Categoria: Copenhagen

Copenhagen will surprise you with its contradictions: innovation and tradition, modern and ancient buildings, relaxed atmosphere and nightlife events, all in the same city. Walking through the streets of Copenhagen you’ll admire its historic buildings, its old streets, its wonderful museums and art galleries, the beautiful Tivoli Gardens and the oldest resident monarchy in the world. The Danish capital is a trembling outdoor museum, always with brand new trends about fashion, design and architecture. The way Danish people take care and respect their capital will amaze you: just think about that the harbour of Copenhagen  is so crystal-clear  that you could also take a bath! We suggest you the 10 things you to do and  see in Copenhagen to discover its charm and its irresistible attractions.

If you are looking for a hotel in Copenhagen, we suggest you to choose among those offered by Booking.com. There are about 200 hotels with prices, pictures and comments of guests already stayed there. Go to Booking.com

1

There she is, lying on a sort of rock, the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen seems to be bored despite many visits she receives each day, however she watch the sea, to express, maybe,  a deep nostalgia for her home.

The Little Mermaid is the most popular tourist attraction in Denmark and is located on the city’s waterfront. The Danish author Hans Christian Andersen wrote the fairy tale “The Little Mermaid” in 1837. In 1909, Carl Jacobs (patron and owner of the Carlsberg beer), deeply moved by the tragic love story represented in the ballet “The Little Mermaid”, commissioned to the sculptor Eriksen a mermaid statue to adorn the city’s port.

2

Amalienborg is a real castle, even if it has no towers and spires.

The Royal Amalienborg Palace is the winter residence of the Queen and is also the place of the famous balcony, you have seen for sure in some news or a magazine, from which the royal family greets people in the street.

Even if the royal couple live in the castle, you’ll still be able to visit some of the sumptuous and elegant royal chambers that the king and queen don’t use every day.

3

Tivoli is the oldest amusement park in the world, where history and tradition are mixed constantly.

The fabulous park Tivoli Garden is an important meeting point for the locals: business families with children, people on their lunch break, young people at the concerts and elderly who take a walk.

When you’ll be in the Tivoli Gardens watching the fireworks, with the smell of flowers and enjoying rock music, it means that the summer is just arrived  in Copenhagen! If you want to experience the thrill of the attractions you can enjoy  the Deamon rollercoaster or a relaxing ride on small boats.

4

The beautiful Kronborg Castle in Elsinore, reachable by train from Copenhagen in 10 minutes, is one of the most important Renaissance castles in Northern Europe. This castle is famous around the world for Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and each year is visited by about 200,000 people, including the Danish people and tourists from all over the world.

In 1580 King Frederick II commissioned, along with other 113 Danish kings, the manufacture of 40 tapestries that are currently exposed  in one of the castle halls. Children will not get bored with the brochure Kronborg, made for smaller, with puzzles and quizzes about the castle. The beauty and magnificence of the ballroom is for all ages instead, and we suggest you also to visit  the dark underground where is placed the statue of the national hero Holger Danske: the legend says that in case of danger, the statue  of the hero will be transformed into flesh and blood to help the country.

5

Adults and children can have a travel back in time about the history of the Danish kingdom with a visit to the National Museum in Copenhagen. Historical events are explained through a play of light and sound inside the palace originally built for King Frederick V. A time travel that starts from a pagan-mystical conception of prehistory, through the medieval centuries up to contemporary works. You can take a look at the embalmed body of the young Egtved or listen to the speeches of the writer and Danish critic Georg Brandes. Although the National Museum is mainly inspired to the history of Denmark, sometime you can also find temporary exhibitions about the history of exotic places like Greenland and Latin America. If you don’t have much time, you can get a quick DIY guide that will offer you an overview about the 10,000 most significant items of the museum in just one hour.

6

The Copenhagen Round Tower, or Round Tower, is the oldest functioning observatory in Europe, here the stars have been looked  and studied since 1642. When Christian IV built the tower, Denmark was very famous for the astronomical discoveries made by astronomer Tycho Brahe.

When Brahe died in 1601, the king decided to continue researches into the tower by his own. Nowadays in  the round  tower there are many  astronomers and curious tourists: the observatory is surrounded by an outdoor platform from which you have a magnificent view of the old part of Copenhagen. You’ll have a long way to walk to get to the platform, but we assure you that it’s worth it! The public observatory , just as you see it now, was built in 1929 and from here you can see the movements of celestial bodies through the telescope.

7

The design and innovation  capital will satisfy all your shopping desires! Ake Stroget, the main pedestrian street in Copenhagen, is full of international design shops, but you will do  the most exclusive shopping along the narrow streets and the alleys of the city. There you will find the most special and original boutiques where you will buy unique clothes of their kind. Department stores, design and furniture shops, flea markets and small shops of souvenirs are located  in every corner of the city. In some districts such as Osterbro, Vesterbro and Norrebro  will not be difficult to find the right shops for you: be careful only to save money to go back home!

8

Copenhagen is full of cafes, traditional  or trendy, placed wine bar  and picturesque historic buildings. Here you can drink cocktails, eat the typical Danish meatballs or smørrebrød, tasty sandwiches, until late evening : many of these locals on Fridays and Saturdays are transformed into real animated club with dj. Vesterbo district of Copenhagen is the most creative district where there are many clubs and you can dance and have fun. Discos and clubs in Copenhagen usually close  after midnight, because people prefer to go out in the evening to eat and drink.

9

From marinated reindeer to the freshly caught lobsters, from red and hot Thai curry to the traditional “frikadeller” delicious Danish meat balls, from sushi to hot dogs: if you love food, you’ll go back home happy but fat!

There are many inns, modern or more traditional  restaurants where you can try Danish cuisine, which is a mix of traditional flavours, old  but also innovative. Danish cuisine is contaminated by  the influences of French cuisine and  typical  Nordic flavours.  The result is a rich and tasty cuisine that you’ll love so much, too much!

10

Copenhagen is not a cheap city, but it has many hotels, apartments and hostels, so you won’t have problem finding the ideal accommodation for you.

In Copenhagen you can sleep in a eighteenth century warehouse or in the latest generation of hotels designed by Danish architects. If you prefer the quieter atmosphere, in the countryside you will find delicious small hotels. All Danish accommodations are characterized by their hospitality and range from one to five stars, based on the services they offer. If you are looking for something cheaper, hostels and camp sites are well connected to the city centre. You just have to choose where to stay and start the Danish adventure!

If you are looking for a hotel in Copenhagen, we suggest you to choose among those offered by Booking.com. There are about 200 hotels with prices, pictures and comments of guests already stayed there. Go to Booking.com