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Castles and Wine

On this trip we explore The Danish history seen through of our drinking traditions. Isn’t that a great idea? Well, we think so! Because it allows us to tell about the Vikings and their toast, the monks and their beer, the insatiable kings, the thirsty poor people as well as the explorers who brought new inspiration and tastes home from far away. On the way we visit castles where the cannon salutes accompanied the toasts of the king and his guests, and the numerous gorgeous dishes exhausted the appetite of the visitors. In the afternoon we visit a vineyard and taste some of the Danish white wines. Learn about the growing possibilities of wine making in our cool climate!

A Life fit for Kings

Renaissance life had a lot to offer a king who knew how to enjoy life. He was busy entertaining plenty of visitors in his impressive castles, humbly accepting their gifts. Travels, expensive robes and plenty of food and drink accompanied his official duties. Well, actually much more food than anyone could eat! He also spent time going from one castle to the other with a circus of wagons with all his staff and expensive belongings.

On this tour we drive along the coast north of Copenhagen to visit the most magnificent renaissance castles in North Zealand. The powerful legendary Kronborg and the elegantly decorated Frederiksborg.

Frederiksborg Castle

Today Denmark is quite a small country, but in the 17th century the Danish King belonged to one of the richest and most powerful dynasties in renaissance Europe. You realize this in the moment you enter the court of Frederiksborg Castle. This is the place where the young prince Christian 4th grew up. The architecture is state of the art of it’s time and the interior lavish and glamorous. The scene of everyday life at the Danish Court. And Christian was for sure a man who knew to appreciate all the possibilities and luxury he had within reach. Hunting, eating, drinking, meeting yet another woman and waging yet another not every successful war. Highlights are the Audience Hall and the impressive Knights Hall where the royals hosted parties lasting days!

Kronborg Castle

Another spectacular attraction is of course Kronborg Castle, beautifully located on the coast and with a splendid look to Sweden. This is the home of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and since 2000 on UNESCO’s World Heritage list. The coast of today’s Sweden is so close that is not difficult to imagine that this was bound to a place of strategic importance. Here Denmark showed it’s strength in the nation’s defense. From the fortress you could see the enemy approaching and be ready. At the same time Kronborg and the control of the strait meant that the King could make a fortune collecting sound dues from every ship that asked to pass through the narrow strait to the Baltic Sea. This privilege as tax collector lasted almost 400 years and was of key importance to the kingdom’s wealth and influence in Europe.

Hear about the importance of this place in Danish and European history, and find out why Shakespeare chose this location for his story of Hamlet. As a matter of fact he was never here himself!

Wine tasting at a vineyard – try tasting the Danish wine

What better way to end the tour than to stop at a vineyard for a wine tasting in beautiful surroundings. We meet the enthusiastic and highly professional wine makers who have entered into this relative new business of producing wine in Denmark for sale to a wider audience. Some of them you can find in the high end Nordic cuisines restaurants in Copenhagen. Others are so small in circulation that you have to visit the producer to find it. Due to climate change, the development of new sorts of grapes and hard work, the image of Danish wines is rapidly growing. But see for yourself!

This is where we end our journey through Danish drinking traditions and centuries of history . When you finish you have of course also heard the dramatic story of Carlsberg – our world famous beer brewer, Mister Jacobsen and how he started the tradition of producing a beer setting a whole new standard.

SKÅL! O, yes, we will also tell you about the origins of this salute.

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South Zealand Tour – Climb the Forest Tower!

Join us on a full day trip south of Copenhagen to the amazing Tree Tower.
”How does one measure the greatness of a place?” Times Magazine added this place on their 100 greatest places list in 2019. The Camp Adventure Forest Tower located in the picturesque South Zealand area gives a unique nature experience, from where you on the 3 km path in eye level can study the trees from the forest floor to the tree crowns. On sunny days you will from the top of the Forest Tower be able to see the Oresund Bridge, Turning Torso in Malmö and parts of the Copenhagen skyline. In a country with no mountains the tower with its 135 meters above sea level, is the highest point available on Zealand.

After the hike in the tree tower we will have a break and enjoy a traditional Danish lunch in a nearby restaurant.

Remember: Practical clothes and good walking shoes
Duration: 6 hours
Walking distance: 3 km

Choose one of the following options and extend the tour with 2 hours

Stevns’ Cold War Museum

Denmark would have been in the very frontline if the cold war had gotten warm! Explore the nuclear attack-proof fortress at the peninsula of Stevns – one of Denmark’s most secret places and part of the defense. For 40 years the staff here was ready for war 24/7 – today you can get a very authentic experience in the fortress, which looks exactly the way it was left, when the cold war ended. A local guide will take us to the 1,7 km long tunnels 18 meters underground. English explanation in audio guides will be provided.

Remember: Practical and warm clothes and good walking shoes are required.
Please bring: Smartphone and ear buds (The audio guide is app-based)
Walking distance: 3 km

Faxe Geocentre (Family Friendly)

Once upon a time 63 millions years ago the limestone landscape in Faxe was a huge coral reef. Explore the exhibition telling the cool story about dinosaurs and the birth of the earth. Get a hands-on activity with hammer and chisel, when a local guide will take us on a fossil hunt and tell all the exciting stories about the prehistoric era.

Practical clothes and good walking shoes are required.
Remember: Sun screen
Walking distance: 3,5 km.

Stevns’ Cliff (UNESCO’s world heritage)

guided tour at Stevns Klint UNESCOWalking tour around the amazing cliff in Stevns. A place that recently was inscribed on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List because the explanation for the extinction of the dinosaurs lies hidden in the cliff. A local guide will give you an informative and fun tour in the area and show you a local parish church, where the chancel collapsed and fell to the shore beneath due to a landslide in 1928.

Practical clothes and good walking shoes are required.
Remember: Sun screen
Walking distance: 2,5 km.

 

Photo: Mark Wengler, VisitDenmark
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We love biking!

Guided tours by bike

Get in the saddle and join us as we share all our good stories from Copenhagen and the surrounding areas!

We offer a wide range of guided bike tours, which can be customized to whatever preferences you have regarding sights, pick up, food etc.

Here is a selection of our tours

 

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North Zealand – guided tour by bike

Guided tour de North Zealand

Are you a Tour de France fan too? On the occasion of The Tour’s start in Denmark in 2021, we’ve planed a guided tour by bike in the beautiful North Sealand. And we invite you to come along! We’ll leave busy Copenhagen and head for the idyllic hills of Dyrehaven and further on towards Frederiksdal and the cradle of Danish industry. Along the way we’ll stop at the many historical sights, to which there is always a good story to tell.

The Coastal Road

Along the Coastal Road we’ll admire the varying architecture and mansions, with exterior visits to Charlottenlund Fort and Charlottenlund Castle. The area was once called Gyldenlund and used as a leisure area for the residents of Copenhagen. This was until King Christian the 6th gave it all to his sister Princess Charlotte Amalie in 1730, who started to build Charlottenlund Castle from scratch. She did this with materials from Copenhagen Castle, which was demolished at the same time to make room for Christiansborg Slot in the center of Copenhagen.

Today, Charlottenlund Castle houses a wide range of companies and organizes various cultural events.

Continuing on North we’ll enter the forest at Dyrehaven at the end of the Coastal Road. Here you’ll find Bakken, the oldest operating amusement park in the world. And perhaps you’ll get at glimpse of one of the many dears that lives in the park as we make our way through the green hills.

The cradle of Danish industry

We’ll make a stop for lunch at the beautifully situated Raadvad Inn in the middle of Dyrehaven. The small village Raadvad came to be as a result of the industrial production at Raadvad Water Mill

The return ride back to Copenhagen leads us through the suburbs and if time permits an inside visit to the impressive Grundtvigs Church.

Good to know

The route on this guided tour is approximately 40 kilometers and the pace will be leisurely. To do this tour, you should be fit and comfortable riding a bike. There are numerous train stations along the route, if you wan’t to shorten the route and take a train back to Copenhagen.

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Tour de France route by bike in Copenhagen

Grand Départ Copenhagen

Denmark will be the tenth country to host the Grand Départ of the Tour de France in 2021. And it will all begin in Copenhagen, the most bicycle-friendly city in the world. It’s a match made in cycling heaven!

The Danes are in general keen bicycling enthusiasts – with nine out of ten owning their own bike for daily use. And Copenhagen in particular is a bike enthusiastic city. Half of the city’s residents go by bike to work or school, and one quarter of all travel in the city takes place by bike. The riders of the Tour de France will find a huge amount of supporters throughout the country, as Denmark sets the scene for the most famous cycling race on Earth.

Of course, the great Grand Départ passes all of Copenhagen’s well-known tourist attractions such as The Little Mermaid, Amalienborg Palace and the Royal Library. But it also goes through some of the lesser known Copenhagen areas like the raw neighborhood Nørrebro and mundane Østerbro. A wonderfully diverse look at a historic city filled with contradictions and lots of great stories!

On your saddles! We invite you to come along as we follow the same route to explore Copenhagen by bike.

The Tour de France route

On the Tour route, we’ll visit:

  • Torvehallerne, danish high end foodmarket
  • Queen Louise’ Bridge, named after the popular Queen Louise
  • Nørrebro, a hip and multicultural neighborhood with a working class history
  • Østerbro, a neighborhood known for its wide boulevards and well of resident
  • The Little Mermaid, statue illustrating H.C. Andersen’s world famous fairy tale
  • Amalienborg Palace, the main residence of the Danish monarch
  • Nyhavn, once a busy commercial port packed with sailors, ladies of pleasure and pubs
  • The Royal Library, also known as The Black Diamond
  • City Hall, now with bees on the roof in the name of the environment

See the official website: Grand Départ Copenhagen Denmark 2021

Photo: Martin Heiberg, Copenhagen Media Center and Kim Wyon, VisitDenmark
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CHEERS Copenhagen!

Let’s take you on a colourful and lively walk through Copenhagen where we explore history seen through Danish drinking traditions. You will visit some of the iconic bars where the spirited poets and painters fueled their pen and wit emptying yet another glass. We are following in the footsteps of monks who had more than enough of their own brew, sailors dipping their beard in huge beer heads in Nyhavn, as many as they could before the ship sailed off again – and the noble miss sipping her madeira, hardly able to wait to tell her friends about this new discovery.

Well, well. Let’s just begin by stating the obvious; – nothing compares to social drinking with good friends. That’s the way it is today, and it was always like that! On this tour we will combine tasting, chatting and learning. We will tell you about the traditions of brewing beer and wine through the centuries in the Danish capital and visit some of the iconic bars full of atmosphere and anecdotes.

You will hear what the poor man, the kings and nobles and the virtuous monks poured into their glasses. It may well be that the church preached strict rules and condemned the evils of alcohol and all the frivolity following from it. And sometimes national tragedy made way for invention. In 1807 the British bombarded Copenhagen and eventually stole our fleet. Horrendous! It was a defeat and humiliation of incredible proportions that we can hardly imagine today. But after this catastrophe Nyhavn with the iconic coloured houses changed to a very lively area! And who can imagine the city of Copenhagen without all the decorated bars and restaurants on the sunny side of this harbor promenade where the tough sailors used to enjoy their time off and spend the money they just earned at sea.

So good and bad come together and often in the company of alcohol. Another example of this paradox is King Christian the 4th, beloved for his great architecture that we still enjoy today. But his economic administration of the kingdom leaves no space for admiration. However, who else would have had 35.000 drinking glasses made specially for his crowning ceremony and replaced the streams of water in the fountains with wine..? O, did we mention he was not very lucky with his military adventures either?

On this tour you are in for a treat of beer and wine traditions from the middle ages to The Renaissance and today. And we will of course also get to Carlsberg’s fascinating mix of eager innovation, sense og quality and family drama.

And one important thing: The walking pace is comfortable. There are five stops with tastings of beverage on the route, some of them on the road and others in cosy places, among them some of the oldest remaining bars in Copenhagen. If these walls could talk! A, but listen closely, they actually do…

Do you want to explore some of the cool areas in Copenhagen?

  • CHEERS Vesterbro
  • Cheers Nørrebro
  • Cheers Christianshavn
  • Cheers Frederiksberg
  • The Carlsberg Tour
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Science and Beer Pub Crawl

What does Beer and Science have in common ?

Well, probably more than you think! Did you know that the founder of Carlsberg – Mr. Jacobsen had a keen interest in science, and saw his beer making as much more, than just brewing beer?

On this tour we explore the first steps towards understanding the world through science. From the  renaissance up until the 20th century, we introduce some of the first movers in Danish science and try to understand what inspired them and led to their discoveries.

Description of the tour From Brahe to Bohr

Ever heard of a Tycho Brahe day?
Hear about our famous astronomers Tycho Brahe and Ole Rømer, our renaissance star gazers. They changed the way we perceived the universe. Learn what it means to have a Tycho Brahe day and why this noble scientist wore a metal shield on his nose.

Electromagnetism and Epidemics
Groundbreaking science and big personalities influenced the 19th century, we will tell you about H.C Ørsteds successes and fiascos on the path to discover electromagnetism, and why the Jacobsen family (founders of Carlsberg), can thank him for making great tasting beer even today.

Peter Panum
is the name of our medical faculty, find out why his travels to the Faroe Islands and a breakout of measles led to a revolution in Danish medical history.

Science and War
Niels Bohr gave us the understanding of the structure of an atom and dedicated his life to restore world peace after WW2 . Hear the amazing story of how Bohr helped his German colleagues make their Nobel gold medals vanish into thin air!
The female seismologist Inge Lehmann didn’t earn fame until after her death – find out why it took so long to recognise her scientific work that has put her in the top 10 of most important female scientists today.

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Foodies’ Favourite Food Tour

Our Foodies’ Favourite Food Tour takes you down the cobbled stoned streets of Copenhagen and into the heart of the Danish kitchen. Within the last decade the nordic cuisine has become famous all over the world with the concept New Nordic. With this concept one must cook after the season, with raw materials from the North and create a tastefull and healthy dish.

On the tour you will e.g. taste the traditional Danish lunch: an open faced sandwich called ‘smørrebrød’, which is a piece of ryebread with different kinds of topping on it. Try for instance the marinated herring or a Danish liver pate with pickled beets and bacon, just to name two on the endless list. We will also tell you all the stories about the Danish beer and snaps with a visit to a local brewery.

The sweets are just so good

On the tour you will taste samples of sweets like salty liquorice, Danish pastry and the indescribably good “flødeboller” (basically it’s a crispy little waffle with whipped egg whites and sugar covered with dark chocolate.)  Along with the sweets you will try beverages like elderflower or buckthorn.

Food restrictions

We will considerate food allergies or other food restrictions.
Please inform us when you book the tour.

Do you have any questions or would you like to book the tour? Please call or write us.

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The Conference Tour

Copenhagen – Conference Guided Tour

Have you spent all day inside a conference centre in Copenhagen? Do you long to see something else than the inside of a conference room You need to stretch your legs and try our conference tour! Come and join us on a guided walking tour and explore the best sights and hidden gems of the city before dinner to work up your appetite for dinner and the attractions of Copenhagen.

We will tell you the riveting stories of the local history and also give you an impression of everyday life in the green capital of Denmark. If you like competition we can divide you into groups and do fun teambuilding activities like quizzes, tastings or scavenger hunt.

These tours are also possible to do on a bike – call or write for more information.

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Green is the New Black and sometimes Blue

Green Living in Copenhagen – A city of sustainability 

Jump on the metro and join us on a tour with emphasis on green urban planning, cutting edge architecture and sustainability. We begin our tour in the neighbourhood called Ørestad, an area that emerged in the early nineties, and is known for their green profile. First stop is Bella Center Station , where a general introduction to the area and its history will be unfolded.

The innovative duo Bjarke Ingels and Julien de Smedt (PLOT architects) are the forces behind the spectacular apartment blocks  ” The Mountain” & ” VM Houses”. Hear about their sources of inspiration, ideas about sustainability and their love of mountains!

Up-cycling at Copenhagen Towers Hotel

Second stop is at Ørestad Station where we will experience the cool oasis in the lobby of Hotel Copenhagen Towers. They have taken up-cycling to a whole new level, by using recycled building materials like concrete remains, old car tyres and old sails in the decorating of this hotel.

The Savannah and the 8-House

From Vestamager station – the final frontier – we pass an unusual retirement home and enjoy the breathtaking view over ” The Savannah ” on Amager Common.  Experience the contrast between grazing cows and the award winning apartment complex the 8-house, designed by our superstar architect Bjarke Ingels.

Christianshavn and Krøyers Place

The tour continues to Christianshavn, where a change of location from new sharp architecture, meets old Copenhagen.

We tell about the transition from an industrial harbour to a playground for the locals, where enjoying citylife means a swim in the canals.

Old and new architecture go hand in hand in this old part of Copenhagen.   We end the tour by the inner harbour bridge, where you can enjoy something to eat and drink from The Bridge street food kitchen – or in one of the many cafes around Nyhavn.

Did you know that the water in Copenhagen Harbour is clean enough to swim in?
Would you like to taste honey produced by more than 1.00.000 bees?
Did you know that we have intelligent rubbish bins, which ask to be emptied themselves?

If you want to know more about this tour or book it please contact us.

Want to know more about the tour? see this video

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