Things to do in Copenhagen
Copenhagen offers a good selection of things to do, from tranquil gardens to surprisingly good nightclubs, all punctuated throughout the year with a number of festivals and special events.
The Tivoli gardens are held by many Danes to be the city's top attraction. Visitors may be slightly bemused with the locals' almost pilgrim-like devotion to the place, although an evening spent wandering around should soon convince them of their charms. Most impressive at night, the gardens promise visitors "the most magical experience" and have been credited with inspiring Walt Disney to create his original Disneyland. The gardens are far and away Copenhagen's most popular attraction, attracting over 270 million visitors since 1843. They are set to become more popular, now being home to the world's tallest merry-go-around and the largest aquarium in Europe.
Visitors this year are lucky, as a number of Copenhagen's top attractions re-opening. Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek museum of art and sculpture welcomes visitors from June 28th. Revamped thanks to a considerable donation from Carlsberg, the museum claims to be "probably the best gallery in the world", fashioning itself as an arts venue for the 21st century. The National Gallery also re-opens in October after an extensive re-vamp.
The harbour front is a popular destination for visitors, being backed with bars, restaurants and various attractions, not to mention the harbour itself which is clean enough to swim in. The harbour is also home to Copenhagen's most iconic attraction – the Little Mermaid statue inspired by Hans Christian Anderson's classic tale.
Copenhagen really embraces the "urban beach" vibe during the summer months, with a host of water-side cocktails, BBQs and sofas for relaxing in the Scandinavian summer. Bathing in the canals is also popular.
Looking slightly outside Copenhagen, visitors will find a number of more unusual attractions. The Free State of Christiania is on an old military base just outside the city; a commune founded in the late 1960s by students, it soon attracted around 1,000 and the Danish government agreed to let it continue as "social experiment". Travellers can also take a day trip to Sweden using the impressive toll bridge and tunnel that connects Denmark with the Swedish city of Malmo. Travel between the two sides is quick, while the chance to travel from bridge to under-sea tunnel is certainly more interesting than a ferry.
Copenhagen is perhaps at its best when indulging in one of its many seasonal festivals and events. Midsummer is a particularly important time in the city, as you could perhaps expect in a city this far north. Across Denmark, fires are lit on Midsummer's Eve, designed to ward off bad luck for the coming summer months. Festivities take place across the city. From mid-summer to mid-winter, with the city really coming alive at Christmas. The Tivoli gardens become truly magical during the run up to December 25th, with a fairy-light studded Christmas theme. Christmas markets and other special events are also held across the city.
|
Things To Do
