Play. Shop. Eat. Copenhagen

Copenhagen teems with women in flowy dresses and men in dark suits, atop Dutch bikes, zipping through the flat, super bike-friendly city. Denmark is known for their green homes they call hygge (meaning cozyiness) and many are stylish and modern. Just like Stockholm, Copenhagen has several different historic areas and lively action is featured along their famous canal. The city prides itself in offering free bike rentals (for their 10,0000 km of bicycle routes) through their program: Bycyklen København, however, good luck finding a bike in the summer, by early morning they are all taken. But there are other ways to get around the city, it's easy to walk to every district. Shopping and eating in Copenhagen is expensive, there, you've been warned. But the must see National Museum is free. This guide will help you play, shop, and eat in the capital city.

Play
To help you get acquainted with Copenhagen, hop on a boat tour first thing in the morning, before the boats get crowded later in the day. For those who like to see a city on foot join locals and visitors for a jog through Running Copenhagen. If you are dying to see The Little Mermaid statue you can get there by foot, bike, metro, car or bus, but you can skip the crowds and see the side and back of the statue on most boat tours. Kids and those who are kids at heart will enjoy Tivoli Gardens an outdoor amusement park in the heart of the city with rides (they have the oldest wood coaster in the world), gardens and restaurants. Tivoli Gardens was the inspiration for Walt Disney to create Disneyland. And for history buffs head to the free National Museum Denmark where you'll see: The Chariot of the Sun, The Egtved Girl and Viking Runic Stones. Beer lovers will enjoy the Carlsberg Brewery tour.

Shop
If you enjoy mainstream shopping then head to the longest outdoor, pedestrian-only shopping area on Strøget (it runs from Rådhuspladsen to Kongens Nytorv). There you can shop couture brands (Louis Viutton, Gucci, Marc Jacobs)  and popular brand names (Zara, H&M, Vero Moda) and if the price tags shock you check out the fun home decor store Tiger (it's super affordable). One store worth seeing is: Norr they sell the awesome Scandinavian-designed line: St-Martins. And if you have time check out Bruuns Bazaar.

If you like shops with character and handmade goods head to the Latin Quarter. Stores in the Latin Quarter worth checking out include: Sneaky Fox (pretty accessories), One Off (one-of-a-kind designs that can be altered to fit your body at no extra charge; sewing machine is on site) and Tone Barker Silke (elegant but expensive dresses). A little further into town off the Latin Quarter is Lubarol (handpicked designer wear). And on the otherside of town you can visit Danefae.

Eat
You really can't go wrong with eating a Danish pastry or fresh out of the oven bread at Lagkagehuset, makes for a yummy breakfast. For lunch and dinner, if you want to eat like a local head to the Fiskebar they are located in a warehouse area just off the downtown core, easy to walk to, and the seafood is delicious. Most locals are found outside dining at Mothers, a popular Italian restaurant. And for a super quaint experience dine in the outdoor nook of the Il Dona Courtyard Cafe (it's Rome in the heart of Copenhagen). A note about eating out in Denmark: Alcohol (just like in Sweden) is expensive and many places charge for tap water.

Plan a Day Trip
There are several easy day trips you can do from Copenhagen. One is the popular Open Air Museum (train, then bus or walk), where you can experience early Danish life. Or you can take a day trip from Copenhagen to Helsingør / Elsinore (via train) to visit Kronborg Castle (known as Hamlet's Castle) and see the underground casemats where supplies were stored and prisoners were kept. And for kids and children's book lovers take a day trip to Odense (pronounced "oh-whens-ah"), home of the Hans Christian Andersen Museum on Bangs Boder road. Andersen was the famous author of the children's books: "The Ugly Duckling" and "The Emporer's New Clothes" and "The Little Mermaid." You can also take a couple days and visit the slow paced life at Bornholm (Ronne) Island (where you can rent scooters and hangout on several different beaches) or Aero (Ærø) Island, which is popular for cycling. And to beat the summer heat take a seven-minute train ride out to the curved wooden pavilion in the Baltic Sea known as: Kastrup Søbad or Sea Bath.

Copenhagen is only a 40 minute train ride to lovely Malmö in scenic Sweden.

To get to Oslo from Copenhagen, hop on an overnight ferry the journey is about 16 hours. The DFDS cruise ships leave at night and arrive in the morning leaving about seven hours to explore before you head back to your destination.

Their local website is Visit Stockholm.

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Photo: CopyStrands