From: murat@cs.ucsb.edu (Murat Karaorman)
Newsgroups: rec.travel,soc.culture.nordic
Subject: COPENHAGEN FILE! (long) (well sort-of)
Summary: Collated info about Copenhagen: Night-life/Hangouts/TO DOs/TIPS, Accomodation, Transportation.
Date: 13 Dec 92 23:54:52 GMT
Followup-To: rec.travel
Organization: University of California, Santa Barbara


Hi, 

I had recently posted an article requesting information about what to
do, how to find cheap accommodation, etc., for a short stopover in 
Copenhagen during this holiday season.
The replies that have greatly enhanced my enthusiasm about my
stay there. I decided to edit and summarize the replies that were sent to me
as I believe some of the information here might be appealing to other
travelers as well. The information might be useful for anyone who is
putting together an FAQ, or info file for these newsgroups.
Also feel free to followup and add your opinions, impressions, and comments.

Copenhagen, and especially its people and lifestyle sounds like an incredible
place to be, I am really excited about it. 
Thanks are due to Torsten J|rgensen, Nete Brush, Karoline Malmkj{r, and 
David Forer for providing me with the information I am sharing in this posting.

with my sincere wishes for peace and joy to all,
murat.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>   COPENHAGEN FILE   <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

[Contents: Night-life/Hangouts/TO DOs/TIPS, Accomodation, Transportation]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Night-life/Hangouts/TO DOs
--------------------------

>> first some short-takes and useful TIPS.

- 95% of all Danes under thirty speak perfect English.
- America (and especially California) is very popular in Denmark. Tell Danes
that you are from Santa Barbara and you will have an instant friend.
- There is no need to tip anywhere
- No matter what the size of your budget, you must take at least one taxi ride-
it is a dream
- NB Bars/discos/cafes don't get busy until at least midnite

>> Now more specific Spots, Hangouts, etc.

Here are some of the hot spots in Copenhagen Nightlife:
  1) Probably the greatest bar/disco/cafe in Europe (and I've been to alot)
is the "Park Bio". It is near Faelledparken. But ask any young Dane and they
will direct you.
  2) Stay in the area of Kongens Nytorv. This is THE area to hop from place
to place. Try "Freuds" - a small smokey place with a great atmosphere. Stay
away from "Boltens" and the "California Bar" unless they have changed alot
in the last month. The best espresso I have ever tried is at Cafe Victor. Go
there during the day to relax or go at night to look at the rich fashionable
people of Copenhagen.
  3) You have not experienced a real Danish bar if you have not gone to the
"Peder Oxe" on Gravbrodtorv (a square in the centre of Copenhagen). Real
friendly people.

>> some more

For "hangouts", I guess you could look into "Huset" (the house)
in Magstraede or "Loppen" at Christiana (music place). There is a
music place on N|rregade called Montmartre, they just reopened
under new management, so time will show what kind of place it
will become. It sounds promising though.  There is also a very
nice area around Skt. Peders Straede and a nice cafe on Kultorvet
called "Klaptraeet", it used to be a movie theatre.

Lots of teens also hang out at a place called "Scala", but I
don't think I can recommend it. There is a place where you can
have nice icecream, though.

The most well-known shopping district is "Str|get", a pedestrian
street going from Kongens Nytorv to Raadhuspladsen. Somewhere in
the middle, there is another pedestrian street going down to
N|rrevold. If you stay on these streets, there are lots of
fashion shops and banks, but if you go around in the neighboring
streets, you can find all kinds of things, usually cheaper.

There are no explicitly dangerous areas in Copenhagen, but on New
Years Eve there are lots of drunk people on the streets, and
sometimes there is some trouble. The nastiest district is
probably just to the west of Hovedbanegaarden (Central station),
but it is mostly safe to walk there, just a little unpleasant.
(No guns, you know :-)

- Cafe Sommersko (Cafe summershoe) is very
popular for young people. It is located on a side street to (Oh boy - Danish
letters) Kbmagergade - the incomprehensible letter is an o with a slash
across. Another bar is Christian Firtal which has a mixed "population".

   Discotheques: Axels Dansebar is popular too. Located in the Axeltorv
"mall" right next to the central square.

>> Now some EATeries.

Cheap eating in Copenhagen is supposed to be a contradiction in
terms, but I guess it is not as bad as people make it. There is a
place in Nyhavn called "Cap Horn", that has good food, often
typically Danish, and at a reasonable price, particularly if you
take the dish of the day. Then they also bring seconds.  There
are also lots of pizza places, some of which are good (for the
price). I think there are some cheap eating places in
Christiania, too, but I haven't been there in ages.

Accomodation: 
-------------

>> I had asked about cheap accommodations, youth hostels, etc. I also wanted to
>> know if a 55$ quote I was offered in the US would be considered 'great deal'
>> Here are the replies pertaining to accommodation:

55us$ is the cheaper end, allright. Possibly not the cheapest, but hotels in 
Denmark are generally EXPENSIVE. Better wouch for a YHA.

There are two youth hostels both out of the city, but with exellent bus connections.
They'd be around US$10 pr. night, possibly a little more.

Your best bet, in my oppinion, is to see if you can't find someone that'll
have you as a guest for a couple of days. There's lots of students in 
Copenhagen, so someones bound to be interested.
You could have stayed with me, but I don't even live close to Copenhagen, so 
it's impossible.

Hotel stays: the rate you were quoted is probably the cheapest one in
town. There is a youth hostel pretty close to down town and it runs about 10
dollars a night per person if you bring your own sleeping bag. It is possible
to rent sheets and the like though - how much I don't know. As for the adress
- you will have to ask the information desk at Kastrup airport, information
booth at the main train station or the tourist information in the H.C.
Andersen Castle right next to Tivoli (Tivoli is closed unfortunately at this
time of the year). All of them will gladly help you make reservations and
call.


TRANSPORTATION
--------------

   The public transportation in Copenhagen is EXCELLENT - (take it from
someone who's been using it for years) you will NOT need to rent a car. You
can get discounted fares when you buy a yellow card available on every bus
(about 10-12$ for 11 trips). Exact fare is not needed the driver WILL make
the change from a bill to coins. All fares include transfers good for one
hour, no matter what route. Down town Cph. the longest wait for a bus is 10
minutes, often less than five.

>>>> that's all folks -- Copenhagen sounds like a real Great place to be! <<<<
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
--
****  First learn your horn and all the theory. ****
**    Next develop a style.                       **
**    Then forget all that and just play.         **
****                -- Charlie Parker           ****    [murat@cs.ucsb.edu]
Newsgroups: rec.travel