Copenhagen – Amsterdam/Hamburg/Copenhagen vacation – August 2018

Copenhagen – Amsterdam/Hamburg/Copenhagen August 2018

This trip was truly a dream come true!  Our 14 year old son was given the opportunity to travel with his soccer team to Denmark to compete with teams from around the world.  It was expensive, but a once in a life time opportunity, so we decided to send him.  And then we thought – there’s no way he gets to go without us!  My husband and I had never been on a trip alone and decided this was a great opportunity to take some time for ourselves.  Our travels included Amsterdam Netherlands, Hamburg Germany, and Copenhagen Denmark.  We planned a few days of our trip in Denmark to join our son’s team for games and events, but the rest was just us.

Copenhagen

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The final destination of our adventure was Copenhagen, Denmark.  Our train was from Hamburg Central Station to Copenhagen Central Station, which was not a smooth experience.  We watched the train go from a 15 minute delay to canceled and scrambled to find another option.  My husband and I were fortunate to get to the front of the ticket line and grab tickets on a later (and longer L) train to Copenhagen.  Finally, we arrived at Copenhagen Central Station around 12:30 am.

Luckily our hotel was only a few blocks away.  We stayed at The Urban House for three nights.  The room was small and simple (no fridge, coffeemaker or toiletries), but was comfortable and clean.  It had a fun environment with a bar, restaurant and live music in the lobby area and a great outdoor space.   It was in a perfect location and made for a great home base for our activities.

Our son’s soccer team was also staying nearby.  Some of our time in Denmark was spent watching their games in areas outside of Copenhagen.  This gave us an opportunity to see some of the rural parts of the country.  We spent an afternoon in Hillerod, a small town north of Copenhagen.  It has a very historical feel to it, with stone roads and older architecture.  We walked around taking in the scenery before touring the castle.  It was a lovely break from the busy city.  We also stopped in Olstykke, a small town east of Copenhagen.  This was a very scenic drive with farms, windmills, and beautiful landscape.

Highlights

These are some of the highlights during our time in Denmark!

• Fisketorvet shopping mall – They had a variety of stores, restaurants, movie theater, etc. The kids enjoyed swimming at the public pool in the harbor outside of the Frisketorvet.   It is a beautiful area to swim, sunbathe or walk along the water.
• Tivoli Gardens (tivoli.dk) – This is a beautiful amusement park with rides, games, live shows, concerts, restaurants, bars, and flower gardens. It is definitely a unique and enjoyable experience for all ages!
• Frederiksborg Castle, Hillerod Denmark (dnm.dk/dk/index.htm) – This castle was built in the 16^th century as a home for the royal family. It is by far the most elaborate and impressive building that I’ve ever seen.  It includes a beautiful church and gardens.  I could have spent the entire day looking at the building, decorations, and gardens.  I am definitely a history buff, but I can’t imagine anyone who wouldn’t enjoy touring this castle.

Restaurants and Dining

We stopped at a couple of great restaurants in Denmark

• Rib House, Hillerod – great little restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating, with a variety of meat and seafood dishes.
• Café Vivaldi – Axelorv – awesome casual restaurant with an extensive drink and food menu – salads, sandwiches, seafood, desserts, and more.

Missed attractions

There were several attractions I wanted to see, but we couldn’t find time for (I’m an overplanner J).  If I ever get the opportunity to return to Copenhagen, here’s some more things I’d love to do!

• Nyhavn – Waterfront, canal, and entertainment district. It is lined with brightly colored 17^th and 18^th century houses, restaurants, bars, etc.  This was at the top of my list, I was so disappointed we ran out of time!
• Cross the Oresund Bridge to Malmo Sweden
• Amalienborg Palace – Home of the royal family!
• Rosenborg Castle – Renaissance-era castle surrounded by gardens
• Christiansborg Palace – Yes, I really love castles 🙂

I would love to share more!  If you have a question or comment, please feel free to message me below!

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