Our long weekend in Copenhagen, October 7-10, 2011
Oct 28th, 2011, 02:13 PM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 4,508
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Our long weekend in Copenhagen, October 7-10, 2011
I'll post this in pieces, starting with tombstone data on our travel. More detail later on favourite sights and our impressions of the city.
Traveled by:
KLM, on a special four-day promotion of just over $700 Cdn return, from Montreal QC. Travel was Montreal- Amsterdam- Copenhagen. The deal included a free stopover in Amsterdam on our departure from Denmark.
For about $160 Cdn., we purchased a pair of open-jaws KLM flights Amsterdam-Lyon and Marseille-Amsterdam. That part of the trip will be the subject of a separate trip report.
Most valuable local resource for visitors: The Copenhagen Card.
Purchasing online, we received the cards and a guidebook by mail before we left. The guidebook was a very useful planning tool, with a short description, opening hours and other essential information for each site the card covers.
We paid only $50 Cdn each for a three-day card. (Other durations are available). This gave us unlimited access to buses, the subway and the extensive suburban train network. It also gave us free admission to city museums and multiple attractions in and around Copenhagen, including an hour-long harbour/ canal cruise.
We activated the card at the airport and used it first to take the metro to our hotel. I calculated that the card paid for itself in 1 day of heavy museum-going, including bus and metro trips.
Traveled by:
KLM, on a special four-day promotion of just over $700 Cdn return, from Montreal QC. Travel was Montreal- Amsterdam- Copenhagen. The deal included a free stopover in Amsterdam on our departure from Denmark.
For about $160 Cdn., we purchased a pair of open-jaws KLM flights Amsterdam-Lyon and Marseille-Amsterdam. That part of the trip will be the subject of a separate trip report.
Most valuable local resource for visitors: The Copenhagen Card.
Purchasing online, we received the cards and a guidebook by mail before we left. The guidebook was a very useful planning tool, with a short description, opening hours and other essential information for each site the card covers.
We paid only $50 Cdn each for a three-day card. (Other durations are available). This gave us unlimited access to buses, the subway and the extensive suburban train network. It also gave us free admission to city museums and multiple attractions in and around Copenhagen, including an hour-long harbour/ canal cruise.
We activated the card at the airport and used it first to take the metro to our hotel. I calculated that the card paid for itself in 1 day of heavy museum-going, including bus and metro trips.
Oct 28th, 2011, 02:14 PM
#2
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 4,508
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Stayed at:
Ibsen’s Hotel, Vendersgade 23 at the corner of Nansengade, a street lined with cafes and restaurants. Weekend rate for 3 nights, including breakfast and VAT: 2817 DKK.
Hotels -- at least those in attractive central locations -- are awfully expensive in Copenhagen. This was a comparative bargain, at about $180/ night including breakfast. The hotel has just undergone a complete renovation and everything is new and spotless. The staff are all young, eager, capable, multilingual and obliging.
For a self-styled “boutique” hotel, the public areas on the main floor are actually fairly spacious. There‘s an espresso bar integrated with the breakfast service area; lots of tables for breakfast or for drinks in the evening; wing chairs around a gas fireplace; and some quiet nooks with comfortable seating. French doors onto the open courtyard, where there are a few tables and chairs for the more clement weather.
At first I was taken aback by the stripped-down feel of our room: No drawers, just open wooden boxes for stacking your clothing. Wooden hangers on an open clothes rack. A shower separated from the rest of the bathroom only by a shower curtain (the entire floor may get soaked). One ironing board and iron are supplied for each floor -- they’re stored on the wall near the sole elevator. Economy masquerading as design “edge”, in other words. But I found the room actually worked well and we were very comfortable.
Breakfast was a high point daily. On our first morning, I thought the continental breakfast looked very austere. It wasn‘t. There were 3 or 4 kinds of exceptionally fresh sandwiches, plus muesli, fruit, yogourts and baked goods -- portions are small but you can always go back for more. There are many tables for 2 or 4 but single or sociable guests can have breakfast with other guests at a long “Mingle Table”. (The diverse clientele is youngish -- not necessarily terribly hip but “interesting” looking. No frumps, no drunks. No loudmouths, no bores in evidence.)
A key feature was the location: a very good central residential district near the Norreport metro and S-train station. From here, you can take either the metro or a train to the airport -- it’s a 15 minute ride by metro. A block away, 2 glass pavilions house a very superior food market of small suppliers. At Ibsen’s hotel, you are 10 minutes’ walk from Rosenborg Castle, perhaps 15 minutes from Nyhavn and Kongens Nytorv.
If you want a full service hotel, this is not for you. But we grew quite fond of the relaxed style of the place. I appreciated the flat screen TV, the free WiFi in our room and public areas and the immaculate housekeeping. Mostly, though, it was the atmosphere, created by staff and guests alike, that we enjoyed.
Ibsen’s Hotel, Vendersgade 23 at the corner of Nansengade, a street lined with cafes and restaurants. Weekend rate for 3 nights, including breakfast and VAT: 2817 DKK.
Hotels -- at least those in attractive central locations -- are awfully expensive in Copenhagen. This was a comparative bargain, at about $180/ night including breakfast. The hotel has just undergone a complete renovation and everything is new and spotless. The staff are all young, eager, capable, multilingual and obliging.
For a self-styled “boutique” hotel, the public areas on the main floor are actually fairly spacious. There‘s an espresso bar integrated with the breakfast service area; lots of tables for breakfast or for drinks in the evening; wing chairs around a gas fireplace; and some quiet nooks with comfortable seating. French doors onto the open courtyard, where there are a few tables and chairs for the more clement weather.
At first I was taken aback by the stripped-down feel of our room: No drawers, just open wooden boxes for stacking your clothing. Wooden hangers on an open clothes rack. A shower separated from the rest of the bathroom only by a shower curtain (the entire floor may get soaked). One ironing board and iron are supplied for each floor -- they’re stored on the wall near the sole elevator. Economy masquerading as design “edge”, in other words. But I found the room actually worked well and we were very comfortable.
Breakfast was a high point daily. On our first morning, I thought the continental breakfast looked very austere. It wasn‘t. There were 3 or 4 kinds of exceptionally fresh sandwiches, plus muesli, fruit, yogourts and baked goods -- portions are small but you can always go back for more. There are many tables for 2 or 4 but single or sociable guests can have breakfast with other guests at a long “Mingle Table”. (The diverse clientele is youngish -- not necessarily terribly hip but “interesting” looking. No frumps, no drunks. No loudmouths, no bores in evidence.)
A key feature was the location: a very good central residential district near the Norreport metro and S-train station. From here, you can take either the metro or a train to the airport -- it’s a 15 minute ride by metro. A block away, 2 glass pavilions house a very superior food market of small suppliers. At Ibsen’s hotel, you are 10 minutes’ walk from Rosenborg Castle, perhaps 15 minutes from Nyhavn and Kongens Nytorv.
If you want a full service hotel, this is not for you. But we grew quite fond of the relaxed style of the place. I appreciated the flat screen TV, the free WiFi in our room and public areas and the immaculate housekeeping. Mostly, though, it was the atmosphere, created by staff and guests alike, that we enjoyed.
Oct 28th, 2011, 02:26 PM
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 4,508
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Favourite places to eat:
1. La Rocca, an Italian-inspired restaurant attached to the hotel. The main room is handsome, muted grey and formal in appearance Our multilingual waiter asked if we wished to be served in English, Danish, German or Italian. (I switched into Italian, for fun and for the practise.)
My antipasto misto (which I declined to share with my spouse) was exceptional: Stuffed peperoncino with a roll-up of sun-dried tomato; a large prawn on polenta; a ramekin of tiny wild mushrooms in olive oil; a square of frittata garnished with mushroom; smoked salmon over julienned carrots; and some rounds of salami. I may in fact have forgotten one item…
I followed this with pappardelle with straccetti di manzo -- broad pasta and beef strips in a rich cream sauce. It was as good as it sounds. Two courses for 2 people, with sparkling water and a glass of wine each, came to just under 600 DKK. This is considered quite moderate in Copenhagen.
2. Norrebro Bryghus, a hip brewpub on Ryesgade in Norrebro that we reached by crossing the Dronning Louises Bro (Queen Louise Bridge). When we arrived at 6:30 PM for an early dinner, the two storeys of the place (downstairs is a bar and café) were already full with diners heading to an evening performance at a nearby theatre. The menu is short, probably 4 items for each course. There is a fixed price for each course. Prices are discounted slightly for those who free their table by 7:30 PM.
You can order drinks as you please but the owners recommend beer pairings for each course; I saw some people sampling as many as five beers with a meal. The waiters, who speak English with an astonishing fluency, hold forth lengthily with explanations of the various brews on offer, which include a certain number of “guest brews”.
To keep it simple, I chose a single beer -- modeled on Brooklyn Brown -- to drink through the meal. My first course was a fairly subtle boudin blanc on an equally mild sauerkraut. The second course was a hearty and tasty beef brisket on whipped potatoes, with finely chopped mushrooms. The bill for two came to 700 DKK. Rather pricey for pub food but the convivial atmosphere and the good service sold us on this place.
1. La Rocca, an Italian-inspired restaurant attached to the hotel. The main room is handsome, muted grey and formal in appearance Our multilingual waiter asked if we wished to be served in English, Danish, German or Italian. (I switched into Italian, for fun and for the practise.)
My antipasto misto (which I declined to share with my spouse) was exceptional: Stuffed peperoncino with a roll-up of sun-dried tomato; a large prawn on polenta; a ramekin of tiny wild mushrooms in olive oil; a square of frittata garnished with mushroom; smoked salmon over julienned carrots; and some rounds of salami. I may in fact have forgotten one item…
I followed this with pappardelle with straccetti di manzo -- broad pasta and beef strips in a rich cream sauce. It was as good as it sounds. Two courses for 2 people, with sparkling water and a glass of wine each, came to just under 600 DKK. This is considered quite moderate in Copenhagen.
2. Norrebro Bryghus, a hip brewpub on Ryesgade in Norrebro that we reached by crossing the Dronning Louises Bro (Queen Louise Bridge). When we arrived at 6:30 PM for an early dinner, the two storeys of the place (downstairs is a bar and café) were already full with diners heading to an evening performance at a nearby theatre. The menu is short, probably 4 items for each course. There is a fixed price for each course. Prices are discounted slightly for those who free their table by 7:30 PM.
You can order drinks as you please but the owners recommend beer pairings for each course; I saw some people sampling as many as five beers with a meal. The waiters, who speak English with an astonishing fluency, hold forth lengthily with explanations of the various brews on offer, which include a certain number of “guest brews”.
To keep it simple, I chose a single beer -- modeled on Brooklyn Brown -- to drink through the meal. My first course was a fairly subtle boudin blanc on an equally mild sauerkraut. The second course was a hearty and tasty beef brisket on whipped potatoes, with finely chopped mushrooms. The bill for two came to 700 DKK. Rather pricey for pub food but the convivial atmosphere and the good service sold us on this place.
Oct 28th, 2011, 06:06 PM
#4
Hi Ted, enjoying your report. I was in Copenhagen several years ago with my family while my daughter spent a summer in a study abroad program there and had a really nice time. But I remember everything costing an arm and a leg. At least you got a good airfare.
Oct 29th, 2011, 09:13 AM
#5
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 6,818
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Ted..nice to see that finally someone has discovered Ibsens. I've been touting it for a long time. We first stayed there in '02 and have returned since. Did you know that it was once owned and managed by women only?. Also Klimt is an excellent eating choice just two blocks from the hotel...with some Koimy copies on the walls. We found La Rocco to be one of the better rstos in the city..convenient in-house location. Happy you enjoyed it.
stu
stu
Oct 29th, 2011, 03:37 PM
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 4,508
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I need to check some details before I post more. Here is a downpayment on the report on specific sights:
Favourite things to do:
1. Rosenborg Slot (Castle): Set in a spacious and immaculately tended park, this onetime royal summer residence, dating to the 1500s, is a stunning piece of architecture whose contents attest to the wealth and the global reach of Denmark in its golden age.
The rooms are not huge nor -- by the standards of later centuries -- particularly grandiose. Some rooms have changed their dimensions or their function over the centuries. Yet overall, the building feels untouched by the centuries. Every corner is impressed, as Henry James would say, with “the tone of time”.
The lower level houses a royal treasure house: Crown jewels of all kinds, displayed in a dramatic spot-lit subterranean space. On the main level are royal collections of decorative objects, including the most amazingly intricate confections in ivory, amber and other precious materials.
As you climb from floor to floor, you move from public spaces to private, then finally to public again: The top-floor long gallery is a beautiful Baroque space with silver throne and life-sized silver statues of wild animals -- used for pure dramatic effect at royal events, even today.
Favourite things to do:
1. Rosenborg Slot (Castle): Set in a spacious and immaculately tended park, this onetime royal summer residence, dating to the 1500s, is a stunning piece of architecture whose contents attest to the wealth and the global reach of Denmark in its golden age.
The rooms are not huge nor -- by the standards of later centuries -- particularly grandiose. Some rooms have changed their dimensions or their function over the centuries. Yet overall, the building feels untouched by the centuries. Every corner is impressed, as Henry James would say, with “the tone of time”.
The lower level houses a royal treasure house: Crown jewels of all kinds, displayed in a dramatic spot-lit subterranean space. On the main level are royal collections of decorative objects, including the most amazingly intricate confections in ivory, amber and other precious materials.
As you climb from floor to floor, you move from public spaces to private, then finally to public again: The top-floor long gallery is a beautiful Baroque space with silver throne and life-sized silver statues of wild animals -- used for pure dramatic effect at royal events, even today.
Oct 30th, 2011, 10:15 AM
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 4,508
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Before I get back to my report:
Just back from Sunday brunch with friends who know and love Copenhagen. They recommend the Royal Copenhagen museum and the nearby (perhaps next door) Georg Jensen museum, both storehouses of great Danish design, both traditional and ground-breaking. Also recommended: The Royal Copenhagen Cafe in a nearby side street.
http://www.visitcopenhagen.com/See-a...sen-Museum/382
http://www.placesonline.com/europe/d...and_museum.asp
http://www.simonseeks.com/food-drink...n-cafe__172980
Just back from Sunday brunch with friends who know and love Copenhagen. They recommend the Royal Copenhagen museum and the nearby (perhaps next door) Georg Jensen museum, both storehouses of great Danish design, both traditional and ground-breaking. Also recommended: The Royal Copenhagen Cafe in a nearby side street.
http://www.visitcopenhagen.com/See-a...sen-Museum/382
http://www.placesonline.com/europe/d...and_museum.asp
http://www.simonseeks.com/food-drink...n-cafe__172980
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
karentoft
Europe
16
Feb 8th, 2007 05:21 PM
