THE AIRPORT – MY ARRIVAL

I arrived at the Kastrup Airport in Copenhagen late at night after flying from the USA.  I had purchased the Copenhagen Card ahead of time, but could not find the location to pick it up that late.  There were so many helpful people, guiding me to at least obtain a one-way ticket on the train to the central train station downtown.  I knew the Copenhagen Plaza Hotel (TripAdvisor) was somewhere close to the Central Train Station when I had chosen it based on its location across from Tivoli Gardens.  Little did I realize at the time of booking, that it was literally steps away (next door) to the Central Train Station.  You can see the train station is just across the street from the inside of the hotel café and breakfast room.

The 100 year old map that I found in the hotel lobby (see the picture below) shows another view of the area.  The train station is the big main building (taking up most of the picture), with the Copenhagen Plaza Hotel being the building to the picture’s lower right.  Tivoli Gardens is to the lower left, across the street.

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THE HOTEL

The hotel was built in 1913 and has an incredibly impressive past. A central pillar in the lobby indicates many of the famous people that have stayed in their rooms.  The hospitality of the front desk staff was notable, making me feel very warm and welcomed.  The old world charm is unmistakable when stepping into the elegant shiny brass, mahogany wood, and glass central elevator.  I loved watching the floors pass by through the surrounding glass while riding in the elevator. It made me truly wonder which century I was in.

ACCOMMODATIONS

There are 93 rooms of various sizes.  I had reserved a balcony Tivoli facing room so that I could watch the fireworks from my room.  The décor in the hallways and room was a bit dated. However, the ambiance cannot be beat and it remains a very clean, elegant place to stay.   The room was very big and nicely furnished.  Two large built-in wardrobes were along one wall, much more than I needed for my weeks’ worth of clothes.  There were even dumbbell weight hanging from the opposite wall (which I’ve never seen before), should you feel like exercising in the room.

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FOOD

Free WiFi and plenty of tea/coffee were available.  I often pulled the desk chair over to the balcony window enjoy a hotcup of tea the night air.  The bathroom was a little tired looking, but was impeccably clean with excellent toiletries to pamper the body.   The bathroom also had underfloor heating, which made it nice late at night or in the early morning.  The bathtub/shower combination was a little slippery and did not have a slip proof mat.  However, you can request a mat should you want one.

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, especially to fuel the 20,000 steps seeing various parts of Copenhagen.  You can purchase the breakfast buffet for a very reasonable price and it had almost anything you could ask for.  They offer such a variety of wonderful fresh breads, pastries, meats, bacon, vegetables, juices, coffee and tea.  In addition, made to order eggs were available, if requested.

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After one long day, I went to the Library Bar off the main lobby. The bar is a beautifully decorated room with wood-paneled walls lined with paintings.  It has a fabulous old bar you can have a cocktail at and enjoy the often provided live jazz music.  Furthermore, there are a huge number of restaurants in the area that offer a variety of global cuisines.

NEAR BY

You can take a short walk from the hotel to the Rådhuspladsen (Town Hall), the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek (Fine Art Museum), Tivoli Gardens (Amusement Park), and the Strøget (pedestrian street and the main shopping street in Copenhagen).  But city buses are available right outside the train station to get you almost anywhere (e.g., Christiansborg Slot, Amalienborg, Rosenborg Castle, Canal Tours, The Round Tower, Copenhagen Zoo, Carlsberg Brewery, etc.).  I actually walked to most of these, except the last two.

OTHER

I strongly suggest visitors purchase the Copenhagen Card, not only for its convenience, but also to save money. It is available for 24, 48, 72, or 120 hour cards based on what suits your trip the best.  I purchased one 48-hour and one 72-hour for my 5-day visit.  You purchase the card on the internet at www.copenhagencard.com, print out the voucher(s).  Then you pick up the actual cards when you arrive at one of four centrally located redemption centers.  Go to the website to learn about the Copenhagen Card or a card for your next major city visit.  They all work very well and save money.  However, the Copenhagen Card was one of the best city cards I’ve ever purchased.

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