Copenhagen & Malmo

COPENHAGEN DAYTIME

Shop along Strøget

For the fashion savvy, Copenhagen is a dream. Unsurprisingly, given the ultra hip locals, the city has cool shops in abundance, and a variety of styles from designer to vintage to high-street are well catered for. Burn off the booze by walking the entire length of Strøget, Europe’s longest pedestrian only street. It’s packed with shops, cafes and restaurants. Prices here are reasonable, especially in comparison to Kongens Nytorv where designer shops like Gucci and Louis Vuitton tempt the fat-wallets. Shops close on Sunday, so if you’re only here for a quick city break, don’t leave your shopping until the last minute.

Check out the Little Mermaid

Whip out your camera and take some pics of Denmark’s iconic statue, sitting pretty on a rock in Copenhagen’s harbor at Langelinie. The tiny statue is based on Hans Christian Anderson’s famous story, created in 1913 and paid for by none other than the Carling Brewery. Whoever said beer and culture don’t mix? Check out the Little Mermaid’s sister, a second statue made in 2006. The nearby shops and old fortress, Kastellet, are also worth a gander.

Come over all royal at Amalienborg

The royal home front near Frederiksgade is an obvious draw for tourists. Amalienborg has been home to the Danish royal family since 1974, after their previous residence, Christiansborg, went up in flames. Stand by the horseman statue of Frederik V and admire the view of the Marble Church. Design nuts should also fit in a visit to the Danish Museum of Art and Design, just a couple of hundred metres from the palace square.

Make love, not war, in Christiania

Home to almost 1,000 inhabitants who all pay the same living costs into the communal piggy bank, Christiania is known as Copenhagen’s ‘free city’, or hippy district, in Christianshavn. It began as a social experiment in 1971: a self-governed community relying on a democracy based on dialogue rather than majority vote. Cannabis was openly smoked here until 2004 – the main street is called Pusher Street, for obvious reasons. Take a tour round the area by a local resident for the inside scoop.

Get fruity in the Erotica Museum

What better way to get in the mood for a night of debauchery than by visiting a sex museum? Copenhagen’s Erotica Museum, just off Strøget on Købmagergade 24, has a host of props to tease and please you, including risqué magazines, sex toys, saucy photos, French postcards for retro titillation, sexy films and erotic paintings for the highbrow lechers.

Get some thrills in Tivoli

Thrill seekers need to head to Copenhagen’s old entertainment gardens - along with its flowers, restaurants to suit every budget and lots of music – from rock on the lawn to jazz and classical concerts, there’s goose-bump inducing rides. Tivoli's Christmas fair is the biggest in Northern Europe, so shopaholics are also well catered for. According to Tivoli Garden’s founder, Georg Carstensen, Tivoli will never be finished. As proof of its ever-changing face, a new flight simulator ride, in which you get to play pilot, will be added to Tivoli on 1 May 2009. Tivoli Gardens open for summer 2009 on 8 April. The main entrance to the park is on Vesterbrogade 3.

MALMÖ DAYTIME

Shop, shop, shop til you drop:

With more than 800 shops, Malmö spoils even the most fussy of shopaholics. It has a great mix of high street chains, department stores, boutiques and designer shops so all budgets are well catered for. There are also loads of vintage stores for the cool set, especially near and around downtown Möllan. The main shopping street, Malmö’s equivalent to Copenhagen’s Strøget, runs from Stortorget near the Central Station, via Gustav Adolfs Torg and down towards Triangeln.

Take a promenade:

Malmö’s ancient city centre is chocolate-box perfect, grouped around Stora Torget (Big Square), Lilla Torget (Small Square), Gustav Adolf and David Hall squares. To get to know the city, take a stroll around the idyllic (mainly pedestrian only) streets, with most sights, attractions, restaurants and shops just a short walk away. Admire ye olde buildings, including wooden houses from as far back as the 1500s.

Be a beach bunny:

Malmö is one of the few cities anywhere where you can enjoy fine sandy beaches and the summer heat without having to leave the city behind you. The 2.5 kilometre long Ribersborg beach – Scandinavia’s Copacabana - is a magnet for the young, beautiful and semi-naked of Malmö. Definitely worth a trip then! The beaches are the perfect spot for lazing in the summer months and you can check out the locals who flock here for sun, sea, sand and sexiness.

Park life:

Malmö is often described as a “garden city” and once you’ve seen the beautiful Folkets Park, Slottsparken, Pildammsparken and Kungsparken, you’ll know why. These green oases are the perfect tranquil spot to nurse a hangover in peace.

Be a culture vulture:

The Malmö Opera & Music Theatre offers a bevy of performances, from classical opera to musicals and children’s concerts. You can soak up the high notes in beautiful surroundings: the opera building is a stunning modernist classic.