World City Guide

Tours of the City

Walking Tours
Two-hour guided walks in English to various parts of the Old City are offered by Wonderful Copenhangen Tourist Information (tel: 3297 1440; website: www.visitcopenhagen.dk ). These depart (May to September) from Bernstorffsgade and cost Dkk100. During July and August, Copenhagen Excursions (tel: 3254 0606; fax: 3257 4905; e-mail: info@cex.dk; website: www.sightseeing.dk ), offers two-hour walking tours of the city starting from the City Hall Square (Rdhuspladsen) for Dkk70. In summer (May/June to September), there are various specialist walking tours; information is available from Wonderful Copenhagen. For example, it is possible to step back in time and walk the streets with Hans Christian Andersen (tel: 3284 7435; cost: Dkk75 for 90-minute tour) or with the nightwatchman on one of the Old Nightwatchman’s Rounds (tel: 3964 4894; cost: Dkk50 for 90-minute tour).

Throughout the year on Saturdays and Sundays, Copenhagen Walking Tours (e-mail: info@copenhagen-walkingtours.dk; website: www.copenhagen-walkingtours.dk ) operate two-hour English-language tours costing Dkk75-100. These start from Bernstorffsgade and cover a range of interests, such as ‘Highlights of the Old City’, ‘Rosenborg Castle’, ‘Historic Copenhagen’ or ‘Romantic Copenhagen’. Between June and August, they also operate on Thursdays and Fridays.

Guided tours of Christiania, the ‘Free City of Copenhagen’ (tel: 3257 9670; fax: 3257 6005; website: www.christiania.org ), depart from the main gate, at 1500 Saturday and Sunday only. The tours are guided by a resident of the commune, take approximately 90 minutes and cost Dkk30 per person; group tours can be booked at Rundvisergruppen or by fax (minimum Dkk180).

Bus Tours
Copenhagen Excursions (see Walking Tours above) organises a number of bus tours around the city, lasting from 90 minutes to seven hours and starting at Dkk130. All tours depart from the City Hall Square (Rdhuspladsen), next to the Palace Hotel. They also operate the Open Top Tours, one-hour, hop-on, hop-off multi-lingual tours of all the main sights in the centre of Copenhagen. From April to October, there are daily departures also from City Hall Square every hour 0930-1700. Tickets cost Dkk100-120 depending on route chosen.

Boat Tours
Boat tours through the harbour and canal networks around Christianshavn and Slotsholmen explain the importance of water in the life and history of the city.

DFDS Canal Tours (tel: 3342 3320 or 3264 0431; fax: 3296 9350; e-mail: canal-tours@canal-tours.dk; website: www.canal-tours.dk ) operates multilingual guided tours of the harbour and the canal; boats depart every half hour daily April to October from Nyhavn or Gammel Strand. Tours last about 50 minutes and cost Dkk50. They also operate hop-on hop-off Waterbus tours without guides. There are two routes, which both depart from Nyhavn; a one-day pass for both routes costs Dkk40. The same company also offers a two-hour two-course ‘Dinner Cruise’ taken on-board an elegant restaurant boat, offering a two-course menu while cruising through historic maritime Copenhagen.

Netto Boats (tel: 3254 4102; website: www.netto-baadene.dk ) offers a one-hour guided tour of the harbour and canals for Dkk25. Boats depart frequently April to October from outside Holmens Church, opposite the Old Stock Exchange.

Bicycle Tours
City Safari (tel: 3323 9490; website: www.citysafari.dk ) offers a number of themed bicycle tours, including ‘The Historic Copenhagen’ (Dkk150; two and a half hours) and or ‘Copenhagen by Night’ (Dkk250; three hours). More extensive tours include ‘Round Carlsberg’, ‘In the Footsteps of Hans Christian Andersen’ or ‘The Big Architecture Ride’ (all Dkk350 and four and a half hours). Most tours operate May to September. They are in Danish and English and start from the Danish Centre for Architecture in the Gammel Dok Storehouse on Christianshavn (credit cards not accepted).

The ‘cycle taxi’ company, Quickshaw (tel: 7020 1375; e-mail: info@quickshaw.biz; website: www.quickshaw.biz), also offers one of their four sightseeing tours (lasting one to three hours and costing Dkk100-760 for two people).

Other Tours
Kayak Sightseeing (tel: 4050 4006; fax: 3254 1440; e-mail: kajakole@mail.tele.dk; website: www.kajakole.dk ) offers guided tours of Copenhagen’s waterways in kayaks with professional instructors, which depart from Gammel Strand and last from 90 minutes to three hours, costing between Dkk165 and Dkk195.