Hey Casey,

I studied in Denmark in 1998 and visited again this past September, so I’d be happy to offer some tips.

Copenhagen is a great walking city. You can walk the whole darn thing in a day. That time of year is going to be gray and cold, so there are a lot of things I love to do that you may not be into in November like the Botanisk Have (Botanical Gardens), Rosenborg Gardens, etc.

The Statens Museum for Kunst (art museum) rocks. There is a cool Danish design center downtown that you’d probably like if you’re interested in that sort of stuff. The Royal Library is cool to visit and walk around in (the food in the cafe sucks though and is WAY expensive). Rosenborg Slot (castle) is great and is in the middle of the city. I’m not sure what sort of a state Christiania is in these days, but it’s a really neat place to walk around (it’s a hippie city where they used to sell marijuana in an open air market, but the government has really been cracking down on it). There’s a cool church near Christiania in Christianshavn which has a spiral staircase on the top that you can climb (I’m too chicken to do it). The Round Tower is great to climb so you can get a bird’s eye view of the city. The Carlsberg Brewery tour was fun, but I was on a special tour where we were put in a room and could drink all the beer we wanted for 30 minutes (it was associated with my study abroad group). Not sure if they do that every time.

I love the canal tours in the city (by boat), but I’m not sure if it’ll be too cold when you’re there. There are a lot of cool buildings that you can just walk by like the Boursen (stock exchange), Christiansborg (where parliament meets), Amalienborg (where the queen lives), etc.

It’s also fun to walk around Strøget (the main walking street with all the major stores) and people watch. No matter how cold it is, people will be hanging out outside. Copenhagen has a great cafe culture. My favorites are La Glace (for watching dignified old ladies and eating the most decadent cakes and hot chocolate ever) and Cafe Norden, both of which are on or just off-Strøget. The beer in Denmark rocks (Carlsberg Special it’s the only beer I will actually drink). Nyhavn is also a beautiful place to walk around and grab lunch. There are also a lot of great bakeries. I usually spend much more time just walking around than seeing the sights.

If you want to get out of Copenhagen, I absolutely love Frederiksborg Slot (castle) in Hillerød, which is a 30 minute train ride outside of Copenhagen. Kronborg Castle (Elsinore from Hamlet) in Helsingor is the most popular castle in Denmark, but I really think Frederiksborg is more beautiful. If you want to go even further afield, Odense is a lovely little island off of Sjaeland (where Copenhagen is) which is the birthplace of H. C. Anderson, has a lot of charm, and has a really cool castle (the best, IMHO) called Egeskov. Odense would be a pricier trip. If you really like contemporary art, the Louisiana Museum is great, and is also a bit of a train ride away (I’m not a big contemp. art fan, so I didn’t love it).

As far as low-cost restaurants go, Skilpadden is a make-your-own sandwich place, Riz Raz has a great vegetarian Turkish buffet (and is in 2 downtown locations now), and Pasta Basta has an all-you-can-eat pasta buffet. All are right downtown. There are a ton of low-cost cafe’s on the streets just off Strøget. I’m not a big fan of Danish food, so I never eat it when I’m there. I think they’ve also opened a lot of tapas bars since I lived there.

You absolutely have to try the salty licorice when you visit. Yes, they have salty licorice. It’s the most disgusting candy I’ve ever had, but it’s such a “Denmark thing.”

@Meredith: The Vor Frelsers Kirke in Christianshavn looks huge even from the satellite.