I live in Copenhagen - can give advice

[salboz]

Thank you Danish Viking. We did reserve a Commodore room.

[debt]

Stumbled on this hotel during one of my searches for budget hotels in Copenhagen. I pre-paid for a double room for 2 nights for only $68 total. Have not seen any reference to dead bodies in the hallways in any of the reviews i've read. I wonder if our Viking king had any info on this hotel.

[Danish viking]

A new ownership took over last year and I think that they restored the rooms after that but I'm not sure.

 

The location is spot on with the central station and Tivoli next door (with that noise that follows) and Strøget and the town hall square just around the corner.

[debt]

A new ownership took over last year and I think that they restored the rooms after that but I'm not sure.

 

The location is spot on with the central station and Tivoli next door (with that noise that follows) and Strøget and the town hall square just around the corner.

 

Thank you sir! If I can't Tivoli, I can at least Stroget. I did also read that the hotel has the oldest revolving door in Copenhagen. So if the weather's bad, I can always do a few laps in the door. :D

[Danish viking]

That sounds like alot of fun.

[debt]

I will be in your beautiful city for 2 days (Sun-Mon) next Sept prior to a cruise. Sundays are usually not good days for shopping. I was hoping to just hang out in Tivoli that day, but it will likely be closed. Will Bakken be opened at the end of Sept next year? Or do you have any suggestions for afternoon activities on a Sunday?

[DonnasMom&Dad]

I will be in your beautiful city for 2 days (Sun-Mon) next Sept prior to a cruise. Sundays are usually not good days for shopping. I was hoping to just hang out in Tivoli that day, but it will likely be closed. Will Bakken be opened at the end of Sept next year? Or do you have any suggestions for afternoon activities on a Sunday?

 

 

keep an eye on this site, for fall 2013 opening!

 

http://www.tivoli.dk/en/praktisk/aabningstider/ :confused: :D

 

Cato:)

 

Completed Cruises !

 

Pre-cruise Days - The Big Red Boat, 1993 ??

 

1st cruise - Coral Princess, 19 November 2008, 10 day Panama Canal, FLL to ACA

2nd cruise - Coral Princess, 15 May 2009, 3 day Repositioning, Los Angeles to Vancouver.

3rd cruise - Sapphire Princess, 25 November 2009? 7 day Mexican Riviera.

4th cruise - Golden Princes, 12 June 2010, 7 day Alaska. (Golden Anniversary Cruise)

5th Cruise - Island Princess, 04 October 2010, Vancouver - Los Angeles, Repositioning

6th cruise - Sapphire Princess, 05 January 2011, 10 day Mexican Riviera. LA to LA.

7th cruise - Golden Princess, 11 May 2011, 3 day, LA to Vancouver, Repositioning

8th cruise - Sapphire Princess, 14 May 2011, 1 day, Vancouver to Seattle, Repositioning

9th cruise - Coral Princess 19 May 2011 2 day, San Francisco to Vancouver, Repositioning

10th & 11th cruises - Coral Princess 02 July to 16 July 2011, round trip Vancouver - Whittier Alaska, B2B

12th & 13th cruises - Sapphire Princess, x2, Cabins, 18 Sep. 2011, 1 day, Seattle to Vancouver, Repositioning

14th & 15th cruises - Golden Princess, x2, Cabins, 24 Sep. 2011, 1 day, Seattle to Vancouver, Repositioning.

We have now reached Elite status with Princess Cruise Lines

16th cruise - Oasis of the Seas, 26 Nov. 2011, 7 day, Western Caribbean, Ft. Lauderdale, Ret.

17th & 18th cruises - Crown Princess B2B, 03 - 10 Dec & 10 - 17 Dec 2011, 14 Days, South & western Caribbean

19th cruise - Grand Princess, 31 Mar. - 07Jun.0212 7 Days, Eastern Caribbean, FLL - FLL

20th cruise - Island Princess, 06-16 June 2012, 10 day cruisetour Vancouver - Wittier

21th cruise - Emerald Princess, 16 day, 10 - 26 Sep. 2012, TA, Copenhagen - New York

 

Future & Hopeful Cruises !

( Already booked )

 

22nd cruise - Carnival Ecstasy 10 - 14 January, 2013, 4 Day Bahamas, Port Canaveral Ret.

23rd cruise - Sapphire Princess 31 March - 06 April, 2013, 7 Day Coastal LA - LA

24thh cruise - Royal Princess 16 June - 05 July, 2013, 19 Day Inaugural cruise, Southampton - Venice.

25thcruise - Emerald Princess, 01 Oct. - 16 Oct. 2013, 16 Day Cruisetour, Toronto Via Quebec City to New York City

26th cruise - Royal Princess, 14 November - 01 December, 2013, Eastern Caribbean, Fort Lauderdale Ret.

 

[Danish viking]

I can recommend the zoo, Sir Norman Foster designed the new Elephant house.

The new Arctic Circle for the polar bears amongst others will open soon.

 

After the Arctic Circle is done all of the animals will have Modern and animal friendly living conditions.

[boogybaby]

Hi Danish Viking,

I am visiting Copenhagen on Sat 8th Dec will there be a firework display at Tivoli,

thanks Janice

[salboz]

Our Wonderful Danish Viking, we are, and forever will be greatful for all the time you devote to answer our questions, even the ones that are repeated over and over. I do have one more as I am now confused after reading the past couple of years of posts. When I asked about the Cabinn City, you said it would be fine as long as we got a Commodore or Captain room, which we did. On an earlier post, your comment was to stay away from the Cabinn at all costs. Has it improved since that earlier comment or should I look elsewhere? Also, could you please provide a phonetic spelling for "thank you"?

[Danish viking]

I simply just didn't knew that they had larger rooms, but if you can afford it then a real hotel is still the better choice.

 

The breakfast is very poor compared to other hotels I have stayed in, only bread and some cornflakes and youghurt.

No scrampled eggs or anything like that.

 

Regarding the fireworks it should be on their website but I can look it op when I get home.

[Danish viking]

@ boogybaby

 

There is no firework but something called Tivoli Illuminati that takes place by the lake every hour from 17:00

[boogybaby]

danish Viking, thank you for all your help

janice

[salboz]

Using your input, we changed from the Cabinn City to the Clarion Neptune. Did we pick as convenient location?

 

Hope your weekend gave you enough fun and recreation to deal with our endless questions. How and when did you become so proficient in English?

[harryw]

We stayed at the Clarion Mayfair last summer. Great staff and service.

 

Harry and Carol

[Danish viking]

We start to have have English in 4th grade and German in 5th or 6th grade and French or Spanish later on if one wants to.

 

So its very normal for danish (and scandinavian) people to speak at least one additional language.

[justluv2cruisewithhubby]

We are staying at the Copenhagen Hilton Airport hotel, can you tell me what the cab fare would be to the cruise port?

[salboz]

We start to have have English in 4th grade and German in 5th or 6th grade and French or Spanish later on if one wants to.

 

So its very normal for danish (and scandinavian) people to speak at least one additional language.

 

 

WELCOME BACK! YOU HAVE BEEN MISSED!

 

That is great. At the time I was in school, lessons in another language were not offered until grade 10. Just another example of American ignorance or arrogance, not sure which.

[Danish viking]

They are now actually talking about starting English in 1st grade (second grade after kindergarden) and some schools actually offer English from 3rd grade.

 

The universities and business schools are now offering Chinese :-D

 

 

Regarding the taxa question, it is normally around 400 DKK.

[dolfans0704]

Hello Danish Vicking - I have been reading over all your wonderful information you have provided over the years on Copenhagen and wanted to thank you for taking the time to educate us on your city. I have a question regarding the City Pass. We will be arriving May 29, 2013 and will be docked at Langelinie Pier C190. After reviewing much information on this topic, I am still a little confused. Our plan is to take Bus 26 from the pier to Osterport Staion, purchase the City Pass and take the train to Norreport to begin sightseeing. Does this sound like a reasonable plan? Can we pay for the bus 26 from the pier with USD and if so how much? Our boat docks at 7:00 AM - 4:00 PM so any suggestions on what to do early prior to attractions opening at 10:00 AM? I do not want to waist any valuable time! Thank you for all your help!;)

[roothy123]

I'm not the fabulously helpful Danish Viking, but we docked at Langelinie C190 on Oceania Marina in August. There's plenty to see without going into any buildings, but if you wanted to, and are mobile, you could easily take an early morning walk down to the Mermaid and/or the nearby fort and Gefion (spelling?) fountain. It really isn't far, and it's pretty easy - you just hug the water. From there you can take a water taxi (inexpensive, cheaper than the Netto and other boats that are geared more towards tourists and sightseeing) to a more central spot (Black Diamond library or near Nyhavn, etc.) The tour books and Copenhagen's public transportation website don't promote it much, but I found it a good way to get around. If you want more info, maybe I can dig out. In the end, I only used it once, plus one bus, and walked the rest of the time.

 

Not sure what day your port day falls on, but I don't think the 26 bus runs right by the dock on the weekend. That's why I set out walking - but it really wasn't far or hard to get to the places I wanted to see once I got to the Mermaid.

[roothy123]

Here's some info from my notes; verify it if you want to use it, as it's from August.

 

Lang port to Mermaid looks to be 1/5 of a mile. Kastellet (map 65) is a little farther. If see “Adgang Forbudt” anywhere it means No Entry. Gefion fountain is close. Walking from Mermaid to Kastellet takes 9 mins./700 meters. Not far from Lang. in water is Trekroner Fort, with white lighthouse.

 

“City Bus” (11A, electric, only runs at 11 on Sat. but goes to many places: Nørreport Station, Church of our Lady, Gammeltorv (Old Square), Central Station, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, National Museum, Kr. Bernikowsgade (for Pistol – see p-out for correct stop/street), Kongens Nytorv, Nyhavn (“new hao”) (by Playhouse), Kongens Have near Rosenborg, etc. To Nyhavn it stops at Tivoli Hotel, Godsban, Ingeneirshaus, Polititorvet, Tivoli, Glyptotek, Nat’l Museet, Stroget, Krystalgade, Norreport, Kronprins, Kristin Bernikows, Vingardstr., Tordensjoldegade, Nyhavn. Runs back to Marriott area at least until 8 on Friday; reverse too. It goes across Stormg., turns on Nytorv Radhussstr., passes by Krystalgade, goes along Norregade, right on Nord & then Oster Volgade (by S-tog), right on Gothersg. & down Kongen Nytorv, down Holmens Kanal, Holbergsg, crosses canal & goes to Nyhavn a block from water. Runs every 15-20 mins. Make sure stop near Marriott is OK on Friday eve and Sat. – might have to walk to Neils Brock.

 

Dsb.dk or movia.dk will give you routings.

 

I can probably dig out info on bus taxi (ferry) if you want.

[dolfans0704]

WOW, Ruthy123, you are really good at this! What great information. I think that is a great plan to walk over and see the sights right by the port before making our way into town. I was not familiar with the water taxis over by the Little Mermaid. We are very mobile and able to walk long distances. Do you know if we can by tickets for it from the boat driver? Thank you again for your prompt response and all your valuable info. I love these boards!

[roothy123]

Even though I was just there in August, my memory's a little sketchy. However, I think when I found the "harbor bus" there was a ticket machine there where you could purchase a ticket (not sure if it dispenses more than a one-way ticket) if you had Danish money. We had come in the afternoon before, and I think I had a 24 hour bus ticket, so I didn't need to buy one. There is an attendant on the water taxi/harbor bus who takes tickets or waves you by if you have more than just a one-way ticket. I don't remember if the machine took anything but DK; probably not, I would guess. At one point I found a good description of the route of the harbor bus on the internet, but doubt I still have it. However, I'm looking at my Rough Guide to Copenhagen book and it says that the "buses" sail along the harbor between Nordre Toldbod, near the mermaid, and the Royal Library, making 6 stops. It says it costs the same as a bus, runs 7 am to 7pm daily, and runs about every 20 mins. When I took it, it crossed the water over to a spot near the Opera (beautiful building), then stopped at the Opera, and then went over to Nyhavn. I think from there it went back across the water to Christianshavn (spelling?).

 

In looking at a map, you'll have to walk past the mermaid along the waterfront, past the Kastellet Fort (very pretty, but not a must-see when you only have a day in CPH) and past the Gefion Fountain to find the water bus landing. If you just stay as close to the water as you can, you'll come upon it, although it's a bit of an unassuming landing so keep an eye out for it. The public water buses are yellow; you can stand outside for best views. Even though the Rough Guide mentions the Royal Library as a stop, I don't see that marked on their map, so I could be wrong about that.

 

The mermaid is very dark and for my camera, it was hard getting a good shot with any detail. If your camera has exposure controls, you might want to take multiple shots with underexposure and overexposure, or else find some way to focus on something other than the blackish mermaid. And yes, she's little...

 

Have fun. I didn't have nearly enough time to do the things I wanted to in CPH, even with a lot of advance planning. However, I certainly enjoyed what I DID do. It was mostly Nyhavn, Kastellet, Little Mermaid, Botanical Gardens, road the train a little from the Central Station (number of bikes there was amazing), and went to Tivoli at night. (I wouldn't budget a whole, whole lot of time in Tivoli. While obviously a big attraction and a bit iconic for CPH, there are other great things to see and do.) My pictures are at http://www.pbase.com/roothy123

 

You might want to have at least some Danish kroner (krone?). I assume you have read that chipless, pinless credit cards are not widely accepted there. The good news is that 1) there are a lot of free things you can do/see in this very expensive city, and 2) it's a walkable city. I had obtained a lot of bus info but ended up walking as much as riding.

[dolfans0704]

Amazing photos! We will be on the Brilliance and visiting CPH, Stockholm, Helsinkin, SPB, Tallin and Gotheburg. Very port intensive trip and since we are doing the 2 day tour in SPB, wanted to try and do the DIY in the other ports. Thanks again for taking the time to provide me the great info. We have decided to do the sites closest to the port first as you suggested. I am going to try and find the info for the water busses to see if we can get a ticket from the boat operator and also try to find out where we can get the City Pass to cover the transportation while we are in town. We are planning on getting the Kroner (Krone) anyway so that should not be an issue. A lot of planning still to be done. I am taking it one port at a time! Thanks again for all the information!