København

København or Copenhaven is the capital of the Danish Kingdom. Being the largest city in Scandinavia - Copenhagen is considered as a centre of culture and arts with plenty of sightseeing and entertainment activities to offer visitors, together with multitude of shopping facilities and the longest pedestrian street system in the world.

And let's not forget: "2008 – Copenhagen no. 1 in the world. Copenhagen is ranked as the best city in the world that offers its residents – THE HIGHEST QUALITY OF LIFE – by the British Magazine Monocle and furthermore the Monocle announces that Copenhagen is also the BEST DESIGN CITY in the world amongst the world’s top 25 cities for quality life.











The editor of Copenhagen-Portal assures that every Copenhagener is surprisingly proud of the title and status their city has obtained by a prominent overseas Magazine." quote courtesy of Copenhagen portal.

Biking: Denmark and Copenhagen especially, has a HUGE biking culture. Everyone is on one. Danish cycling tradition contributes to the nation's happiness. Cycling is a good way to slow down from the stress of daily life. It's environmentally friendly, social and a bike won't kill you if it hits you. Quite some young people in Copenhagen do not even care about obtaining a driver's license. Beside all the psychological advantages, cycling is simply the quickest way to get across the city.

Here is an amusing photo archive of cycle culture in Copenhagen.

OK, down to the logistics. I did all the hotel and like planning back in the States.

Flights: Vayama.com (see link in my links list). Cimber Air (SAS/Lufthansa codeshare) flies CRJs aka regional jets between Hamburg and Copenhagen as well as Stockholm. To my surprise, on a small jet you will find no less that 3 (!) classes of service: Business, Economy Plus and Economy. Across all three, the only difference is free or paid food and beverage service that's not complimentary to Economy only. I was "upgraded" to economy plus and to my surprise for a 40 min flight was offered a meal and choice of beverages. To even greater surprise, the food was better than Lufhansa business class. Gotta love Scandinavian Airlines

Hotels: I've stayed at 2 properties.
First, Bertrams Hotel Guldsmeden was where I spent my first 2 nights in the city. According to Frommer's "This is the newer and more elegant twin of the also-recommended Carlton Hotel Guldsmeden." I would describe the place more of an inn as opposed to a hotel. The rooms have a clear Bali/Asian influence, and that's made clear from the owner's own falling in love with Bali and building a property out there. That is not to say that they forget their Danish roots. The standard room was adequate, but by no means spacious. The queen size bed was quite comfortable and the down duvet was more than amply warm, especially for the Scandinavian summer, where you never know if you are getting sun or rain. I thought the room was a bit stuffy even when left open to air. A note to all American readers, there is no air conditioning, unless you stay at a lux property (think chains Marriott, Radisson, etc) .

Breakfast was not included in my almost US200 per night rate. Not to go on a rant, but I dread the fall of the dollar. Everything from water to hotels is expensive. Almost everywhere you look, the country is comfortable with paying high taxes for the benefit of greater good. Another words, if you want free medical care and cradle to grave support, be prepared to pay US10 for a club sandwich because 25% of that is tax.

Copenhagen is thankfully an easy walking/biking city and heavily encourages everyone to do so. If you do choose to drive, prepare to pay heavily for the priveledge. That's everything from petrol to parking fees, which can easily range from US40+ for an overnight spot. I made my best to pound the pavement, and relied on my car rental from Avis for day trips. Note: as most guides advise, make your booking from the States. Local car rental agencies, including american subsidiaries do not have access to the same rates and you can avoid the dreaded taxes by prepaying for your rental.

In hind sight, I wish I avoided the rental and just did organized tours through rail and bus. As much fun as a car is, navigating in a foreign city with all it's quirks is no fun. And the cost of gas and parking hassles are just too much.

The second property where I spent an additional 2 nights, was a Scandic Webers. This property is not recommended. The sister Scandic tower competes with Radisson SAS down the street. I got a pretty decent rate though of DKK695 inclusive of taxes and breakfast. That's pretty cheap for Copenhagen. Cheap for a 4 star property, which after my stay I can confidently say that it's not.