Our guest blogger for Door2Tour, Sam Matthews, recently visited Copenhagen for the first time and shares his time in this captivating city with us. He did everything from admiring the stunning Rosenborg Castle, to getting up close and personal with some of Copenhagen Zoo’s cutest creatures. Find out more about his travels with this insider’s view of Copenhagen. If you’ve been to Copenhagen before, get in touch and let us know your experiences, we’d love to hear them!
Copenhagen is Denmark’s compact and charming capital city. It lies on Denmark’s western shore laced with beautiful canals winding between Copenhagen’s baroque architecture and modern masterpieces. The Danish populous have to be some of the most friendly and helpful people you can come into contact with (so don’t be afraid to ask for directions if you get lost!), it is also both helpful and humbling in equal measure to find that 99% of Danes speak perfect English and are always keen to practise their linguistics!
What to do?
Carlsberg Glyptoteket: The Carlsberg Glypoteket is Denmark’s national gallery, why not opt for one of the many different guided tours around this cathedral of culture? There is plenty to see including Ancient Egyptian mummies and burial chambers, an array of ancient Greek sculpture or for the more contemporary visitor the museum has regular exhibitions from the world’s premier artists.
Rosenborg Palace & Gardens: In central Copenhagen lies beautiful gardens, in the centre of which stands Rosenborg Castle which has been home to many of Denmark’s kings and queens across the century’s. The castle is fantastically preserved and there any many beautiful parts of the castle to see. Not to be missed is Queen Louise’s private salon, which is a fantastic display of Victorian culture and wealth.
Copenhagen Zoo: Copenhagen Zoo is located in the Frederiksberg district of town. It is a very open and natural space which allows you to get up close with some of nature’s greatest attractions. You can wander through the zoo’s completely open tropical bird garden or explore Denmark’s obsession with elephants in the large, multi-story elephant enclosure; or why not just enjoy have a relaxing lunch in front of Copenhagen’s very own savannah?
Strøget: Strøget is Copenhagen’s main shopping street, but unlike many of the world’s shopping mecca’s Strøget is a very relaxed and laid back place where you can enjoy a casual stroll and visit the larger shops on the main street, or amble down one of the many crossing alleys to explore Copenhagen’s smaller and quirkier outlets.
Nyhavn: Nyhavn is a street in central Copenhagen running alongside one of Copenhagen’s most scenic canals and is dotted with a multitude of small restaurants serving fresh food at reasonable prices. It is a favourite location among the locals for an evening stroll as the street has ample seating, a beautiful square to relax in and plenty of entertainment (including the occasional impromptu jazz concert!).
Getting Around
Metro: The metro system in Copenhagen must be one of the best in the world; metros travel on main lines roughly every 2 ½ minutes. The trains themselves are absolutely spotless and run without a driver allowing for a panoramic window at either end of the train (particularly good for the many over ground sections of the tracks!). On the city streets metro’s are located by spotting a futuristic glass elevator with a large M above, by using this system Copenhagen ensures that none of the cities many beautiful vistas are spoiled by the view of a train station.
City Bikes: Copenhagen is a city where the bicycle is king. It also has a system of free bicycle hire around the city. On most major streets you will be able to find large bike racks, chained to these racks are white ‘City Bikes’, you can release the bike by putting 20Kr (about £2) into a slot, cycle about this intoxicating city, and then when you’ve finished you simply find your nearest bike rack and chain the bike up again, at which point your 20kr is released back to you!