Like many others, we only have 1 day before leaving on a Baltic Cruise. We are staying at the Kong Arthur Hotel which is about a 20 minute walk to Nyhavn area which is one place we want to visit. We may try and go to Tivoli at night. We are considering a HOHO that includes a canal tour but those are fairly pricey - wondering if we would just be better off to see what we can on foot or by taxi if need be. Any thoughts - thanks!
Posted by
Medford, OR, USA
5837 posts
Rick Steve's tip is that the boat tour less than 50 meters from the first boat tour at the head of the harbor is half the price and covers the same route. The only disadvantage is that their boat is slightly higher and during a high tide event we could not get under last bridge and they had to drop us off at the end of the harbor.
Posted by
Edmonton Canada
327 posts
We enjoyed exploring Copenhagen on foot and a canal tour. If you are walking to Nyhavn anyway, check out several canal tours - we found a one-hour tour with the first morning departure at 9:40 am that was less expensive than others (sorry, I wish I had written down the name and the price) - the commentary was great and we received a very good overview of the sites near the Copenhagen waterfront. When we returned an hour later, we enjoyed strolling around the area, stopping for a "danish" pastry, a few hours at Tivoli Gardens, the city hall (Rådhuspladsen), and the Free Walking Tours of Copenhagen.
More info here: http://www.copenhagenfreewalkingtours.dk/
Posted by
Massachusetts
404 posts
Do you have a full day, or are you arriving in Copenhagen that day?
The cheaper canal tour (which really is identical to the more expensive one) is Netto Badene. The more expensive one is the Canal Tours Grand Tour of Copenhagen.
We stayed at the Kong Arthur too. It's a nice hotel. If you can, I would try to see the Rosenborg Castle and gardens (which are really close to the Kong Arthur). We really enjoyed walking to and around Christiania, though this may not be for everyone. If I had one day, I would skip the HOHO tour, and do something like this:
Get an early start - skip expensive hotel breakfast, grab pastries from nearby bakery. Go to Rosenborg Castle and Gardens. Walk to Nyhavn and take canal tour. Walk past Christiansborg Slot (go up tower if interested for great views). Get lunch. Walk down to Christiania. Have a beer (and maybe a snack) at Copenhagen Street Food (huge food court, right on the canal, with (relatively) inexpensive food and drinks). Take metro from Christiania stop to Norreport station (right near Kong Arthur). Find a nice restaurant for dinner. If interested after this long day, go to Tivoli for the evening.
Run the math and see if the Copenhagen Card is worth it for you. With the above outlined itinerary, it would cover Rosenborg, the canal tour, Christiansborg Slot, Tivoli, and all public transportation.
Alternatively, it's tough to squeeze in for one day in Copenhagen, but the National Museum is really excellent, if that is interesting to you (or maybe if it's bad weather).
Posted by
OP
5 posts
Thanks for the information. Our flight arrives early on Sunday morning and we do not have to board our cruise ship until Monday afternoon. We planned to store our luggage at the hotel and spend the day sightseeing on Sunday. It sounds like walking and then taking the Netto Badene cheaper canal tour is very doable. I will look into the Copenhagen Card to see if that would be a good option. I had also heard about a free walking tour that goes through the old town area which we might be able to squeeze in on Monday before we have to board the ship. Thanks again!