Will be in Copenhagen for 8 days in August and looking for recommendations. There are a couple of threads slightly related to this topic, but they are a bit dated so I thought I'd start a new discussion.

We will be using CPH as our base and are looking for suggestions both for sights to see in the city as well as interesting day trips. Priority would be unique and/or scenic locales. Any recommendations for day trips on the water? Although we'll have a hotel in Copenhagen for the entire time, and would prefer not to overnight elsewhere, all modes of transportation are on the table to get the best experience we can.

Thanks!

Copenhagen:

Key Attractions
Rundetårn (The Round Tower)
In the streets to the north of Strøget is the Rundetårn, the oldest observatory in Europe. Built by Christian IV in 1642, the building forms part of a scholastic complex that also includes a university library (now an exhibition hall) and student church. A 209m-long (686ft) spiral ramp leads to the top of the tower 35m (115ft) above the street, from where there is a good view over the old parts of the city.

Købmagergade 52A
Tel: 3373 0373. Fax: 3373 0377.
E-mail: post@rundetaarn.dk
Website: www.rundetaarn.dk
Transport: Bus 5A, 7, 14, 16, 17, 24, 43, 84; S-train or Metro to Nørreport.
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 1000-2000, Sun 1200-2000 (Jun-Aug); Mon-Sat 1000-1700, Sun 1200-1700 (Sep-May). Admission: Dkk20 (concessions available).

Tivoli
One of the most famous European amusement parks, Tivoli is a charmingly bizarre mixture of the natural and the artificial. Designed by Georg Carstensen as a pleasure ground for the masses, Christian VIII, the then King of Denmark, gave his royal permission for the amusement park in the heart of Copenhagen. ‘When the populace are enjoying themselves they forget about politicking,’ the widely travelled Georg Carstensen reasoned. When it opened in 1843, visitors had a choice of two amusements – a horse-drawn carrousel and a rollercoaster. Today, there are 25 rides, as well as games and arcades, two theatres, an open-air stage and a museum. Of the four rollercoasters, the ‘Bjergrutschebanen’ (the Mountain Roller Coaster) is the oldest (dates from 1914) and still the most popular. The Tivoli Boys Guard Band parade through the gardens at 1730 and 1930 on weekends and public holidays, with a full orchestra, stagecoach and horses. Crowded, pricey and unbelievably kitsch, Tivoli remains strangely appealing, particularly at night when the trees are illuminated with lanterns. Numerous concerts and special events are held here every summer (April to September), as well as a Christmas market in December.

Vesterbrogade 3
Tel: 3315 1001 or 1012 (ticket centre). Fax: 3375 0381.
E-mail: info@tivoli.dk
Website: www.tivoli.dk
Transport: Bus 1, 2A, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 28, 29, 30 or 39; S-train to Central Station.
Opening hours: Sun-Wed 1100-2300, Thurs and Sat 1100-2400, Fri 1100-0100 (mid-Apr-mid-Jun and mid-Aug-mid-Sep); Sun-Thurs 1100-2400, Fri and Sat 1100-0100 (mid-Jun-mid-Aug).
Admission: Dkk55/60 (depending on season as above); concessions and discount schemes available. Admission fee also varies according to the day of the week. Rides cost one, two or three Tour Tickets (Dkk10 each).

Waterfront
Nyhavn (New Harbour) is an inlet off the Inderhavnen, towards Kongens Nytorv (King’s New Square). Until recently, brothels and bars serving the visiting sailors dominated this seedy area. Now the multicoloured, 17th-century, gabled buildings accommodate bustling restaurants and pavement cafés serving traditional Danish food beside a pedestrian thoroughfare and the masts of traditional yachts. Hans Christian Andersen lived at three different houses here and on his birthday (2 April) may still be encountered here, in the form of a person in costume wandering the streets.

It is a very pleasant walk from Nyhavn along Bredgade to Churchill Park or along the waterfront beyond the Admiral Hotel (both routes passing Amalienborg Castle), to the spot in the northeast of the city where Den Lille Havfrue (The Little Mermaid) stares wistfully out to sea. Erected in 1913, the statue commemorates the Hans Christian Andersen heroine and has become a global symbol of Copenhagen. Despite being decapitated a few times and being rather smaller in stature than might be imagined, the mermaid remains perennially popular with visitors.

Nyhavn Inderhavnen
Tel: 3312 3233.
Website: www.nyhavn.org
Transport: New harbour bus service (tel: 3613 1415); or bus 1, 6, 7, 9, 10, 28, 29, 31 or 41.

Den Lille Havfrue
Promenade, Langelinie
Transport: Bus 1, 6; S-train to Østerport.
Opening hours: Daily 24 hours.
Admission: Free.

Rosenborg Slot (Rosenborg Castle)
Built between 1606 and 1634, Rosenborg was the chief residence of Christian IV and the main royal palace until the end of the last century. This redbrick, Dutch Renaissance-style palace displays the Crown jewels and other royal treasures, dating from the 16th to the 19th centuries, on the ground floor. In 1999, the Rosenborg Tapestries, woven especially for the banquet room of Rosenborg in the late 1600s, were returned to their original location after some years at Christiansborg Castle. The gardens (Kongens Have) surrounding the palace were laid out in 1606 and are some of the most attractive in the city.

Øster Voldgade 4A
Tel: 3315 3286. Fax: 3315 2046.
E-mail: museum@dkks.dk
Website: www.rosenborg-slot.dk
Transport: Bus 5A, 10, 14, 16, 42, 43, 184, 185, 150S, 173E or 350S; S-train and Metro to Nørreport.
Opening hours: Daily 1000-1600 (May and Sep); daily 1000-1700 (Jun-Aug); Tues-Sun 1100-1400 (Nov-Apr).
Admission: Dkk60 (concessions available).

Amalienborg Slot (Amalienborg Castle)
Amalia’s Castle has been the winter residence of the Danish royal family since 1794. The four identical Rococo palaces face each other across the octagonal Amalienborg Slot, where the changing of the guard takes place each day at noon when the family is in residence. A museum, featuring some of the private chambers and royal treasures dating from 1863-1947, is open to the public.

Amalienborg
Tel: 3312 2186. Fax: 3393 3203.
E-mail: amalienborgmuseet@c.dk
Website: www.rosenborg-slot.dk
Transport: Bus 1, 6 or 10; S-train to Østerport.
Opening hours: Daily 1000-1600 (May-Oct); Tues-Sun 1100-1600 (Nov-Apr).
Admission: Dkk45 (concessions available).

Nationalmuseet (National Museum)
Housed in a 17th-century royal mansion, the National Museum is the country’s premier historical and cultural institution. Permanent collections include the history of Denmark from the Ice Age to 2000, Egyptian, Greek and Italian antiquities and a survey of indigenous populations. There is also an interactive children’s museum.

Ny Vestergade 10
Tel: 3313 4411. Fax: 3347 3300.
Website: www.natmus.dk
Transport: Bus 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 10, 28, 29, 30, 32, 33, 550S or 650S.
Opening hours: Tues-Sun 1000-1700.
Admission: Dkk50 (concessions available); free on Wed.

Statens Museum for Kunst (Royal Museum of Fine Art)
The Royal Museum of Fine Art houses Denmark’s largest art collection, including paintings by Rembrandt, Brueghel and Rubens, works by Titian, Mantegna and Picasso, and an excellent Matisse collection. The museum reopened in 1999, after renovation and expansion.

Sølvegade 48-50
Tel: 3374 8494. Fax: 3374 8404.
E-mail: smk@smk.dk
Website: www.smk.dk
Transport: Bus 10, 14, 40, 42, 43, 72E, 79E, 173E, 184 or 185; S-train to Østerport or Nørreport /Metro to Nørreport.
Opening hours: Tues and Thurs-Sun 1000-1700; Wed 1000-2000.
Admission: Dkk50 (concessions available); free on Wed. Temporary exhibitions charge extra.

Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek
The Carlsberg Glyptotek was built by the Carlsberg brewer, Carl Jacobsen, between 1897 and 1906. Today, it houses a superb collection of Egyptian, Greek and Roman antiquities, Impressionist masterpieces and Danish and French art by Monet, Gauguin, Renoir, Degas and Cézanne.

Dantes Plads 7
Tel: 3341 8141. Fax: 3391 2058.
Website: www.glyptotek.dk
Transport: Bus 1, 2A, 5A, 10, 33, 550S or 650S; S-train to Kobenhavn H.
Opening hours: Tues-Sun 1000-1600.
Admission: Dkk40 (concessions available); free Wed and Sun.

Christiania Free Commune
On the eastern edge of Christianshavn, situated on the derelict site of a former military barracks, Christiania, the ‘Free City of Copenhagen’, is a working experiment in alternative lifestyles and communal living. First occupied in 1970, it is now home to about 1,000 people and several hundred dogs. Once away from the drug vendors, clothes stalls and eco-cafés, the area is seductively rural, with picturesque farmhouses and wooden cabins overlooking the calm waterways of the Stadsgraven. Guided tours can be arranged (see Tours of the City).
Prinsessegade/Badsmandsstræde
Tel: 3257 9670. Fax: 3257 6005 (tours).
Website: www.christiania.org
Transport: Bus 8 to Prinsessegade.
Opening hours: Daily 24 hours.
Admission: Free; Dkk30 per person (guided tours).

There are also bus and boat tours within Copenhagen itself. The boat tour people I've gone with have enjoyed. The bus tours are ok, but I would prefer the boat one AND walking around exploring without a guide.

Beyond Copenhagen:

Excursions
For a Half Day
Bakken: Located at Dyrehavevej 62, Klampenborg, in the northern suburbs of Copenhagen and accessed by S-train C to Klampenborg, the Bakken amusement park (tel: 3963 3544; fax: 3963 0138; website: www.bakken.dk ) provides an attractive and low-cost alternative to Tivoli. The oldest amusement park in Europe is open daily 1400-2400, from March/April to August, boasting wooded parkland and herds of deer as well as the usual rollercoasters and various rides. Admission to the park is free and all rides are charged at different prices, although it is possible to get a single one-day ‘ticket’ for all the rides in Bakken in the form of a wristband costing Dkk198.

The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art: This museum (tel: 4919 0719; fax: 4919 3505; e-mail: curatorial@louisiana.dk; website: www.louisiana.dk ) is set in lovely parkland, on the North Zealand coast, 35km (22 miles) north of Copenhagen. It houses a world-class collection of modern art by artists such as Francis Bacon, Max Ernst, Giacometti, Henry Moore, Picasso and Andy Warhol. Humlebæk-Louisiana Station is a 36-minute train ride from Copenhagen. Drivers can take the picturesque coastal road, ‘Strandvejen’. The museum is open daily 1000-1700 (until 2200 on Wednesday) and admission costs Dkk72 (concessions available).

Arken Museum of Modern Art: Located at Skovvej 100, in the Køge Bugt Strandpark, this museum (tel: 4354 0222; fax: 4354 0522; e-mail: reception@arken.dk; website: www.arken.dk ) was designed by Danish architect Søren Robert Lund to blend into the dune landscape of Ishøj Strand. The museum café affords beautiful views across the bay. Public transport from Copenhagen is by S-train (to Ishøj Station) or bus 128. Admission costs Dkk55 (concessions available) and opening times are Tuesday to Sunday 1000-1700 (until 2100 on Wednesday).

For a Whole Day
‘Castle Tour of North Zealand’:Copenhagen Excursions (tel: 3254 0606; fax: 3257 4905; e-mail: info@cex.dk; website: www.cex.dk ) organise this seven-hour tour for Dkk400. It includes a visit to Kronborg Slot in Helsingør (Elsinore) (claimed as the setting for Shakespeare’s Hamlet) Fredensborg Slot, the royal summer residence and the Frederiksborg Slot in Hillrød, a Renaissance palace, built by Christian IV and now a museum.

Roskilde:Roskilde, the oldest town in Denmark, is situated about ten kilometres (six miles) west of Copenhagen – a 30-minute train journey from the city. It is famed for its Viking heritage, as the Roskilde Museum, Sankt Ols Gade 18 (tel: 4631 6500; website: www.roskildemuseum.dk ) reveals. The museum is open daily 1100-1600 and admission costs Dkk25. The local tourist information office at Gullandsstræde 15 (tel: 4635 2700; fax: 4635 1474; e-mail: info@destination-roskilde.dk; website: www.destination-roskilde.dk ), can provide details of other interesting sites, such as the Domkirke, Ledreborg Castle and the Roskilde Fjord.

I'd also suggest a trip across the bridge into Sweden and a visit to Malmo and perhaps even beyond into other parts of Skane in Sweden.

A hearty ^ for Louisiana. I don't generally much go for modern art but this place is something else. (Although there's always a bit of a random factor depending on what exhibition is going on.)

Thanks - I also found that web site that you quoted from. I take it you have done and recommend those? I was less successful in finding boat excursions for the day. I know Oslo is too far to be practical, but I'm hopeful there might be a full-day excursion that might get us fairly far north but still return to Copenhagen in the evening.

Thanks - I also found that web site that you quoted from. I take it you have done and recommend those? I was less successful in finding boat excursions for the day. I know Oslo is too far to be practical, but I'm hopeful there might be a full-day excursion that might get us fairly far north but still return to Copenhagen in the evening.

Sorry, left out the link from the BA.com website, although I don't know who provides them the feed.

The boat tour I mentioned starts around Nyhavan in Copenhagen and is just a local boat-tour that doesn't take more than an hour or two. It's probably only worth doing on a nice day as its an opentop boat tour generally.

A full-day excursion to get you further north is fastest or best done by plane and/or train, and that means basically going into Sweden if doing it by train. Instead of going from Copenhagen to Oslo -- unless flying for the day, which can be c. $80-100 roundtrip sometimes -- I'd take the train into Sweden and/or get into southern Sweden with a rental car and explore that area. If really pushing it, the x2000 train between CPH to Stockholm takes around 5 hours each way but the price can be all over the place for that and there's not a whole lot to do on the train nor much to see from the train for most of the way. I'd just do a day-trip by plane in such circumstances, if the fares between the main airports happen to be low. I haven't done a commercial boat trip from Copenhagen to Skagen, but that may be something to consider too.

Thanks - I'll take a look at the plane options. Assuming that a round-trip day flight is feasible, any recommendations for a good excursion/line -- and whether Oslo or Stockholm would be a better choice?

Thanks - I'll take a look at the plane options. Assuming that a round-trip day flight is feasible, any recommendations for a good excursion/line -- and whether Oslo or Stockholm would be a better choice?

I'd recommend Stockholm over Oslo. The following thread has some links for travel within Sweden and some of the airlines I use for travel to/from/within Sweden:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=511833

SAS and Maersk/Sterling often have good deals from Copenhagen to both places. www.scandinavian.net and http://www.sterlingticket.com/flight for flights may help.

[The airfares for August don't look great currently.]

Got it, thanks! I'll go take a look.

When visiting CPH you are in the middle of the Ostersund region with very developed infrastructure and accesability.

Region Skanes website states:

Welcome to the southernmost part of Sweden. Although Skåne is a compact region, it offers an abundance of big experiences. Here you can choose to enjoy what’s genuinely Swedish or what’s compellingly continental, the sunny, sandy beaches or the ravishing national parks, the fields of yellow rape or the deep green forests, the charming castles or the challenging golf courses, the peaceful country life or the grand city vistas.

Or why not choose both? There are good reasons why Skåne is renowned as “the best of both worlds”. Visit us and see for yourself!

http://www.skane.com/cmarter/cmarter.asp?doc=484&hndocid=758&ndocid=520

The regional transportation company sells around the Sund tickets in CPH.
Get on and off the train as much as you like within two days with an ‘Around the Sound’ ticket and receive discounts to 32 attractions and 8 hotels in the region. An accompanying brochure serves as a guide to attractions, events and discounts.

Tickets can be bought in connection with airfare booking starting at 249 SEK (approx. 27 EUR) or at the Copenhagen Tourist Information, Denmark and at any ticket counters operated by Skånetrafiken, starting at 199 SKK (approx. 20 EUR) children 6–16 are half the price.

http://www.skanetrafiken.se/ choose english at bottom of page. They offer this brochure.
http://www.skanetrafiken.se/informationroot/DOCUMENT/83779/74-83779.pdf

You can do a mini-cruise to OSL with DFSL who has a US website or often last minute offers in CPH for cabins. It is a 40 hour cruise leaving daily at 5pm with 0915 until 1700 in OSL and 2 nights onboard. Doesnt sound like it fits your plans. http://www.dfdsseaways.us/DSW/Intl/

Join SK EB and get access to offers for EB members with Hertz and Avis. They have rates that include rt bridge fee in CPH or even better offers on weekends at Malmo airport. There is a direct airport buss from CPH city to Malmo airport several times a day to meet flights with LCCs. Last summer they rented Volvo S60 or S80s for around $100 for a 3 day weekend at airport locations for EB members. I have really enjoyed exploring the many castles and small churches that scatter the region and exploring the coastal cities on both sides of the Sund. A round trip by car or train is posible with the ferry at Helsingborg SWE to Helsingor DK. http://www.hhferries.se/ choose 'english version' down in menu.

The availability of one way tickets and competitive prices brought by the LCCs of course make for many posibilities. Last year I did a day trip to Berlin from CPH for around $60 by booking outbound on SK and home on Sterling-Maersk.

Malmo makes for a nice half-day. As I always do, I'll recommend against organized excursions. Denmark has a very efficient train system that can take you to the Louisiana and other day trip locations. Most people we encountered in Copenhagen and the vicinity seemed to speak very good English -- we had no trouble whatsoever getting around.

If you like beer, be sure to visit the Carlsberg brewery -- delicious free samples!

MADflyer has some excellent suggestions.

Skanetrafiken (Sweden) has a summer ticket good for unlimited riding within the Skane region during an 8-12 week period -- I can't recall exactly what dates it is good for and the exact price but it was a good deal for unlimited riding on trains and buses, even if only being used for 5-6 days of really getting around.

Here's some more info about Skanetrafiken:

http://www.skanetrafiken.se/informationroot/DOCUMENT/89559/74-89559.pdf

and Skane:

http://www.skane.com/cmarter/cmarter.asp?doc=487&ndocid=525&hndocid=30

Going beyond there, I've enjoyed Glimmenhus -- or however it is spelled/called -- and driving from Malmo to Ystaad or Karlskrona and beyond.

A couple of Copenhagen links:

http://www.visitcopenhagen.dk/tourist

http://www.aok.dk/section/english
(lots of info on whats going on ,dining out etc -this site is just as usefull for locals as well as visitors)

You're getting lots of great suggestions. One new site in Copenhagen is the Opera House. I've missed the tours the past 2 times I've been in Copenhagen, but hope to rectify it next trip. As PTravel mentions, Malmo is a nice sidetrip, but I'd also recommend Lund, an old college town about 20 minutes by train from Malmo. Goteborg is interesting, but it's a bit of a haul. In Denmark, side trips I've enjoyed have included Roskilde, with the Viking Ships; Egeskov Castle and Odense, with its association with Hans Christian Andersen on Funen. If you want to also do a day trip to either Stockholm and Oslo, like GUWonder , I'd probably also pick Stockholm -- though you wouldn't go wrong with either. Stockholm's old city, Gamla Stan, has lots to see and do, and if you have time, a cruise on the archipelago shouldn't be missed. Remember, in August you'll have a lot of daylight, so alfresco dining and post-dinner drinks at 10:00 pm or so should also be on your list of things to see and do.

The new opera house in Copenhagen is a modern architectural beauty in my opinion and if something is playing there in August could make for quite an enjoyable outing in the evening.

Lund is a good suggestion too. A visit to Lund center can easily be covered within 60-90 minutes. [I'd do it in much less, but my perspective is skewed since I've spent quite a bit of time there as a non-tourist.] If sticking to trains and doing Lund as well -- which is home to the oldest or second oldest Swedish university, whose predecessor, a seminary I believe, was one of the earliest full-time higher-education learning establishments in northern Europe -- it could make sense to go straight from Copenhagen to Lund, wander around Lund and then return to Malmo and wander around there before returning to Copenhagen for the evening. As mentioned above, given the days are still rather long in southern Sweden in early August, this is easily doable.

There is also the option of checking out Ikea's hometown in Sweden which is between Hassleholm and Osby in Skane. [I haven't done it, but I see a lot of tourists get off there.]

Thanks - I'll take a look at the plane options. Assuming that a round-trip day flight is feasible, any recommendations for a good excursion/line -- and whether Oslo or Stockholm would be a better choice?

I'd pick Bergen over Oslo because of the unique scenery and Gothenburg over Stockholm for the friendy and unfussy atmosphere and brilliant seafood. Btw, from CPH Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius are only a short hop away. Please do remember that especially in Norway prices are of Tokyo and London level if not higher.

One of the highlights of my trips to Denmark (5 in the last 8 months) are the castles and manor houses in central Jutland. Jutland is the main peninsula that makes up Denmark. West of the island of Zealand (where Copenhagen is located) it extends from Germany to the meeting of the North Sea and Baltic.

Some of the castles are amazing. One literally sits in on an island in the middle of a lake and really brings to mind fairytales.

Another great site is the reconstructed village in Arhus. They took houses and other buildings from across the country and moved them into a park to create a "village". Each block is a different century. Very very cool but it seemed that not many people toured the area.

There are trains from Copenhagen to Arhus but you'd need a car or a tour bus to see the castles. Both the train and highway go across the 2nd longest suspension bridge in the world. You can also take a ferry across the water.

The island of Funen (south of Zealand) is fantastic also. Very old villages make you feel like you're going back in time. The island was the birthplace and boyhood home of Hans Christian Anderson.

Finally, I know it sounds cheesey but you simply MUST have a drink or meal along the canal in Nyhaven.

Another vote for Louisiana - even Mr. CDTraveler, who doesn't much care for museums, enjoyed it, it part due to the beauty of the setting and grounds. Get a drink from the cafe, sit outside near the Henry Moore pieces (my favorites) and gaze over the water for a while.

Odense we also really enjoyed. We spent a very relaxing afternon just walking around the city and main park, sans guidebook. There's a friendly, casual mood to the place that seemed to better fit gazing than gawking, or such was our experience.