Close at hand beaches include Bellevue Strand or even pretty Hornbæk, on Zealand’s north coast, while out-of-town art museums Louisiana and Ordrupgaard are both framed by gorgeous landscapes that make an afternoon visit a pleasant combination of outdoor recreation and culture. Here, however, we’ve chosen to concentrate on two market towns just 30 minutes from Copenhagen that, although they share a common historical significance, both have their own distinct character.

City of kings and Vikings – Roskilde

Roskilde was once the capital of Denmark and its importance is evident in its magnificent cathedral, Roskilde Domkirke, which stands at the top of the long hill that stretches down to the attractive fjord area. The traditional burial spot for Danish royals even today, the cathedral’s interior is worth checking out before taking a leisurely stroll through the public park to the waterfront, where Roskilde’s Viking Ship Museum displays the replicas of actual Viking long boats found in the town’s fjord.

Hamlet and Holger Danske – Helsingør

An equally attractive town is Helsingør (Elsinore), north of Copenhagen and overlooking the Øresund Sound. Helsingør is best known as the site for “Hamlet’s castle” Kronborg, a fantastic example of a Renaissance castle, but its worth sticking around a little longer. Dating from the 13th-century, many of Helsingør’s medieval buildings have been well preserved; the cathedral, Sankt Olai, dates back to the 1559 (and earlier) while Carmelite monastery Sct Mariæ was founded in 1430. Watching over Elsinore and Kronborg is the large statue of folk hero Holger Danske, who legend has it will turn to flesh and blood when his kingdom is threatened.

Photo of a street in Helsingør courtesy of Jonas Tegnerud/ Creative Commons.

Technically, Copenhagen’s official St Pats Pub crawl is more of a hop, as it takes the form of a three-legged charity race and has grown into quite a tradition not only amongst Copenhagen’s Irish community but also with Danes. A total of six pubs are included in the race, which costs DKK 50 to take part in—the money goes to charity. Just remember to wear something green!

• Kennedy’s Irish Bar

This small, narrow bar is Irish owned and managed, and attracts a fairly balanced mix of Danish and expat locals.

• The Shamrock Inn

Copenhagen’s oldest Irish pub dates from 1989—which just goes to show how new the concept of Irish pubs is to Denmark—and while it doesn’t offer food, regular live music is a big attraction at the Shamrock, located behind Axeltorv.

• The Globe Irish Pub

Situated not far from Nørreport Station, The Globe is the pub for the sporting man. It has one of the most popular—and competitive—pub quizzes in Copenhagen (held every other Thursday) and its widescreen TVs show almost all sports you can imagine.

• Farrellys The Irish Rover

Conveniently located on Strøget, The Irish Rover is so confident you’ll be impressed by its bar meals that it now calls itself a gastropub: Especially worth a mention are the full Irish breakfasts and the Sunday roast dinners.

• Bloomsday Bar

With its very name a James Joyce reference, it should come as no surprise that this pink-painted bar tucked away on a small street not far from Gråbrødretorv is popular with Copenhagen’s expat theatrical community.

• The Dubliner

Yep, it’s part of the chain, but not a bad edition, and certainly central, found on busy Amagertorv, opposite the Royal Copenhagen store: Ideal for a pint of Guinness, Caffrey’s, or a pub lunch.

More info on the three-legged race is available at www.paddysday.dk

Image courtesy of the Paddys Day Three-legged race.

Cocktails and penthouse views in Illum’s Spisebaren

The 2011 opening of Spisebaren on the top floor of department store Illum in central Copenhagen was much anticipated by local media hungry to taste what was cooking at the newest restaurant of Group Shafi, the team behind Michelin-starred Kokkeriet restaurant. Spisebaren’s menu is certainly inventive, with traditional Scandinavian dishes given a modern twist, as in its tobacco sauce (no nicotine remains). The restaurant sports a long, open bar and a bright, modern decor that includes colorful sofas and designer lamps. Other star qualities to Illum’s penthouse eatery include its summer terrace overlooking Copenhagen’s busy pedestrian street, meals to go and a cocktail and wine bar.

Plenty of choices at Magasin du Nord

There are a number of dining options at Scandinavia’s oldest department store, the elegant Magasin du Nord on Kongens Nytorv square. Choose between its smart basement food court (entrance from Kongens Nytorv Metro Station or via the store elevator) that includes healthy gourmet delights from Meyers Deli to go or to eat in, and its more traditional top floor restaurant ‘Spisestedet’. Less stylish than the organic deli downstairs, the canteen-style restaurant takes up the entire floor and offers a fairly generic menu—yet with plenty of room, a babies corner, self-service and children’s menu it’s ideal for families or mums taking time out on a shopping tour.

Image of Spisebaren courtesy of Shafi Group.

An island in the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Poland, Danish-owned Bornholm is a traditional vacation spot for summering Danes, who have dubbed the destination ‘the sunshine island’. Its characteristics are its rolling hills, the sandy beaches along its southern coast, rocky cliffs and fortified ruins at Hammershus, its distinctive, white-painted round church towers—and its cuisine.

Bornholm’s cuisine is known primarily for its freshly-caught fish, including herring smoked according to old-fashioned methods over wood in smokeries on the island. But its uniquely-flavored, handmade produce doesn’t stop there: Some of the world’s purest cold-pressed rapeseed oil is harvested and made on Bornholm, which is also famed for its mustard production and fiery schnapps, and can boast a thriving microbrewery at Svaneke.

Visitors to Copenhagen can experience a taste of Bornholm’s food culture at gourmet restaurant Koefoed in the city’s upscale Frederiksstaden district. With a recommendation in the Michelin Guide for three years in succession, Koefoed receives almost everything in its kitchen from Bornholm, and has its own herd of cattle as well as a sheep flock on the island. And while most Danes have heard of the classic smørrebrød dish ‘Sol over Gudhjem’ (sunrise over Gudhjem, named after a town on Bornholm and made with chives and egg on rye bread), Koefoed’s seasonal dishes include free-range lamb served with apples and root vegetables and cod freshly caught in the Baltic, accompanied by Bornholm’s own truffles.

The more established Restaurant Koefoed gained a rival recently when the popular summer restaurant on Bornholm, Kadeau, opened up another eatery, Kadeau København, in the old coaching inn Den Sorte Hest on Vesterbrogade late in 2011. With imaginative dishes like ‘grilled brill fish and cockles with cabbage and black salsify’ and a three-course menu priced quite reasonably at DKK 450, Kadeau has already won over the critics with its casual dining atmosphere combined with great attention to culinary detail.

Those looking to buy Bornholm ingredients to make their own island dishes can find them in many of the city’s supermarkets. In addition Bornholmerbutikken, a store stocking everything from the island, from mustard and schnapps to souvenirs, now has a branch in Copenhagen’s new market, Torvehallerne Kbh.

Image courtesy of Kadeau.

Nordic wave not over yet

The Nordic wave continued with New Nordic Cuisine pioneer Claus Meyer’s Restaurant Radio bringing seasonal, Scandinavian dishes to the people. Considerable hype accompanied the summer opening of the trendy folk kitchen and advance bookings pre-empted full tables.

Other high-profile restaurant openings included Geist, the long-awaited new restaurant of Bo Bech, formerly of Restaurant Paustian, a smart affair in downtown Kongens Nytorv. Paustian meanwhile reopened with a new owner and more traditional menu earlier in the year.

At the end of 2011, Kadeau København opened in the former premises of Den Sorte Hest in Vesterbro. Already popular as a summer restaurant on the Danish vacation island of Bornholm, Kadeau’s Copenhagen edition specializes in Bornholm’s rich cuisine and produce.

Local food empire Cofoco continued to expand, opening Oysters & Grill in Nørrebro and The Italian in the premises of now-closed gastropub Public House, the street level of Hotel Kong Frederik.

Vegetarian feast

After decades making do with lukewarm Middle-eastern buffets, vegetarians now have a place to go in Copenhagen. Just across the road from the new food market Torvehallerne that opened in September, Firefly is a modern vegan eatery that is both eco-friendly and stylish. Less high-tech but equally meat-free is Nørrebro’s Cafe N, a micro-cafe on Blågårdsgade where the atmosphere is warm and the menu almost as wide as the premises.

Asian renaissance

Asian food is being reinvented in Copenhagen. Hot on the heels of progressive, stylish restaurants The Red Box and Dim Sum, Henrik Yde and partner Lertchai Treetawat Chaiwong of Michelin-starred Kiin Kiin opened Asian crossover restaurant Chai Wong in Frederiksberg in the fall of 2011 to rave reviews from local critics.

Not to be outdone, Claus Meyer takes a leap away from Scandinavian menus in 2012, when his own Singapore-inspired restaurant, Namnam—offering Peranakan cuisine “with a Nordic twist”—opens in March in Vesterbro.

One of Copenhagen’s top restaurants closed in 2011: Denmark was one Michelin star lighter when top chef Paul Cunningham opted to close gourmet restaurant The Paul at the end of Tivoli’s 2011 summer season.

Image: Duck on the menu at Restaurant Radio, courtesy of Meyers Group.

1.    Classic weekend

Feel part of Copenhagen’s fairytale heritage by staying at Hotel Opera, decorated in an old-fashioned, English manner and hidden under the famous arches of Det Kongelige Teater, where Hans Christian Andersen once tried to find his fortune.

Continue the theme by booking tickets to see the Royal Danish Ballet perform August Bournonville’s ‘A Folk Tale’ at The Royal Danish Opera House (Operaen) that plays throughout February. It’s the one with the bridal waltz, and has it all: Graceful nymphs, a demonic underworld and a fairytale set design.

Dine in seclusion at nearby restaurant 1 t.h. (the name means first floor on the right). This gourmet private dining experience should be booked well in advance, however, as your personal invitation to the ten-course culinary adventure is posted to you—and paid for—beforehand.

2.    Offbeat romance

Romantic lodging doesn’t have to mean staying at the most expensive hotel in town: Try instead the unique floating hotel CPHLIVING, whose 12 maritime rooms are located on board a canal boat, and remain close to the water.

Before you depart, remember to make reservations at gourmet Thai restaurant Kiin Kiin’s special ‘Table 9’; this private table allows for a more private dining experience, in the luxurious surroundings of the world’s only Thai restaurant to possess a Michelin star.

3.  Hole up in a country inn

If your perfect Valentines weekend means never leaving the hotel, book a romantic suite (pictured) at Skovshoved Hotel – a 17th-century coaching inn that has been impeccably renovated to a four-star hotel with 22 individually-decorated rooms, most with sea views. The hotel is particularly proud of its gourmet restaurant, which regularly receives favorable mentions from both Condé Nast and the Michelin guide. It’s located just north of Charlottenlund, an affluent suburb of Copenhagen; a cab ride into the city will take less than 30 minutes.

Image of romantic suite courtesy of Skovshoved Hotel.

Strangas Cakeaway’s sweet masterpieces

It may look like an ordinary bakery from the outside, but this small patisserie not far from the Avenue Hotel is filled with the mouth-watering creations of Athens-born pastry maker Nikolaos Strangas. Previously pastry chef at Copenhagen’s only Michelin-starred Italian Era Ora, Strangas opened Cakeaway together with his wife in 2010. Check out the perfectly-formed French macarons that come in a variety of pastel shades.

Sunday’s cake buffet at homely Spiseri

Ever felt like it all looks so good, it’s almost impossible to choose? Visit Spiseri on the first Sunday of the month and you can try a little bit of everything when this simple, informal Italian kitchen in Nørrebro serves up a ‘cake table’. From 2pm until 5pm, the cost of this lavish dessert buffet is DKK 115 a head.

Refined coffee afternoon at The Royal Cafe

Alongside the flagship store of Royal Copenhagen, The Royal Cafe manages to combine quirky modernity with the formality of a dainty tea party. Take the girls for an afternoon of chatter, coffee and cakes—their ‘hindbærsnitter’, or raspberry jam slices come especially recommended, and it’s all served on the world famous royal blue porcelain.

Madeleines on the sofa in Taste

On Store Kongensgade not far from Design Museum Denmark, deli and cafe Taste is as pleasing to the eye as it is to taste buds. French owner Bernard Berthier’s delicious creations are not just exquisitely displayed but edible, too – the majority are also organic and made on the premises. Take advantage of the deep couches of the small tea salon and enjoy a plate of Madeleines or other French cakes.

Image of Nikolaos Strangas / Cakeaway courtesy of Cakeaway.

Cosy hotels. Opt for designer cool at Hotel 27 (serving seriously chilled vodka in downstairs Ice Bar Copenhagen) or an old hotel with historic charm and be sure of a warm winter welcome wherever you stay. Downtown Hotel Kong Frederik, recently refurbished by First Hotels, offers both sharp design and historic atmosphere. Alternatively, why not pamper yourself with spa treatments at sports & leisure hotel DGI Byen?

Experience great art, rocking concerts and festivals. With just a few hours of daylight, winter is geared to nightlife, with regular concerts by both big names and local unknowns; check out the English website of club/ venue Vega.

Copenhageners are no different to anyone else, taking long vacations in the summer— so winter can be an ideal time to experience culture. February 2012 sees the second edition of the annual Wondercool Festival—throwing together smaller versions of summer events like Copenhagen Jazz Festival and Copenhagen Cooking with chilled-out rock festival Frost. Find out more from organizer Wonderful Copenhagen.

Winter activities. There may not be skiing in Denmark, but the chances of snow in January/ February are good; ideal conditions for sledging in Søndermarken Park. The city’s artificial, open-air ice rinks in Toftegårds Plads in Valby, Blågårds Plads in Nørrebro, at the Runddel in Frederiksberg and Scandinavia’s largest, Genforeningspladsens rink in the North-West district, are all open until the end of February; you’ll only be charged for skate hire.

With sub-zero temperatures and icy winds a common occurrence, just remember to wrap up warm. As the Danes say, “There’s no bad weather – just bad clothing.”

Image of Little Mermaid and friends by VickyWJ/ Creative Commons.

• Nationalmuseet

Denmark’s National Museum encompasses everything from prehistoric times right up to present day; but rather than overwhelming its smallest visitors, the museum provides them with a children’s annex. Exhibits here are hands-on, with plenty of role play and dress-up in Viking long boats, 19th-century schools and medieval markets. All parts of the museum are free to visit, and changing facilities are provided.

• Statens Museum for Børn

The National Gallery has also designed a special children’s area that includes exhibitions and workshops. Exhibits place art in a child-friendly perspective, while the children’s workshop provides a chance to paint, draw and sculpt (entry costs DKK 30 per child). Every Sunday at noon and 1pm there’s free tours for children and the first Sunday of the month is family day.

• Experimentarium

Denmark’s science museum is located in the northern suburb of Hellerup and includes around 300 displays, all of which can be fiddled with in some way. Any kid who has ever asked, ‘how does this work?’ will be fascinated by the many gadgets—and you might lose dad along the way. Entry is a little pricey, but you could easily spend a day here.

• Teatermuseet

An offbeat alternative to the larger museums, this small museum on Slotsholmen is the ideal place for little princesses who will be enthralled by costumes, shoes, wigs, and even the original stage. Don’t forget to visit the royal horses in next door’s Royal Carriages Museum while you’re here (weekends only). Closed Mondays and Fridays.

Image of National Museum for Children courtesy of Klaus Holsting.

Copenhagen has several apartment hotels, ranging from the cheap (Hotel 9 Små Hjem) to the luxurious (Adina Apartment Hotel); while modern complex Charlottehaven Serviced Apartments is ideal for long stays and caters mainly for business travelers. Agency Apartment in Copenhagen offers various options, or Copenhagen Visitor Centre can help: But for those looking for more offbeat lodging, here are a couple more suggestions.

Bellahøj Camping

This small campsite is still in the city limits, a 15 minute bus ride north of Copenhagen’s inner city—or you can cycle downtown if you wish, as bike rental is available on site. In addition to tent pitching facilities there are also two and four-person cabins and caravans available to hire on a daily basis. The view of the nearby high rises is nothing to shout about, but offbeat neighborhood Nørrebro is only 15 minutes by bike. The campsite is open from June to August only.

Sankt Helene

If you’re part of an extended family get-together yet still crave your own independence, a holiday complex is ideal. An hours’ drive from Copenhagen on the north Zealand coast, Sankt Helene is environmentally-friendly and geared for families in particular. A far cry from the old-fashioned English stereotype of a ‘holiday camp’, Sankt Helene is modern and thoroughly Scandinavian in outlook. You can choose to rough it or live in luxury, with basic cabins, luxury apartments and hostel accommodation as well as the option of breakfast and half-board.

Image courtesy of Sankt Helene Holiday Complex.