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Sandy's
family of 5, with 3 boys, ages 9 and 13, went to
Denmark in June/July of 2008. You can read
their reviews below.
Copenhagen
National
Museum of Denmark - FREE
This museum, set in
an 18th century building that once was home to the
royal family, is easy to navigate. The areas are
well marked and the colorful brochure guide is excellent.
We visited for just
a couple of hours, and it would take two more hours
to see it all. Preferring to focus on the history
of Denmark, we did not visit the exhibits of global
art and history, or ancient Greek and Italy, or
Near East and Egyptian objects.
A new exhibit - the
prehistory spanning 14,000 years, has beautiful
cases of relics such as spears and canoes. There
are so many though, that after examining one or
two spears, and seeing another 30 meticulously displayed,
I moved on quickly with the kids to the next room.
Best of all are the descriptions at the start of
each historical stage. They are clearly written
in perfect English and Danish, and each includes
a graphical timeline showing the progression of
the inhabitants' livelihoods over the ages.
The section about the
Middle Ages includes religious art and symbols.
And though there are plenty of relics displayed
from all walks of life for this era, this exhibit
section does not explain the lives of people as
well as the Prehistoric section.
There are also sections
about technology and science developments for the
Danish Renaissance, and slices of modern life, and
original rooms kept decorated from the building's
past as a palace.
Located across the
canal from Christianborg, this museum is easy to
find. There is a cafe with gourmet lunch dishes,
but it is very expensive. We could only afford coffee,
pastry, and kids beverages.
nationalmuseet.dk
A very nicely organized website that also links
to the 7 other Danish national museums. Click on
the English symbol at the top, then Visitor Information
for hours of operation.
Canal
Tour
Photo
at right shows the frame for the sliding window
panels of a canal tour boat.
A fun experience -
see the waterways of Copenhagen up close. At just
about an hour, with plenty of moving on the water
and lively city scenes and boats to see, it is easy
for kids. An entertaining guide narrates along the
way in Danish and English.
The canal tour boats
sit low and wide on the water. The rows and rows
of chairs probably seat 5 across on each side of
a center aisle, during busy times. See-through plexiglass
extends above shoulder height and curves overhead.
Panels can slide open for a better view and sunshine.
Some passengers stand occasionally to snap photos.
Some passengers didn't like the slight rain sprinkles
and closed their roof section, which slightly obscures
others' view. The boat makes a stop at which time
there is a few minutes of waiting for deboarding
and boarding.
Take the Netto
boats, as they are nearly half the price of
the widely advertised DFDS tour company. Reviewers
say the tours are similar. Times for the next boat
are marked on a sign at each docking spot. Pay in
cash as you board.
Tivoli
Having
read about Tivoli before we traveled to Denmark,
I imagined a place similar in size and decorating
to one section of Disneyland. Boy was I surprised!
There are so many sections! Each one has a
different theme, or 'look', with its own signage,
landscape style, and most fantastically, its
own lighting.
I expected a
number of arcade style-rides and maybe a ferris
wheel. We saw those, but there are also 7
rides that are called 'wild' that thrilled
the kids, 7 that are called 'fun' and include
bumper cars, and 14 for younger kids, including
3 carousels. It's a good idea to get an unlimited
rides ticket - many rides can be experienced
in just a couple of hours. Upon exiting some
rides, a photo is for sale taken of the passengers
while they were riding.
Tivoli
rides and landscapes
tiny
part of Tivoli at night
And
the eating! There are many sit-down restaurants.
On the website, click on food & drink.
Another tab will appear titled Restaurants.
Scroll over it and a drop-down menu appears
with main course price range choices. There
are 5 with main courses under 100DK, 13 with
main courses between 100-175DK, and 5 with
main courses over 175DK. Then, there are bars,
cafes, dessert counters, and 10 fast food
stops, including burgers, danish, asian, hot
dogs, chinese, and pizza.
Our kids said
it was their favorite experience on our entire
trip! Better than Legoland - and they are
Lego fanatics. I really enjoyed it too, as
it is clean, friendly, and beautiful with
its lush garden and water features everywhere
you look, and the spectacular, artistic lighting
in the evening.
tivoli.dk
The website is great - easy to navigate, lots
of photos. Tivoli is only open in the summer.
We
took our half-hour bus (see Denmark
hotels page) from Vejle to Legoland and
arrived 45 minutes before opening time. When
the gates opened - there was a crowd! Grab
your first chance to take a photo at the entrance,
though families politely wait their turn.
We are huge
fans of Legolands everywhere, having visited
Legoland San Diego when the youngest were
just 3. Now having visited a Legoland 6 times
over 7 years, I think this visit to Legoland
Billund was probably our last. The appeal
for a teenager (our oldest was 13) is not
as great.
Compared to the
other Legoland's we visited, there are some
differences:
This Legoland
has an old-fashioned Wild West area with 'saloons'
and very un-p.c. Native American teepees with
an actual fire over which kids can roast bread
on a stick! Another surprise is that parents
smoke all the time, in every area, and many
men go shirtless. This Legoland also had a
lack of benches - there was never a sitting
spot where I could wait while hubby and kids
were on a ride. My last complaint - the food
lines were VERY long and the tables were scarce.
Thank goodness there were 5 of us, so 2 could
stand in line to order the food and carry
the trays, and 3 of us could hover while other
families finished eating and we could then
snatch a table. Dogs are also allowed, and
there are water bowls out for dogs in various
spots, made out of Lego!
Amazingly, as
in Germany Legoland, shelves are provided
for holding backpacks and shopping bags while
you ride a roller coaster. Apparently, there
isn't any danger of thieves - the shelves
are not monitored or locked. No crime, I guess!
Miniland had
a Skandinavian focus, and included large energy
company displays, as the utility is a sponsor.
Legoland
entrance
Legoland driving school
Legoland canoe ride
Legoland
miniland Copenhagen
www.legoland.dk/?lc=en
Click on In the Park, then Rides and Attractions
to see great photos and descriptions about
everything. There is a Jump Right In box on
the right which brings you to an interactive
virtual map with more photos and descriptions.
Zoom in, identify your favorites, and the
drop-down menu on the left lists rides and
attractions in categories: 'fun for all' or
'for bigger kids' or 'for smaller kids'.
You can come
here to learn about ancient artifacts and
peoples as you can in most history museums,
but this place is also a working science lab
where you can learn about current archeological
methods being utilized on site. And all the
descriptions include an English version!
Viking
Museum childrens' area
Comprised
of multiple buildings set near a bay, with
plenty of parking nearby, the complex includes
an excavation in progress, replica boats under
construction, a dock where visitors can experience
a boat ride, and a large museum with glass
paneled displays about viking conquered lands,
history, and battle methods. Preserved ancient
ships set before giant windows overlooking
the bay are dramatic. See the schedule with
show times for documentary footage shown in
multiple languages on a large screen. A children's
area allows youngsters to try on costumes
and pretend to sail aboard a mock deck.
My favorite part
was an outdoor display of young saplings.
Signs described why the characteristics of
each tree type were utilized in specific parts
of the viking ships.
Also outdoors
are colored blocks that correspond with a
diagram showing ship sections. Kids can put
the puzzle together.
vikingeskibsmuseet.dk
A very nice website, click on the top tab:
Visiting the Museum, to plan your day.
Photo
at right shows the frame for the sliding window
panels of a canal tour boat.
