Nuttela

I have been researching Copenhagen and hope someone can help me out, who has been there or has expertise in the area.

We will be there for three days leaving the fourth. Realistically, is there enough time to see the city center and its offerings and take at least one day trip from the center. If so, what would you recommend as a good day trip.

Some things to keep in my mind:
-We will not have a vehicle with us and will have to rely on transit.
-Our hotel is located near the Tivoli Gardens.
-We will be in Copenhagen late June of this year.
-We can only handle one art type museum. (We can't appreciate art as well as others.)
-We enjoy more historical artifacts and nature.

Any help would be appreciated as it seems Denmark and Scandinavia is less travelled as the other places of Europe.

Thanks as always for the help.

MilenaM

If I had 3 days I would spend them all in the city. I commuted last summer from another city, just to be able to see museums and castles since they all close around 4 PM. Since this is not the case for you, go find Hamlet's ghost at Kronborg castle.

If you have to see 1 museum only make it either the National Museum (Very friendly, but the Viking wing was closed last summer) or the Glyptoteket Museum (besides the art, there is a nice cafe in the atrium which I enjoyed).

The city is a walkable town, small European capital IMO, you could walk from castle to castle in 1 day, follow the Royal Guard from Rosenborg Castle (see the Royal jewels here) to Amalienborg, the residence of the Royal family. Some receptions rooms make for a nicely guided tour.

For a walk in the park, Fredericksberg Gardens is plesant, yet a bit out of town, or the Botanical gardens just behind Rosenborg Castle.

Walking the city will lead you to the Rundetarn (if climbing is allowed, the Marble Church's dome could also be climbed.

Take a boat tour from Nyhavn and save the walking to see the Mermeid, and most of all enjoy your trip.

ira

Hi N,

Two nice daytrips are

Roskilde (Viking Ship Museum and Cathedral)

Frederiksborg Castle in Hillerød.

Enjoy your visit.

Nuttela

Thanks those seem like great ideas.

MilenaM did you enjoy your time in Copenhagen? My husband and I are really curious to see if we will enjoy Copenhagen. For now, (knock on wood) we haven't been to a city we didn't like.

It seemed like a day trip was going to be a lot when I was researching but it helps to hear other opinions. Thanks again for the help.

MilenaM

Nutella, I did enjoy the time spent in Copenhagen. I took the train into the city on 3 separate days from another distant city where we were visiting with a group of high school students. The city where we were was indeed tiny and did not offer many choices, even though we visited plenty of other sites at considerable distances.

Copenhagen's castles and museums are plentiful, the streets walkable, the shopping was affordable (this was last year!), the people are great, the traffic was minimal compared to Paris or Rome, and the cuisine was great. The only down side for me was the closing time of the museums, what do the Danish do with so many hours of daylight and nowhere to go?!? Well, family time is valued there and parents and children eat dinner together, after cooking daily at home.

PalenQ

My favorite day trip is to Lund, on the Round the Sound day trip from Copenhagen over the bridge-tunnel to Malmo, Sweden and onto Lund and then to Helsingor for the ferry to Helsingborg (Kronborg or 'Hamlet's Castle) and back to Copenhagen

the whole thing by train and ferry takes about three hours travel time

The fairly new bridge-tunnel over the Ore Sound yields fantastic views for miles around from the top part of the bridge part (train goes over the bride paralling a road)

Malmo is a dud IMO but take the 20 min train ride from there to Lund, one of Sweden and Scandinavia's sweetest cities IMO - one of the few that really looks old to me - home of great cathedral and park-like campus of one of Sweden's most prestigious universities - lovely stone buildings and there is a nice town center and pedestrian shopping district

Then either return to Copenhagen if short on time or hop the train to Helsingborg, Sweden and take the constantl running few-minute ferry ride back across the Ore Sound to Helsingborg, Denmark and the Hamlet Castle thing is near the boat dock and then hop a S-Tog train back to Copenhagen

Add another country to your trip as well - lovely bucolic farming country in Sweden redolent of Minnesota, etc.

Nuttela

PalenQ - Actually this is just part of my husband's and I Scandinavia Trip. I like to seperate out my city questions so that I can have one thread dedicated to each city of my travels. We start in Copenhagen, then Bergen (Norway), Oslo, and then Stockholm.

MilenaM - thanks for the response, I feel like my anxiety for this part of my trip has minimized.

Nuttela

Ira - thanks for the information also. I didn't realize Rosklide was a possibility with our time frame.

PalenQ

I was talking about day trips from Copenhagen and did not realise you only wanted Danish destinations

ekscrunchy

The fishing village of Dragor is close to the center and very charming. You will be in Copenhagen at a great time of year....LONG days!!

PalenQ

And if art is your bag Louisiana Statue Park and contemporary art museum on the Sound near Helsingor (elsinore in English) - a verdant park-like setting overlooking the Sound.

twin with day out at Hamlet's Castle in nearby Helsingor

Train to a station very close to the Louisiana park - a stop on the Kopenhagen-Helsingor line

trsny

Copenhagen is very walkable and most of the major sites are accessible by foot or public transport from where you're staying.

Since you are interested in historical sites, and are possibly interested in doing a day trip outside the city, I would suggest either Roskilde (Viking Museum) or Helsingor (Kronborg Castle). Transportation to both these towns is a breeze.

If you go see the Little Mermaid, you could also check out Kastallet, which is a nice place to walk around. The Danish Resistance museum is in that area too.

I agree with MilenaM, the early closings can be difficult for visitors who want to maximize their time in this wonderful city.

EricBentzen

There is plenty to do and see in Copenhagen. We have been there many times and but for a single trip to Helsinore (Kronborg Castle), we have always stayed in the city.

For first timers a harbour cruise is recommended. If that brings you past The Little Mermaid fine - if not I wouldn't spend time looking for her. Read Andersen's fairytale instead and buy a postcard.

Many museums are closed Mondays. See http://www.mik.dk/ for a list of museums. I highly recommend the national museum, http://www.natmus.dk/. On Saturdays (as I recall) there's a guided tour (in English) in the Victorian Home - fascinating. Read about it on the national museum's website.

Castles, royalty and crown jewels are great, but don't miss the Worker's Museum, http://www.arbejdermuseet.dk/UK/default.asp, where you'll get an excellent impression of the working people's living conditions in Copenhagen.

If you stay away from the tourist traps like e.g. Nyhavn or Tivoli you can get decent meals that aren't horribly expensive.

For some of my own impressions and recommendations/facts see http://www.sitestory.dk/rejser/copenhagen2007/index.htm

Enjoy your trip!

Vttraveler

Another vote for a day trip to Roskilde. We visited it by car from Cophenhagen but there are also frequent trains. The cathedral and Viking Ship museum are both spectacular. The frommers.com web site has good information about the city
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/roskilde/

In Copenhagen we found the Frihedsmuseet (Museum of Danish Resistance) very interesting

PalenQ

And in Copenhagen there is, or was at least until recently, the bizarre Free City of Christiana, said to be the city's 2nd top tourist mecca after Tivoli

Was supposed to be bulldozed soon however but haven't heard

a very very unique place - the only 70s commune left in europe it seems if still there

trsny

I visited Christiania in November. It's a another world compared to the rest of the neighborhood of Christianshavn in which it's located.

Nuttela

I appreciate everybody helps. I will have to sit down and look at the suggestions and see what my husband and I would really enjoy and what is also doable in time and budget.

Thanks again everyone from day one to present who's helped me out with suggetsions.

PalenQ, I hope that I did not offend you, I was just stating the rest of our plans. I did look into those areas. I just wished we had more time for our trips. It seems like there is never enough to do it all.

You guys are always a great help. I can't wait to write my trip report to share with you all and help others along the way.