The tedious part of planning (finding digs, flights, and sticker shock at the latter) is done and the fun part of planning has begun: compiling a list of places to go, eat, drink, do. So far my list includes the boat to Ven for bicycling where Tycho Brahe used to hang out (plus a nice boat ride); the Museum of the Danish Resistance; if I work up the nerve the Bodies exhibition; Christiania, the train over the bridge to Malmo, maybe a visit to Elsinore--that's already a lot, but I haven't really looked into restaurant recs yet. A certain amount of time needs to be devoted to just walking around, sitting in a park and people-watching, etc.
I'm reading that shops are pretty much closed from Saturday at 5 PM until Monday. Since our flight gets in on Saturday around 5, that won't give us any time to get the few groceries we'll need (importantly, coffee, milk, and some cold Carlsbergs). I'm reading there are a few places open after hours; it looks like there's a Fakta on Norre Farimagsgade a couple of blocks from our rental. Does anyone know if that would be open Saturday later or on Sunday? Or any alternatives walkable from Gothersgade near the Norreport Metro? We've got one of those marathon flight plans so I'm just trying to get the arrival, groceries, collapse plan in place since I'll be brain dead.
So anyone who has been, or lives there (Soljet, I am fishing) please offer me advice on what to do, where to go, what you like or liked best in Copenhagen--anything at all, tips, warnings, etc. Impressionistic is fine. Also would love to hear some dining recommendations, nothing too highbrow, just good food.
Trish, the Copenhagen airport has a shop right beside the baggage claim area, before you exit the airport. They had beer, wine, and some food items. I don't know where your rental is but the downtown area has a couple of big department stores with basement grocery areas. They are Ilum and Magazine, I believe.
I would suggest a side trip to Hillerod and Koge. Very easy to do. I have pictures of both on my website.
Next to the Hotel on the Square is a store called Tiger this is their version of a dollar store, a great place to pick up snacks, bottled water, soda. plus some interesting souveniers...
Danish Resistance Museum was fascinating, but heavy so have something to balance it out like the Amber Museum by Nyhaven.
If you need to use a toilette there's one inside the Royal Copenhagen Store on Stroget, also by Nyhaven that you think ??? since you have to walk down a set of stairs but it's quite nice
Tivoli is wonderful, and theres a great place for inexpensive Ableskivers inside. it's a blue and white restaurant by the carnival rides..i have a picture of it...somewhere if you would like it let me know and I will track it down ... If you eat meat the hot dog carts are your financial friend..and unbelievably delicious..nothing like here.
The HOHO busses are excellent in CPH and do go into Christiana.
You have really been studying. Yes, Fakta is open sunday and is low-price. There are 3 supermarkets on Norreport next to you. All open saturday. If you go to Fakta on saturday, you might take your lunch at my favourite pizzeria Fiorita in Nansensgade. A very lovely street. You can sit outside in nice weather, they also serve a few other dishes but pizza, and you can have a cold bottle of white-wine, at the price of a grocer. It's actually not a restaurant, just a take-away. Furthermore I suggest Cafe Telegrafen, Kobmagergade (one of the walking-streets) go through the telegraf-museum, take the elevator to the 5th floor. Another day have lunch in a church, Nicolai Church. Both in centre of city, good food, not too expensive. For a french pancake with fillings there is La Galette. Or maybe you would like a michelin-star??? We have a danish-jewish museum. By the architect Liebeskind. It is situated in the beautiful garden in connection with the Royal Library. Personally I think you should skip malmo unless you are really into bridges. Rosenborg Castle next to your residence is nice. Crown-jewels in the cellar. Nothing compared to the British, ofcourse. Glyptoteket has a very nice collection of French Empressionists. I second that you should go to Helsingor (Elsinor) for the castle Kronborg, Prince Hamlet, you know, there is something rotten in the state of Denmark. The train-trip is wonderful. By the sea some of the time. This route is where the really rich live. You could get off in Humlebaek, and see our art-museum Lousianna. Out of more ideas, so just ask. Soljet
Thanks, folks, this is shaping up to be a good trip. Our apartment location is pictured. Not sure what to call the neighborhood.
Where2, your photos are gorgeous! Hillerod and Koge look lovely--did you go by train? I was also looking at Roskilde for the Viking museum. Seems like there is so much to do, we will have to choose. Thanks also for your tips on the WCs & hot dog carts.
Soljet, thanks for the reassurances on the supermarkets. Just wanted to cover the first weekend. No coffee during jetlag would be adding insult to injury. I am printing out all your restaurant recs, sounds just about our speed. Can't thank you enough.
The Helsingor trip sounds like a must. I directed Hamlet once and have published a piece on him, so I have a vested interest. It looks like there are free concerts there by the Royal Danish Academy of Music on Wednesdays in August. It's good to know the Louisiana museum is on the way.
If you go to Helsingor, you can also take the 25-minute-or-so ferry over to Helsingborg, Sweden. It is very easy to do. Or you can also go from Copenhagen to Mälmo, Sweden by train, one leaves every twenty minutes or so from Copenhagen, and the journey takes a little over a half an hour.
I am envious of your trip to Copenhagen. It is one of my favorite places.
The most delicious hot dogs in the universe are in Denmark, I don't know why really, but it is just the way it is!!
We had a CPH card at that time, which included transportation.
Have you looked into that? It's an excellent value!
I'm glad you enjoyed the pictures, I've found actually viewing pictures helps me decide whether or not I just NEED to see a place.
We did visit Roskilde..The church is great!
The ship...well, I think I was jaded because I saw Vasa in Stockholm, and the 3 maritime museums in Oslo. So, my 1st impression was ....that's it! compared to what I had already seen,which are fully intact...it was a bit of a dissappointment...
If you haven' been to the others and you will be in Roskilde I would check it out...because, you are right there! It is a bit of a haul from the center of town though. On your map, it will look like the easiest walking route is through a park...it's a big park..very clean..but NO ONE was around. In retrospect we were easy targets for any criminal minds, and I would strongly recommend you don't take that route.
I seem to remember, you were coming first weekend of August. First Sunday in every month all supermarkets are open, normally till 4 in the afternoon. I will not try to explain the difference between Denmark and USA with regard to state/business. We never understand each other. If you walk down Gothersgade, in direction away from Norreport, cross the bridge over the lakes, turn right immediately. That will take you to a great café with outdoor serving right by the waterfront. "The Front Page" is the name. When you go to the Castle Kronborg, remenber to take some time to visit the old city of Helsingor. It is lovely. Also the church. If you are up early, Helsingor can be done in the morning, and Louisiana in the afternoon. The museum has a nice café with a view over the sea.
One more thing. When you want a softdrink ask for Soeborggaard.
If I can pronounce it, I'll try it. Is it a brand, or just how one asks?
We arrive 16 August, leave the 25th. Understanding state/business hours and such: we have our own peccadillos--I've learned just to expect some, anywhere (but they do sound pretty complex in DK). My greatest fear is having no coffee for longer than a day, which happened to me once in Vienna (of all places).
The Front Page sounds great, and I like the idea of Helsingor in the morning, Louisiana in the afternoon.
CPH card: I'll look into it, thanks. I think we will be using the metro a fair amount, to get back and forth to conference on Amager.
Are Ableskivers like beignets, or have I got them mixed up?
Trish, I'm excited for your trip to Denmark. Have a great time. The Danes I know are such wonderful, warm people who know how to enjoy life...great food and wonderful beer! I remember a wonderful dessert called "Rol grod med flode! (sorry it's very hard to pronounce but lovely to taste). Skol! Barb Cabot
The "roedgroed med floede" is a traditional danish dessert as well as a practical joke on all foreigners. Can you pronounce that, you will be accepted. And, no, you will not go without coffee in Denmark. Cafées are shoulder to shoulder. And I made an error, the softdrink is called Soebogaard. It is a danish, ecological brand. Don't worry, they have it in all the cafées. Comes in many different flavours. where2next. I am sorry, you felt insecure in one of our parks. Nothing bad ought to happen in the daytime. I recommend Oerstedsparken right next to the apartment, it has a very nice café with deckchairs. Also nice is Kongens Have (Royal Garden) with the little beautiful castle. Former the summer-residence of the King. Shows you, how small Copenhagen was, now we think of it as smack in the middle of city. Watch out, one of the restaurants has a Michelin star. If you pass Amagertorv on the walkingstreet, maybe you should look into Illums Bolighus for a tour among design, including Danish. You don´t have to buy anything. If I am near, I take a stroll inside myself. And on Bredgade we have a museum for Danish Desigh. They have a restaurant, where everything is served on danish porcelain. Have a nice trip, Soljet
Soljet, thank you for the clarification on the spelling of "that dessert" and no I don't think my pronunciation will ever be even close. Truly it's fun to try to say it and you'd probably be more successful after a couple of danish beers. This thread is bringing back many fond memories of great dinner parties and much drinking and singing! I've also remembered a great gift to bring home for yourself or others when in Denmark. There was a very beautiful store that sold Bjorn Winblad ceramics. Sorry if the spelling is wrong. I bought a wall plate for my MIL and I have a beautiful black and white small plaque in my bathroom. I smile each time I look at it. I have a deep affection for Danish people in my heart. Barb Cabot
Ofcourse, you are right, we are always in our more acceptable corner after a couple of beers. Bjoern Winblad is a most loved Danish artist, and he does make you smile. If anyone should come here, and cannot walk further unless they have a burger, I would recommend Graabroedre Torv in city, right between 2 walkingstreets. There is a funny little restaurant Sporvejen "The Tram" decorated inside just like one of our old trams that was taken out of service in 1971 and replaced with busses.
I went to the Bodies exhibition when I went to NYC last year and that was very interesting :-) In Copenhagen I enjoyed the tour of the Carlsberg museum...or maybe I enjoyed it because I'm Norwegian and we got a couple of beers included in the ticket
By the way: if you want to save some money on duty free shopping at Copenhagen airport be sure to pre-order your stuff on http://www.tax-free.dk to get a 20% discount.
My goodness gracious me. I really hope you will try your sentence somewhere in Copenhagen. That would really impress the natives. More than "roedgroed med floede"
I'm back, sort of running on one cylinder, but back. Blogging fell apart due to spiteful internet connection that refused to work after the second day we were there. If you hung out the kitchen window with the laptop you could catch a tiny bit of bandwidth leaking from somewhere out there, but I wasn't quite up to that. The other complication was that I was sick most of the time there--I kind of faded in and out, and had to save much of the energy I could summon for my conference, so the tourism suffered. I got to a doctor yesterday, first day back, and was diagnosed with a kidney infection. He wondered how I was still walking around, so I guess I should commend my inner stoic for merely doing that. Still, it was a huge disappointment to feel like death on toast most of the time I was there. Certainly I didn't eat very well, but that wasn't Copenhagen's fault.
I did keep a lot of notes in a hand-written journal and will transfer them to my blog when I feel better.
the last evening there I staggered around Tivoli with a couple of friends and finally had some of the unpronouncable dessert. (if this works, see next post)
thanks for fixing that, Kim. Roed groed med floede goes down a whole lot better than the effort of saying it would forecast.
I kept looking for it and finally saw it on a menu outside a restaurant in Tivoli. Problem: it wasn't listed a la carte, only with a full dinner, and we had already eaten appetizers at a couple of other Tivoli joints (not into the rides, so we were snacking our way through Tivoli). We asked the maitre d' if we could order it a la carte, and he referred us to a waiter. My friend, who was doing the asking in view of the fact that his mother is Danish and he is trying to learn the language, asked the waiter, who said, "What is it you want?" He asked again. The waiter said, again, "What was that?" And it wasn't until my friend tried it a third time and the waiter smirked that we realized he was having fun with us.
I guess Danes just like to hear tourists butcher saying it--kind of a running joke, as Soljet said above. Actually this is one of the things I liked best about the Danes I met: they were warm and welcoming and helpful, but there's a little wry sense of humor that kept emerging.
I am so sorry to read, that you were sick during your stay in Copenhagen. You had so many plans. I really hope, there will be another chance for you sometimes. And I wish you a speedy recovery. It sounds very nasty. Personally I am now back from my little summer gardenhouse, ready to face autumn, except for 1 week early October to Venezia. But that is quite another story.
Slow Travel Talk 
