Norway
Copenhagen
Things to Do
In summer Tivoli is open and has beautiful gardens. Its just
next to train station, so is very easy to get there. Wednesday nights and
Saturday nights have fireworks. It's nice to go around sunset, and at night,
everything's all lit up and it's really pretty
There is also a castle
called Rosenborg, where Christian VI lived. Enter the castle and walk those
beautiful gardens. Copenhagen is full of these beautiful
gardens.
WALK the city, which is great and beautiful. There is a street
called Strøget or so (similar to strollingstreet) full of stores. Make sure to
enter Bodum store which is specialized on coffee makers and kitchen
stuff.
Either you are partying or not, you can't miss a beer at Nyhavn
(New haven). Take a boat tour from there!
At the city old centre get to
the Rundetårn (Round Tower) for a great view. Ceilings are very special with
spiral tops.
Take a tour to the castles, at least one of these tours. It
takes almost all day but is worth it. There is one where they take you to
Hamlet's castle.
Castle Tour of North Sealand:
- Kronborg Castle
(Hamlet's)
- Fredensborg Palace
- Frederiksborg Castle**
Everything
is so "civilized", clean and beautiful!!!
Another nice simple
place is Nyhavn just for sitting by the little boats. There is a nyhavn
webcam so you can see the houses in advance. It's more interesting and
mysterious at night.
The boat trip wasn't really that exciting, it's
much nicer to just sit by the side and watch everything go by.
Here
is a list of all the flea markets: http://www.visitcopenhagen.com/composite-1366.htm
Bring lots and lots of money as it has to be one of the most expensive
places in Europe.
Very friendly though and most of the locals speak
English.
The Central railway station in Copenghagen is worth
visiting if only for the wooden ceiling
It's expensive.. but it's worth
it
Day Trips
Take a high speed ferry across to
Malmo in Sweden from Nyhaven which takes about 45 minutes. In August they
have a week long festival in the city centre which is interesting enough.. Just
a typical Eurofest stuff.. beer tents, bands playing in the town square that
kind of thing. The Swedish Navy have a battleship in the Harbour and you could
take a tour around it. If you are planning on spending an afternoon in Malmo
remember to take your passport out with you. Nyhaven is worth a look in
itself..Nice place to have lunch on the quay.
Take the train to Arhus and
go to Legoland, it's
a blast!! It's 3-4 hours away, if I remember
correctly but easily done in a day if you get up
at a good
time.
Here is a photo of the lego Mt.Rushmore-it's
huge and all out
of lego!
Don't be scared off by the bad publicity - go and check out
Christiana (or as the locals call it, the Free State of Christiana). This place
is the major alternative centre of Copenhagen, and isn't to everyone's taste but
has a lot to offer if you want to see one way to escape from the rat-race of
modern life.
Trip Report - DC Mom
In August 2003 I
visited Denmark for three days with my daughter. We traveled to Copenhagen from
Sweden by train, arriving in late afternoon, and our first stop was the tourist
office where we found a city map and a great deal of other useful information.
From there we walked to our hotel, the Cab-Inn Scandinavia, located on
Vodroffsvej in a nice, quiet neighborhood a few blocks from the main tourist
area. The rooms were amazing - very tiny but very efficient, just like a ship’s
cabin. There was a single movable bed and bunk beds fixed to the wall, a little
desk and table that folded down from the wall, chairs that folded up for
storage, and a TV attached to the wall in a corner near the ceiling. The
bathroom was a tiny one unit shower/sink/toilet combination, and when it was
time to take a shower, we pulled the curtain around a circular track to screen
the water spray from the toilet and sink, but all the fixtures shared the same
floor. It was definitely a new experience in accommodations for us.
We
began exploring Copenhagen by walking to Radhuspladsen, the large square in
front of the city hall, and then down Strøget, Copenhagen's long pedestrian
street, and we window shopped and checked out restaurants along the way. We
finally stopped for dinner at Mama Rosa’s Cantina, an Italian/Mexican restaurant
with an eclectic menu and good food.
The next day began with the hotel's
breakfast buffet that was included in the price of the room. It was the standard
northern European buffet of breads, cereals, cold cuts, juices, coffee, and tea.
Our plan was to see as much of the central part of Copenhagen as possible, and
we started with the Ny Carlsberg
Glyptotek where we spent most of the morning looking at Etruscan and
Egyptian art, Impressionist paintings, and Rodin sculptures. The building itself
is beautiful with an atrium in the middle, and we enjoyed the art collections.
There was certainly more to see in the museum, but we decided to continue our
walk and arrived at Frederiksholms Canal where we crossed the Marble Bridge to
reach the Christiansborg area where Copenhagen was originally founded. The
center of Christiansborg is the palace where the Danish Parliament, the Prime
Minister's offices, and the Supreme Court are located. We didn't visit inside
the buildings and continued on past the very beautiful Børsen, the old stock
exchange building, with its spire depicting four entwined dragon tails. We
eventually reached Nyhavn, the picturesque canal that's one of the most famous
sights in Copenhagen with colorful restored warehouses and homes lining the
quaysides. Today most of the ground floors of the buildings are restaurants, and
it was here that we stopped for lunch at Galionen, a restaurant in a green
building with tables inside as well as outside on the quay. Our sandwiches and
roasted potatoes were excellent, and we sat for awhile just absorbing the
atmosphere.
After lunch we walked to the Marmorkirken, the marble
church whose huge dome is one of Copenhagen's landmarks. The church is
beautiful, both inside and out, and it's part of a district planned by Frederik
V in the 18th century. Amalienborg Palace, the official residence of the Queen
of Denmark, is part of the same area, and it was our next stop. The palace is
actually four identical mansions around a piazza with an equestrian statue of
Frederik V in its center. Guards dressed in traditional uniforms guard the
palace, and when the Queen is in residence, a changing of the guard ceremony
takes place daily at noon, but we learned that she usually resides in the palace
only during December - April so there was no ceremony on the day we
visited.
Our next stop was the very interesting Frihedsmuseet, a museum chronicling
the efforts of the Danish Resistance during World War II and the suffering of
the Danish people under German occupation. It was really interesting, and we
spent a good deal of time there. We talked for awhile with an elderly Danish man
who was actually part of an exhibit on how the Resistance communicated. He was
using an old Morse Code transmitter to talk to other Morse Code enthusiasts in
Europe and was happy to answer our questions about it and about life during the
occupation.
When we left the Frihedsmuseet, rain began to fall and
continued steadily for the rest of the day. We walked to Nyboder, an area of
pretty golden-colored rowhouses built in the 17th century to house Christian
IV’s naval staff. One part of Nyboder has multicolored rowhouses rather than
golden ones, and these are the oldest houses in the complex.
We walked on
toward Rosenborg Castle through the
King’s Garden. Rosenborg Castle started out as Christian IV’s summer house, but
it became his favorite residence and was expanded in the early 17th century. Its
rooms were some of the most beautiful I'd ever seen, and they contain personal
treasures the royal family collected from the reign of Frederik III, Christian
IV’s son. The castle is no longer an official royal residence, and it's been a
museum since 1833. Some of the highlights for me were the Glass Cabinet with
beautiful glassware on display and the Long Hall with its throne guarded by
three solid silver lions. In the basement of Rosenborg Castle is the Danish
treasury, including the crown jewels and the royal regalia. Security was tight
and understandably so. One security guard was inside the treasury room itself,
and two armed guards who appeared to be soldiers were outside. The size of the
rubies and sapphires was amazing, and I especially liked a set of emerald
jewels. Some of the pieces in the collection reminded me of treasures I had seen
in the Green Vault in Dresden.
From the castle we walked back toward
Strøget and turned into a side street to the Rundetaarn, an
observatory built by Christian IV. It has a wide paved spiral ramp and a narrow
spiral staircase that lead to the platform at the top of the tower. Visitors can
stop to catch their breath at the halfway point where there's a large room with
a souvenir shop. We walked all the way to the top of the tower, and fog was
setting in as we looked out over the roofs of Copenhagen.
We returned to
Strøget for some serious shopping at the Royal
Copenhagen and Holmegaard
stores - in fact, we were the last customers in Holmegaard when the sales
people asked us to please decide on our purchases because they were closing! We
bought porcelain and glass pieces for ourselves and as birthday gifts to take
home for friends and family.
By this time we were definitely ready for
dinner so we looked for a restaurant along Strøget, but nothing seemed promising
and we ended up at the very crowded Bistro Restaurant inside Central Station.
Although the restaurant was extremely busy, the service and food were very good.
From there we headed back to our hotel for the night. On our final
day in Denmark my daughter and I took a harbor cruise in Copenhagen on the Netto-Bådene boats. The embarkation
point is beside the Holmens Kirke and opposite the Børsen, the old stock
exchange building we'd seen on our first day in the city. Our guide narrated the
tour in Danish, English, and German, and along the way we passed by Nyhavn and
saw a Danish naval ship and the large ferry boats that travel the Baltic and
North Seas. The route followed the Inner Harbor out to the statue of the Little
Mermaid, Copenhagen’s most famous symbol, and then we turned back past renovated
warehouses, the Amalienborg area, and a set of sculptures made by Bosnian
artists who came to Copenhagen during Serbia’s war against Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Before the artists returned to their homeland, they created these sculptures to
thank Denmark for giving them asylum.
The cruise continued on in
Christianshavns Canal through the heart of Christianshavn. This area has kept
much of its original character with restored 18th century houses and is a
popular place to live for artists and young professionals. The multicolored
buildings were pretty, and the canal was filled with boats. The final leg of the
cruise crossed the Inner Harbor into Frederiksholms Canal past the area that was
the fish market and commercial center of Copenhagen for many centuries. After
completing the loop around the island where Christiansborg is located, our boat
ride ended where it began.
Afterward we walked to Christianshavn to see
the Vor Frelsers
Kirke, the church that's the dominant landmark of Christianshavn with a 295'
spire in copper and gold. It’s possible for visitors to climb the more than 400
steps that spiral narrower and narrower to the top. We purposely visited the
church on a Sunday to attend the worship service because large parts of it were
supposed to be in English, but it turned out that two babies were being baptized
so the usual format wasn’t followed and nearly all of the service was in Danish.
The babies were so cute, and many of their family members and friends were
there. I was a bit disappointed that nearly all the worship service was done in
Danish, but at least I had the chance to hear the organ and the
choir.
After the service was over, we walked back to our hotel to check
out and travel to Copenhagen's airport for our return to the U.S. Along the way
to the hotel we passed through the Christiansborg area where we saw horses,
carriages, and wagons in the courtyard with people dressed in period costumes.
It looked like a competition was taking place because there were people with
clipboards making notes, and the wagons and carriages were following marked
routes. One of the things I enjoy about traveling in Europe is the surprise of
coming upon events like this one.
I found Denmark and Copenhagen to be
very easy to visit, although a bit pricey. I've included this link for those who
might be interested in hostels or some of the less expensive hotels. As far as
the Danish language, if a visitor knows no Danish, it's not a problem because
English is spoken everywhere. I found the Danish people to be much like my
impressions of the Dutch - tolerant, welcoming, and very gracious. The folks who
staff the tourist office, wait staff in restaurants, ticket agents in the train
station, and the staff in our hotel were universally efficient, helpful, and
kind. Copenhagen is a cosmopolitan city, quite walkable, and packed with sights
to see - I recommend it. we saw many folks on bicycles. There are
special lanes in the city, and the terrain is relatively flat so it's easy as
well.
As far as the beautiful women, if a person is attracted to Nordic
types, both Sweden and Denmark are full of stunning examples, both male and
female . I have never seen so many good-looking people as I did in those
two countries. Eye candy ... mm mmm mmmm.
When we travel to
Europe, my daughter and I are the typical "castle and cathedral" tourists -
we've never met one we didn't like - so for our visit to Denmark, we decided to
see Roskilde Cathedral and Frederiksborg Castle in the same day. At Copenhagen's
Central Station we asked the ticket agent how to go to Roskilde and Hillerød
where Frederiksborg is located, and she explained that we needed a 24-hour
ticket for the trains and advised us to take the train to Roskilde first since
the cathedral is only open in the morning on Saturdays, then return to
Copenhagen, and finally take another train to Hillerød.
When our train
arrived, we mistakenly boarded a double-decker car in first class along with
several other travelers, and we were all asked to leave and find seats in second
class. The train cars had upper and lower seating levels, and we sat in the
upper level as we traveled to Roskilde. When we arrived, the town's Saturday
market was in full gear, and the main square was busy with shoppers.
The
bishops of Roskilde were powerful clergymen who influenced the course of Danish
history for over 300 years, and the most famous bishop, Absalon, is the person
who founded the city of Copenhagen. For several centuries Roskilde Cathedral was the
burial place of Danish monarchs, and today it's a popular site for weddings. In
fact, on the day we visited, the cathedral was closing at 11 a.m. because of a
wedding. The interior was beautiful with a magnificent golden altarpiece that
depicts the life of Christ in 21 scenes. Queen Margrethe I's white marble
sarcophagus is behind the altar. There are many side chapels containing tombs of
other kings and queens, and one of the most beautiful chapels is that of
Christian IV with a statue of the king by the famous Danish sculptor Bertel
Thorvaldsen and a ceiling of gold stars on an electric blue
background.
We returned to Copenhagen and transferred to the train to
Hillerød. This train seemed to be very new, and its interior like that of the
Roskilde train was designed in the clean, sleek Danish style with blue seats. We
traveled past beautiful homes in Copenhagen’s suburbs and were able to see a
windmill farm and the sea in the distance. We finally arrived in Hillerød and
made our way into town to the main pedestrian street. Since it was market day,
the street was very busy, and we noted large numbers of children, baby strollers
and prams, and many families with three and four children each. I don’t think
the Danes are in any danger of depopulating, based on the number of children we
saw! We bought some sandwiches for lunch in a fast food restaurant in a shopping
arcade, and then we walked to the end of the street and arrived at Frederiksborg Castle.
The castle is
one of the most majestic buildings in northern Europe and is built on three
small islands in a lake. It was a royal residence for 100 years, and monarchs
were crowned in its chapel. Like Roskilde Cathedral, today it's a popular place
for weddings. As we entered the central courtyard of the castle, we saw a
wedding party and guests who were waiting for their picture to be taken. We went
to the ticket office, and I learned that the castle chapel was closed for the
day because there were six weddings scheduled in it! I was very disappointed
because the chapel was the room I most wanted to see, but we were told it might
be possible to see it for a few minutes at 2:45 p.m. between weddings if we went
to the courtyard entrance to the chapel. We walked through the first two floors
of the castle and enjoyed seeing the incredibly beautiful rooms, especially the
ceilings. I was amazed at the intricate designs and marveled at the craftsmen
who created them. I thought this castle and Rosenborg were outstanding in the
beauty of their interiors.
Since it was almost 2:45 p.m., we went to the
courtyard where another wedding party was having its picture taken, and I
noticed tourists in the chapel windows so we asked a security guard if we could
see the chapel for a few minutes. He said yes so we went in, and I was very
happy to have the chance to visit it. It looks almost exactly the same as it did
in Christian IV’s day since it survived a fire that gutted the rest of the
castle in 1859. Because the chapel was in use for weddings during our visit, we
could only walk around the balcony and weren’t permitted on the main floor, but
I was able to get a good look at the priceless 1610 organ and its 1,000 pipes.
Next we visited the third floor of the castle and saw the Great Hall, and from
there we walked down to the courtyard where we could hear the strains of the
chapel organ as another wedding had begun.
We walked to the back of the
castle and visited the baroque gardens. Unfortunately all the pools and canals
had been drained and were being repaired, and since it was early autumn in
Denmark already, very few flowers were blooming, but from the upper terrace we
were able to look down and see the patterns made by the plants and hedges. We
returned to the central part of Hillerød and the train station and boarded the
train for our return to Copenhagen.
Our plans for the evening were to
meet my daughter's Swedish friend for dinner at Tivoli. This park is one of
the world’s oldest amusement parks, and it’s in the heart of Copenhagen between
Central Station and the city hall. It’s been described as part beer garden, part
Victorian amusement park, and part Disneyland with restaurants, beautiful
gardens, stages for live entertainment, game arcades, and carnival rides. We had
a great dinner at the Hercegovina Restaurant - the food and service were very
good, and the restaurant was atmospheric with strolling musicians. After dinner
we walked around the park which was very pretty with all the lights twinkling
and Chinese lanterns hanging from the trees. Finally and reluctantly we said
goodbye to our friend and walked back to the
hotel.
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