Wonderful Copenhagen: whistlestop-style

Copenhagen is, in fact, something of a byword in modern design, with Modernist buildings by home-grown architects, as well as by international heavyweights, punctuating a cityscape of grandiose Renaissance and Baroque palaces, curlicued green copper church spires, warehouse conversions and canals lined with colourful boats. You could spend an entire weekend wandering the streets and floating down canals – the centre is wonderfully compact – or indulging in binges of shopping, eating and museum-crawling…

 

Where to stay

From the stately 18th-century grande dame of the Hotel d'Angleterre (34 Kongens Nytorv tel: +45 3342 6000 ) - which dominates the central Kongens Nytorv - to young pretenders, there is something for all tastes. If you have nostalgia for the 1960s, the monolithic tower of the Radisson Royal (Hammerichsgade 1 tel:+45 3815 6500 ) is for you – designed by the Modernist father of Danish design, Arne Jacobsen. His famous Swan and Egg chairs were designed for this hotel, as was the space-age cutlery, used by Kubrick in '2001: A Space Odyssey'. If the Angleterre is for the Great and Good, then the ultra-contemporary Sankt Petri (Krystalgade 22 tel: +45 3345 9100) in the Latin Quarter is the place for the hip and trendy, at whose bar the local jet set nightly congregate. For something more intimate, opt for Nyhavn 71 (71 Nyhavn tel: +45 3343 6200), a charming converted warehouse on a colourful canal lined with historic ships. Top-floor rooms are on two levels, with glorious views.

 

Where to eat

Remarkably, tiny Copenhagen is a gastronomic mecca, with no fewer than 10 Michelin-starred restaurants – that's more than the rest of Scandinavia put together. For a romantic dinner in a historical setting, nothing can beat the off-beat intimacy of Kommandanten (7 Ny Aldegade tel: +45 3312 0990); whilst Noma (93 Strandgade tel: +45 3296 3297), a new concept in rustic-chic overlooking the water, is perfect for lunch. Both specialise in Franco-Danish creations from the freshest seasonal ingredients combined with tongue-tingling inventiveness, and wine lists to die for. A newcomer to the fine food scene is MR (5 Kultorvet tel: +45 3391 0949) – surely soon to gain a star of its own – with dishes to make the angels weep (the foie gras with lime, fennel and liquorice was beyond words). Less eye-wateringly expensive options would include Peder Oxe (11 Gråbrødre Torv tel: +45 3311 0077), a typical Danish haunt with large open fire, and good down-to-earth menu, as well as a selection of smørrebrød – Danish-style open sandwiches. Should you still be hungry, the capital is peppered with coffee houses – ideal for calorific breakfasts of cream concoctions. You may well feel like a fatted goose after such excesses – so pop along to Café Victor (Ny Østergade 8 tel: +45 3313 3613) for a post-prandial digestif – and eye the beautiful people.

 

Shopping

Georg Jensen (Amagertorv 4, Strøget tel: +45 3313 7181) for silver, Royal Copenhagen (Amagertorv 6, Strøget tel: +45 3312 4477) for porcelain, Holmegaard(Amagertorv 8, Strøget tel: +45 3312 4477) for glassware, Ecco (Østergade 55, Strøget tel: +45 3312 3511) for the sensible shoes you'll need for traipsing round town – all are Danish marques with flagship stores on Strøget – five streets forming the longest pedestrian shopping area in the world - while smaller boutiques are to be found in the streets radiating from it. The eastern end of Strøget is where well-heeled ladies pound the pavements for upmarket labels and file into Birger Christiansen (Østergade 38, Strøget tel: +45 3311 5555), which offers the finest collection of furs against those icy winters. Nearby Kronsprinsensgade is known for its fashion boutiques, as well as for AC Perchs (Kronprinsensgade 5 tel: +45 3315 3562) – a wonderful old-fashioned tea emporium selling countless varieties of rare cha. Art lovers should head for Bredgade for galleries and auction houses – and don't miss a visit to florist and interior designer Tage Andersen's lair (Ny Adelgade 12 tel: +45 3393 0913). He will try to charge you £4 just to walk through his door – worth it, for the uniquely OTT experience.

 

Culture

A Copenhagen Card will buy you free or reduced-price entry to most of the city's myriad museums, as well as free transport. The National Gallery (Sølvegade 48 tel: +45 3374 8494), featuring Danish and European painting from the 14th century to the present, is a must (see Cornelius Gijsbrecht's surrealistic 17th-century trompe l'œil of the back of a canvas), as is the Museum of Art & Design (Bredgade 68 tel: +45 3318 5656), tracing the rise and rise of Danish inventiveness. Also worth a visit is Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek (Dantes Plads 7 tel: +45 3341 8141) – a gallery donated to the State by the founder of the eponymous brewery – where a number of Gauguins are on show. The artist spent a year here in 1884 before abandoning his family and disappearing to the tropics: not many people know that. More recent temples to culture include the so-called Black Diamond (Søren Kierkegaards Plads 1 tel: +45 3347 4747), a waterfront extension of the Danish Royal Library which hosts concerts, temporary exhibitions, and is home to the smart Søren K restaurant; and the neighbouring Jewish Museum (Kongelige Bibliotek (entrance via garden) Søren Kierkegaards Plads 1 tel: +45 3311 2218), whose deliberately disorientating interior was designed by Daniel Liebeskind.

In the evening, visit Henning Larsen's new, futuristic glass-and-stone Opera House (Ekvipagemestervej 12, Dokøen tel: +45 3369 6969) across the water from the Amalienborg, Queen Margrethe II's residence. Or take in a ballet performance at the beautiful old Royal Theatre (Gamle Scene, Kongens Nytorv tel: +45 3369 6969). Make sure you have dinner first – restaurants close early.

 

…and for the little darlings

If you have been unable to park Junior with his grandparent, fear not: Copenhagen is a child-friendly City, with plenty of fun to hand. The world-famous Tivoli Gardens (Vesterbrogade 3; seasonal opening) has a fairground section with hair-raising rides. A pair of Tasmanian Devils, a gift to the newest Prince are among the animals at the Zoo (Roskildevej 32 tel: +45 7220 0200), where Sir Norman Foster has buildt an upmarket residence for the elephants. Science is catered for at the Tycho Brahe Planetarium (Gammel Kongevej 10 tel: +45 3312 1224): from an airline seat, you watch astronomy and space research projected onto a giant IMAX dome-shaped screen. On a more cultural level, both the National Museum (Frederiksholms Kanal 12 tel:+45 3313 4411 ) - Vikings, and all that - and the National Gallery have sections and activities catering specially for children, and a visit to the fairy-tale Rosenborg Palace (Øster Voldgade 4A tel: +45 3315 3286), home of the Crown Jewels, should go down well – particularly if followed by one of Peder Oxe's excellent organic burgers!

 

And finally…

For something you'll find nowhere else: make a brief detour to Christiania – since 1971, a 100-acre self-styled 'Free State' within Copenhagen. Its approximately 1,000-strong community pays no income tax and lives an alternative lifestyle in dwellings that range from graffiti-covered shacks to the area's original 17th-century army barracks (which are still, technically, owned by the Ministry of Defence). Bohemian Christiania, unique and controversial, has become a tourist attraction in itself – this being, ironically, the reason it is allowed to exist!

 

Find out more

Teresa Levonian Cole travelled with Tabor Holidays (www.taborhols.co.uk, tel: 01274 594642). Further info on Copenhagen from: www.visitdenmark.com and www.visitcopenhagen.com
Three-day Copenhagen Card, £42. 'Time Out Guide to Copenhagen', £12.99

 

Updated 2009

 

 

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