One of the oldest cities in the world - Copenhagen has a lot to offer all travelers.

The history buff could stay for weeks in Copenhagen and only scratch the surface of its rich history. The culture buff will find depth to the Copenhagen lifestyle. The casual traveler will find a mid sized city with a definite worldly flair and a lot of safety. Due to the unpredictable danish weather I would suggest to go mainly during the summer months - July and August are the safest bets. These months also offers the long northern light summer nights which is an experience in itself.

There was the beginnings of a city on the spot were we now have Copenhagen back in the 900's. However, the first fortress was built on the spot that now holds Christianborg around the 1160's. Underneath Christianborg they have started to find some of the remains from that fortress.

After the fortress was built Copenhagen grew large due to its perfect strategic placement for trade. Ships coming and going north, south, east and west all stopped by Copenhagen.

A few notes for people considering a trip to Denmark. All of Scandinavia is expensive to travel in. They are socialistic countries and everything has a tax on it. Going out to eat at a restaurant is seen as a luxury and taxed in a fairly high bracket. So are hotel stays for that matter. Denmark is slightly less expensive than Norway and Sweden, but be prepared for the prices.

If you aim to stay in Copenhagen you should stay away from hotels that has Copenhagen V in the address. This is the western part of town and its scummy. I just dont get it why it has so many hotels.

Copenhagen O is the eastern part of Copenhagen, its upscale and beautiful - but expensive.

Copenhagen N doesnt have many hotels. This is a preferred town to live in for the "die hard Copenhagener". Its an artists enclave, a hang out spot for poor people or students, and a place where emigrants has made their home as much as the danes. If you get a chance to stay there you will experience an integral part of Copenhagen. Parts of the area there is a little less safe though, I will have be happy to give more info about this area if there is an interest.

Copenhagen S has some charming areas, and is closer to the airport. Most of it is suburbia.

An excellent place to go for a dinner is the harbor in Copenhagen O. Its called Nyhavn. It has many cafe's, bar's, and restaurant's at all levels. It sports a very active street life, a lot of "old town charm" and its downright beautiful.

Tivoli Gardens - or known to the danes as Tivoli - was built in 1843, and is one of the oldest still standing amusement parks in the world. Tivoli is situated right in the middle of Copenhagen, and with todays standards its small and certainly quaint. While continually being modernized Tivoli cannot possibly keep pace with todays huge amusement / themeparks. Tivoli also has a huge job of keeping traditions alive that the Danish people has treasured for generations. The wooden roller coaster was built in 1914, and on the downward slopes is driven exclusively by inertia. The rollercoaster can go 50 km pr. hour / or 14 miles per hour. This is only one of countless traditions that has settled into the danish psyche.

Tivoli employs a huge staff of gardeners to keep its garden alive. This is probably mostly enjoyed by its many elderly followers with a season pass.

For the children 1 or 2 trips to Tivoli is a must for anyone living on Seeland. The children comes there for the chocolate, the rides, and the pure excitement. The adults come there for the excitement, the beauty, and remembering the wonderful trips of their own childhood. Tivoli has some rides that for an outsider probably seems strange to keep alive, yet kids has gone on those rides with their grandparents for many generations, and its not gonna go away! The elderly love to hang out there, I am sure they too soak up the excitement while they enjoy the pretty surroundings.

For the casual visitor / tourist - Tivoli might be small and "nothing special". I suppose it all depends on what is expected from a visit to Tivoli.

Copenhagen and Denmark has many more wonderful attractions of course, and I will be happy to give away tips, ideas etc as people on the list goes there.

Warm regards, Malene Sonoma Ca.