Copenhagen Walking or HopON/Off Bus

[kjg46]

Our cruise will be in Copenhagen for a day. Can we visit the most popular sites on foot or should we consider the HopON/Off bus to expand our range? Appreciate comments from folks who had similar experiences.

[Giantfan13]

Our cruise will be in Copenhagen for a day. Can we visit the most popular sites on foot or should we consider the HopON/Off bus to expand our range? Appreciate comments from folks who had similar experiences.

 

We are both seniors but move around pretty well. We also spent one day in Copenhagen. On reading CC for many months before we went, we decided we wanted to do a walking tour of the city. We wrote to the Copenhagen tourism office and asked for anything about the city we could use. They sent us wonderful maps which included a great walking tour.

 

If you are mobile, it can easily be done in 4-5 hours depending on how you walk, what you want to linger on and what you want to see. We docked at Langeline berth which is right near the Little Mermaid. From there we walked to the Marble Church, then to Nyhavn where we did the Canal Boat cruise. From there to the Palace for the Changing of the guard. Then onto the Stroget, where we did some shopping and a lot of browsing. and into City Hall Square. Tivoli Gardens is right there but we did not go in. We lingered here for a while and then we walked to Rosenborg Castle. We did not tour the Castle, but we did spend some quiet time in the lovely rose gardens. From here we started walking back to the ship. We found this wonderful park, where we stopped for some ice cream. We ended up spending about an hour here, chatting with some of the local families who were enjoying the great weather. Then back to the ship in plenty of time.

All in all, maybe we walked 2 miles or so. Everything is pretty compact.

 

From Langeline, the Little Mermaid is a 10 minute walk

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe212.jpg

 

In the Nyhavn section, do the Canal boat cruise. It is a must see and do in Copenhagen

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe248_zps1083b51e.jpg

 

The Changing of the guards at the Palace

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe296_zps4b9a2d3b.jpg

 

In City Hall Square, everyone has a seat with the Hans Christian Anderson statue

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe318.jpg

 

Rosenborg Castle from the gardens

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe340.jpg

 

Along our walk back to the ship we found this wonderful church sitting in lake

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe353.jpg

 

For us, walking was the only way to really see and experience Copenhagen.

 

Cheers

 

Len

[Babr]

The city itself is walkable, but if you are trying to get into town from the new pier (Oceankaj), it is a pretty long walk before you get to the sights.

[kjg46]

We are both seniors but move around pretty well. We also spent one day in Copenhagen. On reading CC for many months before we went, we decided we wanted to do a walking tour of the city. We wrote to the Copenhagen tourism office and asked for anything about the city we could use. They sent us wonderful maps which included a great walking tour.

 

If you are mobile, it can easily be done in 4-5 hours depending on how you walk, what you want to linger on and what you want to see. We docked at Langeline berth which is right near the Little Mermaid. From there we walked to the Marble Church, then to Nyhavn where we did the Canal Boat cruise. From there to the Palace for the Changing of the guard. Then onto the Stroget, where we did some shopping and a lot of browsing. and into City Hall Square. Tivoli Gardens is right there but we did not go in. We lingered here for a while and then we walked to Rosenborg Castle. We did not tour the Castle, but we did spend some quiet time in the lovely rose gardens. From here we started walking back to the ship. We found this wonderful park, where we stopped for some ice cream. We ended up spending about an hour here, chatting with some of the local families who were enjoying the great weather. Then back to the ship in plenty of time.

All in all, maybe we walked 2 miles or so. Everything is pretty compact.

 

From Langeline, the Little Mermaid is a 10 minute walk

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe212.jpg

 

In the Nyhavn section, do the Canal boat cruise. It is a must see and do in Copenhagen

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe248_zps1083b51e.jpg

 

The Changing of the guards at the Palace

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe296_zps4b9a2d3b.jpg

 

In City Hall Square, everyone has a seat with the Hans Christian Anderson statue

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe318.jpg

 

Rosenborg Castle from the gardens

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe340.jpg

 

Along our walk back to the ship we found this wonderful church sitting in lake

http://i834.photobucket.com/albums/zz267/Giantfan13/baltics/europe353.jpg

 

For us, walking was the only way to really see and experience Copenhagen.

 

Cheers

 

Len

 

Thanks Len for your detailed reply and pictures. Walking sounds like a good plan. I am in my sixties but a 5K runner . Two miles or so with stops as you mentioned will make a excellent visit. All the best, Kevin

[4774Papa]

DW and I were in Copenhagen way back in 1989. We are going back next month.

 

I found these walking tours.

http://www.newcopenhagentours.com/daily-tours/copenhagen-free-tour.html

 

http://www.visitcopenhagen.com/copenhagen/copenhagen-free-walking-tours-gdk789767

 

E-mail: copenhagenguides@gmail.com

Web: http://www.facebook.com/CopenhagenFreeWalkingTours

 

What to see in Copenhagen:

 

The major points of interest for a day in Copenhagen include (all marked on my map):

 

The Little Mermaid – Personally, I don’t get the attraction to this, but I’m listing it here because I’d feel remiss if I didn’t. For some reason, it’s one of the most popular attractions. Perhaps my indifference stems from the fact we have a very similar statue on a rock here in Vancouver and people couldn’t care less about it. I dunno.

 

Tivoli Gardens – is a major attraction with amusement rides, beer gardens, and more. It’s a great place to spend a summer evening which I did once a few years ago when I was in Copenhagen on business. I’d highly recommend it if you’re in Copenhagen pre or post-cruise. This time we didn’t visit as it could have easily consumed our entire day and we had other things we wanted to see on this visit. It’s open from 11AM til midnight or later and it’s 95DKK to enter. Website.

 

Radhuspladsen (City Hall Square) – Across the street from Tivoli gardens is one of the main city squares in front of Copenhagen City Hall. The famous pedestrian only shopping street “Strøget” starts here

 

Stroget – The longest pedestrian only shopping street in Europe (apparently). It’s not really that long, you can walk it in about 20-30 minutes. But if you’re a shopper, you will find this to be a great way to spend some time. It runs from Radhuspladsen to Kongens Nytorv square near Nyhaven.

 

Rundetaarn – a 17th century tower in central Copenhagen that was built as an astronomical observatory with a long spiral ramp to the top (no lift) with great views. Due to being on crutches, we did not opt to ascend to the lookout. Admission is 25DKK… Website.

 

Rosenburg Castle and the Royal Treasure - This is not really a castle in my mind… maybe more of a palace? It dates from 1624 and is home to the Crown Jewels… 80DKK fee. There are more details on their website… We only visited the outside and took some pictures in the adjacent gardens.

 

Marble Church – There’s an interesting story and history to this place… Wikipedia entry. I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit this, but if you’re passing by, as we were, it’s worth a quick stop.

 

Amalienborg (Palace) – the winter home of the Danish Royal Family with four buildings framing a large octagonal courtyard/square. You’ll likely be passing through this on your way to/from Nyhaven.

 

Nyhaven – The 17th century waterfront with the famous brightly coloured buildings and historical wooden boast lined by many bars and restaurants. We spent the late afternoon here enjoying some lunch and beer at one of the many patio dining establishments. There’s also some good ice cream options and great people watching to be had here. Lots of folks were lined up for a canal boat ride (more on that in the how to get around section).

 

For a limited time:

 

Viking Exhibit at the National Museum – Thanks to Cruisemom, I was made aware of a special Viking Exhibit at the National Museum in Copenhagen before we departed. I believe it’s there until mid-November when it will move on to the British National Museum. If you’re interested in Viking exhibits, this is a great one to see (and it’s almost free – with a small online reservation fee)… it’s up there with the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo in my opinion. Details are on the website

 

What order to see these in?

 

This obviously depends on how you intend to get around, but if you do the public bus and then some walking, the most effective order is probably the order in which I listed these sites above. Start by taking the bus to Radhuspladsen which is right at Tivoli Gardens and the City Hall. From there stroll down the Stroget until you need to veer left (North) for the Rundetaarn and then from there proceed further to the Castle at which point, you can cut eastward towards the Marble Church, pass through the Palace courtyard before running south and ending up at Nyhavn for a snack, lunch or refreshment. Then you can head to Kongens Nytorv for more shopping or to catch the bus back to the ship.

 

If you happen to go to Copenhagen in the next few months and want to see the Viking Exhibit I mentioned above, book yourself for first thing in the morning and make that your first stop. The bus stops nearby (marked on my map) and then it’s a short walk from there to Radhuspladsen where the rest of my recommended itinerary starts.

 

How to get around Copenhagen:

 

As usual, you have a choice of HOHO or public transit.

 

Canal Boat Tours / HOHO Boat

 

There are also a variety of water tours you can take. We didn’t look into this as it wasn’t a priority for us, but I did notice that Stroma (the same company that operates a Open Top Tours HOHO buses in Copenhagen) offers a full range of canal boat tours and a HOHO boat... Link

 

If you want to combine the HOHO Boat and Bus, you can do that too… Link

 

 

HOHO Bus

 

All three companies mentioned in my introduction at the top of this thread operate here. While we opted to utilize public transit, we know several people that utilized the HOHO in Copenhagen. One couple that used the Red Buses company regretted their choice (they just hopped on the first HOHO bus they saw). They said it was run by a Russian company and they were left temporarily stranded when the bus they were on broke down. They had to wait until the next bus in circulation caught up to them. There were not impressed. Hence, I would avoid the “Red Bus” company. Use City Sightseeing (also red buses with yellow lettering) or the Open Top Tours company (green buses).

 

Here are their websites:

City Sightseeing (175DKK):

 

Open Top Tours (195DKK):

 

Red Bus (25 Euro)

[Giantfan13]

Thanks Len for your detailed reply and pictures. Walking sounds like a good plan. I am in my sixties but a 5K runner . Two miles or so with stops as you mentioned will make a excellent visit. All the best, Kevin

 

You are more than welcome Kevin.

 

Again, email the Copenhagen tourism office and they will gladly send you lots of helpful things including maps.

 

Do you know where your ship is docking?

 

Cheers

 

Len

[FlightMedic555]

We were in Copenhagen about 2 weeks ago. We also docked near the Little Mermaid. We walked all the way to city hall, joined a free walking tour, and then walked back. This was a really, really long walk.

 

If I did this again I would get some type transport to City Hall which is across from Tivoli and start my walk there. You can see all of the sites while walking back to the ship and you can include a canal tour if you want to.

 

By the way, if you consider a walking tour there are two free ones and some you pay for. The tour is only as good as the guide. We used Sandeman's Free Tour and it was horrible. The concept is good but the guide that we had was horrible. You could have bad luck, as we did, with any of the walking tours.