Business hours Banks and many businesses are open daily from 10am-5pm, with late Thursday opening until 7pm. Major retail shops in the capital, including Magasin, Illum and Fields, are open daily until 6pm or 7pm. In 2005, the Danish parliament passed an historic amendment to the nation’s notoriously strict shop laws, allowing most retailers to stay open 26 Sundays in each year and rescinding the ban on alcohol sales after 8pm. Stores in Copenhagen are slowly adapting to the change, but to be on the safe side, do your shopping by 6pm. Car/limo hire Avis (Tel: 3326 8000, Email: info@avis.dk) for ordinary rentals, or for something special, try Dansk Limousine Service (Tel: 3315 0630, Email: info@limousineservice.dk).

Office rental Your Office (Tel: 7025 1070, Email: info@youroffice.dk).

Secretarial services Available from the Copenhagen Business Centre (Tel: 3337 8800, Email info@copenhagen-office. com).

LOCAL PRESS

Copenhagen This Week is a reliable guide, with shopping information and features on local events of interest to visitors. The guide can be found in most hotel lobbies and currency exchanges. Also of interest is the supplement Copenhagen After Dark, which includes contact information and tips for adult clubs and escort services in the Copenhagen area.

The Copenhagen Post is Denmark’s only English-language newspaper. It offers a fair introduction to current events and Danish affairs to travellers and long-term residents and is available at kiosks and newsstands. The highlight of the Post is its weekly In and Out Guide supplement, an easy-to-read compendium of hot-spots, restaurants and cultural goings-on in the city.

INTERNET

The ubiquity of personal laptop computers in this wired capital has put many traditional internet cafés out of business. In addition to the following cafés, which offer terminals by the hour, look for TDC wireless hotspots (Trådløse Hotspots) at restaurants, cafés and hotels throughout the city where you can plug in your own laptop for free - much the best way of doing business. All Baresso coffee shops and several McDonald’s restaurant locations throughout the city are registered wi-fi hotspots.

Boomtown Netcafé, Axeltorv 1, 1609 Copenhagen V (Tel: 3332 1032). Open daily 24 hours, 104 terminals, charges DKK 20 for 30 minutes, DKK 30 for one hour. Powerplay, Lyngbyvej 3 st. th, 2100 Copenhagen Ø (Tel: 3929 5493).

Open daily noon- midnight, 26 terminals, charges DKK 15 per hour.

MONEY

The Danish unit of currency is the krone (DKK), which equals 100 øre. Denmark is a member of the European Monetary Union but has so far chosen not to adopt the joint Euro currency. Most shops in the greater Copenhagen area accept payment by Euros, but may give change back in kroner and øre.

Paying with plastic is a way of life in Denmark and most major credit cards are accepted in restaurants, retail locations, taxis, etc. It’s a good idea to enquire about service charges for foreign credit cards, however, as these tend to be somewhat high.

TIPPING ETIQUETTE

Service charges are included in advertised prices throughout the city, so you needn’t worry about how much to tip for restaurant, taxi, hairdresser or valet service.

VISA/VACCINATIONS

No visas are required for stays of up to three months. Travellers to countries covered under the Schengen agreement (including Denmark) should be advised that foreigners are limited to cumulative stays of up to six months in the entire Shengen area.

No vaccinations are needed for Denmark, but it’s only sensible for travellers to be up-to-date with routine innoculations. A flu jab is a good idea in winter.

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS

Most businesses in the city follow traditional bank holidays, which in 2006 are as follows:
1st January—New Year’s Day
13th April—Maundy Thursday
14th April—Good Friday
17th April—Easter Monday
12th May—National Day of Prayer
25th May—Ascension Day
5th June—Whitsun Monday and Constitution Day
24th December—Christmas Eve
25th December—Christmas Day
26th December—Second Christmas Day
31st December—New Year’s Eve

In addition to the official public holidays, you may find it difficult to make business contacts during the traditional summer holiday month (July), during the week of the autumn holiday (week 42) or the post-Christmas winter holiday (week 8). Schools are traditionally closed during these vacation periods, so Danes from all strata of society often take time off to spend with their families.

WEATHER AND CLIMATE

Most businesses in the city follow traditional bank holidays, which in 2006 are as follows: 1st January—New Year’s Day 13th April—Maundy Thursday 14th April—Good Friday 17th April—Easter Monday 12th May—National Day of Prayer 25th May—Ascension Day 5th June—Whitsun Monday and Constitution Day 24th December—Christmas Eve 25th December—Christmas Day 26th December—Second Christmas Day 31st December—New Year’s Eve

If you don’t like the weather in Copenhagen, just wait five minutes. Copenhagen has a temperate, coastal climate that rarely sees extremes of hot or cold. The average daytime temperature from June-August is 19C, dipping to freezing point in the coldest months of January and February. Light, intermittent rains are common, and the wind is often blustery, so a good raincoat, windbreaker and umbrella will serve you well here. Also, Danes conceptualise the seasons not just in terms of warm and cold, but light and dark as well.

During the summertime it is light well past 10pm in the evenings, but dusk falls shortly after 3pm in the middle of winter. If the absence of light during the dark months of October-February leaves you blue, do as the Danes do and cocoon yourself with cosy candles, warm drinks and good friends. Daily weather forecasts in English are available at www.dmi.dk.

SUGGESTED READING

Time Out Copenhagen, by Michael Booth, introduces a thoroughly modern Copenhagen. In addition to the usual museum and guided-tour stuff, this includes tips for emerging areas and memorable out-of-the-way spots and provides an excellent impression of Copenhagen as a dynamic Nordic metropolis.

History of Denmark, by Palle Lauring, formed the basis of the crash course in Danish history and culture given to Tasmanian-born Crown Princess Mary before her marriage to Crown Prince Frederik. To its credit, it does provide a fairly accessible, comprehensive view of the emergence of the Danish people since the Viking period.

Dining with the Danes, by Lynn Anderson, is an English-language compendium of Danish gastronomical culture. It’s a marvellous conversation piece when you’re there and provides easy-to-understand recipes of traditional Danish dishes to try when you return home.

The History of Danish Dreams, by Peter Hoeg, will help you to understand the Danes. This work of contemporary literary fiction captures the sense of historical continuity that can be felt throughout the capital—read this to absorb yourself in the peculiar sense of Danishness you may encounter during your stay.

GETTING INTO TOWN

Airport Located 9kms from central Copenhagen, Kastrup Airport is Scandinavia’s busiest air travel hub. Taxis pick up passengers outside all airport Arrivals areas at terminals 1 and 3. A one-way trip to central Copenhagen will cost about DKK 200.

Car The trip to central Copenhagen from the airport takes approximately 20 minutes along the E20 motorway, and exits are clearly marked.

Bus Several city bus lines, including the 30, 250S and 500S, run from the airport to central Copenhagen, with two to three hourly departures from Terminal 3. A three-zone ticket is required to travel to Copenhagen (see Getting around, below).

Train DSB’s regional train to Copenhagen Central station departs three times an hour from Terminal 3. You’ll need a three-zone ticket to travel to Copenhagen one way, which costs DKK 25. Tickets are available at the DSB kiosk just above Terminal 3