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.

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Lovely city, Copenhagen - lived there for thirteen years, but DON'T visit for 'just a weekend'. Unless things have changed a lot, there is a tendency for everything to close at 12:00 Saturday and not re-open until Monday morning.

Tourist centres in the summer are allowed longer opening hours, but a wet and cold Sunday in the capital can be a dismal experience.

And don't forget that the Danes eat VERY early in the evening, you will find it hard to find a restaurant where the kitchen is open after 22:00 - be prepared to eat dinner no later than 20:00, if you want to eat at all (however, drinking goes on until dawn, if you know the all night bars and that is your thing).

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New boutique selling only Danish designers. The department stores and even some other boutiques tend to sell international brands. This is a small and interesting selection of local designers for women's clothing.

Not far off Stroget on Klosterstrade

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A splendid new coffee bar in the dynamic Vesterbro neighbourhood. Translated as "Black Coffee & Vinyl" this tiny coffee bar sells quality java to rival anywhere else as well as doubling as a record shop featuring sleazy-listening, moog-pop, electrotrash and acid-folk on vinyl.

It don't get much groovier than this, baby.

Skydebanegade 4, Vesterbro, Copenhagen, right by Istedgade, the main strip in the Vesterbro neighbourhood;
Open: Tues-Thurs 8am-6pm, Fri. 8am-7pm and Sat/Sun 11am-7pm

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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

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Right on the Town Hall Square you'll find Politiken Boghandel (Bookshop). They have the largest selection of English books in town.

Town Hall Square. Look for the Politiken building - it's a national newspaper - and you'll find the bookshop on the ground floor.

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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.

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The main newsstand in the Central Station is the best place to buy the papers. They're usually on the racks in the late morning.

In addition, this newsstand has the best selection of papers from across Europe as well as magazines.

Central Station.
When entering through the main entrance, the newsstand is on the left across from McDonalds.

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A stone's throw from the town hall square, the Danish Design Centre showcases all that is hot in Danish design. There's always an exhibition on and their shop is guaranteed to tickle your fancy with its wealth of cutting edge design wares.

Entree: 40 kroner (20 for students)
H.C. Andersens Boulevard 27. Just south of the Town Hall.
Tel +45 3369 3369
www.ddc.dk/

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Vesterbro is a dynamic, youthful neighbourhood well worth a visit. Istedgade is the main street to wander down. By the central station there are sex shops, tourist hotels and a mini Chinatown, but continue on and soon lively middle-eastern green grocers, trendy boutiques and wonderful cafes appear.

A high concentration of great and varied restaurants, fantastic coffee places and an invaluable insight into the daily life of Copenhageners are to be found in this old working class neighbourhood.

To the left of the Central Station on the map. Walk up Istedgade to Enghave Plads (square). At an amble it'll take a relaxing 30 minutes.

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The best place to shop for antiques is just across The Lakes from the city centre where over 30 antique dealers are gathered in one street - Ravnsborggade. All independent and varied but conveniently located side by side. A nice walk - whether you're window shopping or looking for hardcore bargains on 'old things'.

Start at the corner of Nørrebrogade and Ravnsborggade. Just across Dronning Louise's Bridge. Check this website for more info (click on the Union Jack for UK version): www.ravnsborggade.dk/

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Great area for bars, places to eat and small fashion stores. Good place to meet young people in Cph.

Nørrebro

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Kitsch ‘Made in China’ copies of The Little Mermaid and tin soldiers. Oh, and those plastic helmets with Viking horns. Oh, and anything to do with Hans Christian Andersen. This is the year of the bicentenary of his birth so you’ll do well to avoid the Hans Christian Andersen wine/ cookies/dolls/badly-translated books of his fairytales/etc.

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Funky, radical designer items that cause your friends to say, ‘Didn’t know they could do THAT with a corkscrew/lamp/cheese slicer?!’ A good stop is at Illums Bolighus on Amagertorv. Danish design at its best.

And why don’t you take the ultra right-wing politicians from the Danish Folkeparti with you when you go. Their xenophobia is getting on a lot of people's nerves. No, don’t send them back. Keep them.

Illums Bolighus
Amagertorv 10
www.royalshopping.com/

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Lagkegehuset is a fantastic bakery in Christianshavn, 10 minutes walk from the centre. This part of town is really much nicer that the touristy centre, so if you want a feel of the real Copenhagen, go there.

The breads-cakes are extremely good and they use mainly organic ingredients. The stone-oven-baked ciabatta is soft, even after five days. The staff are friendly and they serve coffee which you can drink seated on bar-stools facing the canal through the big, opening windows.

Torvegade 45, Copenhagen; tel +45 3257 3607;
www.lagkagehuset.dk/ (only in Danish)

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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).

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If you're interested in design you must visit one of the best home interiors shops in Europe, Illums Bolighus, on the pedestrian steet, Stroget. This is a must-see place for upmarket Scandinavian design spread over four floors. Best of all go during the twice yearly sales in January and August. The rugs are a good buy. From November, the Christmas shop has many things you will find hard to resist.

www.royalshopping.com/

Address Central Copenhagen
Amagertorv 6-10 | DK-1160 Copenhagen K | Denmark | CVR 26 57 33 94
Metro: Kongens Nytorv

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Eight designers have opened up their workshop to include a groovy boutique. Modern design in every form; jewelry, furniture, clothes, ceramics, glass, metal, you name it.

Keep your finger on the pulse by visiting. Chat with the designers who on location. Cool.

Bus 6A from the Central Station.
Vesterbrogade 137
Tel: (+45) 33 24 94 93
www.dzoo.dk/

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