Europe

Copenhagen and the Little Mermaid

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Copenhagen is home to the happiest people in the world due to cool benefits as shorter workdays, free college tuition, more vacation days than anywhere else, and quality in levels of personal interaction. Copenhagen is also the city that flashes with Michelin stars and was a real inspiration for Walt Disney’s creations. Besides that, Copenhagen is home to Magnifique Danish cuisine, one of the best transportation systems and stunning museums with amazing architecture.

In 1416, Copenhagen became the capital of not just Denmark, but of Norway and Sweden as well. All the three countries formed the Kalmar Union, and it lasted for 150 years as an alliance against German expansion until 1523, when Sweden decided to break away.

The things you need to know before traveling to Copenhagen:

  • Weather: with an oceanic climate, the best time to travel is around June.
  • Clothes: pack both warm and light clothes as the weather can change rapidly from hour to hour. It’s good to have more layers. It’s a must to have: a warm coat, jacket, sunglasses, an umbrella, a scarf, hat, gloves, rain boots, and some comfortable walking shoes!
  • Traveling through the city: the most popular way is by renting a bike or simply walking, but the city offers fantastic public transportation (including a metro, trains, and buses – you can use the City Card).
  • ‘Hygge”: Learn it, love it – Hygge is a Danish term that doesn’t have a direct meaning, but more broadly refers to a social commodity of being in a state of comfort, relaxation, and peace with the ones around you, it’s usually used for the moments while they are out eating and drinking.
  • Lonely Planet – you can also check the article about Copenhagen here.
  • They don’t have EURO – a surprise to everybody, but Denmark isn’t on the euro, but the krone (crown). Tipping is minimal and usually, it’s included in the bill under the service section.
  • Green country – Danmark is one of the greenest cities in the world and its plan is to be carbon-free by 2025.
  • Swim in Copenhagen Harbor – the water is so clean that you can take a bath in the water.

THE OLDEST AMUSEMENT PART IN THE WORL

Located approx. ten minutes north of Copenhagen you can find the world’s oldest amusement park, Dyrehavsbakken, or “Bakken” for short. It dates from 1583 when residents discovered a natural spring in Dyrehaven Park that they thought it had curative properties. People start to come around, and that’s how the performers and hawkers also come to the area, who established a carnival-like atmosphere in the forest.

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Today, tourists and locals can take in a cabaret, ride a rollercoaster and watch Pjerrot the clown do his magic thing. If you are brave enough, you can take a ride on the wooden roller coaster which was built in 1932 🙂

VISIT TIVOLI

Enjoy the fairytale at Tivoli Gardens! Tivoli Gardens is the second-oldest amusement park in the world! 

The park was founded in 1843, Tivoli Gardens beloved by the likes of Hans Christian Andersen and Walt Disney. You can find everything here, from exotic architecture and historic beautiful buildings to gardens, all covered in thousands of colored lights. It’s beautiful. Every week there are live performances that you can attend.

The charming Tivoli Gardens are open seasonally between April and September and for the Halloween celebration, Christmas, and Easter events. 

See The Little Mermaid

No trip to Copenhagen is complete without a picture with the famous Little Mermaid statue up. Inspired by a fairytale from Hans Christian Andersen, this bronze sculpture attract visitors who want to take a photo and admire the views from the Langelinie Pier. The statue celebrates 100 years of anniversary in 2013 and is the second most photographed statue in the world after the Statue of Liberty in the USA.

The statue is a bit out of the center area, but the beautiful 25-minute walk from downtown to the bronze statue provides some spectacular harbor views.

The Little Mermaid statue received some serious abuses during her lifetime. It’s been decapitated twice, coated in paint and graffiti, had an arm sawn off, been blasted into the water, and had a sex toy glued to its hand.

Christiansburg Palace

It’s the perfect place if you’re into history and want to see how the other half lives – the Danish royal family. The Christiansburg Palace it’s the only building in the world where all three branches of government are represented in the same place – the Danish Parliament, the Supreme Court, and the Prime Minister all conduct business here.

Amazing Rosenborg Castle

Rosenborg Palace was built in the period 1606-34 and the scope of the palace was to be Christian IV’s summerhouse. Christian IV often stayed at the castle, and here he died in 1648. After his death, the palace passed to his son King Frederik III, who together with his queen, Sophie Amalie, did several types of modernization. The last king who used the place was Frederik IV, and around 1720, Rosenborg was abandoned in favor of Frederiksborg Palace.

Explore The National Museum

An impressive collection of artifacts at The National Museum, with exhibitions dating from the Stone Age, Viking Age, Middle Ages, and modern Danish history. Built-in 1744, this museum displays a coin and medal collection and the well-preserved remains of the Huldremose Woman that dates back to the first century, while kids can enjoy going on a Viking ship and see a kitchen from the Middle Ages.

Sample beer at Visit Carlsberg

It’s true I hate beer but at Carlsberg, I had to try one beer for ladies, they said – and it was soooo good 🙂 You can take a guided tour to explore the location of the first Carlsberg Brewery, where you can find out how they’ve been making beer since 1847. There are several interactive exhibitions, and discover the world’s largest beer bottle collection, an old brewhouse, and award-winning stables.

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In addition, Carlsberg Brewery is home to the world’s largest collection of unopened beer bottles. Danish engineer Leif Sonne began collecting them around 1968 and moved his collection to Carlsberg in 1993 after it had become too big to keep them in his home. Now, the number is more than 20,000 bottles.

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Shop, and People-Watch In Stroget

For the best shopping, dining, and people-watching in Copenhagen, head directly to Stroget. This pedestrian street (one of the world’s longest pedestrian-only shopping avenues in Europe) lined with both exotic and more affordable stores (from Prada and Louis Vuitton to the Disney Store). Lovely cafés and tasty restaurants are just about everywhere. Try not to miss the Stork Fountain, one of the street’s most photographed spots.

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Originally it was proposed in 1962, the plan was to close five city streets to car traffic but that met with protests, who were convinced the proposal would be bad for their business. (Few business owners went so far as to send death threats to the mayor). There was a two-year trial period and by the end, people changed their view, and Strøget became a permanent fixture in the city.

Stroll Through The Botanical Garden

On my second day in Copenhagen, I was impressed by the peaceful Botanical Garden. This spot has welcomed visitors since 1870. The garden included 27 glasshouses, including the main house that dates from 1874.

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You can spend hours admiring the flowers across this garden. There are more than 13,000 species, including 600 Danish plants. The butterfly house is an impressive new addition to the garden and you can walk on the stairs up to the last level and admire the garden from the top – amazing 🙂 The entrance is free.

Explore the home of LEGO®, the world’s favorite toy!

LEGO is founded in 1930 when a Danish carpenter had an issue with building houses. He supplemented his trade making wooden toys and was so good and successful that he was soon only making his wooden building blocks. The name LEGO is from a mix of the Danish words To play and Good – the super cool name for a simple toy. You can find LEGO statues all over the city, in every shopping mall and almost everywhere. You can also go to the biggest LEGO store near the city center.

A trip to the beautiful Copenhagen is the perfect introduction to Scandinavia. This charming destination was originally a fishing village; Vikings, and royalty have made their mark on the city, and recently, the area has seen an influx of travelers.

Some Useful Key Phrases To Know In Danish

Hello: Hej
Good morning: God morgen
Goodbye: Farvel
Please: Hvis du vil være så venlig at
Thank you: Mange tak

Copenhagen street view

Amazing Copenhagen made me fall in love with the city, the people and the culture. That was the moment I start to dream about a relocation 🙂

My name is Oanka and my biggest passion in life is traveling I've visited over 54 countries and I have tons of stories and experience to share. Welcome to my blog! Check out the "About me" section to find out more about me!

4 Comments

  1. Cristian Alexandru Reply

    As you are used to other your travel stories, it is very pleasant and useful virtual excursion offered by you in the Copenhagen areas. And the photo selections simply invite me to purchase my plane tickets to see with your own eyes. Congratulations Oana Oanka!

  2. Iulian Ghita Reply

    It is not fair!!!
    I am not having enough vacation days to cover all the places you invite us to see 🙁

  3. Great job Oana! I learned alot of new and interesting facts about Copenhagen. While I was reading and looking at the photos it made me want even more to visit this incredible city and explore more about the place where LEGO, my favorite toy ? was invented. Overall it’s a very well documented and fun article and I can’t wait to read the next one.

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