Preparation for the trip started very well, with return flights booked for under £100 for 3 people. The grin on the face disapperaed when it came to booking hotels. Especially it wasn't a weekend break, but a 5-day visit...
In the end we found hostel Belægningen - for us it was great, half price of the hotel down town, shared kitchen being an advantage (one can heat milk or even prepare meals), bathroom - or actually wetroom - manageable with proper use of a squeegee (provided), and most of all a bunk bed, climbed by happy boy at least 100 times on the first day :) It's got not a bad connection with the city centre, within 45 minutes: 1A bus every 15 minutes after 3 minutes walk; S-tog every 10 minutes after 15 minutes walk, passing the shops on the way.
Another clever thing was to equip with Copenhagen Card - especially since we stayed 5 days and used bus/S-tog on daily basis, 120h version felt a good deal overall.
On day 1 we arrived at midday, used Metro to get to the Copengahen H (central station), which involved a change - one will be better off using a train. We put the bags into locker (right next to S-tog platforms, large locker fits 1 child or 3 bags - depending which is more of a trouble ;) - for DKK60.
We went along the main promenade, popped in to a local kebab shop for a lunch and left amount that usually funds a decent dinner. In the meantime the weather became as bad as in the forecast, so rather than having a boat trip, we hid in the National Museum. Since I'm not a museum man, the two things I remembered were that most of the exhibits were luckily preserved as found in a bog, and that Danish Vikings were actually not that bad :) As the sky did not clear by the time we learnt all about Danish history, we called it a day.
Morning of day 2 was much better, so we decided to take advantage and have the boat trip. As Copnehagen lies on the water that is actually more practical (and pleasant) than an open top bus (not included in the Copenhagen Card anyway).
From the boat we went towards Christianshaven. We climbed the Vor Frelsers Kirke (quite a challenge) and were rewarded with fantastic bird view panoramas of Copenhagen.
Then we walked along the borders of Christiania, but we did not feel it was the right vibe, and didn't explore it further. We finished off sightseeing by walking across the town via Nyhavn to the Little Mermaid.
Day 3 was purely joy (for some). In the morning we went to the Experimentarium. It can be fun indeed, but many of the tasks rely on understanding physics, or explaining it, so children below 10 and those scientifically challanged may not enjoy it a lot. Afternoon was spent at Tivoli Gardens - avoid the place, it will empty your pocket and make your head spin - unless you love this sort of fun!
On day 4 we travelled outside the city: first to the Open air Museum of traditional Danish architecture. Then we carried on S-tog line A to the last stop, and boarded the ferry on the lake around the Frederiksborg Castle, with a walk along the bank of the lake (quicker than the ferry - just) on the way back.
Last day was filled with final walk along the promenade, visit to the Lego store and Den Blå Planet - the national aquarium. Coveniently located right next to the airport, we spent good time watching both ugly and colorful submarine creatures (we found Nemo!), and had a tasty lunch before returning.
Copenhagen is a beautiful city - one can see the wealth of an old sea port in the buildings along the roads. Layout, facades, and then detail - at every level it is pleasure to watch. There are many modern buildings as well, and I think purely because of their number it actually feels natural that they fill the gaps in 'traditionally' looking architecture. In the end they are traditional modern orgy of weird geometry covered in glass though...
What I do like is the fact that old, disused buildings aren't demolished, but rather turned into flats, offices, storage, or any other purpose (like our hostel!), but at least externally their history continues. Extra effort for sure, but it is noticable and much appreciated.
Copenhagen will be remembered for surprisingly wide S-tog trains, number of bicycles and their dedicated lanes, prices (including recycling fee for a bottle of water being higher than price of the water itself), but most of all for general feeling of easygoing thanks to good organization.
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