Curious about Copenhagen

SUMMARY

Dates: Saturday May 28th to Friday June 3rd 2022

Guide: Brenda Whisker

Walking Grade: 1 Goat – city and surrounding area steady walks

Base: Danhostel a 5 star design hostel in a great location in central Copenhagen. All rooms are ensuite.

Price: £1100 per person for the holiday inclusive of..

• Bed and Breakfast
• 4 packed lunches on walking days
• Dinner together in a local restaurant on the first night.
• Experienced Guiding
• Local travel and some city excursions.

Not included :

• Travel to Copenhagen
• Dinners after the first night
• Drinks

Our guide  Brenda will introduce you to the variety of walks on offer all within easy reach of the city. Walks will be through woods,along sandy beaches and on top of spectacular cliffs with views towards Sweden. A short ferry ride takes you to Hven – a very special Swedish island with lovely walks.

There will be a plenty of time to explore during your stay and try out all the local foods and drink.

DETAILS

ITINERARY

Arrival

Meet at Copenhagen airport for the transfer via public transport to our accommodation in central Copenhagen. It is preferable to arrive before 4pm but we will confirm transfer time once we have all guest arrival times.For late arrivals we will provide transport details to make your way to the DanHostel independently.The transfer takes about an hour. After settling in to our rooms we will meet up again in the Danhostel café for a holiday briefing before we set out for a stroll around Slotsholmen, the historical and political heart of Copenhagen on our way to our first restaurant meal together.

Getting to know Copenhagen.

 5km/3 miles approx. during the day on pavements.

A day spent getting to know the city. We start the day with a  quiet walk along the banks of the harbour waterways and canals towards the famous hippy freetown Christiania. After a lunch stop we will walk a short distance over to meet our local guide Gitte outside the Danish parliament building of Christiansborg Palace.

Gitte Merild, a certified guide and journalist will show us the sights and delights of her city. While there is so much to see in Copenhagen, many of the sights are fortunately in or near the city centre. You will get a taste for where you might want to explore further on your free day.

Discover a little of Sweden – ferry trip to the island of Hven.

8km/5 miles very easy level walk.

An early start to take the ferry across the Oresund sound to the Swedish island of Hven, a delightful small island and rural conservation area. Our walk will circumnavigate the southern end of the island taking in views across the sound towards Sweden on one side and Denmark on the other. We will stop at the small settlement of Uraniborg for coffee and to explore the museum and observatory of Tycho Brahe a famous 16^th Century astronomer (who had a very interesting sister who was also an astronomer). Walking back along the north eastern coastal path to meet the return ferry we pass many summer houses and landing jetties as the island is one of the places that the city dwellers of Copenhagen and Malmo retreat to in the summer months. There’s a lovely café at the little port of Backvikken which gives a welcome break before the ferry back to Copenhagen departs.

Exploring Dyrehaven (King’s Deer Park)

11.5k/7 miles – very flat easy going walk with stops  for cuppa/ice creams

A short ride by train to Klampenborg, a stylish seaside resort much used by the Copenhagen locals. We will walk through the Dyrehaven (King’s Deer Park), former royal hunting grounds and still home to large numbers of deer. The ancient oak and beech woods are a wonderful spot for walking. We will leave the park to visit Radvad, an 18^th century industrial heritage village. Walking back to Klampenborg along the Oresund Sound we pass through the old harbour of Tarbaek where we can find a few cafes for afternoon tea or just a cold drink and ice cream…

Free day

Free day to explore more fully the castles, museums and galleries of the city, go shopping, catch a train to Louisiana the Museum of Modern Art and Helsingor Castle (Elsinor in Hamlet) to the North of Copenhagen, visit the Swedish city of Malmo, visit the Viking museum at Roskilde, go outdoor swimming or just sit in the sun by the river watching life go by.

Cliff walk along the World Heritage Chalk Cliffs of Stevens Klint

11k/6.85 miles on a very level cliff top path

We will take a train from the central station to explore the stunning World Heritage coastline and chalk cliffs of Stevns Klint. A short taxi ride from the station takes us to the coastal path overlooking the Baltic Sea. We will walk south along the coastal path to the fishing port of Roedvig where we can get the train back.

The cliffs are unique as a breeding ground for rare and endangered animals. We might even see peregrine falcon along with waders finches and meadow birds which rest and nest in the area

Above the cliffs there are beautiful limestone pastures full of flowers, which provide particularly good conditions of life for butterflies and moths.

The path takes us past the Stevs Fyr lighthouse which is open to the public. The old church of Hojerup which sits perilously on the cliff edge is also quite spectacular as is the now disused limestone quary of Boesdal Kalkbrud. We finish the walk at the lovely harbour and beach of Roedvig where, train times permitting, we can refresh with an ice cream or cold beer sitting in the sun looking out over the Baltic.

Departure

After breakfast, those not heading off to airport straight away can leave bags in the Danhostels baggage store. We can walk along the river and get a bite to eat before returning to get the bus back to the airport. For those who prefer there is time to do a bit of last minute shopping and sightseeing in the city.