School’s out for winter, and the toils of a long hard Danish school day will have to be replaced by a week of non-stop family-fuelled entertainment. For some this means jetting off to snow-laden European pistes on their annual ski holiday, for others it means a series of chaotic family days out and about in the Danish capital. Here is a collection of winter holiday ideas for those of you who have rejected the allures of slalom and après-ski.
Children’s Half Term
Various venues; starts Fri, ends Sun Feb 17
Top Picks
The miraculous revival of the Lego business in recent years is reflected in the hugely popular Lego World exhibition at the Bella Center. The amount of Lego sold in a year stretches five times around the world and the 4 billion Lego mini-figures now make up the world’s largest population group! There are plenty of activities based on the Lego characters and brands: you can sign up as a Lego fireman and heroically put out a fire, take a ride in the Legoland adventure cars, meet a real Lego designer and learn a trick or two, design your own personalised Lego brick, perfect your Lego-Jedi abilities, visit the Lego cinema or just wonder at Lego recreations in the architecture area. To make things easy, the organisers have helpfully arranged the activities into different age groups. This is sure to attract the crowds, so book early and let your kids have the chance to get their creative fingers clicking the bricks together.
Legoworld
Bella Center, Center Boulevard 5, Cph S; open 16-19 Feb, 10:00-17:00; tickets 140kr , under 3s free adm; www.legoworld.dk
The Disney on Ice cavalcade, magically transported from Disneyworld to Ballerup, is a sure-fire winner for TV-addicted kids who are normally glued to the Disney Junior channel. Let’s Party takes on a party celebration theme as Disney favourites old and new take the audience on a whirlwind tour of events around the world. The sequences include the Valentine’s Day Royal Ball with Princess Tiana (The Princess and the Frog), a Very Merry UnBirthday Party with Alice and the Mad Hatter, a frightfully festive Halloween party with the Disney Villains, and a Hawaiian luau with Lilo & Stitch.
Disney On Ice: Let’s Party
Ballerup Super Arena, Ballerup Idrætsby 4, Ballerup; Wed & Thu 11:00, 15:00 & 19:00; tickets 202-470kr, www.billetnet.dk
The Experimentarium is one of those places where you just can’t go wrong. The Hellerup museum is one big science experiment packed with fun and educational activities for all ages. The exhibitions on dinosaurs and water are still running, but the winter half-term holiday opens the doors once again to the world-famous American soap bubble king Tom Noddy, who will be blowing bubbles like you have never seen them before in more than 40 terrific shows. As the effervescent Noddy says: “You just can’t make an ugly soap bubble.” There will be four daily shows in English from Noddy, and the museum’s own bubble experts also have their own shows. Lots of inspiration for experiments at home to have your kids forever blowing bubbles.
Experimentarium
Tuborg Havnevej 7, Hellerup; adults 165kr, under-12s: 108kr, open 09:30– 17:00 weekdays, 11:00-17:00 weekends; www.experimentarium.dk
Highly recommended
The Medical Museion is worth a visit if you have potential future doctors and surgeons at home between the ages of seven and 12, who are into all things grisly. How does it feel to have a real cranium in your hands and just how did they deal with a broken leg in days gone by? At the Medical Museion, you can learn about the workings of the body and it could be an interesting diversion combined with a trip to the queen’s residence and changing of the guard at Amalienborg.
Medical Museion
Medical Museion, Bredgade 62, Cph K; opens Sun, ends 22 Feb, open Mon-Fri and Sun 12:00-16:00 Tickets: adults 50kr, under-16s: 30kr; www.museion.ku.dk
A trip to the Round Tower is always a popular and inexpensive bit of fun for a quick respite from the downtown shopping streets: from the impressive panorama over Copenhagen rooftops to the unique spiralling trip to the top. Currently this can be combined with the exhibition Forests – in your pocket, which will take you on a journey through the forests of the world, telling the stories of the their inhabitants, and exploring the challenges the forests of the world face.
Round Tower
Købmagergade 52A, Cph K; Open 10:00-17:00; tickets: adults 25kr, under-15s: 5kr; www.rundetaarn.dk
Letting off steam
The ever-expanding climbing and adventure playground in the Carlsberg grounds is the perfect place to let off steam. Ten metres up in the air between the trees you can climb, jump and abseil through four different courses differing degrees of difficulty. Helmets and harnesses are supplied and gloves are always a good idea during these frosty days. Book online at least a day before. Carlsberg is also well worth a visit, so the trip can be combined with a visit to the historic brewery (open from Tuesday to Sunday).
Klatreskoven
Pasteursvej 10, Cph K: opens Sat, ends Feb 17, open 10:00-18:00; tickets 75-150kr; www.klatreskoven.dk
DGI-Byen in Vesterbro has simple and surefire activities such as swimming and bowling. During the winter holiday, kids can bounce on the world’s biggest inflatable pillow or try out the obstacle course. In the swimming pool itself there are extra activities such as diving for treasure and walking the plank.
DGI-byen
Tietgensgade 65, Cph V; from Mon until 17 Feb; tickets for both swimming/activities: adults 80kr, children 60kr; www.dgi-byen.com
A little bit out of the way, but the number 1A bus takes you straight to the door of the Circus Museum. A new attraction is the old style flea circus that will have you scratching your head each day at 10:15, 11:45, 12:45 and 13:45. From 11:00 every day during the autumn holiday, Tonny the clown’s buffoonery and juggling will warm up budding young circus artistes of the future who can get a bit of instruction in trapeze, tightrope, juggling and other traditional activities. The museum itself is also well worth a visit as a glimpse into the history of Danish circus.
Circus Museum
Hovedporten 6, Hvidovre; open Mon-Fri; adults: 50kr, children: free adm; www.cirkusmuseum.dk; phone 3649 0030 to reserve tickets
So when the skiing hordes return from their holidays with embarrassing tans and snowy anecdotes, hopefully you can regale them with a few tales of your own about a wondrous winter holiday well spent in Copenhagen. Good luck!
