Copenhagen city guide

Assistens Cemetery is a popular spot for sunbathing and picnics, but if you’re not completely comfortable with the idea of baring skin among the tombstones, there is a fine alternative very close by. Behind the cemetery and between Holy Cross Church and The Metropolitan School is Hans Tavsens Park. The park was founded in the early twentieth century in a former part of the cemetery and is Copenhagen’s first public park.

In the park are some beautiful statues such as The Artemis Fountain by Johannes Bjerg.and Michelangelo’s Moses (well, a copy of it, anyway).

The park’s grill can be used free of charge and behind The Metropolitan School there are paved ball courts and climbing walls and a mini golf course. During opening hours you can borrow golf equipment in the playgroup buildings next to the golf course.

At the other end of the park near the church is a playground for smaller children.

Whereas Assistens Cemetery is a very tranquil place, Hans Tavsens Park is quite naturally a lot livelier, but you can easily find a peaceful spot away from the hordes of soccer-playing boys.

You can enter the park through the cemetery, or from Jagtvej via a somewhat humble reddish brown wooden gate, or from Hans Tavsens Gade.

Copenhagen has an almost brand new opera house. I have an excellent view of it from my office, and in my opinion it looks like a very large hat that someone has placed on the horizon of the city. And though the inside of the building is quite stunning, catching a performance there is definitely in the more expensive category of entertainment.

Luckily it is possible to find offers of fine art such as opera and poetry elsewhere, and – might I add – at a more affordable price. In an abolished church on Møllegade lies Literaturhaus. The place harbours a variety of events from readings by national and international writers, poetry duels, discussions, opera improvisation and stand-up opera – both of which can be rather overwhelming experiences – to electronic ambient and presentations of new releases of classical music.

Listening to, or rather experiencing opera at Literaturhaus is very different from going to an opera, and you don’t even have to be a huge fan of the genre to be impressed and enjoy yourself.

The original reason that I know of this place is less poetic: the owner rents out the church for social events, and my friends and I rented it some years back for a large party.

Prices too are in a completely different league than the big opera house.

Check out the program on Literaturhaus’ website. Unfortunately not all of it is translated into English, but some is.

I first saw them November last year. Back then there were only four of them: two bears, a monkey and a rabbit to be precise. One day they were just there, sitting in a tree.

Last time I counted, the number had grown to more than thirty, and almost every week new stuffed animals arrive to join the party. For the most part it’s good old teddy bears, but dolphins, crocodiles, elephants and a great deal of other plush creatures have come to join in. They have spread from their original tree, and now occupy the whole of two trees.

I pass their hangout every day twice, but I still haven’t been able to catch a glimpse of any of them arriving at the scene. It is quite a mystery what makes them gather in this particular area, where (to be honest) not much else is going on.

Maybe they are there to keep an eye on the skaters on the nearby ramp, or maybe they are looking after the friendly, harmless bunch of unemployed that hangs out drinking beer and having a smoke in a shack on the same spot of green.

Whatever the reason, they are not telling.

This place is an almost legendary hangout in Copenhagen. The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly and even though the majority of the guests are local it is also strangely international, probably due to the fact that many of the staff doesn’t necessarily speak Danish.

The interior is slightly curious. Lamp shades are doll heads and the place is full of stuffed animals that are not looking like you would expect them to. Actually most of them are dressed. And seem to have at bit of a rebel attitude. All the animal dolls are made ​​by the artist Philip V. Jensen

The art exhibited on the walls is for sale and is made by changing artists and replaced a few times a year.

Bankeråt has a wide selection of beer, but personally I can recommend their Irish coffee. My friends and I have carefully and several times sampled the beverage, and there can be no doubt that it is the best in town.

Bankeråt also boasts a varied menu with everything from brunch to sandwiches to lamb stew, and the kitchen is open till 21:30 every day of the week.

Tucked away in a cobbled backyard you’ll find one of the biggest and best second hand clothes stores in Copenhagen. Some of the items might be a bit on the expensive side but it is outweighed by the amount of really cool stuff for both men and women. Retro T-shirts, furs, leather jackets, shoes, sequin dresses, lumberjack shirts and kilts: the list goes on. Brands range from high street chains to coats from Burberry, and though most things in the store are second hand, there’s also a little new stuff, often in limited edition.

If what you’re after is the home-knitted look of Sarah Lund in The Killing, you can be almost sure to find a sweater that is as close to the one she is wearing without having to make it yourself in KBH K, even at a reasonable price.

In addition to clothing, København K also has a selection of books and CD’s and various kinds of gizmos and gadgets to dress up your home with.