A Two-Day Trip to Copenhagen
An Aside
Copenhagen is a lot of fun. Even without any planning at all, you can still have a great time. Many of the attractions are concentrated in the old town, where you can easily spend a whole day, and you can hop on a bus to get around and explore—for example, near the Little Mermaid you can see plenty of beautiful parks.
I strongly recommend heading to the tourist center first to buy a Copenhagen Card. With it you can travel for free, visit for free, and see 87 museums for free—incredible value for money.
All of Scandinavia has a deeply artistic atmosphere. Sculptures are everywhere, the architecture is colorful and varied, and there are countless museums and art galleries holding all kinds of sculptures and oil paintings. Many people who love painting will bring their art supplies, find a museum, pick a sculpture, and stay there all day.
In Copenhagen, we visited the following places. Here they are, ranked from most to least recommended:
- Carlsberg Glyptotek
- Christiansborg Palace
- Thorvaldsens Museum
- National Museum of Denmark
- Planetarium / Tivoli amusement park—great for kids
- The Little Mermaid
There are also many wonderful places we didn’t get to, such as Amalienborg and the Designmuseum Denmark.
Carlsberg Glyptotek
The Carlsberg Glyptotek is the museum with the most sculptures I’ve ever seen—sculptures of every kind, many of which date back to the Roman era or even earlier.
Here are just a few I picked at random:
There were so many sculptures that I didn’t even get a chance to see the oil painting section.
Christiansborg Palace
The palace is also very much worth a visit.
As soon as you walk in, there are these distinctive columns.
The throne:
The great hall holds countless portraits, each with its own hidden meaning. Unfortunately I don’t understand Danish, and the nearby guide’s commentary was beyond me, so I’ll just post a couple of photos.
The palace’s furniture and tableware are also on display; the tableware in particular is exquisite.
Thorvaldsens Museum
Thorvaldsen was a genius artist, self-taught from a young age. At a time when sculpture was full of dogmatism, Thorvaldsen pursued art by following his own nature, creating countless exquisite works. Even more impressively, after his death he was buried in the center of the museum, surrounded by his works, for the world to admire and revere.
Many people were sketching here—picking a sculpture and drawing it the whole afternoon.
National Museum
The National Museum showcases the history of Denmark, from ancient times to the present—from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age, to the Iron Age, and on to today—interwoven with many artifacts of religious faith.
Street Photos
City Hall and the World Clock:
The Hans Christian Andersen statue:
A sculpture in front of City Hall:
The Little Mermaid, from Andersen’s fairy tale:
The palace exterior:
The Gefion Fountain:
The Royal Library:
