Copenhagen, Denmark — Activities
Copenhagen Culture
Copenhagen is undergoing something of a cultural renaissance, with the opening of the Royal Opera House and the Royal Danish Playhouse (Skuespilhuset).
Tickets for most cultural events and performances in Copenhagen are sold by BilletNet (tel: 7015 6565; www.billetnet.dk), at post offices or online. Copenhagen This Week (www.ctw.dk) and the Wonderful Copenhagen tourist information website (www.visitcopenhagen.com) both provide information on cultural events. The Copenhagen Post (www.cphpost.dk) is a weekly newspaper that provides Danish news in English, with information on current concerts, films and shows.
Music
Concert Hall
Founded in 1925, the Danish National Symphony Orchestra is one of the oldest radio symphony orchestras in the world. Closely affiliated to the symphony orchestra is the Danish National Choir, founded in 1932. They both perform at the new Concert Hall. It is a spectacular building measuring 45m (148ft) high, 60m (107ft) wide and 100m (328ft) long and was designed by the famous French architect Jean Nouvel.
DR Byen, Ørestaden
Tel: 3520 3040.
Website: www.dr.dk/Koncerthuset
Operaen (Opera House)
The Royal Danish Opera performs at the city's Opera House, a stunning building with a marble-clad foyer.
Ekvipagemestervej 10
Website: http://kglteater.dk
Tivoli Koncertsalen (Tivoli Concert Hall)
The Tivoli Koncertsalen is Copenhagen's largest classical music venue, with seating for approximately 1,900 people. The hall was decorated by leading Danish artists and stages over 100 concerts, operas and ballets throughout the summer from April to September.
Vesterbrogade 3
Tel: 3315 1012.
Website: www.tivoli.dk
Theater
Det Kongelige Teater (The Royal Theater)
This theater has been at the heart of Copenhagen's cultural life since the 18th century. With its opulent circular auditorium, it was for many years home to The Royal Danish Theater, Royal Danish Opera and Royal Danish Ballet. The opera has now moved to the new Royal Opera House on Holmen, and most theater productions nowadays take place at Skuespilhuset, even though they are still involved in productions at the Royal Theater. Please note: call the Royal Theater for details of performances at the new Royal Opera House and Skuespilhuset, and to book tickets.
Kongens Nytorv
Tel: 3369 6933 (information) or 6969 (box office).
Website: www.kglteater.dk
Det Ny Teater (The New Theater)
Another major venue for theater in Copenhagen is Det Ny Teater.
Gammel Kongevej 29
Tel: 3325 5075.
Website: www.detnyteater.dk
Dance
Dansescenen
This is the main venue for contemporary dance in Copenhagen.
Øster Fælled Torv 34
Tel: 3543 8300 or 3329 1029 for tickets.
Website: www.dansescenen.dk
Copenhagen Tours
Walking tours
Copenhagen Walking Tours offers two-hour, English-language tours, year-round. They cover a range of interests, such as ‘Rosenborg Castle', ‘Historic Copenhagen' or a walk in the footsteps of Hans Christian Andersen. These tours must be pre-booked. During the summer, enjoy a specialist walking tour. It is possible to step back in time and walk the streets with ‘The Night Watchmen of Copenhagen’ on one of their rounds, tour jazz venues with Copenhagen Jazz Guides or enjoy gastro, design or architectural-themed tours with Cph:cool.
Copenhagen Walking Tours
Tel: 4081 1217.
Website: www.copenhagen-walkingtours.dk
The Night Watchmen of Copenhagen
Tel: 3964 4894.
Website: www.nattevaegterne.dk
Copenhagen Jazz Guides
Tel: 2627 2749.
Website: www.jazzguides.dk
Cph:cool
Tel: 2980 1040.
Website: www.cphcool.dk
Bus tours
Paaske Bus organizes a number of bus tours around Copenhagen, lasting from one to two and a half hours. The company also operates the open top tours, one-hour, hop-on, hop-off multilingual tours of all the main sights in the center of Copenhagen.
Tel: 3266 0000.
Website: www.sightseeing.dk
Boat tours
DFDS Canal Tours operates multilingual guided tours of the harbor and the canal; boats depart every half hour daily from April to October and every one to two hours November to March from Nyhavn or Gammel Strand. Tours last about 50 minutes. They also operate hop-on, hop-off Waterbus tours without guides. There are two routes, which both depart from Nyhavn. The same company offers a two-hour ‘Dinner Cruise' featuring a two-course menu while cruising through historic, maritime Copenhagen. Netto Boats offers a one-hour guided tour of the harbor and canals. Boats depart frequently April to October from outside Holmens Church, opposite the Old Stock Exchange, and from Nyhavn. They only operate at the weekend between November and March.
DFDS Canal Tours
Tel: 3296 3000.
Website: www.canaltours.com
Netto Boats
Tel: 3254 4102.
Website: www.netto-baadene.dk
Bicycle tours
City Safari offers a number of themed bicycle tours, including ‘The Historic Copenhagen', ‘Round Carlsberg', ‘In the Footsteps of Hans Christian Andersen' or ‘The Big Architecture Ride'. These tours last for four and a half hours. They are in Danish and English and start from the Danish Center for Architecture in the Gammel Dok Storehouse on Christianshavn.
Tel: 3323 9490.
Website: www.citysafari.dk
Kayak tours
Copenhagen Adventure Tours offers guided tours of Copenhagen's waterways in kayaks with professional instructors, which depart from the canal behind the opera building on Holmen and last from 90 minutes to three hours.
Tel: 4050 4006.
Website: www.kajakole.dk
