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Time Zone: GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in October).

Currency: Danish Krone (DKr) = 100 øre.

Language: Danish.

Sightseeing: Modern Copenhagen is the largest city in Scandinavia and, arguably, the greenest capital in Europe. Green spaces – including the world-famous Tivoli amusement park – abound, and in the summer, cafés and restaurants occupy the pavements. The city has many old buildings, fountains, statues and squares, as well as the singular attraction of the Little Mermaid at the harbour entrance. Once in the city, visitors should head for the Viking Ship Museum, Christianborg Palace (the seat of Parliament), Rosenborg Castle and Amalienborg Palace. They can even go on a brewery tour, which takes in the famous Carlsberg brewery, including an exhibition on the history of brewing and on the Carlsberg brewery itself. Bakken (in the deer park north of Copenhagen) and the Charlottenlund Aquarium are also both worth a visit.

Shopping: Copenhagen has excellent shopping facilities. The main international chains and designer boutiques are located around Strøget, interspersed with cafés and restaurants. Magasin, the largest department store in Scandinavia, is on Kongens Nytorv. Intriguing second-hand and antique shops are thick on the ground in the Sankt Hans Torv area, with flea-markets at Israel Plads and Gammel Strand every Saturday. Special purchases include Bing & Grøndal and Royal Copenhagen porcelain, Holmegård glass, Bornholm ceramics, handmade woollens from the Faroe Islands and Lego toys.

Eating Out: Superb gourmet restaurants can be found in the city, all serving Danish specialities. Smørrebrød is a highly popular traditional Danish dish, often eaten for lunch. It consists of a slice of dark bread with butter, topped with slices of meat, fish or cheese and generously garnished. Buffet-style lunch (the koldt bord) is also popular with a variety of fish, meats, hot dishes, cheese and sweets, usually on a self-service basis. Danish coffee is delicious and Denmark also has many varieties of beer, famous breweries being Carlsberg and Tuborg.