Flying to Copenhagen

We have visited Copenhagen twice during trips to Europe. The first was a very short trip because our flight was delayed and we lost over a day before we had to fly to Bergen. The second trip was for four days, when we were able to see a lot more of the Danish capital as well as some of the surrounding area. We flew into Copenhagen from Tromso in Norway on our second visit.

Travel From the Airport to the City

On both occasions, we caught a taxi to our hotel because we chose convenience over the cheaper option of a train.

Accommodation

We chose hotels in the centre of the city on both occasions. The Alexandra Copenhagen for our first trip and First Hotel Twentyseven for the second, because they were close to most attractions and Central Station. Neither hotel had a restaurant, but did provide breakfast and there were plenty of options for meals close by.

Once checked in at our hotel , we walked around town for the remainder of the afternoon and into the evening.

Copenhagen Card

As our second stay was four days long, we purchased Copenhagen Cards before leaving Australia. these were available for collection at the Tivoli Gardens booking office so we dropped in to collect them.

The Copenhagen card provides free entry into most of Copenhagen’s attractions. As a great bonus it includes free public transport around the city as far as Roskilde and Helsingør. Ours were for 72 hours and were used extensively. Before you buy one make sure you will get value out of it by working out where you will go and what tbe would have cost without the card.

National Museet

A short walk down the Hans Christian Anderson Boulevard was the National Museet (museum). This is one of the world’s great museums with excellent exhibits illustrating Denmark’s history. Extremely well laid out, you start at the pre-historical section, and then make our way through Viking times, the coming of Christianity through to modern-day.

There is an excellent collection of Viking artifacts, ranging from swords and shields to boats and rune stones. Some of the best-preserved bog bodies are also on display. Gruesome but captivating at the same time.

On the second floor is a very nice café where we stopped for a hot chocolate and snack, before pressing on. We spend around two hours here and could have taken longer if not pressed for time.

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Christiansborg Palace

Reception Rooms

The reception rooms are all beautifully laid out and decorated. T

The banquet hall is decorated Bjørn Nørgaard’s colourful tapestries, Venetian glass chandeliers hang from the ceiling, and the walls are decorated with yellow marbling.

The throne room, where the Queen receives kings, presidents and ambassadors is also open to inspect. The king’s throne is adorned with two golden lions and the queen’s throne features two gilded griffons.

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The Royal Stables

Still operating as the royal stables with resident horses this building also preserves the history by displaying and conserving carriages. The stable’s finest vehicle is the Golden State Coach. It was built in 1840 and is coated with 24-carat gold leaf. The oldest coach in the stables is Queen Dowager Juliane Marie’s state coach which dates from 1778.

Ruins under Christiansborg Palace

The ruins under Christiansborg Castle, date back to 1167 and the original Bishop Absalon’s Castle. Walking around this underground site, you will get an idea of how the castle was continually renewed and developed.

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Tivoli Gardens

We went to the Tivoli Gardens in the evening, because many other attractions were closed and we were able to see the rides lit up. The gardens are very popular with locals and tourists and were very busy. We found them to be more crowded than expected and difficult to get through at times. Certainly very pretty, with everything lit up, but we found it quite boring, and apart from a coffee and a walk around, did not stay more than an hour.

Strøget

Round Tower

Located in the centre of town not far from Storget the Round Tower provides a magnificent view of the city. Access is via a spiral walkway that takes up the full width of the tower. The final part consists of some short one way ladders where you need to make way for other visitors. The viewing platform circles the full roof of the tower and there are signs indicating the location of important buildings.

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Rosenborg Palace and Crown Jewels

Walking through town to the Rosenborg Palace in the early morning allowed us to experience the sights and sounds of Copenhagen. The grounds approaching the palace were beautiful, even in winter and were enjoyable to walk around.

The interior of the palace is furnished in its medieval style and is very dark. This contrasts with Christiansborg Palace which we saw later which is very bright and decorated in a modern style.

Rosenborg’s big draw card is the Crown Jewels which are displayed in the palace’s dungeon. They are very well set out and you are able to get quite close to view them. The crowns even have steps next to them so that you can get a better view.

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Jen Olsen’s Clock

Located in the Town Hall this amazing clock was undergoing maintenance when we visited. Access was still available enabling to to view it but not see it operate.

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Friederik’s Church

The Marble Church with the characteristic copper green dome is one of the most impressive churches of the city. There is a magnificent view from the dome, which can be visited at 1 pm every day during the summer months and the same hours in the weekends of the rest of the year.

The church is open daily to the public, with restricted hours on Friday and Sunday.

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Nyhavn and Amalienborg Palace

Getting to Nyhavn, most of the usual crowds were yet to arrive, so we could see all of the docks and buildings without other people around. The same went for the Amalienborg Palace. There was only a few people there. We took it as an excellent opportunity to take pictures of the palace and guards.

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The Little Mermaid Statue

One of the big attractions in Copenhagen is the Little Mermaid Statue. Its biggest criticism though is the size of the crowds of people gathered there. Not early in the morning though. There were less than ten of us, and could get photos of just us by the statue. Nearby is the Geflion Fountain. In winter the water is turned off, so it was not as spectacular as when operating, but still a very nice sculpture.

Canal Cruise

A canal cruise is a great way to see the highlights of Copenhagen giving  different perspective to that seen from the streets. Taking about and hour the cruise enable to to see Nyhavn the Opera House and many other landmarks from the canals. A commentary provides a good overview of the history of the sights as you go. We sat in the open area at the rear of the boat. This gave us a great view in all directions, without the windows or roof of the boat getting in the way.

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Roskilde

Travel to Roskilde by train was covered by the Copenhagen Card, as was entry to the attractions there. We caught the train at central station and it was a short 20 minute trip to Roskilde. We walked into town from the train station taking in the main street and lovely gardens as we went.

Viking Boat Museum

Located on Roskilde Harbour this museum houses five preserved viking boats. The displays are well presented with viewing platforms enabling excellent views of the displays.

If you have children, there is an interactive area for them, where they are able to go onto a replica ship.

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 Roskilde Cathedral

Roskilde Cathedral is the traditional resting place of Danish monarchs. As such there is a huge amount of history present there as well as the magnificent building itself. We spent two hours making our way around the tombs and interior of the cathedral before heading towards to Viking Boat Museum

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Helsingør

We caught the 45 minute traIn ride from Copenhagen Central and again used our Copenhagen Card. The main reason for visiting this city, was Kronborg Castle, located only a short walk from the train station. As we walked to the castle, we found some interesting statues along with a male version of the little mermaid.

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Kronborg Castle is famous as the setting for Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The castle interior is furnished in places as it was in the middle ages. We found the highlight to be the dungeon level which had limited lighting making it very atmospheric. As you wander around this level you are able to visualise how guards in medieval Denmark would have felt.

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What Did We Think?

We found Copenhagen very easy to find your way around and we felt very safe. People were very friendly and helpful and the city centre is full of great attractions. We visited in December the first time and the city was full of festive decorations, with most shops having candles in their doorways, as well as decorations. Travel using the Copenhagen Card was easy and cheap which made the trips to Roskilde and Helsingor simple.

For other stories about our trips around Europe, click here

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