Press Information
August 2010

Facts about Copenhagen, Denmark

Geography
Denmark is situated in northern Europe and is one of three Scandinavian countries. It consists of a mainland peninsula, Jutland, and 406 islands. The Danes number 5.475.791 million, 9.5 per cent of whom are of foreign origins. Their mother tongue is Danish, but English is spoken widely and to a high standard.

Capital
Copenhagen, Denmark's capital and Scandinavia's liveliest city, lies within the Øresund Region, which encompasses Scania, on the Swedish side, and Zealand and the island of Bornholm on the Danish side. Copenhagen has a population of around 1.7 million; the Øresund Region has a total population of 3.664.000 million.
www.kk.dk

Climate
Considering its latitude, Copenhagen's climate is fairly mild, but its inhabitants know how to make the most of the sunshine. From early April to late September, over 388 of the city's cafés and restaurants move their tables outdoors, while the sunbathers hit the parks as soon as the temperature rises above 10ºC. Copenhageners cycle year-round, whatever the weather. February is the coldest month, while July and August are the warmest.
www.dmi.dk

History
Copenhagen was founded in 1167 and has been Denmark's capital since 1417. Denmark is the world's oldest kingdom. The reigning monarch, Queen Margrethe II, who lives in Copenhagen, can trace her ancestry back - over 1,000 years - to the Viking age. Copenhagen is also the seat of Denmark's government.
www.kk.dk

Politics
Denmark has a well-established tradition of democracy and stability. Since November 2001, Denmark has had a coalition government led by Venstre - Denmark's Liberal political party. Denmark is a member state of the European Union and is also part of the United Nations, NATO and the OECD.

Standard of Living

Denmark is renowned for the high standard of living they offer their inhabitants. In their latest survey into the standard of living in the world's cities, the renowned consultancy firm William M. Mercer positioned Copenhagen as number five in its 'Best Cities' list. Monocle Magazine in 2008 placed Copenhagen as nr.1 and in 2010 as nr.2 on its top twenty list of most liveable cities, citing its excellent transport, quality housing, superb shopping, and abundant culture among the reasons they'd like to live here. They could also have mentioned that the inflation rate in Denmark has been one of the lowest in Europe for many years and that the economy remains strong. Tourism is an important source of foreign currency and employment. In 2009, the tourist sector in the Copenhagen Region alone employed around 52.800 people and had a turnover of DKK 32.400 million.
www.um.dk

No Smoking
Along with most other western European countries, Denmark has now imposed a blanket ban on smoking in public places. Smoking is forbidden in public buildings and private business - including restaurants, pubs, shops, public transport, entertainment venues and workplaces - throughout the country. The only exception from the ban is for establishments with an area less than 40 sq.mtrs., which don't serve fresh food - so you can still enjoy a cigarette in some smaller pubs if you're lucky - some places have installed special smoking rooms but most refer smokers to the streets.

How to Get There

Copenhagen Airport is consistently voted one of the best in the world by consumer travel groups and magazines, and it has recently been extended with a spectacular new terminal. In 2009 19.7 million passengers used the airport, which serves approximately 127 cities worldwide. SAS and related partners of Star Alliance plus 60 other international airlines use Copenhagen. In 2008, the total number of take-offs/landings numbered 236,172, making it the most important international air traffic hub in northern Europe.

Flight times to Copenhagen:

Infrastructure

Public transport in Copenhagen is safe, reliable, clean and cheap. Both trains the metro and buses are frequent and efficient. Copenhagen has the fastest and cheapest airport-to-city-centre rail link and metro of any European capital - just 13 minutes - and it costs only DKK 34.50. The metro runs 24 hours. By car, the journey from the airport to the city centre takes around 25 minutes. You can also travel direct by train from the airport across the Øresund Sea, via the new Øresund Bridge, to Malmo in southern Sweden in only 21 minutes. Copenhagen is also a cyclist's paradise with cycle paths alongside virtually every street, as well as free city bikes available to borrow from stands throughout the city from the spring to the autumn. Taxis are tightly regulated and operate with fixed prices. Traffic jams are rare in Copenhagen, with 36 percent of all Copenhageners cycling to work, school, university etc.
www.cph.dk
www.oeresundsbron.com
www.dsb.dk
www.hur.dk
www.bycyklen.dk

Pricing

The reputation of Copenhagen as a costly destination is not born out by the prices here and, actually, for most things it is on a par with other northern European capitals like London or Amsterdam. For example, in Copenhagen you can:

•  Have a beer for around DKK 30-40 (USD 5.50/EUR 4.75)
• Have a coffee for around DKK 25-35 (USD 5.00/EUR 3.36 )
• Grab a sandwich for around DKK 50 (USD 9.50/EUR 6.71)
• Take a bus across the city for DKK 23 (USD 4.00/EUR 3.00)
• Transfer by train from the airport to the city centre DKK 34.50 (USD 6.00/EUR 4.60)
• Visit a nightclub for DKK 75 (USD 11.00/EUR 10.00)
• Stay in a three/four star hotel for an average price of DKK 800 -1,700 (USD 135-270/EUR 107-230) for a double room, including VAT, taxes and breakfast
• Private Accommodation. Average prices pr. room/night including bed linen, towel, VAT and service are: Doubles DKK 450 - 500 (USD 85.00/ EUR 60.40)
• CPHcard - a 24 or 72 hour card covering the whole Copenhagen region and giving free entrance to 60 museums and attractions; a discount on a further many cultural attractions and tourist services; plus free transport by bus, train and Metro. The card costs EUR 31/62 for adults and 50% off for children. An adult card also admits two children under 10 years for free.www.cphcard.com
  

Exploring Copenhagen
The beauty of Copenhagen is that the town centre is largely traffic free, which, coupled with the fact that most of the streets and buildings are laid out according to the medieval street plan, makes its sights and attractions very accessible on foot. A multitude of world-class museums and galleries; streets full of specialist shops; dozens of restaurants; and a tempting array of nightlife, all lie within a few minutes' walk of most of the main hotels.
www.aok.dk

Shopping

Copenhagen is one of Europe's finest shopping destinations. The city's main shopping area is centred on the longest pedestrian street in Europe, Strøget, and the charming 17th century streets surrounding it. Apart from Magasin du Nord, the biggest department store in Scandinavia, Copenhagen boasts hundreds of boutiques, restaurants, and cafés. Danish design items such as Bang and Olufsen stereos, Royal Copenhagen porcelain and Georg Jensen silverware, are world famous. All have flagship stores in Copenhagen.
www.visitcopenhagen.com

Souvenirs
The souvenir potential is limitless: you can choose from exclusive Birger Christensen fur coats, the famous Arne Jacobsen-designed chairs and Flora Danica porcelain, or the rather more affordable Georg Jensen silver key rings, Bodum coffee pots, or the characteristic blue and white-painted cups and saucers from Royal Copenhagen. For a taste of Denmark, you could also take home a few bottles of Carlsberg beer, some "snaps", or a bottle of Gammel Dansk (traditional Danish bitter), to accompany a jar of pickled herring, Danish cheese or liquorice.
www.aok.dk

Hotel Capacity

The Capiatal Region of Copenhagen offers 137 hotels with 17.200 rooms and more in the pipeline! In 2009, the number of overnight stays in hotels in the Capital region of Copenhagen amounted to more than 5.4 million bed nights.  
www.visitcopenhagen.com 

Congress Capacity

Copenhagen is one of the world's most popular congress cities, consistently ranking among the world's top ten. Within 20 minutes of the city centre, and close to the Øresund Bridge to Sweden, lies Scandinavia's largest showcase. The Bella Convention & Exhibition Centre covers 122,000 square metres and has a capacity of 20,000 concurrent congress participants. In terms of smaller scale gatherings, most hotels in Copenhagen and Malmo offer ample facilities to cater to larger meetings, events and conferences. The family owned hotel chain Arp-Hansen has a Copenhagen Downtown Congress Centre that opened in the fall of 2010. 
 www.visitcopenhagen.com 

Cruise Destination
Copenhagen is the largest cruise port in northern Europe. In 2009, more than 528.000 passengers will arrive in the city on 334 cruise ships, providing a total turnover of around DKK 978 million for the city. The Copenhagen season usually runs from mid-May till late September with several Christmas cruises arriving.
www.visitcopenhagen.com
www.cruisecopenhagen.com
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