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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
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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 RĂ„dhus steps â 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: 140â250dkk. 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 35â50 dkk and soft drinks 25dkk.
Entertainment. Cinema 90â100dkk; Royal Danish Opera tickets 125â895dkk; nightclub entry 70â350dkk; 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 ÂŁ100. Norwegian Air (www.norwegian.com) has similar flights for around ÂŁ140.
Business hours
Shops are generally open MonâThu 9.30/10amâ5.30pm, Fri 9.30/10amâ6/7pm; Sat 10amâ4pm; Sun noonâ4pm. 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 MonâFri 9.30amâ4pm; 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 6amâ10pm and Forex at HovedbĂ„negard is open 8amâ9pm.
Office hours are usually MonâFri 9amâ4/4.30pm.
Waterside Copenhagen in winter
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Children
Copenhagen is peaceful and safe, with plenty of sights and activities to keep kids amused. Most museums have excellent childrenâs sections, and generally donât charge for under-18s; other attractions offer reduced rates. Highchairs and child-sized portions are widely available in cafĂ©s 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 worldâs oldest funfair, Bakken (www.bakken.dk; AprâAug), 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 minutesâ 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 BlÄ Planet)
Northern Europeâs largest aquarium (Danmarks Akvarium; Jacob Fortlingsvej 1; www.denblaaplanet.dk; Mon 10amâ9pm, TueâSun 10amâ6pm; 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 BlĂ„ 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, DecemberâFebruary, 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.
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