taxes.
If I mine the pits of my personal experience I’ll always recommend the Royal Danish Arsenal Museum. Soldiers and sailors, cannons and guns. They put a lot of effort into events that kids love. Demonstrating how cannons work or jousting knights or naval fighting techniques. Very child-friendly.
Called Tøjhusmuseet in Danish, the museum is located on Tøjhusgade, which is right next to Christiansborg castle, which houses the Danish parliament.
Tøjhusgade 3
Tel: (+45) 33 11 60 37
www.thm.dk/intro/eng_ny.htm
Price: Adults 40 kroner. Kids 0-15 get in free.
Walt Disney was so fond of Tivoli Gardens that he was inspired to build Disneyland. That’s where the similarities end. Tivoli is a must see, if not for the modern rides then for an understanding of the down-to-earth Danish mentality. Don’t expect an amusement park experience. Get ready to wander lazily about soaking up the quaintness of it all and it's simple pleasures: a cold glass of beer; feeding the fish in the lake; a bite to eat.
Sure, have a go on the gut-wrenching Demon rollercoaster or one of the other new rides, but remember to take a spin on the rickety old Odin Express rollercoaster or the little Ferris wheel.
All within earshot of the bells from the town hall. It’s a quintessential Danish experience.
Located between the Central Station and the Town Hall Square.
tivoli.dk/
Do you experience withdrawal symptoms when travelling? Need an injection of football? Check out Denmark's best team in action at the National Stadium - Parken. Home matches every other week. You can get a ticket for a tenner.
In Danish: fck.dk/
National Stadium is in Østerbro:
www.parken.dk/script/site/page.asp?artid=146
The planetarium is great for kids and families. Centrally located and with kid-friendly exhibits from galaxies far, far away.
They also have an IMAX cinema.
Gammel Kongevej 10
Five minutes walk from the Central Station.
Tel: (+45) 33 12 12 24
www.tycho.dk/in_english/
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