Copenhagen Denmark and Its Neighbors

Compact Copenhagen makes walking tours the best way to experience Danish history and culture.

Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, charms people of all ages. Tivoli Gardens, in the heart of the city, has theater, concerts, amusement rides, flower gardens and twinkling lights. And that’s just the beginning.
This city of a million people has museums of art and archeology, handsome castles – Danes call them slots – and 17th century churches still in use. Water is everywhere, for Copenhagen sits at the edge of the island of Zealand. Canals were dug 300 years ago to bring commerce to the city. The Oresund (or ‘The Sound’) has many harbors where freighters, cruise ships and ferries dock.

Getting acquainted with Copenhagen
Copenhagen is easy to navigate whether you’re walking or taking the bus. The Hovedbanegarden, the central train station near Tivoli, makes getting out of town easy.
The Radhuspladsen – the Centrum or Town Hall Square – is busy with double-decker tour and municipal buses. The famous Stroget, the mile-long pedestrian-only shopping street, begins here.
This is a walking city, so let’s walk from the square where the majestic City Hall stands. Say hello to Hans Christian Anderson in bronze as you head for Tivoli Gardens. It’s a garden, indeed, with trees and flowers, fountains and a lake with swans. Old-fashioned rides mix with modern thrill rides; classic plays and mimes mix with concert music and rock bands. Good, but expensive restaurants serve Danish specialties and pastries.
Thousands of lights make Tivoli a fairyland at night.
A short walk away, the Danish National Museum exhibits archaeological treasures: preserved log coffins from 1350 B.C.; ancient rune-stones with hieroglyphic-like symbols; lavish gold and silver Viking hoards.
Christianborg Palace, where the Danish Parliament meets, is two blocks east. It sits atop the ruins of Denmark’s first castle (1167 A.D.) Impressive Christianborg sits on a small island called Slotsholmen. Walk through the grounds and around the castle’s courtyard.
From the adjacent canal, boats tour along the harbor and into other canals. Wander Nyhavn’s cobblestone streets for views of colorful row houses, one dated Anno 1756. Hans Christian Anderson lived here for a time. Fine indoor and outdoor restaurants line the canal.
Ships dock in Langeline Harbor, in sight of Denmark’s famous Little Mermaid statue. Join the crowd taking pictures, and then walk along the harbor to the Queen’s residence, Amalienborg.

Out-of-town day trips
Three interesting train trips from Copenhagen take an hour or less: Helsingor (Elsinore), site of 16th century Kronborg Slot (Hamlet’s Castle); Roskilde, first capital of Denmark, with its 15th century cathedral, and Maritime Museum with 1,000-year-old Viking ships; and Malmo, in Sweden, just across the soaring new Oresund Bridge.

Kronborg
The train ride to Helsingor and the castle means seeing more of the towns and countryside with forests and shorelines. One stop en route is the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art at Humlebaek.
From Helsingor station, it takes 20 minutes to walk to Kronborg, a pleasant walk through another centuries-old town, and a good chance to eat Danish food.
Kronborg visitors walk across the moats and see the castle high on a rise, its green towers and spires reaching into the sky. At the backside of the castle, visitors see four large cannons pointing to Sweden across the Sound. In the mid-17th century, cannons roared back and forth across the Sound between Denmark and Sweden during a brief war. The cannons also played a role in forcing all passing ships from the 15th to the 19th centuries to pay tolls.
Kronborg feels like a medieval castle as you walk through its Great Hall, which were the royal quarters and the dungeon where prison labor stayed. Every summer, Hamlet is performed in Kronborg’s center courtyard.

Roskilde
Board the train at Central Station for a 30-minute ride to Roskilde, a World Heritage Site. History oozes from the town founded in the ninth century. The magnificent Roskilde Cathedral holds tombs and crypts of 38 Danish kings and queens, and marble carvings and sarcophagi dazzle. All the royals, from the 1400s to the present, are buried there – except the present queen’s father, who chose to be buried in the cathedral’s garden.
The Maritime Museum shows a different history. Remains of Viking ships were found at the entrance to Roskilde fjord in 1962. The wood pieces from them have been assembled on frames so visitors can imagine the size. Five ships from 1,000 – 1500 A.D. were sunk to block the fjord and protect the city, then the capital f Denmark.

Malmo, SwedenVisitors can take the train to Sweden for a half-hour journey across the Oresund Bridge, Europe’s longest. The Sound widens on its way to the Baltic Sea, a spectacular view. The city of Malmo could be Danish, with its canals, castle, parks, and a flower-filled main square.