Green and eco-friendly Copenhagen
These days there is a growing concern over green topics like ecology, protection of the environment and sustainability. Holiday makers wishing to keep their Eco-friendly lifestyle going, even when abroad, can in Copenhagen be sure they will always find what they are looking for.Get on your bike!
The first thing you notice when you start the busy weekend of sightseeing and shopping, is that the city is filled with bicycles. 36 per cent of all Copenhageners use their bikes to get to school and work etc. There are more than 300 kms of cycle paths in and around the city, so getting on a bike, really is a fun way to discover the Danish capital – all in your own time.
Visitors can pick up one of the 2000 FREE City Bikes available, spread over 110 bike-stations in the city. It is so easy, you just put a 20DKR coin in the slot (like a shopping trolley) the map is already on the handlebars, so off you go! (Bycyklen.dk)
The Arp-Hansen Hotel Chain, with 9 hotels in the city offer bike hire from their receptions at around £10 per day (100DKR) - arp-hansen.com. You can also take bicycles on the commuter trains if you wish to explore the beautiful coastline north of the capital. Extra ticket is required for this which you just buy at the station (dsb.dk).
A good alternative to discover Copenhagen is on a guided bike safari. It is a different and more active way to experience the city's life and architecture. Both Copenhagen Tours and City Safari arrange guided tours for one person or groups.
The tours' themes range from Historical Copenhagen, In H.C. Andersen's Footsteps or Danish Design Safari as well as themed tours such as Photo and Quiz Safari, Big City Organics and a guided tour through the city's nightlife can be arranged. Tours are 2,5 – 4,5 hours long and it is possible to supplement your experience with lunch in the green areas along the way.
See Copenhagen from a frog-eye perspective when using your own muscle power on a tour with Kajak-Ole. Tours start from Christianshavn’s canal and you can choose either single or double ‘sit-on-top’ kajaks. Prices start from around £20 for a 90 minute paddling experience. Kajakole.dk
Hop in the water - it is good enough to swim in!
A great summer attraction is the harbour pool near Islands Brygge, where you can cool off and join the locals for a swim right in the city centre. Another one is the Copencabana close to Fisketorvet shopping centre. At 'Copencabana' you find three pools covering approximately 650 square metres. There is a children's pool, a diving pool and an ordinary pool for swimming. Investments in recent years ensure that city swimming waters are as clean as the sea outside Copenhagen.
Prefer dip in the sea? Then it is easy to cycle out to nearby Bellevue or the Blue Flag Amager Beach for plenty of space, fresh air and great views across the Oresund Strait.
Specialist shops
In the up-and-coming and oh-so-trendy Norrebro district you find CommonZenz. This was the first organic lifestyle boutique selling Danish and International environmentally conscious fashion. Jewellery, beauty products, footwear and clothing. The owner carefully selects each Item for sale and ensures it is of good design and quality at the same time respecting the environment the health of the consumer. Typical materials used are flax and naturally dyed cotton. In addition to owner’s own designs, brands like Edun, Elsom, iNTI Knitwear, Philippa and Patagonia footwear are on sale. Commonzenz.dk
Aniel - In this fine, angel-inspired boutique in the district of Frederiksberg you can purchase the cutest children's clothing, wooden toys and home accessories made of organic and natural materials. The boutique is named after Aniel - the angel, who rules over nature and everything green. Aniel is also connected to beauty, harmony, peace and love, and the boutique fully lives up to its name. Aniel.dk
Two shops worth checking out in the central chopping district of Copenhagen are Pureshop in Gronnegade street for perfume and beauty products and Sungifu - Organic Living in Fiolstraede street for fashion, bedlinen and toys. Pureshop.dk, Sungifu.dk
A good bite to eat at star-studded Geranium
Restaurant Geranium not only ranks high on the list of organic restaurants in Copenhagen, it is also located in beautiful green surroundings in Kongens Have, the park surrounding Rosenborg Palace. This organic gourmet restaurant has two of the best chefs in the country at the helm. The main priority is exclusively to use organic and biodynamic ingredients in their creative preparation of the food, and they only import wine, which can meet this requirement.
Geranium's meals are organic-Danish with many vegetables and herbs and the chefs enjoy updating old classical recipes. Geranium received its first Michelin star in March 2008. Restaurantgeranium.dk
Cap Horn
In lovely Nyhavn you find one of the organic pioneers: Restaurant Cap Horn was one of the first eating places to adopt the organic philosophy in an atmosphere oozing history and ambiance. All basic ingredients such as eggs, milk, butter, vegetables etc. are organic. Wines, beers and soft drinks are organic as well, including the coffee.
Cap Horn has preserved its original style with different chairs and porcelain and funny knick-knacks; all contributing to the relaxed and homely atmosphere. During the summer you can drink an organic beer or have your meal on the large terrace overlooking the old wooden ships in the Nyhavn canal. Caphorn.dk
Look after yourself
Get your hair cut and treated the organic way at Zenz (4 salons in the city) or after a busy day relax in the Sundform Spa located in Kronprinsessegade. Zenz.dk, Sundform.com
Sleep well
Most of Copenhagen's hotels take environmental issues seriously too. This covers water conservation, waste recycling and offering clients organic alternatives for breakfast'. Three good examples are: Arp Hansen Hotels Arp-hansen.com, Scandic Hotels Scandichotels.com and Guldsmeden Hotelguldsmeden.dk
The above is just some of the information that can be found on:
Visitcopenhagen.com
Getting there
SAS Scandinavian Airlines offers frequent and convenient flights from London Heathrow, London City Airport, Birmingham, Manchester and Aberdeen. Flight times are under 2 hours. For latest offers and bookings go to: flysas.co.uk
SAS has this month announced that it aims to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 20 per cent by 2020. In addition, new strategic activities concerning the protection of the environment will come into operation, such as the use of new technological developments and reduced fuel consumption in the daily operations of the airline.
