Picturesque Christianshavn
From being a military naval base to sharing its ground with the hippies.
In order to fully enjoy this visit, we need to start by making a big jump back in time, namely to when Christian IV was the king of Denmark, and not only that. He rules over Denmark and Norway for 52 years. Thanks to this information you will infer that he lived a long life, at least considering the period when he lived. We are talking about the second half of the Sixteenth century and the first of the Seventeenth century. In this latter period of time Copenhagen took the first real steps to get rid of its fame. It was known for being a medieval, old-fashioned, dark and dirty town. Christian IV himself is credited with adapting and beautify the Danish capital according to the most modern principles of the European Renaissance. Among other projects, he took care of building new fortifications, which did not consist of old defence walls, but of a modern system made of mounds of earth, ramparts, and moats. A striking example is Christianshavn, whose first draft project was realised in 1617 by the Dutch engineer Johan Semp. This did not only consist of a defence system, but also of a completely new district between the old town and Amager island. Out visit will take place right here, in Christianshavn, which, as its name tells, it was founded as “Christian’s (IV) harbour”. We will walk among bright colours old seventeenth-century houses and down narrow cobbled streets. We will see sail boats moored as well as private house boats. You will be surprised by the winding staircase of a charming spire and we will enter in a quite curious house. Besides all this, we will also focus on the modern history, in particular on that time in the ‘70s when a part of Christianshavn was occupied by a group of people who led to the foundation of the Freetown Christiania. We will enter a reality which is as safe (despite some false rumours) and lively as the rest of Copenhagen, but it definitely preserves a unique atmosphere. In order to discover the world around Christiania, we will talk about counterculture of the 1960s, flower children, anarcho-pacifist ideologies, social experiments, marijuana use and we will learn how to move among it many streets and bizarre activities.
The technical itinerary may undergo changes in order to improve the guided experience. In addition, specific stops at the several sites of interest (museums, shops, showrooms, galleries, churches) - where expected - are subject to availability on the day and time of the visit. The chronological order of visits may be changed even at the last moment if circumstances require it, while maintaining the contents of the program unchanged.
- The guide service with local and certified guide in the required language;
- All the planned entrances except for Our Saviour’s Church spire, that we will enter only in case of no waiting time and if the weather allows;
- The planning and booking service;
- The customer service before and during the reserved tours;
- The access to the private area of A Spasso con Elena from where you can download essential material for your stay.
- The entrance at Our Saviour’s Church spire, that you will pay on the site in case we will be able to climb up;
- Meals;
- Personal expenses;
- Tips;
- All which is not expressly indicated under “it includes”.
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- How does this guided tour take place?
The ideal way to carry out this tour is on foot given that we are going to focus on a quite small area. However, we can arrange it differently upon your explicit request (e.g. bicycle, private car, private minivan).
- Why is the duration of this tour 4 or 6 hours?
That is because one site that we have included in this tour in not always open. When it is and we can visit it, the total duration of the tour is 6 hours. Otherwise it will last 4.
- Will there be time for a lunch break in the event where the tour lasts 6 hours?
In that case, certainly yes. We will have a quick bite. Our break will be approximately 30-45 minutes long. If you prefer that we take care of arranging your lunch at a Danish restaurant so you can try typical food, let us know. We will be happy to satisfy your expectations. Please remember that in this case, the total duration of the tour will be longer and the final price will depend on the type of restaurant you choose.
- Do I have to climb up if I do not feel like?
If you have carefully read all the information, you have understood that we will only climb up in case of no waiting time (otherwise our tour would slow down too much and we could not respect the rest of the program) and if the weather allows (when the weather is bas, the spire is closed to public). In the event of no waiting time and the weather is good, we will take a decisione together. We are free to chose whether to climb up or not. In order to reach the spire, we will have to climb 400 stairs up. It is tiring, but the view at the end repays for the effort.
- How can I know more about the price for this visit?
We kindly ask you to contact us, but before that, you can read about our rates in the section “Terms and Conditions” on our webpage.
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