Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Uniquely Danish souvenirs to look for include intricate paper cuttings
with idyllic motifs of swans, flowers, or Christmas themes; mobiles with
everything from bicycles to Viking ships (look for the quality Flensted brand);
and the colorful artwork (posters, postcards, T-shirts, and more) by Danish
artist Bo Bendixen.
For a street's worth of shops selling
“Scantiques,”
wander down Ravns-
borggade from Nørrebrogade.
Copenhagen's colorful
flea markets
are small but feisty and surprisingly
cheap (May-Nov Sat 8:00-14:00 at Israels Plads; May-Sept Fri and Sat
8:00-17:00 along Gammel Strand and on Kongens Nytorv). For other street
markets, ask at the TI.
The city's top
department stores
(Illum at Østergade 52, and Magasin du
Nord at Kongens Nytorv 13) offer a good, if expensive, look at today's Den-
mark. Both are on the Strøget and have fine cafeterias on their top floors. The
department stores and the Politiken Bookstore on Rådhuspladsen have a good
selection of maps and English travel guides.
The section of the Strøget called
Amagertorv
is a highlight for shoppers.
The Royal Copenhagen store here sells porcelain on three floors (Mon-Fri
10:00-19:00, Sat 10:00-17:00, Sun 12:00-17:00). The first floor up features
figurines and collectibles. The second floor has a free museum with demon-
strations and a great video (10 minutes, plays continuously, English only). In
the basement, proving that “even the best painter can miss a stroke,” you'll
find the discounted seconds. Next door, Illums Bolighus shows off three
floors of modern Danish design (Mon-Fri 10:00-19:00, Sat 9:00-17:00, Sun
10:00-17:00, shorter hours off-season).
Shoppers who like jewelry look for amber, known as “gold of the North.”
Globs of this petrified sap wash up on the shores of all the Baltic countries.
House of Amber
has a shop and a tiny two-room museum with about 50 ex-
amples of prehistoric insects trapped in the amber (remember
Jurassic Park
?)
under magnifying glasses. You'll also see remarkable items made of amber,
from necklaces and chests to Viking ships and chess sets (25 kr, daily May-
Aug 10:00-19:00, Sept-April 10:00-18:00, museum closes 30 minutes earli-
er, at the top of Nyhavn at Kongens Nytorv 2; 4 other locations sell amber,
