Copenhagen: First-Class Tourist Destination

I loved the Danish pastry.  We had pastries every morning, instead of the hotel breakfast.  Well, I convinced my friend to visit a couple of pastry shops in the city to sample different pastries.  At one pastry shop, we had to get a little piece of paper with our number on it.  We had to wait for the number to be called.  A crowd of local people usually means a sign of good food.  However, each number was being called in Danish.  I was worried that we would miss our turn.  An older lady came to rescue me, probably because I looked like a confused foreigner.  Regardless of seeing a pack of the locals, I could not tell which shop served the best pastry in the city.  Anywhere in Copenhagen, I found a delicious pastry.  However, I have a favorite pastry shop: the one at the tourist information center.  The pastry shop was conveniently located near the central train station.  Beyond expectation, I could have tasty pastries and coffee there before we started exploring the city.  In addition, friendly staff usually spoke English due to its location. 

By the way, the Danish beer, such as Carlsberg, is also famous.  A funny thing is that a glass of beer was cheaper than a glass of water at a restaurant.  At my surprise, my friend who seldom drinks beer often had beer at restaurants in Copenhagen.

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Copenhagen is beautiful.  Just walking around the city, I realized that impressive design skills were implemented everywhere, regardless of time of creation.  It is so hard for me to pick my favorite sights and activities in Copenhagen, but I recommend the following: 

• Visiting Frederiks Church, a.k.a the Marble Church
• Climbing one of the many towers in the city
• Walking from the City Hall square to the Little Mermaid
• Hanging around the Latin Quarter
• Relaxing at museums, parks and gardens

Visiting Frederiks Church, a.k.a the Marble Church:

Frederiks Church is nicknamed the Mable Church, although the present church is built mostly with limestone.  As its nickname implied, the Mable Church was just beautiful, both inside and out.  The large church dome stood out from the town view.  Many statues of religious figures surrounded the church.  Inside the church was peacefully lit by soft blue light coming from dome windows.  In addition, the top of the church opened twice a day to allow a group of people to look down the city.  I immediately understood why the church allowed for limited access to its top.  The staircase to the observation deck was so narrow that only one person could fit it.  However, it was worth climbing narrow steps.  Views from the deck were fantastic.  In my opinion, you should visit this place. 

Climbing one of the many towers in the city:

Even if you miss a chance to climb to the top of the Marble Church, Copenhagen has other places which enbale you to see the city overview. 

• Round Tower (Rundetaarn) - The city's iconic observation tower
• The City Hall - The city's tallest tower which opens once or twice a day
• Our Saviour's Church (Vor Frelsers Kirke) -  Copenhagen views from the canal side

Originally, we wanted to climb the Round Tower and the tower of Our Saviour's Church as well.  However, we saw many people waiting to enter the Round Tower on the ground level.  We decided to go up the Marble Church only, instead of waiting in a long line, because we thought that the Marble Church location should give us a better view of the city than the Round Tower location. 

We were happy with the city view from the Marble Church.  However, we wanted to see the city from a different angle.  Only Our Saviour's Church is situated outside Copenhagen, Christianshavn.  So, we visited there on our last day in Copenhagen.  However, we did not know that the church opened at 11 AM.  We had to be at the airport definitely before 1 PM.  So, we just looked up at the tower and left there.  I saw this church received good online rating from its visitors.  It may have been nice to view the city from the canal side.  However, we could not miss the flight.  Despite our failure to climb the tower of this church, the outside look of Our Saviour's Church was very beautiful and outstanding.

Walking from the City Hall square to the Little Mermaid: 

The sights in Copenhagen stay so closely that you can walk to many sights.  In addition, Copenhagen's streets are too beautiful to take a car, bus, or metro!  We walked from the City Hall square to the Little Mermaid.  Crossing the busy City Hall square, we enjoyed window-shopping Strøget, the world's longest car-free zone and hanging around small alleys.  We then saw Amalienborg Palace and the Marble Church.  We just took a couple of breaks when we were tired.  For example, we watched the Opera House and boats for a while from the harbour.  Nyhavn would be a good rest place as well, especially if you are hungry.  On the way, you would see many churches.  When you see the gorgeous Gefion Fountain, you are almost reaching the Little Mermaid. 

The Japanese tourists have a popular myth that Copenhagen's Little Mermaid, Singapore's Merlion and Brussels' Manneken Pis are the three most disappointing sights in the world.  However, she never disappointed me!  I was rather excited to see the Little Mermaid statue, which was displayed on my middle-school textbook.  Even my friend who did not care much to be photographed asked me to capture a photo of the Little Mermaid with her.  In addition, many other tourists were waiting for their photo time with the Little Mermaid alone. 

Hanging around the Latin Quarter:

The Latin Quarter was also a nice area to walk around.  The Latin Quarter is a lively student area with a university, shops, and cafes.  I saw artistic shops and interesting stuff on streets.  This place is happening!  We happened to see a fashionable photo shooting on a street of the Latin Quarter. 

Relaxing at museums, parks and gardens:

Copenhagen is also a green city with many beautiful gardens and parks.  Just rest on a bench or the glass, like the locals, when you are tired from the long walk.  A museum is also a nice place to rest from walking too.  Many museums in Copenhagen offer a free admission day each week.  We went to National Gallery of Denmark, which is free all the time, although certain exhibitions required the admission fee.  The free admission in the expensive city may give you an opportunity to appreciate the art!   

Small bump on the road:

I enjoyed every single part of Copenhagen, but I had one small disappointment.  I saw a beautiful white Ferris wheel in the heart of the city.  I was excited to learn that the Ferris wheel was working at night too.  My friend and I expected to see a beautiful night view of the city from the Ferris wheel.  However, we were surprised at the speed of the Ferris wheel when we took a ride.  It was too quick to enjoy the outside view.  We had to press the stop button.  Otherwise, the wheel never stopped.  We circled three times in a blink of an eye.  We started laughing on our third run because of the unusual speed.  It was a fun and funny ride.  However, it did not meet our initial expectation of viewing the city at night.  I think this attraction is good for a family with kids or kids only.  It may not be good for a couple, because the ride was rather fast and exciting than slow and romantic. 

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We had pleasant stays at a newly opened hotel called Wakeup Copenhagen.  In fact, the hotel construction was not fully completed when we arrived there in its opening month.  We were surprised with a few cranes still working on the top of the hotel.  Maybe due to the unfinished business, the hotel offered a great deal, compared with its neighboring hotels:  I paid 500 DKK for single use while my friend and I shared 2,000 DKK for 3 other nights.   Accommodations in Copenhagen are very expensive.  Three nights even at a youth hostel were more expensive than those at Wakeup Copenhagen.  So, it was the best deal for us. 

In addition, this hotel was very stylish and very clean.  It was also very convenient for travelers, close to the central train station and the famous amusement park Tivoli.  We had 24-hour-free access to the Internet at the hotel's lobby, although we sometimes had to wait for an unoccupied computer.  Many people seemed to use computers especially around the check-out time while I found many computers were available late at night. 

If I had to say downsides of the hotel, they would be the hotel's breakfast and room size.  Despite having no breakfast at the hotel, we thought that the breakfast buffet was a little too expensive.  We thought the cost was not worthwhile for tiny Asian gastronomes.  Regardless, the hotel location allowed us to easily find a place to have breakfast, like a pastry shop.  In addition, the room size could be a problem for some people.  Our room was small but functional for two light-pack travelers.  If you and your travel partner have big luggage or big physiques, you may not be able to move as freely as you want.  In addition, only hangers were available for our clothes.  No closet was installed in the room.  Anyway, we were too busy in touring the city to stay long in the room.  Despite the downsides, we both loved this stylish, clean, and affordable hotel.  I would check this hotel's website first, if I return to Copenhagen, because it offered a better saving than any other hotel-booking sites.

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From airport to Copenhagen: 

We used train from the airport station at Kastrup to the city, because a metro station was not close to our hotel.  It took about 30 minutes to reach the central train station.  The one-way trip required 31.50 DKK.  However, if your hotel is close to a metro station, use Metro from the underground of terminal 3, because it only takes 15 minutes to reach the city center at a little bit less expensive cost.  By the way, the Copenhagen airport has a large shopping promenade including many famous international brands.  Do not be lost in the airport before your adventure in the city.

Within Copenhagen:

Copenhagen's sights are clustered together.  Therefore, walking is the best option to enjoy this aesthetic city.  However, it is also nice to take a public transportation to feel a life of Copenhagen.  We took a harbour bus from Nordore Toldbod, near the Citadel, to the old port, Nyhavn.  It was a great alternative to the city cruise tour.  In addition, the valid harbour bus ticket could be used for other transportation such as bus, train, and metro.  Of course, we used it for the bus ride back to our hotel.  The ticket cost 21 DKK. 

By the way, Copenhagen is a bike-friendly city.  The city offers free bicycles in several spots.  However, we could not find the bicycles available for two people in those spots.  I think it would be difficult for a group of people to find enough free bicycles during summer, which is Europe's peak travel season.  If you really want to ride a bicycle, there are rental bike shops available in the city. 

• Copenhagen is astonishingly expensive.  Be prepared prior to the trip and just enjoy the moment after your arrival!
• No tipping in Copenhagen is observed. 
• You can save a few coins by returning an empty bottle of water to a store. 
• Copenhagen is safe, but it does not mean that you can drop your common sense.  For example, do not follow a stranger who approaches you. 
• We did not have any trouble to walk around Our Saviour's Church and its neighborhood in Christianshavn.  However, Christianshavn has a famous area, called Christiania, for free expression and recreational drug usage.  Christiania attracts tourists in the daytime.  However, you should avoid visiting there at night, especially the Pusher street area.  Taking a photo is discouraged there. 
• Copenhagen has several spots to allow people to rent a bicycle free.  However, I have never been able to use it.  At one time, we found one bicycle available, but it was not enough for two people.  I asked a pair of tourists riding the city bikes together where they found those bicycles.  They said that they also had a hard time to find two bicycles together.  They said that it was just lucky to find the bicycles.
• Visit the tourist information center for the latest information on sightseeing, dining, shopping, and so on.  Also, stop by the pastry shop within the tourist information center for your coffee break.   
• In Copenhagen, many museums open free to public once every week.  National museums are mandated to have a free day by law.  Many private ones follow the rule. 

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