[Travel Advice] Copenhagen and Stockholm, on a whim

Jinn

So I'm flying to Copenhagen on Saturday, completely on a whim. I've booked 3 nights in a hostel, and then I think I'll catch a train up to Stockholm. I know a bit about Stockholm, but next to nothing about Copenhagen. I only speak English. Any tips, things to do/see, etc.?

Kalkino

Copenhagen is great for English speakers. When I was there a couple of years back I don't think I encountered a single Danish person who I needed to interact with who didn't have great conversational level English.

Summer is also a good time - as the town is built on the waterfront. There are also plenty of cafes with chairs and tables where you can eat and grab a pint.

So far as things to do - well, like any Euro city there are a load of good museums or galleries. You can also do a boat tour, which is pretty neat. The old town is very walkable and I didn't need to use public transport at all, once I got off the airport train. Just watch out for bikes!

BlindZenDriver

Kalkino is right English is spoken by most danes - you should have no problems. Most museums will also have signs in English.

As for what to see in Copenhagen there is lots to choose from. With only three days I recommend doing only one or two things each day and else simply hang out and enjoy the place.

Here is the official tourist site of Copenhagen (http://www.visitcopenhagen.com/tourist). If your're into art I recommend the State Museum (http://www.smk.dk/en/) or perhaps a ½ day trip out of the city to the Lousiana museum which is one of the best in the world for modern art. They are just opening a new exhibit with Munch and Warhol plus their permanent collection is amazing. As an example they have a piece by Giaccometti which I'm crazy about (others like it also - a copy of the same sculpture was recently sold for £65 million). More on Lousiana here (http://www.louisiana.dk/uk/Service+Menu+Left/Home)

If history is more your thing you can visit the city museum or the naval museum. Among other things you can then learn about the time where the English terror bombed Copenhagen and pretty much burned down the city. This was back in 1807 and it was a pretty bad thing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Copenhagen_%281807%29). Today we can see an upside because many of the amazing woods around Copenhagen was planted back then - the idea being raw material for future naval fleet building might be needed for later generations. 8-)

Enough with the museums and stuff. You really need to spend time hanging out in the city cafe's and bars. Plus there is the harbor - the inner city harbor here in Copenhagen is clean enough for swimming so a few years ago it has been turned into new recreational areas. This year spring has been pretty cold so the water may be on the chilly side but it is a nice place to hang out.



Food, beer and of course design and architecture is also things you will find worth checking out. There is Noma that was just chosen a the best restaurant in the world but no chance getting a table at such short notice but just popping in at a local bakery or sandwich shop, buying something and then taking it to the nearest park or pier is highly recommended.

Kalkino

I forgot to mention the design side of things as mentioned by BlindZen - Copenhagen does appear to have some pretty neat design galleries and shops. It has been a while so I cannot remember where/what, but I do remember being rather impressed. It was one of the more distinctive parts of the city, as compared to other European capitals.

Also, some of the new buildings in the city are quite neat. The Royal Library/Black Diamond is a great fusion of modern with old. I suggest you get one of the Wallpaper City Guides- as they focus on that kind of thing

Jinn

Awesome! I love the fact that Copenhagen seems mostly walkable/bike-able and a good city to simply hang out in. My favorite thing about traveling to a new city is just wandering around on foot and finding nice places to sit and enjoy a beer, some good food, and perhaps a book. The Lousiana museum sounds very interesting too. I usually enjoy history and science based museums and rarely visit modern art ones, so this may be a good chance to branch out! Thanks for the suggestions. Please keep 'em coming.

BlindZenDriver

Since you mention bikes I think there is one more tip I need to give.

In Copenhagen there is a free bike system in the inner-city. I think similar systems have been implemented in many big cities in Europe by now so you may know it already.

It's sort of like shopping carts at a super market so at most city squares there is a special bike rack where one can deposit a coin and borrow a bike. If one returns the bike to a rack you get a coin back so the ride was free else you can just leave the bike for someone else and it cost you the coin. http://www.bycyklen.dk/english/thecitybikeandcopenhagen.aspx


Now just one final tip. Don't bother looking for the Little Mermaid sculpture she is on vacation at the World Expo in China.