CNBC Business | Downtime in Copenhagen

Downtime in Copenhagen

Th ere's so much more to Copenhagen than the UN Climate Change Conference

MY COPENHAGEN

JASPER HEDEGAARD BOJSEN, 38, NATIONAL TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, MICROSOFT DENMARK
Best and worst things about living in Copenhagen
Best: The people are nice and friendly, the food is excellent, the girls are pretty and the bars and clubs are open late.
Worst: It’s more expensive than many European cities, but you get your money’s worth.
Best way to get around Bicycles (freely available scattered across the city) are definitely the best way to get around. The excellent metro has a clean, high-tech feel to it. Also there are numerous buses or taxis available.
Favourite secret place The wine bars; especially, Bibendum in Nansensgade in the city centre.
Best place to exercise It’s seasonal, of course, but Islands Brygge, for outdoor swimming in the harbour water, which is clean and nice.
Best place to relax Get some quality takeaway (see below) and picnic in one of the parks.
Best place to refuel One of the Sticks’n’Sushi restaurants, which are easy and tasty.
Most inspirational building I don’t have one, but a whole street of them: Magstræde, a small, ancient street between Strøget, Copenhagen’s walking street, and Frederiksholms Kanal. Magstræde really gives you a sense of what Copenhagen was like 200–300 years ago.
Best tip Watch a movie at Grand Bio or Empire Bio and then stop by one of the nearby cafés.
Worth noting The lakes, which are part of the ancient fortification of Copenhagen. Take a walk or a run around one or more of the five lakes, or in one of the city parks, which are excellent.

CLAUS KJÆR, 51, PROGRAM EDITOR, CINEMATEKET, DANISH FILM INSTITUTE
Best and worst things about living in Copenhagen
Best: The parks and proximity to the ocean.
Worst: The traffic in the centre of town.
Best way to get around By bike — absolutely!
Favourite secret place The “secret” harbour on Nordhavnen.
Best place to exercise Fitness.dk, a chain of local fitness centres.
Best place to relax The garden behind the Royal Library or outside The Royal Theatre’s Skuespilhuset (Playhouse) in Sankt Annæ Plads, by the harbour.
Best place to refuel Restaurant Grøften in the Tivoli Gardens — real Danish smørrebrod and anything but a tourist trap. Most inspirational building Tietgenkollegiet — an award-winning student residence by Danish architects Lundgaard & Tranberg, in Ørestad, a new development on Copenhagen’s Amager.
Best tip Go watch a [Danish] film with subtitles in Cinemateket — you might be surprised.
Worth noting Kolonihaver (allotments with small houses) close to the centre of town, such as Nokken on Islands Brygge.

ELLEN HERTZ BILBERG, 37, ECONOMIST
Best and worst things about living in Copenhagen
Best: You can live in a quiet neighbourhood but still have everything nearby: job, shops, parks, restaurants, museums etc.
Worst: Too many cars.
Best way to get around By bike.
Favourite secret place The ruins of Christiansborg Palace (Danish Parliament building) in the cellars.
Best place to exercise Running by Damhussøen and Damhusengen (in between you can get the best soft ice in Copenhagen).
Best place to relax Amager Strandpark
Best place to refuel MASH steakhouse, in Bredgade, in Copenhagen’s centre, or Valodia, in Jyllingevej, in Copenhagen suburb Vanløse.
Most inspirational building Christiansborg Palace — for the architecture and the history.
Best tip Go shopping in the area Gammel Kongevej/Værnedamsvej, in Frederiksberg, (a Copenhagen enclave). Try the Summerbird shop’s flødeboller (cream balls) and visit the Tycho Brahe Planetarium nearby.
Worth noting A canal tour is a great way to see much of Copenhagen in summer.