I don't even know where to start...My family, with 2 teenagers are travelling from Paris to Coppenhagen. We leave Paris on August 5th and need to be in Coppenhagen by the 8th. I was thinking of travelling through Germany but my kids aren't really history buffs, not that that really matters. I, myself, would like to visit at least one castle along the way. I was thinking of travelling by train but don't know where the best stops are and for how long. Would it be cheaper to travel across Germany by train to Berlin, visit stops along the way and then fly out of Berlin? Or take the train all the way to Coppenhagen. Although, I don't know the best route, especially with teenagers, as well as places to stop along the way to appreciate the landscapes and some of the culture of Germany. Would it be best to stay in one place and take day trips by train? So many options that it's hard to choose as I really don't know much about Norther Europe. In saying all this, we don't even need to go through Germany but can go anywhere between Paris and Coppenhagen that my teenagers might enjoy more. Or fly straight to Coppenhagen and stay there from the 5th to 10th (is there enough to do in Coppenhagen for that long?) Any suggestions? We're on a tight budget but will spend money to ensure we have a great trip.
Posted by
Copenhagen, Denmark
971 posts
How long do you have in total for this trip? The easiest, quickest and probably cheapest way to get from Paris to Copenhagen is to fly.
Trying to fit in Germany along the way opens up a whole new can of worms in my opinion.
Copenhagen has enough to see for at least 3 days, plus there are several interesting day trips, including castles such as Kronborg in Helsingør, which was the setting for Shakespeares Hamlet https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kronborg.
Or the more grand palace of Frederiksborg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederiksborg_Castle in Hillerød.
Or the viking ships and cathedral in Roskilde. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roskilde
Posted by
Berlin
3015 posts
Aug 5: Take direct train Paris to Cologne. Stop there for two nights near main station. Try to visit the cathedral in the late afternoon.
Aug 6: Take train to Koblenz and do a castles tour on river Rhine. Sleep in Cologne. If the teenagers do not want to do that, send them to Phantasialand in Brühl (near to Cologne). So you will have a nice day on your own.
Aug 7: Early 7.09 leaving train from Cologne to Copenhagen including ferry Puttgarden - Rødbyhavn.
Aug 8: Follow one of Morten's tips for a palace / castle in Copenhagen or around.
Train booking on Deutsche Bahn website.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
I would fly directly to Copenhagen. Both the city and other parts of Denmark have great palaces. Youth hostels (www.danhostel.dk/en) have budget family rooms and some are near a beach, if you want to spend a couple of nights at another spot. But there are also enough great day-trip options if you find an affordable home base in Copenhagen.
Posted by
8248 posts
Morten got it right. Find a budget flight and enjoy Copenhagen.