Tag Archives: Denmark

Carlsberg Visitor Center

Posted on by
Reply

A Sunday in Copenhagen and with most shops shut, it couldn’t have been a better choice to take a trip to the Carlsberg Visitor Center.

Unlike the Heineken Experience in Amsterdam and The Guiness Storehouse in Ireland, the Carlsberg visitor center is much more low profile. It has recently been renovated in 2005 and now it boasts an exhibition floor of over 10,000 square meters to the art of brewery and also its rich history.

carlsberg3

The Grand Elephants At The Gates Within The Carlsberg Brewery

If you take a walk from the train station, you might pass through the Elephant Gates with two grand elephants on each side. They have an uncanny resemblance to the entrance of the Berlin Zoo.

carlsberg4

The Portfolio Of Carlsberg Owned Brands

Carlsberg was founded by J.C. Jacobsen in 1847 and named it after his son Carl and the hill on which it was built. (Berg is hill in German). As you walk in the visitors center, one of the first displays is the largest collection (18,634!!!) of Beer bottles in the world which is endorsed by the Guiness Book Of Records since 1968. The rest of the tour is a self guided one with many interactive displays.

carlsberg2

Messing With A Display

The JC Jacobsen family have contributed many things to the city of Copenhagen which includes a gallery and many monuments. One of it has even become a symbol of the City, the Mermaid.

carlsberg5

Miniature Mermaid Statue Which Became A Copenhagen Symbol

The entry ticket also entitles you to two complimentary drinks at the bar. With so many to select from, you can kindly ask to try them first which I think the bar tender will be more than happy to allow if there is not a big crowd. I suggest you try the Jacobsen limited range which is not widely available as the rest.

carlsberg1

Enjoying Carlsberg In The Bar

I highly recommend anyone in Copenhagen to spend about 2-3 hours by dropping by here. It has a much intimate setting than the Guiness and Heineken brewery maybe because of its lack of popularity. Go to their official Visitors Center homepage at visitcarlsberg.dk for further information!

TIP: If you are coming from the city center, there is a direct bus which drops you off at the entrance instead of having to take a long walk from the station!

Watch out for my upcoming post of my other adventures!

Cheers,

Benny Ong

Copenhagen Denmark

Posted on by
Reply

Finally, train tickets that I have booked months ago will be used. We set off early in the morning for a little over 6 hour journey to the capital of Denmark as part of my massive Europe voyage this year.

copenhagen1

The Mermaid

The first attraction that everyone visits is the Mermaid Statue along the river. Its status is the same like the Eiffel Tower is associated to Paris. I must say that it was a long but scenic walk from the city center.

copenhagen2

The second most visited location after Tivoli Gardens happen to be Christiania. I did not realized its existence until I picked up a brochure in the tourist office which mentioned it. I could not take much pictures within the main street as it is not allowed within the free town. Here is more explanation courtesy of Wikipedia:

“Christiania, also known as Freetown Christiania (Danish: Fristaden Christiania) is a partially self-governing neighbourhood of about 850 residents, covering 34 hectares (85 acres) in the borough of Christianshavn in the Danish capital Copenhagen. Christiania has established semi-legal status as an independent community, but has been a source of controversy since its creation in a squatted military area in 1971. Its open cannabis trade was tolerated by authorities until 2004. Since then, measures for normalising the legal status of the community have led to conflicts, and negotiations are ongoing”

copenhagen3
The Opera House

copenhagen4
The Royal Guard

With lack of research, I was very lucky to stumbled upon the changing of guards which happens daily at 12 noon. The crowd was not as large as London’s but it gives you intimacy.

copenhagen5
Gefion Sculpture

copenhagen6
The Round Tower

The round tower offers great view of the city and is one of the oldest observatory in the world.

copenhagen7
Stock Exchange

The roof of the stock exchange attracted me. It features three dragons with their tails swirl around each other to form a spiral. The three dragons represents Denmark, Sweden and Norway. All three scandinavia countries.

As a summary, I enjoy the city very much and would highly recommend it for a weekend getaway. Although it may not be a cheap destination to go, everything else makes up for it!

TIP: If you plan to visit the city, have a long weekend which end late Sunday or early Monday as most attractions are closed on Mondays. The national museums are free to enter and the following website offers a 3D map, skymap3d.com whereby physical prints of it can be obtained at major tourist attractions throughout the city.