Merchant’s Harbour
or as we know it Copenhagen.
Destination: Copenhagen Dates: December 2017 Nights: 4 Hotel: Cabin Scandinavia Highlights: Clean, safe, Copenhagen Card, bicycles and chai lattes Low lights: Toilets, minimal customer service and expensive
Day 1
We arrived at Copenhagen Airport and made our way to our hotel in Frederiksberg. We took the Metro as we heard transportation in Denmark was good. It was easy to find from the airport, difficult to get a ticket if you only have notes as the machines only take coins or card and there is no assistance. We got our tickets; jumped on the train and ten stops later we reached FORUM.
Cabin Scandinavia was just around the corner. The hotel was mediocre, I guess we got what we paid for. It was the cheapest hotel for the time we went. We had a quick change and off to explore the city.
The first destination was Nyhavn (The colourful buildings on the canal). It took 30mins to walk from the hotel.
We stopped off for a Danish beer on the canal. At £10 for a pint, we savoured every mouthful.
Day 2. Windmills, Mermaids, and Bikes
Took a stroll up the canal to visit the famous Den Lille Havfru (The Little Mermaid). Before we reached the mermaid we entered the Kastellet ( Star-shaped 17th-century fortress). Admission was free and it had good photo opportunities.
Little Mermaid
Bikes were available everywhere. We hired a bike from Bycyklen. They have docks all over the city. You can create an account online and hire bikes as soon as you arrive. What’s great about them is that you can return them to any dock in the city, it will even help you navigate to the nearest docking station with the GPS touchscreen.
If you are short for time and want to see certain paces in Copenhagen, grab a Bycyklen. It comes with a GPS, a lock (although most people don’t even lock their bikes ) automatic lights, and did I mention it’s electric so not much work is needed. It will cost you 30 DKK (£3.50) for the hour.
Things to consider when cycling in Copenhagen:
- Always keep to the right
- Do not cycle on the pavements (unless you want some dirty looks)
- If you hear the bell, you are doing something wrong.
- Follow the cyclist’s traffic lights.
They ride quite fast, they will definitely know you are a tourist when you stop in the middle of the lane trying to figure out what turn you had to take. No such thing as bike rage just a constant ringing of the bell and a smile which indicates move out of the way.
We headed down to the tourist center to grab our Copenhagen Card. If you go on the Copenhagen Card website they calculate the price of each attraction and show you how much you will save or if it’s worth getting one. The CPH card includes public transport (Zones 1-99). I decided to go with the 72-hour card for £82 as I wanted to get into Tivoli on the 31st December for the firework display.
**Warning: Most attractions close early on Sunday 31st and are closed on Monday 1st Jan**
First Stop
Tivoli- the CPH card includes entry only, does not include the rides. Without the card, it’s around £13.26 (2017) to get in and the rides are around £3-4 each.
Shortly after we arrived in the park it started raining. This was the only picture I captured of Tivoli without the rain. We decided to grab a quick bite at the Hotdog Corner. There is a variety of places to eat, but we were told Danes usually bring their own picnic. Grab a drink, go on the rides and wait till night time and you will see the beauty the park has to offer #allofthelights
Day 3. Boat trips, history, rain and a land of no laws.
We hopped on the first boat from Holmens Church, It’s a 60-minute journey if you get a window seat you can open the window and stand up (when the boat stops at Nyhavn) to take photographs.
Next Stop- Church of our Saviour
Unfortunately, it was closed so we couldn’t capture the views from the top.
Being in Christianshavn we decided to check out Freetown Christiania. It is is a self-proclaimed autonomous anarchist district.
We walked through and checked out the art galleries, houses, shops and food trucks, it didn’t feel very clean so it wasn’t for us. Ironically, you weren’t allowed to film or take photographs in the free town.
This was probably one of the highlights of the trip. It showed you what every day looked like for the general population in Denmark. If you enjoy learning about the history of a country then check out this place and The National Museum.
The location of this attraction is a little confusing. On the CPH website/app it’s called ‘The Worker’s Museum’ but look out for the sign that says Arbejdermuseet.
After a quick Dop bite, we visited the Glyptoteket Museum to witness the beautiful winter garden.
The last stop of attractions for the day was the Tycho Brahe Planetarium. It was disappointing because it felt bare and incomplete. Only worth making the trip as it was included with the CPH card
Day 4. New Year’s Eve
Started the day right with a trip to Carlsberg to find out it was closed (no free beer) Back on the train to the town centre to get a view of Copenhagen from The Round Tower.
The views were great, the weather wasn’t. The picture does not do much justice, so it’s better to see it for yourself.
New Year’s Eve for most Danes is spent at home eating and drinking so we were told. We saw a lot of private parties in hired venues. We decided to pre-book a restaurant before we came out so we weren’t disappointed.
All set menus were expensive, we went with Boston Grill Mayfair at around £200 per person yikes!
You got four main courses and unlimited alcohol all night. The great thing about the restaurant was the manager, he was fun, relaxed and accommodating.
With our bellies full and the bar dry, we had a short walk to Tivoli to see the display at 11pm.
Most people took to the streets to display their own fireworks we obviously did not get the memo to bring our own. It was a fun and scary experience as they were being let off left, right and centre.
The good thing about new years eve in Copenhagen is that you don’t have to pay to see a display as they are set off in every street and last all night. The bad thing is you will have to take cover as alcohol and fireworks are not a good mix.
Day 5. Lazy Monday
Last day, we decided to have a slow lazy walk into town. Most shops were closed on the bank holiday. Popped into Espresso House to have our last cup of chai latte and a danish pastry.
It was a contrast to see a city where there were no barriers at a train station, no locks on the bikes, and people following the rules.
Definitely worth a visit and I will be returning to Denmark to explore other areas and get a taste of a real Carlsberg!
The Travel Bug 