Denmark trip report
Jul 15th, 2004 | 08:05 AM
#1
Original Poster
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 209
Likes: 0
Denmark trip report
We just came back from a wonderful week in Denmark! The weather was a bit chilly and it rained during our stay (but usually just for an hour here and there), but the sun did peak out quite a lot.
We stayed in the Clarion Neptun in Coppenhagen. The hotel is charming and the staff was very efficient and friendly. We had some trouble with our room in the beginning, but once that was straightened out, things ran smoothly. We got to the hotel at 2:30 and were told our rooms weren?t ready. Not only that, but we requested 2 rooms on the third floor; when I called the hotel a week before we were to arrive and was told we would have 2 room son the 3rd floor. However, upon checking in we were told they only had rooms on the fifth floor and what did it matter anyway. I was a little annoyed by this, but in the end they upgraded one of our rooms to a king. The other room had a tiny bathroom. The sink was literally on top of the toilet and the shower stall had a very low slanted ceiling (my friend and I are petite and even we didn?t think we would be able to stand upright in the shower). The hotel managed to find us a lovely room with a bigger bathroom. The hotel is north of the center of town, and in a quieter location. We had a room facing the street and had no trouble with noise or traffic during the night as I have heard is the case in some of the centrally located hotels. Other than not getting our wakeup call on two occasions, we had no further hotel problems. When we needed extra tissues and had a problem working the shower, we had someone from reception at our door in a matter of seconds. And I found the staff very helpful in suggesting daytrips and activities.
Some of our favorite highlights include: The Rosenborg castle and the King?s Garden (this made a lovely setting for a picnic lunch); the National Museum had a fantastic exhibit on the history of the Dames; The new Jewish Museum, which documents the Jewish presence in Denmark; The Resistance Museum; a boat tour along the canals, which gave us a great view of the Little Mermaid; our trip to Roskilde (thanks to everybody for insisting we not miss this lovely, bucolic city) with the fabulous Viking Museum; the open-air museum in Lyngby; and of course the Tivoli Gardens.
From the guidebooks and from what I had read on the Internet, it seemed to me that the Tivoli was a garden with an amusement park and restaurants, when in fact it an amusement park with restaurants and shops; the only thing remotely looking like a garden is the crowded, grassy area in front of the stage and the trees marking the park?s perimeter. I had been under the impression that it was possible to go boating on the lake in the Tivoli; however the ?boating? is a ride and the ?lake? is not much larger than a swimming pool. And we also didn?t realize there would be a fee (65 kroner, which is roughly $11) to enter the park (the rides required tickets paid for separately, each ride was roughly $5). That said, however, the night at the Tivoli was the most fun. The rides were fantastic, with their Arabian and Far East styles, as were the game booths; I have never had more fun at an amusement park.
We also took a day our to Sweden. The tour was quite expensive and a little disappointing. It was basically a shopping excursion. We were told we would be stopping in Elsinore at Kronborg slot. When we drove by and if you craned your neck out the window you could just barely make out the castle. We stopped in Lund for a tour of the cathedral; we looked at the university and had to pay our admission to see the open-air museum, which was lovely, but we didn?t have enough time to eat lunch and properly see it. At Malmo, our tour guide pointed out town hall, the fountain and a few shops, and we went shopping for an hour and a half before meeting back at the bus. We also stopped in Dragor for under 15 minutes. On our way back to Copenhagen our tour guide (who should have remained quite when she had nothing to say) pointed out things like a Mazda dealership on the side of the ride, telling us how the Danes like small cars. She also pointed out things like trees. It was quite ridiculous! It would have been much better to really explore 1 or 2 cities in depth rather than hop off the bus to take pictures and shop.
We found Denmark to be quite expensive, but we were expecting this. The people we encountered were very helpful, from bus drivers, to people on the street giving us directions. Our stay was relatively short, but I felt most comfortable there right away.
Some general observations about Denmark:
In many ways the country is very modern and advanced, in other ways not so much. The cabs accept credit cards (a policy I have always thought New York should adopt) yet many stores do not.
Two things I loved about the transportation system: the trains and buses were so clean and on time (there were displays next to each bus and train number, with a number signifying in how many minutes the train/bus would arrive).
Everyone rides bikes, and many have seats for their children on the back. The baby carriages are like old-fashioned prams, the kind not used in the States anymore, but they are much more practical.
While most people are tall and blonde, I did not feel at all out of place being short and dark-haired. One question my friends and I were constantly asked when people heard we were from NY was ?Why Denmark?? Most of the other travelers we encountered were from Scandinavia and other European countries.
I am glad we chose Denmark and aside from it being an expensive country, I think more people should consider it. The countryside is beautiful, the people are helpful and for those who don?t speak other languages, almost everybody speaks English, and they speak it very well.
We stayed in the Clarion Neptun in Coppenhagen. The hotel is charming and the staff was very efficient and friendly. We had some trouble with our room in the beginning, but once that was straightened out, things ran smoothly. We got to the hotel at 2:30 and were told our rooms weren?t ready. Not only that, but we requested 2 rooms on the third floor; when I called the hotel a week before we were to arrive and was told we would have 2 room son the 3rd floor. However, upon checking in we were told they only had rooms on the fifth floor and what did it matter anyway. I was a little annoyed by this, but in the end they upgraded one of our rooms to a king. The other room had a tiny bathroom. The sink was literally on top of the toilet and the shower stall had a very low slanted ceiling (my friend and I are petite and even we didn?t think we would be able to stand upright in the shower). The hotel managed to find us a lovely room with a bigger bathroom. The hotel is north of the center of town, and in a quieter location. We had a room facing the street and had no trouble with noise or traffic during the night as I have heard is the case in some of the centrally located hotels. Other than not getting our wakeup call on two occasions, we had no further hotel problems. When we needed extra tissues and had a problem working the shower, we had someone from reception at our door in a matter of seconds. And I found the staff very helpful in suggesting daytrips and activities.
Some of our favorite highlights include: The Rosenborg castle and the King?s Garden (this made a lovely setting for a picnic lunch); the National Museum had a fantastic exhibit on the history of the Dames; The new Jewish Museum, which documents the Jewish presence in Denmark; The Resistance Museum; a boat tour along the canals, which gave us a great view of the Little Mermaid; our trip to Roskilde (thanks to everybody for insisting we not miss this lovely, bucolic city) with the fabulous Viking Museum; the open-air museum in Lyngby; and of course the Tivoli Gardens.
From the guidebooks and from what I had read on the Internet, it seemed to me that the Tivoli was a garden with an amusement park and restaurants, when in fact it an amusement park with restaurants and shops; the only thing remotely looking like a garden is the crowded, grassy area in front of the stage and the trees marking the park?s perimeter. I had been under the impression that it was possible to go boating on the lake in the Tivoli; however the ?boating? is a ride and the ?lake? is not much larger than a swimming pool. And we also didn?t realize there would be a fee (65 kroner, which is roughly $11) to enter the park (the rides required tickets paid for separately, each ride was roughly $5). That said, however, the night at the Tivoli was the most fun. The rides were fantastic, with their Arabian and Far East styles, as were the game booths; I have never had more fun at an amusement park.
We also took a day our to Sweden. The tour was quite expensive and a little disappointing. It was basically a shopping excursion. We were told we would be stopping in Elsinore at Kronborg slot. When we drove by and if you craned your neck out the window you could just barely make out the castle. We stopped in Lund for a tour of the cathedral; we looked at the university and had to pay our admission to see the open-air museum, which was lovely, but we didn?t have enough time to eat lunch and properly see it. At Malmo, our tour guide pointed out town hall, the fountain and a few shops, and we went shopping for an hour and a half before meeting back at the bus. We also stopped in Dragor for under 15 minutes. On our way back to Copenhagen our tour guide (who should have remained quite when she had nothing to say) pointed out things like a Mazda dealership on the side of the ride, telling us how the Danes like small cars. She also pointed out things like trees. It was quite ridiculous! It would have been much better to really explore 1 or 2 cities in depth rather than hop off the bus to take pictures and shop.
We found Denmark to be quite expensive, but we were expecting this. The people we encountered were very helpful, from bus drivers, to people on the street giving us directions. Our stay was relatively short, but I felt most comfortable there right away.
Some general observations about Denmark:
In many ways the country is very modern and advanced, in other ways not so much. The cabs accept credit cards (a policy I have always thought New York should adopt) yet many stores do not.
Two things I loved about the transportation system: the trains and buses were so clean and on time (there were displays next to each bus and train number, with a number signifying in how many minutes the train/bus would arrive).
Everyone rides bikes, and many have seats for their children on the back. The baby carriages are like old-fashioned prams, the kind not used in the States anymore, but they are much more practical.
While most people are tall and blonde, I did not feel at all out of place being short and dark-haired. One question my friends and I were constantly asked when people heard we were from NY was ?Why Denmark?? Most of the other travelers we encountered were from Scandinavia and other European countries.
I am glad we chose Denmark and aside from it being an expensive country, I think more people should consider it. The countryside is beautiful, the people are helpful and for those who don?t speak other languages, almost everybody speaks English, and they speak it very well.
Jul 15th, 2004 | 08:50 AM
#3
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 84
Likes: 0
beth23: Thanks for the timely trip report. I enjoyed reading it (and have even printed it) as we are heading to Copenhagen for four nights in late-August. Although we'll be staying at a different hotel, I found your description of your favorite highlights, coupled with your explanation of Tivoli and your general observations, most interesting and helpful. Additionally, thanks for the warning concerning the day shopping excursion to Sweden. Like you, apparently, I can go the rest of my life without seeing another car dealership and certainly don't need to go to Europe to have one pointed out to me! Once again, thanks for your informative, and helpful, post.
If you get a chance, any particularly good restaurant recommendations in Copenhagen?
David
If you get a chance, any particularly good restaurant recommendations in Copenhagen?
David
Jul 15th, 2004 | 09:19 AM
#4
Original Poster
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 209
Likes: 0
Hi David,
Have a wonderful trip! The weather should be lovely in August. As for restaurants, we did a lot of take-out and ate most of our meals on the go, so I can't really think of any proper, sit down places to recommend. Sorry I can't be of more help.
Beth
Have a wonderful trip! The weather should be lovely in August. As for restaurants, we did a lot of take-out and ate most of our meals on the go, so I can't really think of any proper, sit down places to recommend. Sorry I can't be of more help.
Beth
Jul 15th, 2004 | 09:41 AM
#5
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 148
Likes: 0
David: I agree with Beth. Restaurants are all over, so it is hard to recommend which one. In Norway the ratio is opposite.
However, do not forget Gitte Kik, a splendid high-sandwich restaurant not far (or maybe just there) from Amager Torg. Excellent atmoshere, lovely dishes, heaven might be next to it. Go there for lunch and I almost can guarantee you some unforgettable hours.
Enjoy,
Bjorn, Oslo
However, do not forget Gitte Kik, a splendid high-sandwich restaurant not far (or maybe just there) from Amager Torg. Excellent atmoshere, lovely dishes, heaven might be next to it. Go there for lunch and I almost can guarantee you some unforgettable hours.
Enjoy,
Bjorn, Oslo
Aug 30th, 2004 | 02:40 PM
#6
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 15,646
Likes: 11
Beth23, I missed this report when you posted it because I was in Denmark at the time. I've been lazy and have not yet posted a trip report of my own, but I agree with your assessment of Roskilde as a wonderful destination. We loved the Viking Museum there and my family took the sailing trip from the museum on Roskilde Fjord in a traditional boat, which was a highlight of our trip. Lots of great photos of my husband and daughters at the oars.
We had a rental car and spent a night in Sweden, just to have been there. Although we were traveling independently, the funny part is that my daughter preferred the time she spent shopping in Sweden to the time we spent seeing the sights. We stayed in Lund and also visited the cathedral there to see the astronomical clock in action. I was outvoted so we didn't get to the open air museum.
I found your comment interesting that you didn't feel out of place among the Danes despite being small and dark. My husband, who is about six feet tall, felt short over there, where many men and even some women were far taller than he.
We had a rental car and spent a night in Sweden, just to have been there. Although we were traveling independently, the funny part is that my daughter preferred the time she spent shopping in Sweden to the time we spent seeing the sights. We stayed in Lund and also visited the cathedral there to see the astronomical clock in action. I was outvoted so we didn't get to the open air museum.
I found your comment interesting that you didn't feel out of place among the Danes despite being small and dark. My husband, who is about six feet tall, felt short over there, where many men and even some women were far taller than he.
