Copenhagen is getting more popular and fast becoming one of the must-visit destinations. The city has plenty to offer and in this post, we’ll share with you what are some of the main reasons you should consider visiting Copenhagen.
Copenhagen is one of the top greenest cities in Europe and in the world and successfully working towards its ambitious plan to be carbon neutral by 2025.
Here is our list of 10 reasons to visit liveable and wonderful Copenhagen!
One of the world’s safest cities
Denmark has been ranked as one of the safest countries in the world. Copenhagen is one of the cleanest cities.
Despite the size and popularity of Denmark’s capital city, it maintains an impressively low rate of criminal activity. The country as a whole consistently ranks among the least corrupt countries in the world, with crime rates continuing to drop.
There are highways for bikes
one of the most bike-friendly cities in the world. Not even bad weather will stop the Copenhageners from biking!
The city has entire parts of the road dedicated to safe cycling. Biking is a great way to explore Copenhagen and it’s also pretty cheap to rent bikes.
Copenhagen, along with Amsterdam are one of those cities where bikes outnumber cars. There are plenty of bike racks and most people don’t even lock them up. Fewer cars lead to less pollution and less traffic and a more pleasant way to experience the city.
One of the world happiest nations
The urban population of Copenhagen is just a little bit over 1.2 million
Several times the coutry has been voted as the world’s happiest nation. People are often described as happy and easy-going people with a good sense of humor. Another important fact is that in Denmark, education and health care is free for everyone.
One of the cleanest cities in the world
Copenhagen is leading in recycling, renewable energy, and smart city solutions. Most of Copenhagen buses run on electric instead of diesel and Copenhagen has a large number of green areas and you’re never more than a few minutes away from the nearest park. Copenhagen is one of the top sustainable and liveable cities.
Outstanding Design
The Danish do things really well and differently especially with design.
Denmark is world-famous for its simple and functional design and architecture. Some of the most notable are the Opera, the Designmuseum Denmark and don’t forget to shop for Danish designat some of the local stores.
Deliscious food
If you have a chance to visit Copenhagen who should definitely try one of the Danish classics open-faced sandwich: “smørrebrød”. Copenhagen offers many food options from small, bistros to trendy cafés and Michelin-starred restaurants.
If you prefer fine dining, Noma has been awarded World’s Best Restaurant by the British Restaurant magazine four years in a row out of the past six. Take a bite of culinary Copenhagen and the Nordic region, when food festival Copenhagen Cooking hits the city – one of the biggest food festivals in Northern Europe.
Music Festival
Thousands of people across the city enjoying great music, cold beer, and the Copenhagen summer make this a once in a lifetime experience for festival lovers.
Oldest observatory in Europe
In the city, you’ll find the oldest functioning observatory in Europe. The tower was built during King Christian IV to enable astronomers from the University of Copenhagen to gaze at the stars.
Kid friendly
One of the things that you probably didn’t know: Denmark most famous export – LEGO. You can visit the factory where it is made you’ll find a large LEGO shop.
Copenhagen is a great city to visit with kids. Here you’ll find the world’s two oldest amusement parks, the Tivoli Gardens in central Copenhagen and Dyrehavsbakken – north of the city.
The accessibility
Copenhagen has one of Europe’s most efficient infrastructures where everything is within a short distance. The public transportation is efficient and the city offers a variety of public transportations, through either bus, train, metro and rentable city bikes. Denmark offers the most reliable electric grid in Europe.
The reasons to visit Copenhagen this summer are countless. These are just a few of them.
Want to learn more about sustainalbe travel? Check our other posts.
The Azores are islands in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean – 800 miles west of Portugal, and about 2000 miles east coast of North America. The Azores are lush, green are volcanic islands situated in an isolated spot of the Atlantic Ocean, where temperatures are mild and change little from season to season. The Azores are known for its excellent tourism quality, especially sustainable tourism.
The archipelago of the Azores is located in the middle of the northern hemisphere of the Atlantic Ocean at the same latitude as the Mediterranean Sea. It is composed of nine volcanic islands in the North Atlantic Ocean about 1,360 km (850 mi) west of continental Portugal.
Is the Azores a Portuguese territory?
The Azores or the Autonomous Region of the Azores is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal along with Madeira. In 1976, the Azores became the Autonomous Region of the Azores.
The Portuguese discovered the nine islands of the Azores archipelago in the fifteenth century and because of their strategic location, the islands became a stopping point between Europe, America.
The Azores has a mild, temperate, humid, maritime climate with a rainy season from November to March. Temperatures range from 14-25° C (55-76° F). The climate of the Azores Islands is subtropical oceanic, pleasantly warm in summer. The water temperature is around 22 °C (72 °F) from July to September.
Best time to visit the Azores
The best time to visit the Azores is summer, from July to August, since it is the warmest and sunniest time of the year. Because of their oceanic climate, the Azores experience a delay in the sea getting warm, which affects the air temperature as well.
September is slightly warmer than June, but the rains become a bit more frequent.
How to get to the Azores?
The best way to reach the Azores is by plane. SATA airlines serve the nine Azores Islands. International flights arrive at the major settlement of Ponta Delgada on the Azores’ largest island, São Miguel or San Miguel. When it is high season, SATA has many flights to the Azores from Boston, Oakland, Porto, Faro, London, Frankfurt, Lisbon, Paris, Dublin, Amsterdam, and the Canary Islands.
In the last few years the flights from the US to Ponta Delgada on the island of Sao Miguel have become more frequent, but it is always good to check SATA’s websites for the latest information, as these departures change frequently.
Renting a car in the Azores is beneficial since there are too many places where you can’t get to with walking or public transport. As an alternative option, you can always join a tour, but that can get often more expensive and it’s more fun to explore on your own.
Unfortunately, renting a car in the Azores isn’t cheap. Booking in advance often can give you a better price. You can book directly to local agency’s websites like Let’s Rent-a-Car, Autatlantis or Ilha, or your other option which gives you a wider view of all the prices offering from big and small agencies is by using websites such as Holidaycars, Rentalcars or Sunnycars. This way you can find the cheapest options for your holiday to the Azores.
Local rental companies offer airport pickup, they have multiple ways of payment, and if you’re traveling to more than one island you can have a car waiting for you at every step of the way.
There is a USA airbase on Terceira
In 1953, the U.S. Forces Azores Command was organized as subordinate Unified Command under the Command-in-Chief Atlantic. In peacetime, the U.S. Forces Commander is assisted by a small joint staff responsible for contingency planning. The command mission would be to support NATO forces in the area, to assist in the local defense.
Is there good wifi in the Azores?
Huawei Marine Networks, a submarine cable network provider, has partnered with Viatel, a Portuguese telecommunications engineering network supplier to enable all nine islands of the archipelago of the Azores to be interconnected, with backbone connectivity to European, African and cross-Atlantic submarine cables.
Most villages have ADSL connections and there are hotspots in Ponta Delgada and at the Airports. GSM internet service is also available or you can use Mobile WiFi router gadgets from websites like My-WebSpot.com, Meo.pt.
The Azores archipelago is famous not only for its natural beauty and landscapes but also for the natural properties and health benefits its thermal waters provide. You’ll find spas with thermal water pools and natural thermal baths located in the Islands. The areas have a highly unusual combination of saltwater and sulfurous spring water which by claims from locals can help with inflammatory concerns like arthritis.
Ferns are everywhere
The Azores were isolated from the other continents Europe and North America for thousands of years and the flora and fauna evolved differently. The landscape is covered with fat aloe and cacti, giant ferns, black sand beaches and mineral baths with their warm water.
Tree ferns are present throughout the archipelago of the Azores but are particularly numerous in São Miguel. Fauna and flora of the Azores. Asplenium azoricum is a fern of the hybrid origin and it lives exclusively in the Azores, and it is a strict endemic Azorean fern.
Bird watching
The Azores are internationally recognized as bird-watching destinations for observing certain groups of bird species. Resident and migratory bird populations of the Azores archipelago are the islands’ most noteworthy fauna. Some 36 bird species are reported to breed in the Azores. Here we can find also the most important nesting populations of Cory’s Shearwaters in the world.
Pyrrhula murina is listed as endangered, with a population estimated at less than 250 birds restricted to islands. Breeding seabirds of the Azores comprise 5 species of Procellariiformes, 4 Charadriiformes, and 1 Pelecaniform, and include Fea’s petrel.
The number of species seen in the islands is close to 400. You can join small groups from the local company Gerbybirding, specialized in birdwatching.
Drinks and food
Food is usually imported from the nearest countries, which causes high prices in restaurants, cafes, and supermarkets, and makes fresh food hard to find. The most famous dish of the Azores that you should definitely try is ‘furnas de caldas’, a stew that’s cooked inside a volcano or a fish baked on hot stones, fresh and unusual salads or fantastic pizza.
Even the most basic supplies are imported and are priced accordingly. But the overall Azores are a great deal. You can try a local brand of ice cream, with unique flavors like coconut and sweet pineapple. To get the best culinary experience, you can book a nine-day food and wine tour across four of Azores’ islands and you’ll have the chance to taste famed Azorean dishes.
Photo Credit: madeinazores.eu
Azores wine is good and cheap
Azorean wines have a great singularity, exclusivity, and History. The vine culture dates back to the 15th century. The vineyards are planted in particular locations called “Currais” where they are surrounded by volcanic rock walls that release heat to the vines overnight and have a quite effective protection effect against bad weather.
The historic vineyards on the island of Pico have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The wines are made from Verdelho, Arinto, and Terrantez. Most wines are white, fresh and tangy, but there is some good, light red, including some Merlot.
Where to stay in the Azores
There are nine main islands in the Azores and each one of them offers different experiences and things to do. If you only have limited time to visit one island, São Miguel is the largest and it has the most and cheapest direct flights.
For accommodation, there are many options to choose from for your stay at the Azores. You can rent a Holiday home on the Azores at HomeAway or choose a farmhouse or manor house. You can browse through Booking.com to find the best hotel or check out Airbnb and find what fits your budget and style.
They have more than 100 houses, cottages, and apartments for rental or official camping sites on all islands. Or you can check the best-priced Hotels in the Azores at:
In the Azores you will find the only tea plantations in Europe, which produce excellent teas, processing the leaves on vintage 19th-century English machinery.
The plants have to grow 7 years before you can start harvesting. The tea is harvested every 2 or 3 weeks from April until October.
Ribeira Grande, in São Miguel Island, is home to the two tea factories and a plantation–the only such plantation in Europe, courtesy of the island’s balmy climate.
More Nature, Less Beach
Nature is the biggest attraction to the Azores. The largest island, São Miguel has the most versatile scenery: from mountains, lakes, to sandy beaches and precipitous cliffs.
Each Azorean island has its own identity, its own unique landscape, traditions, cuisine, and architecture. Walking around stunning landscape marked by dense coastal woods, play golf of one of the best courses in the world.
Although is not a beach destination, there are very good beaches in the Azores. You can find some in S.Miguel – Praia Populo, Praia Agua d’Alto, Praia Ribeira Quente and Praia Porto Formoso are the most known, and Santa Maria Island. There are 2 great beaches Praia Formosa and Praia São Lourenço.
Azores is full of hiking trails
There are plenty of things you can see and do when you visit the Azores and without a doubt a great place to hike in beautiful landscapes. There are dozens of trails of different difficulty, length and type so you can choose between. All islands have clearly marked official hiking trails. The official tourism website has a section dedicated to trails. You can use the search option and you’ll have a list of all the hiking trails in the Azores that match your preferences. Why not go on an adventure by hiking and climbing along these scenic trails.
Iceland consists of an unforgiving landscape void of trees, whipped by wind and dotted with gushing geysers and bubbling hot springs.
Only 2% of the population is unemployed, the country has no army, they are pioneers in the use of geothermal energy for space heating. The nation has some of the globe’s lowest crime and highest life expectancy rates, and a long history of being named one of the happiest countries on the annual “World Happiness Report.”
Iceland is the Safest and Most Peaceful Country in the World
Are you thinking about going to Iceland? Here are some things about Iceland that you may have heard.
Iceland is one of only two parts of the planet where the mosquitoes never set up, the other is being Antarctica. In places like New Caledonia, Seychelles and French Polynesia mosquitos exist, but the insects cannot carry the virus as it requires the blood of land-based mammals, which are absent in these places.
Photo credit: Tony Calvert / Flickr
The Northern Lights
The Aurora Borealis is one of the main reasons travelers from all around the world venture themselves in the dark and cold nights of Iceland. But the reward of facing the extreme temperatures and strong winds is the possibility to appr
You can watch this natural spectacle on the outskirts of Reykjavík, but towards the north the lights can get more intense. the country becomes the best spot to view the full wonder of the Northern Lights. They are usually seen on the Jokulsarlon lagoon located in South Iceland. They are largely seen over the period from September to April.
Photo credit: Fabrice TRINITE / Flickr
The Blue Lagoon
This is the most famous attraction in Iceland. There are several hot pools in Iceland and its use of geothermal power, but this one is the total winner. The water is geothermal heated and it is warm all year round and definitely needs to be in your checklist.
The ancient glaciers of Iceland cover more than 10% of the country and include the largest glacier in Europe, Vatnajökull. The Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon is one of the best sights in Iceland, where you see a chaotic ensemble of glacier chunks slowly floating their way out to sea. Photo credit: Andri Elfarsson / Flickr
Volcanoes
There are about 130 volcanic mountains, some active and some extinct. You can take an Icelandic super jeep or helicopter and tour the volcanic landscape of Iceland. A trip to see these landscapes is a trip into natural art. One of the highlights is Thrihnukagigur volcano – the last eruption occurred thousands of years ago. This is usually a journey 128 meters deep and allows you to explore the volcano inside of the cavern is stained with russet red scars and flashes of blackened indigo. You can check the tour prices operated by Inside the Volcano.
You can dive between continents
In Iceland and you will witness the North American and the Eurasian tectonic plates living together in perfect harmony. You can dive between the North American and Eurasian continental tectonic plates! Photo credit: Guitar photographer / shutterstock
Waterfalls
The iconic Gullfoss waterfall is famed for its scale and beauty. The water stream is fed by the Langjökull glacier, second largest glacier in Iceland, and the power of water is breathtaking. Another of the major ones and a prominent tourist attraction is the Svartifoss waterfall. Make sure you also visit their tallest waterfalls, Glymur, and Europe’s most powerful waterfall, Dettifoss. Photo credit: Giuseppe Milo / Flickr
Ice Caves
Iceland’s ice caves are among the most extraordinary and mesmerizing wonders of nature and can certainly be counted among the most breath-taking sights the world has to offer. Ice caves are natural phenomena that are formed in glaciers during winter. Most often they are formed by water running through or under the glacier and new caves are formed every year. Every cave is different and you never really know what you’ll get to see before you go in. There are knowledgeable guides that will take you on this epic journey under the blue ice.
Þingvellir National Park
Þingvellir (Thingvellir) National Park is a UNESCO Heritage site and it’s very important to the locals because of its historical and cultural background. The park sits in a rift valley caused by the separation of 2 tectonic plates, with rocky cliffs and fissures like the huge Almannagjá fault. Thingvellir is a favourite stop among travellers along the Golden Circle route. t is the visible site of the mid-Atlantic Ridge where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates meet.
Everybody is Equal
Based on Global Gender Gap Report, Iceland tops the list for being the country with the most gender equality in the world for the seventh straight year in a row. Iceland is often referred to as the most feminist place in the world.
Everyone Speaks English
If you are worried about travelling to a foreign country and not being able to speak to anyone, don’t you worry! In Iceland, almost everybody speaks English. All children are required to learn both English and Danish in elementary schools.
Experience Iceland’s Unique Cuisine
Iceland is known for its unique cuisine. In Iceland you can go to a restaurant and get amazingly fresh seafood that was caught earlier that day. Icelandic ingredients are known for being fresh, healthy and sustainable. Seafood and lamb stand out as mouthwatering entree items on many menus. They also have options that will cater to specialized diets. Here are suggestions for vegan restaurants in Reykjavik. Photo credit: imgur.com
Iceland’s Capital City
Reykjavik is Amazing. But Iceland’s capital city of Reykjavik is a place that will lure you in with Viking-age history, world-class museums, a geothermal beach, inviting pubs and plenty of adventures for the entire family to enjoy. Reykjavik is also a great place for some live music and entertainment. The whole city of Reykjavík is made up of colourful houses, not just in one area, but all over the place!
Iceland is one of the Happiest Countries in the World
According the World Happiness Report, Iceland ranks third in the world for happiness. If you travel to Iceland, you will surely find some happy and friendly locals to talk to. The local Icelandic swimming pools are a great place to meet new people where you can have fun and interesting conversations with the locals.
Adventure Trails
Iceland is the perfect destination for adventure-loving travelers. The Laugavegur Hiking Trail is Iceland’s most famous hiking trail and truly one of the world’s most beautiful treks. The trail connects the Landmannalaugar and Þórsmörk Nature Reserves and offers a variety of different landscapes along the way. Every day has different views with beautiful scenery of pristine nature with volcanic mountains, lava fields, glaciers, natural hot springs, black arctic deserts and lush forrested valleys.
When to travel to Iceland?
The pick season in Iceland is during summertime [May to September], with mild temperatures and fully booked hotels. During that time, the days are longer and you can enjoy beautiful moments in nature and outside. Iceland is a small country, to get around you can rent car and go explore it by yourself. Or you can book a tour and visit the waterfalls, geysers, volcanoes and glaciers. This country has some of the most spectacular sights in the world, with active volcanoes, breathtaking mountain scenery and calming geothermal springs.
Denmark has been ranked as one of the safest countries in the world. Copenhagen is one of the cleanest cities.
one of the most bike-friendly cities in the world. Not even bad weather will stop the Copenhageners from biking!
Copenhagen is leading in recycling, renewable energy, and smart city solutions. Most of Copenhagen buses run on electric instead of diesel and Copenhagen has a large number of green areas and you’re never more than a few minutes away from the nearest park. Copenhagen is one of the top sustainable and liveable cities.
The Danish do things really well and differently especially with design.
If you have a chance to visit Copenhagen who should definitely try one of the Danish classics open-faced sandwich: “smørrebrød”. Copenhagen offers many food options from small, bistros to trendy cafés and Michelin-starred restaurants.
Thousands of people across the city enjoying great music, cold beer, and the Copenhagen summer make this a once in a lifetime experience for festival lovers.
One of the things that you probably didn’t know: Denmark most famous export – LEGO. You can visit the factory where it is made you’ll find a large LEGO shop.
Copenhagen has one of Europe’s most efficient infrastructures where everything is within a short distance. The public transportation is efficient and the city offers a variety of public transportations, through either bus, train, metro and rentable city bikes. Denmark offers the most reliable electric grid in Europe.
Photo credit: Tony Calvert / Flickr
Photo credit: Fabrice TRINITE / Flickr
Photo credit: N Blom / Flickr
Photo credit: Andri Elfarsson / Flickr
Photo credit: Guitar photographer / shutterstock
Photo credit: Giuseppe Milo / Flickr
Photo credit: imgur.com
