Copenhagen, like any capital city, is quite beautiful! I had the chance to visit it three times, first time was in winter while heavily snowing and the next two in spring, when the sun was shining and it was quite warm. I have to say I liked it both times, because I love the snow, but the cold and the snowing made it more difficult to walk around (we still walked around the whole center). So, I will advise you to visit when the weather is better.
The first time I visited Copenhagen was for less than 24 hours, but I saw most of it. The truth is I didn't have the time to visit the museums, but from what I learned the ones that sort of worth it was Rosenborg castle, where the royal jewels are, and Amalienborg, but I think you cannot enter when the royal family is in.
Anyway let's focus to what I saw. The moment I arrived I wanted to go to Tivoli, but it's not open in winter and we didn't have the time (I knew I was going back even for that). Across Tivoli we saw H.C.Andersen's statue. They say he is looking at Tivoli, to encourage people to always remember the child inside.
So, after we left our stuff in a small hotel behind the train station we headed torwards the center. I have to warn you that if you use a bike, you can't use it through the paved center, you cross it only on foot!
Our first stop was the Round Tower. It seems quite tall on the outside, but it's not that hard to climb it, and the view is worth it. Also, don't get confused with the entrance to the church, the entrance to the tower is on the side.
If you continue straight ahead you will find the garden of Rosenborg. There, when the sun is shining, the Danes lay down in the grass to gather some sun.
After that you can head torwards Amalienborg. On your way there you will come across the Marble Church. This church is really different from any that I've seen before...
Behind the church is Amalienborg. If you visit Copenhagen in the middle of April, you might come across the celebration of Queen's birthday (16th of April). At noon of that day many people gather in the yard of the palace and wait for the Queen to come out and wave with the royal family. After that the royal guard will give a small show, so try to be early to get a good seat.
After the Palace we headed torwards the statue of Little Mermaid! On the way there we crossed Kastellet. This island was something like a fortress and it has the shape of a star. It has a military base and even had gates, so probably there is a specific time that they close them, and you can't cross.
Finally we arrived to the statue of Little Mermaid! It is smaller than I thought and you should be really careful if you want to take a picture from up close. The rocks around her are really slippery, especially when it has snow everywhere.
On our way back we walked from the side of the sea, and because it was getting dark everything was lit beautifully. But of course our walk did not end there. We crossed Inderhavnsbroen and headed torwards Christiania.
Huge mistake! If you have never visited Christiania before, don't do it during the night... It just seems really creepy!
After that we were super tired so we used the metro and went to Dalle Valle to eat (check our Top 10 Places to eat in Aarhus, there is one there too, for more details).
The second and third time I went back was for some projects I had to do for my university. Still that didn't stop me from enjoying the city. The third time was only for a few hours, so I will focus on the second.
This time I had a few days in my disposal, and our project (it was about Christiania) finished early, so I had the chance to see the rest of the city.
Like I mentioned before we came across the Queen's birthday. After that, we had a tour inside Christiansborg and Statsministeriet. You can also have a tour inside, but they are quite strict and you have to book in advance (They will ask for ID). We had a tour in the palace, and we even saw the parliament.
When all that was over we walked towards Christiania, where we also had a tour to learn more about their way of living (which was quite useful for our project).
Although Christiania is quite famous for their drug market, it is because the police couldn't break in easily in the past, and it was always a bloody spectacle. In Christiania, they have their own laws, and it is like a small village. They get to have meetings and vote for the decisions. One of the latest decisions was about the drug market. They don't accept that much anymore, and they have lifted the photography phorbitance (Still is best not to film or photograph them). Also Christiania used to be an old abandoned military base. During the wave of hippies a lot of people broke in and spread around to find the place they want to build their houses.
If you cross the bridge inside Christiania you can see a whole different part of town. It is more like a village and the houses are older and bigger. Usually the people living in Christiania didn't have the money to live in the city or they coudn;t stand the noise anymore.
In general Christiania is a small village inside a big city. It has it's own beauty and if you walk around you can enjoy the calmness.
Moving forward...
This time I lived in a hostel in Nyhavn, if you book early you will find really good prices even there. It was the best area to live, because it was safe and it was right in the center of everything. In Nyhavn if you follow the street towards the King's square, you will find many places to sit and eat or drink your coffee, but for a drink you should better head in the alleys above the King's square.
When I was done with my project, my friends were still working, so I decided to walk around (a lot) to see the rest of the city.
My walk began from Christiania and headed towards Vor Frelsers Kirke, The Church of our Savior. If you are not afraid of heights you should climb all the way to the top. Also if you are a fan of Jules Verne or read the Journey to the Center of the Earth, you should know that this is the church where Professor Lidenbrock and Axel clibed when they were in Denmark. Axel might have been afraid, but he was absolutely right about the breathtaking view!
"Look around you," said my uncle in a stern voice, "heaven knows what profound abysses you may have to look down. This is excellent practice." Slowly, and shivering all the while with cold, I opened my eyes. What then did I see? My first glance was upwards at the cold fleecy clouds, which as by some optical delusion appeared to stand still, while the steeple, the weathercock, and our two selves were carried swiftly along. Far away on one side could be seen the grassy plain, while on the other lay the sea bathed in translucent light. The Sund, or Sound as we call it, could be discovered beyond the point of Elsinore, crowded with white sails, which, at that distance looked like the wings of seagulls; while to the east could be made out the far-off coast of Sweden. The whole appeared a magic panorama.
Jules Verne
After the church I wandered around to see the more quiet part of Copenhagen, where tourists wouldn't go.
After that I headed south to see Cykelslangen. It was an interesting walk to spend my time. But the reason I went that way was to be closer to Tivoli.
Tivoli is a must see of amusement parks. I think it is the oldest one of it's kind (in Scandinavia for sure). It might seem a bit expensive, but I think it's worth your time (of course we are talking about the unlimited ride pass). Even if you are afraid of doing the rides, you can enjoy the gardens and of course the firework show in the night.
Tip: I didn't eat inside, I thought the prices were too high for the amount, although they have excellent ice cream. You can exit the park and re-enter it only if you exit through the left side (while you headed torwards the exit), where they put a stamp on your hand and you can enter again from there. Just ask the employers they will help you. If you don't have the stamp they won't let you enter again.
After our crazy night in Tivoli we wanted to slow the pace a little. So we headed towards The Tower, where an elevator gets you to the top floor to enjoy the view. The queue is quite long, because there is a limit to the people going up, but you might be lucky.
After admiring the view and walked in Nyhavn we headed toward the Ofelia Plads, where you can sit and gather some sun while watching the Copenhagen's Opera.
What more could you ask from a trip than good company and a lot of fun?
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