Copenhagen, Denmark

Copenhagen is a busy and fast moving city compared to Aarhus. There are a lot of fast moving bicycles on the bicycle lane and they are not merciful. If you are on their way, they will "horn" at you. So, stay away from the bicycle lane if you are not cycling~ The weather was extremely hot and dry as we reached.

First thing that you must do as reach is go to the Central Station and get a copy of the city map. The map is free and contains useful information such recommended route and attractions, bus route, train and metro stations and tickets available

Then, get yourself a City Pass. The 24-hour City Pass is quite a good deal if you plan to stay for 1-2 days. It costs 70DKK for all transportations within zone 1-4, including the train to the airport. It can only be bought at the train station or movia ticket offices (which I have no idea where is that). 1 normal bus ticket cost around 20DKK. There are other types of tickets such as the 24 hours ticket (125DKK) which covers the Greater Copenhagen Region and Flexcard which is valid for 7 days (215DKK). The most convenient way to travel in the city is by bus.

In Copenhagen, there are plenty of churches, castles, fountains and green statues. Compared to Aarhus, there are more historical buildings here. The architecture is simply beautiful and colourful. The statues are always in green. I wonder if there are any reasons behind that.

The canal tour is a must-go. The cheapest tour costs only 30DKK for an hour trip. There is a tour guide explaining in Danish and English. Due to her slang, the explanation was not clear. If you are in a rush and want to get an overview of Copenhagen, this is something money for value.
If you are a student, then good news for you – in Denmark, students get a very good rate for the entrance fees, which is approximately 50% cheaper than the original fees. In order to be eligible for the student rate, you need to have a student card. In this card, it must contain your name, university, expiry date and a photo of yourself. To be on the safe side, you can apply for the International Student Card. In UK, the discounts is not so significant – around 1-2 GBP.

Attractions:

Stroget is a very long shopping street. Along the street, you can see a lot of street performers. Some dressed up in odd costumes like vikings or Charlie Chapin. There are some music performers and they are very good. There are a lot of coffee Charlie Chapin shops, boutiques and souvenir shops along the street. You can also find a lot of souvenir shops along this street.


Tivoli is one of the world’s amusement parks. I heard that the roller coaster is made of wood.

Radhuspladsen (City Hall Square) is near Tivoli and Stroget. You can get many buses around the city hall.


The King's Garden is a very beautiful garden with statues, flowers and trees trimmed in various shapes. It is located in the city, near to Nyhavn. It is the most well maintained public garden I have never being to and it reminded me of Alice and the Wonderland. Rosenborg Palace is an old castle located in the garden. This castle was the residence of the royal family until around 1710.


The famous Little Mermaid was moved to the World Expo in Shanghai. Therefore, we only got to see a huge signboard near the actual location of the statue.

Christianhavn is the land of the outcasts. Compared to the city center, there is more quiet and relaxing. Some of the scenery there looks like Amsterdam. There are people who stay in the boats and it is known as home boats.

Some notable churches are such as Our Saviour’s Church and the German Church. The architecture is very unique.

Amalienborg Palace is the current residence of the royal family. It consists of 4 buildings, forming up a circle with a statue in the middle. It does not have the usual designs of a castle. In addition, it was not surrounded by high walls or gates. It is open to the public and guarded only by 2 guards. Near the palace is a small garden facing the sea with a huge garden. In Denmark, there is also changing of the guards departing from Rosenborg Palace at 11.30am and end at Amalienborg Palace at 12pm.


Christianborg Palace is another amazing palace. Unfortunately I did not have enough time to visit it. I only manage to catch a glimpse of it on the bus and it is really beautiful.

Nyhavn is the waterfront where you can take the canal tour. It is lovely place with colourful buildings, plenty of ships and pubs. Heard from Wei Chung that during the viking days, there's a lot of prostitutes there. Coincidently, it was the season of the jazz festival. The whole area was crowded. People were enjoying themselves with the performance and beer.

P/s: Please refer to my FB for more pics.