Copenhagen

From MyVacationsTo

Copenhagen (Danish: København; [1]) is the capital of Denmark, on the island of Zealand (Danish: Sjælland).

Contents 1 Districts 2 Understand 2.1 Tipping 3 Get in 3.1 By plane 3.2 By train and bus 3.3 By boat 3.4 By yacht 4 Get around 4.1 S-Tog and Metro map 4.2 Tickets and the zone system 4.3 By S-Tog 4.4 By Metro 4.5 By bicycle 4.6 Taxi 4.7 Boat (in the harbour area) 5 See 6 Do 6.1 Annual events 7 Learn 8 Buy 9 Eat 9.1 Brunch 9.2 Franchises 9.3 On a budget 10 Restaurant 11 Drink 12 Sleep 12.1 Budget 12.2 Mid-range 12.3 Splurge 13 Contact 14 Stay safe 15 Get out

[edit] Districts

• 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 beautiful area notable for its many canals. The Freetown of Christiania is situated in the northern part of Christianshavn.
• Kastellet. One of the best preserved fortifications of its time in Europe - a witness that Copenhagen was for many years a heavily fortified city.
• Holmen. North of Christianshavn, this area was until recently occupied by the military, but is now home to a lot of creative educational institutions as well as Copenhagen's new Opera House.
• 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 surrrounded 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.
• North West, NV. A traditional and still quite worn down working class neighbourhood.

[edit] Understand

Copenhagen is one of Europe's most enjoyable cities. Situated on 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.

[edit] Tipping

Tipping in Denmark is included in the salaries of professionals. Thus tipping, while obviously greatly appreciated, is not required. So feel free to tip from your heart, rewarding those you feel deserve it and ignore the rest without shame.

[edit] Get in

[edit] By plane

Copenhagen's Kastrup Airport (CPH) is the main hub of Scandinavia's largest carrier SAS Scandinavian and 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 for SAS 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, but it appears that not too many people make use of them.

A number of low-cost carriers also fly to the airport. EasyJet serve Copenhagen from London Stansted and Berlin Schönefeld. Sterling and Snowflake (SAS's budget brand) connect Copenhagen with many cities in Europe and beyond. Air Berlin flies direct to Dusseldorf and Berlin. Norwegian offers budget flights to Oslo and Warsaw.

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. On its own this costs DKK 28,50. A yellow strip card worth ten such tickets costs DKK 160. The stip card must be validated before boarding the train, by clipping it one time (per person) with the yellow box on the platform.

Consider Sturup Airport in Malmö, Sweden as well - it's 40 minutes by bus from central Malmö, from there 30 minutes by train to Copenhagen Central Station. Or use the direct Bus 737 (DKK 100, 50 minutes). Ryanair fly from London (Stansted) and Dublin, Wizzair from Warsaw and Budapest.

[edit] By train and bus

All buses and trains stop at Central Station, the main transport hub. There are hourly trains from major cities such as Odense and Aarhus via the Storebælt Bridge.

The easiest and fastest way to get in from Sweden is to cross the Øresund Bridge via Malmö, a journey of only 30 minutes.

Gråhundbus (DKK 60, DKK 100 same day return), Swebus Express, and Säfflebussen have routes to Malmö and Sweden. To Malmö the buses take longer but are cheaper than the train, especially for daytrips.

Travel by train has been prioritized politically, therefore Copenhagen still lacks an international bus terminal. Most international busses stop somewhere around the Central Station, but be sure to check the exact location when you buy your ticket.

There are about half a dozen daily trains to Hamburg and Lübeck in Germany via Rødby-Puttgarden (train ferry).

[edit] By boat

Ferries ply between Copenhagen Port and Oslo (16hr) and Swinouzcie (Poland).

[edit] By yacht

Copenhagen has several marinas. The biggest is Svanemøllehavnen. There are no designated visitor berths but it is almost always possible to find one with a green sign. Daily charge: 75-120 DKK.

[edit] Get around

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

[edit] S-Tog and Metro map

The backbone of transportation in Copenhagen is the S-Tog regional train system, along with two metro lines (M1 and M2). Buses travel to most destinations around the city and connects the S-train lines outside Copenhagen. A-buses (marked with a red front) runs very frequently. S-buses (with a blue front) have a limited number of stops. At night the N-buses runs a limited schedule.

[edit] 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 will cost you DKK 19, and can be purchased from ticket offices, vending machines and bus drivers. It will allow you to travel around Copenhagen proper for an hour. You can switch freely between all trains, metro and busses within this hour. Travelling to outside of the center of the city will cost more than two zones.

Travelling with N-buses or with Metro at night (between 01-05 am) will cost you twice the normal price. Thus four zones is needed if the trip is two-zoned at daytime.

A ten-trip klippekort will give you a discount of around 40%, and you can also purchase a day pass starting at DKK 90. Alternatively, buy a Copenhagen Card, 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 - these are bought in tickets offices or in kiosks. The fine for travelling without a valid ticket is DKK 600.

[edit] By S-Tog

S-tog runs from the early morning to around midnight. The train frequency will be at least three departures an hour, but during the peak hours it will run much more often than that.

The S-tog is normally fairly reliable - 9 out of 10 trains runs without delays. However, in these years a lot of maintainance is taken place, especially during evenings and weekends, and the regular timetables could be changed. If timeliness is critical, ask at the station or plan with double the announced travel time. Pay attention to the signs, screens and loudspeaker announcements. These will mostly be in Danish, but fellow travellers will probably be helpful if asked.

[edit] By Metro

The metro in Copenhagen is new, clean, fast and efficient, but has a limited number of stations. The route and time table is available here

[edit] 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.

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 mean of transport, but also of his 20DKK coin.

The city bikes are not the most comfortable bikes in the world 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 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 on its wheels.

As an alternative to the city bikes some hotels and some bicycle shops also lend out normal bikes (thus far more comfortable than city-bikes). One of those bicycle shops 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.

[edit] Taxi

Taxis are abundant throughout the city, 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 crucial traffic junctures throughout the city, there are special taxi areas, where taxis hold in line to pick up customers.

Greater Copenhagen Taxi Companies

• Amager-Øbro Taxi (Central Copenhagen) +45 32 51 51 51
• Autolux A/S (Limo service) +45 33 11 22 21
• Dam's Limousine & Minibusser (Limo and mini-bus service) +45 32 95 22 21
• Ballerup-Værløse-Herlev Taxa (Northwestern suburbs)+45 44 85 35 35
• 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
• Taxa Selandia (Greve-Solrød) +45 70 10 66 66
• Taxa Selandia (Køge) +45 56 65 35 35
• Taxinord (Northern Suburbs) +45 45 83 83 83
• Vest-Taxa (Western Suburbs)+45 43 45 45 45

[edit] Boat (in the harbour area)

You can get a one day ticket for the harbour tour, then hop on and off all day. A great way to se the fortress 'Trekroner', Christiania and the old city. See http://www.canaltours.dk/DCT/EN/Waterbus/

[edit] See

There is free entrance to most museums once a week, mainly on Wednesdays.

• Amalienborg Palace [2] (home of the royal family). You can't get in but can watch it from the outside. Changing of the guards each day at noon. (Marches from Rosenborg Castle barracks).
• Assistant Cemetery (Assistens Kirkegård) in Norrebro with graves of many notable Danes, among others H.C.Andersen, Martin Andersen Nexø, Peter von Scholten, Søren Kierkegaard, H. C. Ørsted, NHøP and Niels Bohr.
• Bakkehus Museum (Bakkehusmuseet), a cultural history museum about the Danish Golden Age of Literature and four of its most prominent figures: Kamma Rahbek, Knud Lyne Rahbek, Adam Oehlenschläger [3]], dating back to the 1620's.
• Barbie Doll Museum [4], North-West, private collection of Barbie dolls from 1959 and on. The museum is only open by appointment with the owner, Lene Darlie Pedersen, who will also act as a guide. For appointment, call +45 38 10 30 23.
• Botanic Garden with its Palm House. [5] (at Nørreport Station) Free entrance
• Carlsberg Brewery [6]. Guided tours are offered twice every weekday (11AM and 2PM). Take Bus No. 6 west from City Hall Square. The brewery is protected by two giant elephants at the gate. Entry fee is 40 DKK (25 for students) and you get to sample some of the products.
• Christiania [7], the world famous commune known as the free city in Christianshavn. The inhabitors arrange guided tours themselves. Mail [8] or fax +45 32 57 60 05 for further info. Or show up during the summer season (26/6-31/8) at 15.00 at the main gate.
• Cisternerne - Museum of Modern Glass Art, opposite the zoo in Frederiksberg. The museum is established in old water cisterns. Hence the name. Entry fee is 40 DKK (30 for students)
• Copenhagen Zoo [9], Frederiksberg.
• The Little Mermaid, near Kastellet. The famous statue by Edvard Eriksen holds true to her name; she is only about 1.25 m (3.3 ft) high.
• Museum Erotica [10], museum about sex, eroticism and pornography. Entry fee 49 DKK
• The Museum of Copenhagen [11], Vesterbro, museum about Copenhagen's history. Entry fee 20 DKK
• National Gallery (Statens Museum for Kunst) [12] (near Nørreport Station) - all standard exhibitions free.
• The National Museum near the Parliament [13]. Free entrance.
• Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek [14] - one of the foremost collections in Europe of ancient, medieval and modern art. Entry fee 50 DKK
• Rosenborg Castle and Treasury [15] limited access due to renovation works until April 2008, entry fee 50 DKK
• Slotsholmen [16] with a small cluster of museums and sights, such as Christiansborg Palace and the ruins underneath dating back to the 12th century, The Danish Jewish Museum [17], The Theatre Museum [18], Thorvaldsens Museum [19], The Royal Danish Arsenal Museum [20] and finally The Black Diamond [21] (main site of the Royal Danish Library) with the Museum of Danish Cartoon Art and the National Museum of Photography - click here [22] for a pdf-map of Slotsholmen.
• Christiansborg Palace also house the Danish parliament (folketinget), where you can get a free guided tour. Tours in english is usually around 2 pm.
• Sømods Bolcher [23], see candy being produced in the old-fashioned handmade tradition. A hit with the kids.
• The Workers' Museum (Arbejdermuseet) [24], museum about the working class and its history. Entry fee 50 DKK (40 for students)

[edit] Do

• Climb the 400 steps to the top of the spire of Vor Frelsers Kirke [25] in Christianshavn for panoramic views of Copenhagen. The church is under restoration until late 2008, so the tower is closed for the moment.

• Visit the Round Tower [26], where you can have a nice 360 degrees view of Copenhagen after walking up its spiral ramp.

• See a play in the Royal Theater [27], or the new Opera (opened January 2005)

• Tivoli [28], (Vesterbrogade 3), the world famous theme park in central Copenhagen. Entry 75 DKK (40 DKK children up to 11 years old) (discounts available for groups), open 11-23 daily (longer on weekends). Main season is medio april-ultimo september. From medio november-ultimo december there is Christmas in Tivoli. In 2006 there will also be Halloween in Tivoli from 13.-22. October. Tivoli is especially beautiful at night when coloured lamps light up everywhere. Pop/rock concerts every Friday night, sometimes with internationally known names. (Be early). Some evenings end with fireworks, consult the program. Also brass bands, pantomime theater etc. on the program.
• Niels Bohr Institute [29]. If you are a physicist or just interested in physics, come to the Institute and see the room of Niels Bohr with photos of the staff of the institute when he was the head of it, a model of the famous thought experiment weighing the clock, the archive, the photos of all the famous people who were developing the quantum theory during the so-called "golden age of physics, when even small people could do big things" and also the modern part of the institute. The people at the archive are wiling to show the institute to other people, if they are not too busy, but you should make an appointment in advance.

• Go on a harbour tour Canal tours, Netto Boats
• Fælledparken [30]. Located in Østerbro a few km north of the city centre, this large expanse of grass offers the perfect opportunity for a laid-back summers afternoon and evening - when weather permits! Buy a disposable grill, bread, meat and beer, and bring a frisbee, football or similar. Eat and play - there are playgrounds for the children. Be kind to the grass when placing the grill. Ørstedsparken is another park nearer to the center of the city, smaller and very pretty with a lake, two playgrounds and a cafe open during the summertime near the entrance from Ahlefeldtsgade/ Nørre Farimagsgade. It has a reputation for being a place where male homosexuals meet at night time.

• Fri film [31] Every summer a number of quality movies are played at night in open air at parks in Copenhagen. Entrance is free. Beer and popcorn are sold.

• Beaches at Charlottenlund Fort, Charlottenlund and the re-builded Amager Strandpark (The Lagoon), metro Lergravsparken. Amager Strandpark opened in the summer of 2005 after being rebuilt for a price of £20 million.

Or take a swim at the very popular designated swimming areas in the clean water of the Copenhagen harbour. But beware: it is very popular among the Danish people.

• DGI Byen [32] - a leisure centre and excellent swimming pool near the central railway station.

[edit] Annual events

• Copenhagen Jazzfestival, [33] Tel: +45 33932013, email: info@jazzfestival.dk. Held in early July, 10 days of jazz everywhere in Copenhagen. In parks, cafes, clubs, theaters etc.
• Culture Night (Kulturnatten) [34] The last Friday before the school holiday in week 42 (mid-October). 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.

[edit] Learn

• The Experimentarium [35] - an exposé of science and technology where you can play or watch electric, acoustic, physiological etc phenomenons. Enjoyable for most people, from youth to adults.

• The Tycho Brahe Planetarium [36] Gl. Kongevej 10, tickets: 33121224. The planetarium is also an OmniMax theatre.

[edit] Buy

Check out Strøget, 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, 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.

[edit] Eat

• Have a beer, or some herring, in the popular cafes along Nyhavn.

• Try one of the many lunch restaurants. They serve tasty Danish food at reasonable prices. DKK 150-200 will get you a couple of dishes, wine or beer, and coffee. They are typically open from noon to 6 p.m., so go early for lunch or later if you plan to have a light dinner. Especially in December you should book well in advance.

• Buy a tasty sausage or hot dog at one of the many sausage stands (pølsevogn, pl. pølsevogne in Danish).

[edit] 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, [37], [38]. 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.

• Cafe Sommersko, Kronprinsensgade 6, 1114 Copenhagen K, [39], in the center of Copenhagen has two brunch menus. "The big brunch" is english-like for 115 DKK and with no drinks included.

[edit] Franchises

• Taco Shop [40] Mexican food, mostly take-away but has a few tables if you want to eat there. Located on Østerbro, Frederiksberg, and Indre By.

[edit] On a budget

• There are several mediterranean-style buffet restaurants dotted around the inner city. Riz Raz [41] is popular, with three locations and a huge vegetarian buffet for 70 kr. (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. Ankara on Krystalgade offers a buffet which includes meat as well as salads.

• Bakeries in Copenhagen are numerous and excellent. Many offer ready-made sandwiches (around 35 kr) as well as coffee, bread rolls, and cakes (expect to pay 8-10 kr for Danish pastry, here known as 'Wienerbrød'), and several have at least limited counter seating.

• You are never very far from your nearest shawarma/kebab/felafel joint in Copenhagen. The busy outlets on and around Strøget serve kebabs, salads and fries at good prices and lightning speed.

• Taco Shop [42] Mexican food, mostly take-away but has a few tables if you want to eat there. Located on Østerbro, Frederiksberg, and Indre By.

• Many shops sell a traditional Danish open-faced sandwich called smørrebrød (literally, buttered bread). The 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.

• Every few blocks you will likely find a 7-11. These convenience stores carry a number of sandwiches, including the popular fransk hotdogs (French hot dogs), a hot dog inserted into a hollowed-out halved baguette and served with ketchup, mustard, or a mayonnaise-based fransk hotdog sauce (the latter being the most common). Occasionally, 7-11 will have promotional discounts on certain sandwiches, but be warned – these discount are most often only valid between 10 in the morning and 10 in the evening.

• 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.

[edit] Restaurant

• Ristorante Al Dente, Jagtvej 7, 2200 København N, 38 19 17 40, www.ristorante-aldente.dk. Away from the Copenhagen center at the noisy street Jagtvej is the Italian inspired restaurant. A good restaurant for its medium price range. Small room.

[edit] Drink

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 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 light pilsner, and then a slightly redder Special or Classic. Some might also offer wheat or dark beer. A large beer costs 40 DKK or so most places in central Copenhagen, but some places on charge DKK 20 or so. 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, though), so buy a beer, sit on a park bench 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.

[edit] Sleep

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

[edit] Budget

• Sleep in Heaven Hostel [43] with beds starting from 130 DKK in dorms, right around the corner from Tjili Pop - a local jazz bar. Extremely spartan conditions!
• Hotel Nebo Istedgade 6. A two star hotel run by a Christian charity, Nebo offers single, double, and family rooms, free internet, and breakfast included. 800-2000DKK.
• Hotel Jorgensen Romersgade 11. Hostel. Full Scandinavian breakfast included. DKK 382 per bed/ DKK 400 for the one available 2 bed room.
• Cab Inn [44] has 2 hotels in Copenhagen. One is just a short walk away from Tivoli and Kobenhavn H and the other is at Frederiksberg. Rooms go from 71 Euro (single) to 103 Euro (triples). The rooms are quite small but a TV and private shower and toilet are included. CAB INN City is the branch close to Tivoli and is located at Mitchellsgade 14, Tel (+45) 33 46 16 16. From Kobenhavn H, go through the exit fronting the Tivoli entrance, turn right and turn left at the 2nd intersection and you'll see the hotel.
• Bed & Breakfast Company Meinungsgade 28. Tiny (3 rooms) budget B&B. DKK 500.
• The closest camping site is at Charlottenlund Fort at Charlottenlund 6 km from the center of Copenhagen.

[edit] Mid-range

[edit] Splurge

• 71 Nyhavn Hotel 71 Nyhavn. Historic waterfront hotel.
• Hilton Copenhagen Ellehammersvej 20. Five star hotel located adjacent to the airport. DKK 2000.
• Sofitel Plaza Copenhagen Bernstorffsgade 4. DKK 2000.

[edit] 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, 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]

The Tourist Information is located near Copenhagen Main Station (2m walk) and is worth a visit. The staff is 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 that is available for free at the Tourist Information.

[edit] Stay safe

Copenhagen used to be one of the safest cities in the world, however this is no longer the case. Like any metropolitan area, Copenhagen does experience crime, and recent times has seen an increase in violent crimes. However, crime against strangers is mostly of the nonviolent type, such as pickpocketing and petty theft, but one should be careful wandering around alone at night, except for in the historic centre of Copenhagen.

[edit] Get out

• 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 [45]. 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 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.
• Ordrupgaard [46] in Charlottenlund. Art museum with paintings of Monet, Renoir, Dega, Pissarro, Gauguin, Hammershøi, Philipsen, and L.A.Ring.
• Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde
• Flakfortet [47]. Artificial island and sea fortress. Has a restaurant, and beds. Get there by ferry from Nyhavn or sail there by yourself.
• Middelgrundsfortet [48] Sea fortress. The worlds largest artificial island. Has a restaurant and a hotel.
• Trekroner Sea fortress, Canal Tours stop there.
• Experimentarium Science center in Hellerup
• Arken Museum for modern art. [49] in Ishøj.
• Sporvejsmuseet Skjoldnæsholm [50], 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.
• Dyrehavsbakken [51] is another well-known amusement park north of Copenhagen. Open from late March to late August, S-train to Klampenborg.
• The Open Air Museum (da: Frilandsmuseet) at Lyngby: a big area with 45 authentic relocated historical farms, houses, and windmills.