Copenhagen by dusk
Copenhagen, like many Scandinavian cities, enjoys its bright summer evenings, the reward for those long dark months of winter – so take time to walk this royal city before the sun goes down. The Danish capital was built, like Venice, on a series of islands, which is why you’ll cross so many bridges even today. Start on Slotsholmen with the Christiansborg Palace, seat of the Danish parliament. It’s one of the few public buildings illuminated at night in a city that tries to keep its carbon footprint to a minimum. Next to it stands one of the most unusual buildings you will see in Copenhagen; the Thorvaldsen Museum is dedicated to a 19th-century Danish artist but was constructed to look like an Ancient Greek temple (or rather an 1840s image of a Greek temple!). Take a water taxi and view the harbours and royal palace of Amalienborg, which is best seen from the water. There’s no better way to begin a summer evening in Copenhagen on your cruise travel.
Delights in store
Back on land, take in some shopping. Many stores in the centre of Copenhagen stay open until 7pm on weekdays, including the two main department stores, Illum and Magasin du Nord. Both are very good but Magasin is considered a national institution; some call it the Harrods of Denmark. You can’t miss it looming over Kongens Nytorv, occupying a 19th-century French Renaissance-style building, which has recently been restored. Inside you will find a huge choice of menswear and womenswear spread over three floors and, because this is Scandinavia, some excellent modern household design too. The bakery and tearoom are particularly popular. After all, you’ll need to try at least one Danish!
Legendary food
There’s no need to restrict yourself to pastries though, as there are lots of excellent places to dine in Copenhagen, although the trendy eateries along Nyhavn tend to be overpriced. Do take time to walk up one side of this beautifully restored inner harbour and down the other as Nyhavn is at its prettiest in the evening. It’s difficult to believe this used to be a red-light district before the gentrification of Copenhagen’s docks. Now it is full of restaurants, art galleries and small boats. However, perhaps better value – and a real sense of being at the centre of the city – is to be found at A Porta, a Viennese-style café dating back to 1792. A Porta looks out onto Kongens Nytorv at the top of Nyhavn, and has a great view of the old Royal Theatre. The interior is stylishly panelled and the brasserie does a good line in shellfish. A Porta stays open into the evening; Hans Christian Andersen used to be a late-night regular and the place crackles with old-world atmosphere.
Operatic spectacle
For entertainment on your holiday cruises, the Royal Danish Opera still performs over at the Royal Theatre but it also occupies one of the city’s most glamorous new buildings, the Copenhagen Opera House. You can’t mistake its dramatic profile across the waters of Inderhavn. This huge glass and steel opera house was paid for by the Danish shipping magnate Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller as a gift to his home city. It’s worth taking the ferry over from Nyhavn to see the lavish construction at close range, with its vast awning and huge modern Danish chandeliers. The opera company has built a strong reputation in recent years for adventurous but accessible productions and during the intervals there are wonderful views over the city from the topmost balconies.
Party in the park
If it’s a pleasant evening, take a stroll in the park at Tivoli Gardens. Tivoli is not like any other city park. It was constructed in 1843 using the disused ramparts and moat of medieval Copenhagen. Today it’s famous for its boating lake, the little shops selling Tivoli’s own chocolate-covered ice cream, and its ambitious musical programme. Not many civic parks have an auditorium that offers such an eclectic mix as Gustav Mahler, Diana Krall, José Carreras and Elvis Costello. There’s also a funfair with rides that are not too demanding, nearly 40 bars and restaurants, a carousel and an aquarium. The atmosphere is carnival fun rather than rollercoaster excitement.
Last orders
To round the evening off, a bar with a view would be ideal – and Viva fits the bill perfectly. This fashionable meeting place is stylishly located on a converted barge moored along Langebro quay, with views across Inderhavn to the new Danish Royal Library, also known as The Black Diamond. There is a cocktail bar and lounge on board, outdoor seating on the top deck and extra seating on the wharf on summer evenings. If you get hungry, the 80-seat restaurant offers tasty seafood. You can end the evening here very happily as Viva stays open nice and late.
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