To be honest with you, being so right on budget for my family’s first trip to Europe together, we tried to make every penny we spend there worthwhile. So when we had a Copenhagen Card in our hands, we made the decision of going to those places ‘we wouldn’t go unless we have a Copenhagen Card’.
It might not work well for everyone, but for my family it makes sense.
In the afternoon of our 2nd Day in Copenhagen, we went to the famous brewery in Denmark, Visit Carlsberg.
My #7 Attraction with Copenhagen Card
We don’t have a habit of drinking beer, and we’ve never been to a brewery before. So it was a unique experience for us!
The first thing you see, besides the insane amount of Carlsberg stickers everywhere like breadcrumbs, will probably be some lovely horses on the compound. For the tall Danes, I’d say these horses are mini in sizes. And how come there are horses in a brewery? Well, it was a mean of advertisement for events back in 19th century! (I can see why kids would like them!)
Then you’d see a real cool gift shop, where you should use your Copenhagen Card to exchange the real tickets. Getting a ticket means…you’d get 2 complimentary beer for free (or soft drinks) !
And you’d also be given a beautiful map (really well designed). Heading to the exhibition, at the first stop you’d see history about Carlsberg Brewery, and history of beer.
The glasses say ‘Jacobsen’, well, that’s the name of this ‘original’ taste of Carlsberg beer and the last name of Carlsberg Brewery’s founder, J. C. Jacobsen.
The most stunning fact is that he donated lots of money and he was the prominent supporter in rebuilding Frederiksborg Castle in Hillerød after a tragedy of fire happened there.
The brewer’s commitment to the rebuilding of Frederiksborg and the creation of the Museum of National History sprang from his desire to raise the Danish people’s historical awareness and lift the nation’s spirits. Denmark’s defeat in the war of 1864 had significantly reduced the size of the country, so he hoped that a better knowledge of the nation’s history would boost morale and give the Danes faith in the future of their little country. (Source: Carlsberg Foundation)
Followed by history, you’d get to know how a beer is made. Considering the brewery started in 1844, it’s pretty cool. If you are interested in the process of brewery, then you’d enjoy the exhibition.
And then the influence of beer in Denmark. The workers were paid with pinches of beer in the past. And I have to point out that even though the picture on the left was taken decades ago, I saw my couchsurfing host having the same lunch (rye bread with some spread) in the morning! Quite amazing (when you think of how rich the Danes are)!
And guess what? When you are in the sculpture park, you might see Little Mermaid’s sister! (JC Jacobsen’s son, Carl (an expected name, huh!), donated the Little Mermaid statue to Denmark… and I think he made another one for himself)
You’d see a stable there too and if you want, you can pat those cute horses! And that’s almost the end of this tour.
The tour ends again at the gift shop, and you can go to the 2nd floor where the cafe and bar is for your second complimentary drink! The place is well set up and you can see the factory from above.
My Experience
So honestly, there’s no way I’d spend 85 DKK ($13) for visiting a brewery. And I don’t think for a regular tourist, this place has more significance than other attractions in Copenhagen. And plus it’s not in the walking distance of central Copenhagen. But that’s again the reason we visited Carlsberg as we wouldn’t have come here otherwise. And that being said, I give it a 7/10 with Copenhagen Card , and 8/10 because it was raining outside. And if you don’t have a Copenhagen Card and if you only have 3 days in Copenhagen Card, skip this.
And…
Let me quickly go through my #8 and #9 attractions with Copenhagen Card. We left Carlsberg Brewery at 3:30pm, and walked to the Zoo which was nearby.
My #8 Attraction with Copenhagen Card
I like animals and going to zoos. And it’s Copenhagen!! I fantasied how awesome this zoo would be comparing to other zoos I’ve been to. And plus, the entrance ticket is 170DKK ($26) for adult. Of course I should go there when I have a Copenhagen Card this time!
What really shocked me was…. the zoo is really small! It’s probably not bigger than the fantasy world in Disneyland (Hong Kong version?). We were in a hurry, but even if we weren’t, the zoo could be finished visiting in… an hour? The size is child-friendly as it’s not big at all if you think it that way.
And because it’s small, I think from a child’s perspective, they may feel they get to see more animals with less walking required. And you get to be very close to animals.
Like I could literally pack a penguin in my bag..
And in terms of variety of animals, I didn’t see any animal I hadn’t seen before (which might be a good thing? If you think animals shouldn’t be kept in cages) The animals were definitely happier than the ones I saw in Kabul (Afghanistan). I saw a happy bear.
But the animals in Singapore Zoo were more in variety and happy too. And an adult ticket costs $23 ‘only’. Well, I guess I can’t really compare two zoos as Copenhagen Zoo was founded in 1859 and Singapore Zoo was founded in 1973. And considering Copenhagen zoo is in zone 1 of Copenhagen….I guess I won’t say I was ‘disappointed’. (I would be if I didn’t come with a Copenhagen Card though).
And speaking as a tourist who wants to ensure a positive experience with limited resources, I guess if you really want to see animals, I’d recommend Singapore Zoo over Copenhagen Zoo.
Bye Copenhagen Zoo!
And then…since the zoo was a little bit unexpectedly small, we added a quick visit to Tivoli. It is the first amusement park in the world, built in 1843. 1843! Tivoli also inspired Walt Disney to design Disneyland.
My #9 Attraction with Copenhagen Card
The entrance ticket is 99DKK ($15), and so I felt I saved a lot using my Copenhagen Card this afternoon. This price doesn’t include rides though, you’d need to pay extra fee if you are taking rides.
And…
Hmmm…
I don’t know how to say this, but it wasn’t ‘magical’ for me. When I saw the Chinese pavilion and Indian Taj Mahal… I felt the place was outmoded and ironic. When I could see all the amazing architecture in Denmark made in the past and in modern history, why would I spend time on seeing something like this? The gardens didn’t appeal to me either. And yes it had some flowers, but $15 is a lot just for some flowers here and there. And if it’s an amusement park, it’s way too small (maybe good for kids as they don’t need to walk a lot?)
(maybe I’m not a kid anymore, oh well)
And maybe because it was rainy, there was no performance.
So if you go to Tripadviosr (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g189541-d197738-Reviews-Tivoli_Gardens-Copenhagen_Zealand.html#REVIEWS), I’m probably one of the people who rate Tivoli as Terrible.
I only took a photo there. Thanks for trying!
I guess, when I have kids, I would take them to any park or green grass in the city. I wouldn’t spend money to take them to Tivoli or Copenhagen Zoo. I wouldn’t even repeat visiting Carlsberg Brewery or any similar brewery if I have to spend extra money. I can spend time on something more worthwhile and possibly free too (like a toy shop or chocolate tasting shop if it exists).
Well, I hope my experience helps!
Traveling Mega
