Insight Guides: Explore Copenhagen

Insight Guides

• Verlag: Insight
• ISBN:
  9781780058863
• Thema: Personal Development
• Thema: Travel

With historic buildings, boutique shops, world-class cuisine, a plethora of cultural attractions, and a laid-back ambiance, Copenhagen is one of Europe's most attractive cities. Explore Copenhagen is the latest title in this popular series from Insight and is the ideal pocket companion when discovering this exciting city: a full-colour guide containing 14 easy-to-follow routes through the city's many interesting neighbourhoods, from the Harbour Area to Rosenborg Palace and the National Gallery of Art, with excursions to Roskilde and Helsingr. Insight's trademark cultural coverage perfectly sets the routes in context, with introductions to Copenhagen's cuisine, shops and its role nightlife. The best places to eat and drink are highlighted in each route and in the directory section, which also contains a wealth of useful practical information, including a range of carefully selected hotels to suit all budgets. All routes are plotted on the useful pull-out map, and evocative photography reveals Copenhagen's unique character.

A-Z

a

Age restrictions

In Denmark, you must be 18 to purchase alcohol and drink in a bar, and 16 to buy alcohol from a shop. The minimum age for driving is 18.

Shoppers on Kobmagergade

Wonderful Copenhagen

B

Budgeting for your trip

Money-saving tips. Many museums (including the National Museum) are free, or have one day a week where admission is free. A Copenhagen Card (for more information, click here) can be good value. A free three-hour city tour leaves at 11am from the Rådhus steps – look out for the bright-green umbrella. To save money on a bus tour, hop on bus 11, which runs a circular route around the city centre for the price of a normal bus ticket. Many restaurants offer a good-value dagens ret (daily special).

Accommodation. Youth-hostel dormitory bed: 140–250dkk. For a double room without breakfast in high season, expect to pay 1,400dkk for a mid-range hotel and 2,500dkk for a high-end hotel.

Eating out. Three-course evening meal (set menu) in a mid-range restaurant: around 350dkk. Drinks: coffee 35dkk, beer 35–50 dkk and soft drinks 25dkk.

Entertainment. Cinema 90–100dkk; Royal Danish Opera tickets 125–895dkk; nightclub entry 70–350dkk; Tivoli Gardens: 8 years and older 99dkk, multi-ride pass 199dkk.

Flights. Air tickets to Copenhagen vary greatly depending on carrier, flight availability and season. Budget carrier easyJet (www.easyjet.com) has peak-season return flights from London Luton, London Stansted and London Gatwick for around £100. Norwegian Air (www.norwegian.com) has similar flights for around £140.

Business hours

Shops are generally open Mon–Thu 9.30/10am–5.30pm, Fri 9.30/10am–6/7pm; Sat 10am–4pm; Sun noon–4pm. Department stores and large supermarkets often have longer opening hours, as do the kiosks selling newspapers and tobacco.

Museums often open late one night a week (usually Wednesday) and are closed on Monday.

Banks are usually open Mon–Fri 9.30am–4pm; some until 6pm Thu. They are closed on public holidays. If you are looking to exchange money out of usual hours, Den Danske Bank at Copenhagen airport is open 6am–10pm and Forex at Hovedbånegard is open 8am–9pm.

Office hours are usually Mon–Fri 9am–4/4.30pm.

Waterside Copenhagen in winter

IStock

C

Children

Copenhagen is peaceful and safe, with plenty of sights and activities to keep kids amused. Most museums have excellent children’s sections, and generally don’t charge for under-18s; other attractions offer reduced rates. Highchairs and child-sized portions are widely available in cafés and restaurants. The local transport network in Copenhagen allows two children aged under 12 to travel free with each paying adult.

As well as central sights such as Tivoli (for more information, click here), there are several major family attractions lying just outside Copenhagen which are well worth visiting.

Bakken and Bellevue Beach

The world’s oldest funfair, Bakken (www.bakken.dk; Apr–Aug), attracts 2.5 million visitors a year during its short opening season with rides, sideshows and circus acts. A day pass costs adult/child 249/149dkk. The funfair is set in Dyrehaven, a lovely forested deer park just a short train-ride north of Copenhagen. Alight at Klampenborg, from where the park is a 10-minute walk. Another big family attraction at Klampenborg is the white-sand Bellevue Beach, two minutes’ walk from the station.

Experimentarium

The interactive science centre Experimentarium (Tuborg Havnevej 7, DK-2900 Hellerup; www.experimentarium.dk), based north of the city in Hellerup, was undergoing a big extension at the time of writing, with building work due for completion in 2015. In the meantime, Experimentarium City (for more information, click here) has been filling the gap.

National Aquarium Denmark (Den Blå Planet)

Northern Europe’s largest aquarium (Danmarks Akvarium; Jacob Fortlingsvej 1; www.denblaaplanet.dk; Mon 10am–9pm, Tue–Sun 10am–6pm; charge) is located out near the airport at Amager. To get here from the city centre, take the 5A bus towards Lufthavnen, alighting at the stop Den Blå Planet, from where the aquarium is a 200-metre/yd walk; or take the metro line M2 to Kastrup, then walk 600 metres/yds down Alleen in an easterly direction.

Climate

Copenhagen is on the same latitude as Moscow and Edinburgh, but the Gulf Stream has a modifying effect on the climate, making it mild for such a northerly city. The winter months, December–February, are cold and windy and there are only five hours of daylight. February is the coldest month with an average daytime temperature of 1.9°C (35°F), August the warmest at 20.4°C (69°F). In summer there are between 16 and 18 hours of daylight on a clear day.

You can check the latest weath...