July 2010
Copenhagen, Rain or Shine
We spent the last three nights (two full days, plus a late afternoon/evening) in
Copenhagen.
Hotel Kong Arthur
After considering various hotels in various locations, we chose the Hotel Kong Arthur,
located about 10 minutes from Nørreport station and just off the lake that divides the city
center from Nørrebro. We quite liked the hotel and the location. It was convenient for
taking the metro to and from the airport, and it was easy walking distance to the city
center and many sites, but just far enough away to be a bit quieter and less congested.
Our room was very good sized, comfortable, attractively decorated and nicely appointed
(okay, the bathroom was very small and the shower was a bit challenging). I booked a
superior double with extra bed, but am not certain that’s what we had; it might have
been a junior suite. Our room didn't look like any of the rooms on the hotel’s site or
other available photos. There was no air conditioning. It wasn't really necessary while
we were there, but we did sleep with the windows open to keep it from getting stuffy. For
the most part, it was pretty quiet, but there occasionally was some noise outside when
someone rolled a hotel trolley across the cobblestone walkway.
The included breakfast was great—all the usual things, but all of very good quality.
There also is a nice bar and sitting area in the lobby (as well as an outdoor courtyard),
where we spent too much money! And, the staff were all very friendly and helpful.
Overall, just a really nice vibe here.
DKK 1590 per night for a superior double room for three people, with breakfast included.
Sights
We had mixed weather in Copenhagen—light rain for most of the first 24 hours were
there, and then dry with mixed sun and clouds the rest of the time. A couple of times, we
planned our stops in order to get out of the rain, but for the most part we just raised the
umbrellas and kept walking. Over two-plus days, were able to squeeze in a lot:
Of course, given where we stayed, we were in the Latin Quarter quite a bit and up and
down the Strøget (world’s longest pedestrian street) and the other pedestrian side
streets around it—a few times. Allie particularly enjoyed window shopping in
Copenhagen (and a little real shopping). One unusual thing we happened upon was an
outdoor performance of La Bohème at Nytorv, part of the Copenhagen Opera Festival. It
was raining, however, and the crowd stretched pretty far back into the square and all of
the adjacent cafes were full—so we had to move on after a bit.
And then there’s Tivoli Gardens. We spent a lovely Friday evening (only a brief rain
shower) at Tivoli, where we rode many of the adult or marginally adult rides—best, The
Demon; weirdest, The Mine—saw a small bit of a free concert, and had dinner. Although
the park was pretty crowded, and became more so later into the evening, the lines for
rides were not that bad for the most part. The longest wait was about 20 minutes, and
ironically they closed the ride (The Star Flyer) due to winds just as we reached it.
Admission, DKK 95; multi-ride tickets, DKK 205.
We did not take any boat/canal rides or go to any museums other than the one at the
Rosenborg Slot.
Food
I’m afraid we don’t have much to offer to those looking for Copenhagen’s best dining
experiences. We were looking for low key and moderate (for us; say around $100 total)
options.
The included breakfasts at the Kong Arthur are very substantial, and since we tended to
eat later in the morning (well, later than we usually eat breakfast—say 9-10 am), they
pretty much held us through to dinner with just a small snack somewhere. We had to
leave too early for breakfast on our last morning and settled, instead, for breakfast at the
SAS Lounge at CPH.
Dinners included:
Thai at Eastern Corner, near the university and the Botanical Garden. This was a
recommendation from someone at the hotel (to our request for Asian or Middle Eastern,
but casual and not too far away). It was pretty good and a nice space, although quite a
bit more expensive than we pay for Thai at home. Two appetizers, three entrees, and a
few drinks: $128.
Færgekroen Bryghus in Tivoli Gardens, one of the park’s oldest restaurants. It was
atmospheric, but a little average on the food. The veal was okay, but DD didn’t much
care for her chicken. Three entrees and drinks: $122.
Kaffesalonnen, a bar/restaurant across the lake from our hotel with tables on a floating
platform. The burgers and sandwiches were fine for this sort of thing. We really just
wanted something outdoors, low key and away from the crowds, and this served the
purpose. No English menu, but the staff will help translate. $80 with drinks.
Transportation
We used the Metro to get from the airport to our hotel and then back at the end of the trip.
At first, we had a bit of trouble with the ticket machine at CPH, even with the help of an
attendant. It would not take our US credit cards, and otherwise required coins (which we
didn’t have yet). We went back into the terminal to the ticket office and were able to
purchase round-trip tickets (two “clips”) to cover both directions. The Metro runs every 10
minutes and it took just 15 minutes to reach our stop—a very easy and efficient way to
get to the airport if your hotel is reasonably close to a station. Ours was about a seven-
minute walk from Nørreport Station. Of note, the Nørreport station (and probably others)
has an elevator if you’re traveling with bags.
We took one other one-zone, one-way ride on the Metro, from Nørreport to
Christianshavn—this time, we came prepared with coins for the ticket machine.
Impressions
We really enjoyed our short time in Copenhagen, although we just scratched the
surface. While it doesn't have that one “big” attraction, there is something pretty
interesting around just about every corner. We love just getting out and walking in the
cities we visit, and this is a great city for that sort of thing. We wish the weather had been
a bit sunnier, but better that we ran into rain here than in the Norwegian fjords. It really
didn't detract from our experience here at all.
Photos from Copenhagen
Home
We spent the last three nights (two full days, plus a late afternoon/evening) in
Copenhagen.
Hotel Kong Arthur
After considering various hotels in various locations, we chose the Hotel Kong Arthur,
located about 10 minutes from Nørreport station and just off the lake that divides the city
center from Nørrebro. We quite liked the hotel and the location. It was convenient for
taking the metro to and from the airport, and it was easy walking distance to the city
center and many sites, but just far enough away to be a bit quieter and less congested.
Our room was very good sized, comfortable, attractively decorated and nicely appointed
(okay, the bathroom was very small and the shower was a bit challenging). I booked a
superior double with extra bed, but am not certain that’s what we had; it might have
been a junior suite. Our room didn't look like any of the rooms on the hotel’s site or
other available photos. There was no air conditioning. It wasn't really necessary while
we were there, but we did sleep with the windows open to keep it from getting stuffy. For
the most part, it was pretty quiet, but there occasionally was some noise outside when
someone rolled a hotel trolley across the cobblestone walkway.
The included breakfast was great—all the usual things, but all of very good quality.
There also is a nice bar and sitting area in the lobby (as well as an outdoor courtyard),
where we spent too much money! And, the staff were all very friendly and helpful.
Overall, just a really nice vibe here.
DKK 1590 per night for a superior double room for three people, with breakfast included.
Sights
We had mixed weather in Copenhagen—light rain for most of the first 24 hours were
there, and then dry with mixed sun and clouds the rest of the time. A couple of times, we
planned our stops in order to get out of the rain, but for the most part we just raised the
umbrellas and kept walking. Over two-plus days, were able to squeeze in a lot:
- Nyhavn. We saved this for the sunniest part of our visit, of course.
- A walk around Christianshavn (although we really didn't get into Christiania).
- The Rosenborg Slot (Castle), including the crown jewels in the basement, and
the Kongens Have (Kings Gardens).
- A walk on and around the walls of the Kastellet, one of the best preserved
fortifications in Northern Europe and still a military facility today.
- Changing of the guard at the Amalienborg Slot (Palace), at noon…and in the
rain.
- The Botanisk Have (botanical gardens), and specifically the floating “bowls” on
the lake.
- The Trinitatis Kirke and the Rundetårn (Round Tower), one of the oldest
astronomical observatories still in use today (observation platform at the top with
nice views).
- The Marmokirken and then a very quick peek into the Alexander Nevsky Kirke
(Russian Orthodox church) nearby.
- A walk around the Slotsholmen, an island in the city center where the original
castle was located (1100s) and today is the site of the Christiansborg
Slot/Danish Parliament, various other historical buildings and several
museums.
- A walk into the heart of the more diverse area of Nørrebro, across the lake from
our hotel, where we saw a few Friday night gatherings still going on well into
Saturday morning.
Of course, given where we stayed, we were in the Latin Quarter quite a bit and up and
down the Strøget (world’s longest pedestrian street) and the other pedestrian side
streets around it—a few times. Allie particularly enjoyed window shopping in
Copenhagen (and a little real shopping). One unusual thing we happened upon was an
outdoor performance of La Bohème at Nytorv, part of the Copenhagen Opera Festival. It
was raining, however, and the crowd stretched pretty far back into the square and all of
the adjacent cafes were full—so we had to move on after a bit.
And then there’s Tivoli Gardens. We spent a lovely Friday evening (only a brief rain
shower) at Tivoli, where we rode many of the adult or marginally adult rides—best, The
Demon; weirdest, The Mine—saw a small bit of a free concert, and had dinner. Although
the park was pretty crowded, and became more so later into the evening, the lines for
rides were not that bad for the most part. The longest wait was about 20 minutes, and
ironically they closed the ride (The Star Flyer) due to winds just as we reached it.
Admission, DKK 95; multi-ride tickets, DKK 205.
We did not take any boat/canal rides or go to any museums other than the one at the
Rosenborg Slot.
Food
I’m afraid we don’t have much to offer to those looking for Copenhagen’s best dining
experiences. We were looking for low key and moderate (for us; say around $100 total)
options.
The included breakfasts at the Kong Arthur are very substantial, and since we tended to
eat later in the morning (well, later than we usually eat breakfast—say 9-10 am), they
pretty much held us through to dinner with just a small snack somewhere. We had to
leave too early for breakfast on our last morning and settled, instead, for breakfast at the
SAS Lounge at CPH.
Dinners included:
Thai at Eastern Corner, near the university and the Botanical Garden. This was a
recommendation from someone at the hotel (to our request for Asian or Middle Eastern,
but casual and not too far away). It was pretty good and a nice space, although quite a
bit more expensive than we pay for Thai at home. Two appetizers, three entrees, and a
few drinks: $128.
Færgekroen Bryghus in Tivoli Gardens, one of the park’s oldest restaurants. It was
atmospheric, but a little average on the food. The veal was okay, but DD didn’t much
care for her chicken. Three entrees and drinks: $122.
Kaffesalonnen, a bar/restaurant across the lake from our hotel with tables on a floating
platform. The burgers and sandwiches were fine for this sort of thing. We really just
wanted something outdoors, low key and away from the crowds, and this served the
purpose. No English menu, but the staff will help translate. $80 with drinks.
Transportation
We used the Metro to get from the airport to our hotel and then back at the end of the trip.
At first, we had a bit of trouble with the ticket machine at CPH, even with the help of an
attendant. It would not take our US credit cards, and otherwise required coins (which we
didn’t have yet). We went back into the terminal to the ticket office and were able to
purchase round-trip tickets (two “clips”) to cover both directions. The Metro runs every 10
minutes and it took just 15 minutes to reach our stop—a very easy and efficient way to
get to the airport if your hotel is reasonably close to a station. Ours was about a seven-
minute walk from Nørreport Station. Of note, the Nørreport station (and probably others)
has an elevator if you’re traveling with bags.
We took one other one-zone, one-way ride on the Metro, from Nørreport to
Christianshavn—this time, we came prepared with coins for the ticket machine.
Impressions
We really enjoyed our short time in Copenhagen, although we just scratched the
surface. While it doesn't have that one “big” attraction, there is something pretty
interesting around just about every corner. We love just getting out and walking in the
cities we visit, and this is a great city for that sort of thing. We wish the weather had been
a bit sunnier, but better that we ran into rain here than in the Norwegian fjords. It really
didn't detract from our experience here at all.
Photos from Copenhagen
Home
Breaking out of the Nutshell:
Oslo, Bergen, the Sognefjord
and Copenhagen
Oslo, Bergen, the Sognefjord
and Copenhagen
