Copenhagen
Day 1
Start the day with a free walking tour to get an idea of the important places and the history of the city.
Demark Royal Palace houses the oldest royal family in Europe
The expensive “Marble Church” whose construction almost bankrupted Denmark
Then, we decided to check out the Gefion Fountain
Gefion Fountain
and one of the most disappointing tourist attractions, The Little Mermaid.
The Little Mermaid
Afterward, we checked out the National Museum
Remains of a ship at the National Museum of Denmark
Day 2
We started with an early morning swim at a public swimming pool next to the lake. You can often spot Jellyfishes in these swimming pools. A local said that only the pink Jellyfish sting and the white ones don’t.
Then we headed to the world-famous Design Museum of Denmark.
Newspaper Chair at Design Museum
Afterward, we checked out the hippie enclave of Christiania.
Christiania
Church with corkscrew spire
We took the Christianborg Tower (inside the palace) to get a view of the city. The access is free, but expect a wait time of 15-30 mins in a queue.
View from Christianborg Tower
From here, we headed to the subterranean art in Cistern. It is a unique experience but over-priced at 115 DKK, I would not recommend it.
Art exhibit inside Cistern
Newhaven (Nyhaven) is a good area to have dinner or even take a stroll at night.
Nyhaven (New Haven)
Note:
- Public transport is great. Get a day pass (80 DKK) and that will cover different train systems as well as the expansive & frequent bus lines.
- The metro ticket from the airport to the city is ~5 USD.
- Copenhagen central station has lockers available for 70 DKK for 24-hour storage. The location is a bit harder to find, as one has to go to the central building first and then ask around for the luggage storage location.
- Credits cards are widely accepted, so, there is no need to carry local currency, the Danish Krone.
- Hotels, and even hostels, are expensive by the standards of Western Europe.
- Unlike most of Europe, public toilets are free.
- We skipped Tivoli Gardens, the third-oldest operating amusement park in the world. We skipped Dyrehavsbakken, the oldest operating amusement park in the world as well. Tivoli Gardens was the inspiration for Walt Disney’s Disneyland.
- The local word for “Hello” is “Hej” (pronounced “hi”), “Bye” is “Hej Hej” (pronounced “hi hi”), and “Thanks” is “Tak”.