Copenhagen/Amager

Amager used to be much smaller than today's island. Its modern history begins with King Christian II inviting Dutch farmers to dam and grow the fields of the island to supply fresh vegetables to the king and the city. Coupled with successful fishing, the island grew into one of the wealthiest rural areas in the country. As Copenhagen grew, so did the pressure to populate the island. Copenhagen spilled out on the island in the 19th century with the construction of sundbyerne. Some farmers maintain a small stronghold on the southern tip of the island to this day, with many old farmhouses and small traces of the Dutch ancestry. With development, the fortunes of the islanders faded, and the island became long a forgotten district of Copenhagen, out of sight and out of mind of the local population. Despite playing host to the city's airport, people mainly saw the tedious transportation by bus through the slow-moving transportation network as a necessary nuisance. The most common colloquial name for the island was Lorteøen, or Shit Island in English, a canny reference to the fact that Amager was mainly build of landfill and sewage from the rest of Copenhagen. The islanders — or Amaricans — responded with a fierce local patriotism — some to the point where they flat-out refused to leave the island.
This all changed when the Danish and Swedish governments finally ended years and years of bickering, and agreed to construct a bridge from Copenhagen to Malmö, and the residents would finally get transportation links to rest of the city. A highway and railway connection was constructed across the island to connect the city with the airport and the new bridge. This meant that property values rose, and the municipal council decided to sell a huge patch of unused land to finance a new subway system. The island got two new subway lines. Today new development and construction in the capital almost exclusively takes place on Amager — and if you are into modern architecture, the areas of Havneholmen, Islands Brygge and Ørestad are architectural hotspots.

Since the closure of the island's only railway in the 1950s, Amager was, despite a substantial population, a big black hole in terms of public transit — greatly contributing to its reputation as the aforementioned shit island. This changed along with Copenhagen's fortunes in the 1990s, and with the new optimism came new investment in the most overlooked part of Copenhagen. In the space of two years, two new metro lines and an express link to the airport were completed, greatly improving public transit service to the island. But since the metro serves the Ørestad area and an old railway alignment, the most populated area along Amagerbrogade has not seen many improvements.

Copenhagen Airport

While Copenhagen Airport is divided into three terminals, there are actually only two — domestic and international. Once you've checked in at the counters in either terminal 2 or 3, you go through the same security area, to the same air side facilities. The Metro and train stations are inside terminal 3, and walking time to terminal 2 only takes about 5 minutes.

• Terminal 1 — Handles all domestic flights and is quite a walk from the station, but there is a free shuttle bus connecting it with the two other terminals.
• Terminal 2 — Handles all international flights except Star Alliance flights and the other airlines listed below.
• Terminal 3 — Handles international flights from Star Alliance member airlines as well as Estonian air, Iceland air, Skyways and some Cimber Sterling flights.
• CPH Go is a low-cost annex connected to the far end of pier D in Terminal 3. CPH Go has six gates starting with the letter 'F'. It is a long walk from the rest of the airport and there is not much to do there, so you do not want to arrive too early.

The airport can get busy during peak times. Most airlines still recommend arriving two hours before departure (a full list of the airlines recommendations is available on the airport's website here). If you are flying to destinations outside the Schengen area, you will have to go through immigration procedures before the gates; these are at the entrance to finger (concourse) C and D, and at the tip of finger A, so leave time for this when you've finished any shopping or eating — during peak times they sometime clog up.

Øresund bridge

The Øresund link is a massive, nearly 8-km combined tunnel and bridge connection between Copenhagen and Malmö in Sweden across the Øresund strait that carries both road and railway traffic. A train ticket to Malmö from Copenhagen Airport by train is 78 kr. For cars the price varies greatly, but the basic no frills cash ticket is 275 kr. If you opt for a cab there is a fixed price of around 725 SEK (500 kr) from the airport to central Malmö. Other than taking the car or train over the bridge, there is no other way to see the bridge, as the company doesn't offer tours.

By train

It takes 13 minutes to get to Copenhagen Central Station from the airport, and the trains stops at Amager's two other train stations; Tårnby and Ørestad (interchange with Metro line 1) en route. To Malmö Central Station in Sweden it takes 20 minutes. Trains run every 20 minutes throughout the day, and every 10 minutes towards the central station during rush-hour.

By metro

There are two metro lines covering the western and eastern part of the island. The lines meet up at the northern part of the island and continue along the same route through downtown to terminate at Vanløse Station. The travel time on Metro line 2, from the airport to Kongens Nytorv smack in the middle of the downtown area is 12 minutes, and trains runs every 4-6 minutes throughout the day.

By bus

There are quite a number of bus lines connecting Amager with the rest of Copenhagen. From the airport the most important are lines 5A to downtown, Nørrebro and the Northern suburbs, and line 96N that follows much the same route during night time (see Movia's homepage, here, for details). Several regional and intercity buses connect to the airport as well; Gråhundbus to Malmö 70 kr, 40 minutes, or Eurolines, SweBus and GoByBus buses towards Malmö, Stockholm, Gothenburg and Oslo.

Amager is not exactly teeming with attractions, but if you have the time, a visit to the small fishing hamlet of Dragør's old town, followed by a walk in the forest and open plains of the southern shoreline would be time well spent. And if you are interested in architecture, the island has some exciting new architecture up for display in the New-town development area; Ørestad should tickle your senses, as there are quite a few extraordinary buildings there. This is basically the whole area M1 passes by after it goes above ground at Islands brygge metro station, but much of it is still under development.

• Den Blå Planet

  phone: +45 44 22 22 44
  address: Jacob Fortlingsvej 1, Kastrup
  Largest aquarium in Northern Europe with 20000 fish and ocean animals from all over the world.

• Kalvebod Fælled

  address: Granatvej
  Something of a peculiarity, Kalvebod Fælled covers 2000 hectares (5000 acres) of protected wetlands, beaches, forest, and lakes in southwest Amager, rich in wild-life like birds and deers. Nowhere else in Europe will you find such a large area of wild nature this close to a major city. There are quite a few activities available, like bike rentals, horse riding and lots of stuff for the kids. In the autumn many Copenhageners come here to fly colorful kites.

• Kastrup Fort

  phone: +45 33 66 36 60
  address: Amager Strandvej 246
  Another of Copenhagen's old fortifications, which has been turned into an attractive park. Other than the outline, moat, walls and a few buildings remaining, there is not much to see here in terms of history. But there are some nice views over the sound and you can venture into the open part of the catacombs and see bullet holes from Nazi executions during WWII. A stroll here is easily combined with a visit to Amager Strandpark (see Do section), but otherwise probably not worth the effort.

• Kastrupgårdsamlingen

  phone: +45 32 51 51 80
  address: Kastrupvej 399
  Set in a beautiful old mansion-like country home from the 18th century, this museum displays a large collection of graphics from mainly Danish artists, including a large collection of the somewhat internationally known Cobra artists. There are also a temporary exhibition space.

• KongelundenIf you are staying at a hotel or the camping grounds in Dragør, this small forest is a nice place for a stroll, particularly down Kærlighedsstien, or the path of love in English. A reference to a dancing hall once located down this path, it is long gone, but it is still a romantic place on a nice spring day. If you have kids, the open plains facing the water have grassing sheep the toddlers can chase around.

Dragør

Dragør is a small village south of the airport with a rich naval
history. The picturesque old village centre is well preserved with
cobblestone streets, pretty old yellow buildings with red tiled roofs,
and the harbor still has an active fishing port — in essence it is a very traditional Danish village within easy reach from the city centre. To get here either jump on bus 350S which has several stops in downtown or change to bus 35 at the Copenhagen Airport Station. If you are not into the hustle of big cities, you may want to consider sleeping in the historic Dragør beach hotel listed below.

• Amagermuseet

  phone: +45 32 53 02 50
  address: Hovedgaden 4, Dragør
  A historical museum in two old farm houses, detailing the Dutch history of immigration on the island, who were invited to the island by the king to dam and farm the island after the Dutch model. There is also exhibits on historical interiors and textiles.

• Dragør Museum

  phone: +45 32 53 41 06
  address: Strandlinien 2, Dragør
  A museum detailing the maritime history of the village, including a collection of paintings by famous local artist C.W. Eckersberg (1783-1853), ship models and various quirky items from around the world, brought home by the local sailors. The museum includes a small art museum, Mølsteds Museum, in the centre of the village, and a fishing vessel used under the famous evacuation of Jews under the German occupation.

The Sea forts & Saltholm

Copenhagen's sea fortresses and the island of Saltholm are located some kilometres off the coast of Amager (but the ferry departs from the inner city), and were built as part of Copenhagen's massive fortification ring, which was constructed before World War I. The defenses formed a large ring around the city, and the three sea fortresses completed the ring out in the Øresund Sea, along with a series of forts build along the shoreline. The Trekroner fortress, right at the entrance to the harbor, is listed in the Østerbro district. Today they make some wonderful excursions if you want to escape the hustle and bustle of the city for a while, or if you are a history buff. A picnic on Flakfortet on a summers day is very recommended.

• Flakfortet

  phone: +32 96 08 00
  A unique 30-km² artificially created island, completed in 1914 as part of the city's extensive fortifications. Until Dubai and the Japanese went crazy with this type of construction, it was the largest offshore artificial island in the world. The island was sold to a private company in 2001, but since it is a protected area the new owners must ensure public access to the island. This is handled by Spar Shipping's three to five daily departures during the summer months (120 kr — 30 minutes). The sailing is done via a charming old ferry — MS Langø — from the pier just south of the Nyhavn area, but the island's marina is also open for private yachts. The new owners maintain hostel-like accommodations on the island in the fortress' old soldiers quarters, which can be rented for 800 kr per room with eight bunk beds. There is also a restaurant with traditional Danish lunch and dinners from 80 kr and a kiosk. The owners arrange various activities like treasure hunts, tours and team building activities taking advantage of the old fortress and its history, but this requires larger groups.

• Middelgrundsfortet

  phone: +45 38 25 44 44
  Another sea fortress that guarded the approach to Copenhagen. It is owned by the Danish scouts.

• Saltholm

  phone: +45 20 77 78 01 (Boat)
  If you are am ornithologist, nature lover, or just want some peace, it is harder to get further away from it all and still be this close to the city. Saltholm is a large island off the coast of Amager — and you will be hard pressed to find even a local who has visited, despite the fact that the island is closer to most of Amager than downtown Copenhagen. The island covers some 16 km², and is incredibly flat — the highest point being just one to two meters above the sea — hence the island is largely unpopulated as it is very prone to flooding during hard weather. Save the farms, that brings in over a 1000 cattle every summer to graze on the island. The main reason to visit is to enjoy the wetlands, peace, and the many birds, including some very rare species. There are also seal colonies on the southern end of the island. To get here you need to call the private fishing vessel, which doubles as a ferry out of the small marina near the Kastrup metro station, but you are more than welcome to visit, as long as you pay respect to the unique nature, and practice a healthy dose of leave-no-trace.

You come to Amager to do two things: attend concerts in the islands' two spectacular concert venues, or cool down on the island's beaches. Either can be done at the "city" beach, or some of the other proper beaches dotting the eastern and southern shoreline.

• Amager Strandpark

  phone: +45 33 66 33 19
  address: Amager Strandvej 238
  Probably the largest beach in the near vicinity of Copenhagen, artificially constructed some years back. Includes a large sand island and a inner lagoon. There is usually a good range of activities going on, even outside the bathing season, such as windsurfing, diving, water skiing, sea kayaking and some hugely popular beach volleyball fields. If you're visiting during winter you have a chance to show your inner Viking with winter bath on the New Helgoland pier.

• Bella Center

  phone: +45 32 52 88 11
  address: Center Boulevard 5
  Copenhagen's prime exhibition and convention center, boasting over 123,000 square metres of exhibition space. Fairly often there is a exhibition and event of some interest to the general public — check the current schedule on their website.

• DR Koncerthuset

  phone: +45 35 20 62 62
  address: Emil Holms Kanal 20
  Part of the public broadcasters new and problem ridden headquarters in Ørestad, this gem designed by French architect Jean Nouvel is the main reason behind the massive budget overruns of the project — with its final price tag approaching 300 million USD, it is among the most expensive concert halls ever built.

• Havnebadet

  phone: +45 23 71 31 89
  address: Islands Brygge
  Enormously popular green area and city beach, with enclosed salt water pools, including some shallow ones for kids, and a five meter "jumping" tower, shower, grill and toilet facilities, and it is manned with life guards. Excellent spot for hanging out with locals on sunny days, and it is quite a peculiar sensation having a swim smack in the centre of the city.

• Mogens Dahl Koncertsal

  phone: +45 70 23 00 82
  address: Snorresgade 22
  The country's only privately owned concert hall, featuring some interesting architecture as it has been fitted into some old stables. The programme mainly features classical Chamber music, with artists from all over Europe.

Amagerbrogade is the longest shopping street in Denmark with local speciality stores as well as restaurants and cafes, but the shopping is mostly made up of pretty generic high street stores, which is also the case for Denmark's largest shopping centre — Fields. There are some small, interesting stores for you though, so read ahead.

• Fields

  phone: +45 70 20 85 05
  address: Arne Jacobsens Allé 12
  Fields hotly debates with a mall in Gothenburg, Sweden, over which of them is the largest shopping mall in Scandinavia. By Danish standards it is certainly huge: 115,000 m² and with more than 140 retailers. But as it is often the case with malls, it is generic too.

• ForvandlingKuglen

  phone: +45 36 30 66 66
  address: Skånegade 7
  A cool store inspired by Middle Eastern bazaars, carrying everything and nothing at the same time. The colorful items for sale change on a constant basis. Local artists and designers often sell their works here; home decór, toys, jewelery and clothing.

• Green Square

  phone: +45 32 57 59 59
  address: Strandlodsvej 11B
  Scandinavia's largest antiquities warehouse with over 10,000 m² of displays.

The islands' culinary heritage, or lack thereof, can largely be attributed to its working class history. With traditionally few well-off residents, there has been tendency towards valuing price over quality, and hence the scene is largely dominated by cheap take away joints and restaurants, mostly centered around the main street, Amagerbrogade. However, like so many other things on the island, things are steadily progressing, and while there are hardly any places you would make a conscious effort to reach, there are some good restaurants to be found if you are in the area, especially in Dragør, which has always been an exception due to its active fisheries harbor and nearby farms.

• Beghuset

  phone: +45 32 53 01 36
  address: Strandgade 14, Dragør
  Danish and French food in beautiful surroundings in one of the old yellow buildings in historic Dragør. Try the Danish lunch with freshly baked bread and Christiansø herrings.

• Dragør Strandhotel

  phone: +45 32 53 00 75
  address: Strandlinien 9, Dragør
  This old place is still going strong despite nearing a good 700 years of age. A bright old yellow building, with a terrace overlooking the small harbor. The food is decent and OK, mainly Danish/French dishes, but come here for the atmosphere, not the food.

• Flyvergrillen

  phone: +45 32 51 70 18
  address: Amager Landevej 290, Kastrup
  This is an oddity and a Copenhagen institution. This old run down diner is located right by the runways of the airport — and has become a hotspot for geeky flight spotters and cult followers alike. The interior is full of airline memorabilia from floor to the attic. Outside there is a hill equipped with binoculars to follow the traffic of the airport, and if that isn't enough, Copenhagen's driving schools run their obligatory icy roads course on a track at the other side of the hill — meaning you can also have a good laugh over would-be drivers spinning out of control. But don't come here for the food!

• Cafe Two 0 Two

  phone: +45 39 66 66 11
  address: Amagerbrogade 202, Amagerbro
  Very nice French café with outdoor serving. The café is located at Amagerbrogade near Ingolfs Kaffebar. Good service and delicious café food is offered here. The café also has a very good brunch buffet in the weekends.

• Kastrup Strandpark

  phone: +45 32 51 74 75
  address: Kastrup Strandpark 1, Kastrup
  Fair restaurant at the Kastrup marina, with nice views over the water and decent Danish/French food, though nothing extraordinary.

• Madeleines Madteater

  phone: +45 33 14 05 55
  address: Drechselsgade 10
  Down with serving food, in with performing it! This altogether different dining experience gets rave reviews from local media for its theatrical culinary arts. It is quite the extravaganza, and it even tastes good.

• Strandtutten

  phone: +45 32 97 23 29
  address: Amager Strandvej 225
  While this is mainly an ice cream kiosk serving the guests at the Amager Beach, they are famous for dishing out their mushy and famous Tuttenburgers — if you are a hungry beach lion or kitten, it is highly recommended.

Amager is definitely not known for exciting night life, and from most places on Amager transportation to — and more importantly from — the good bars in the centre is easy, even at night, with frequent night buses and the metro running 24/7. So unless you really want to explore the island, consider those instead.

Bars

• Cafe 5-Øren

  phone: +45 32 58 15 15
  address: Amagerbrogade 170
  Cafe 5-oeren was established in 1991 and has its roots in the nearby free air concert venue, 5-oeren. Local and unsophisticated bar. Both smoking and non-smoking rooms.

• Cafe Langebro

  phone: +45 3295 8591
  address: Islands Brygge 1b
  Established in 1917 and for long a classical Copenhagen bar, now still a relaxed but more modern bar/cafe. Seating both inside and out. Next to the Harbour Park and Bath, which is crowded on warm summer days.

• Jaguar Bodega

  phone: +45 32 57 06 87
  address: Holmbladsgade 12
  Classical Copenhagen bar with dark brown furniture and no daylight. Most customers are middle aged regulars.

• Marcel's Bodega

  phone: +45 3255 6066
  address: Amagerbrogade 160
  One of the very few places on Amager to serve late night drinkers. A simple place most notable for its late hours. Primarily frequented by younger locals.

Cafes

• Ingolf's Kaffebar

  phone: +45 3259 9596
  address: Ingolfs Alle 3
  Cafe with food and drink. Good selection of beers, including an exclusive Cuban import. Nice big, green courtyard with colored lamps. Live music now and then.

• Nose Wise

  phone: +45 32 96 02 20
  address: Vestmannagade 4
  If you're wondering about the weird name, it is a direct translation of the Danish word for cheeky. Rather odd, since the service here is attentive and friendly. Very stylish modern interior, and some damn good coffee, some of it — along with many other items in the café — organic. Good place for a hearty breakfast or lunch, especially the Rugbrød sandwiches.

Finding accommodations on Amager can be a good alternative to the more
busy parts of town, near the central station. There are a few budget
options available here, and it is fairly quick and convenient to get to the sights in the city centre, while also being more peaceful and laid back. The options located on the southern part of the island are interesting, with beaches, forests, fields and some historic locations right outside your doorstep — but it also takes you a good 30–40 minutes to get downtown, unless you have your own wheels.

Camping

• Copenhagen Camping

  phone: +45 32 94 20 07
  address: Bachersmindevej 13, Dragør
  Brand new camping grounds on the southern tip of Amager opened in 2008, within walking distance of a beach.

Budget

• Danhostel Amager

  phone: +45 32 52 29 08
  address: Vejlands Allé 200
  A large and modern, if a bit impersonal, hostel with many amenities.

Mid-range

• Dragør Badehotel

  phone: +45 32 53 05 00
  address: Drogdensvej 43, Dragør
  Charming old beach hotel from the 20th century, renovated, in some beautiful traditional buildings.

• Dragør Fort

  phone: +45 32 53 13 15
  address: Prins Knuds Dæmning 2, Dragør
  Unique accommodation in an old fort from 1915. Renovations to turn this into a event and conference centre are ongoing, and the owners have created seven fairly nice and big double rooms in the process — each with television sets and private bathrooms.

• House of Colors

  phone: +45 32 97 71 97
  address: Badensgade 2
  Not quite your ordinary apartment rentals; in a 19th-century house situated in a quiet neighbourhood. Features 3, nice, colorful (as the name might give away) one bedroom apartments with full kitchen, dining table and a small living room. Also has a lovely little garden with tables and free use of old but serviceable bicycles.

• Hotel Amager

  phone: +45 32 54 40 08
  address: Amagerbrogade 29
  Modest two star hotel, fairly centrally located near the bridge to Christianshavn. Rooms can seem a bit antiquated, but the staff is nice and there is free internet.

• Hotel Copenhagen

  phone: +45 32 96 27 27
  address: Egilsgade 33
  Although this can seem more like a hostel at times, with shared showers and toilets and rather crammed rooms, it is a good price for Copenhagen and there is no curfew, but a doorcode for the door after 11PM. Good staff. There is one computer for internet access.

• Zleep Hotel Airport

  phone: +45 32 46 46 15
  address: Englandsvej 333
  Basic two-star no-frills hotel, that gets the job done if you want to sleep near the airport for a single night at a reasonable price. Prices can get as low as 299 Kr if you book more than 60 days in advance.

• Radisson Blu Scandinavia

  phone: +45 33965000
  address: Amager Boulevard 70
  542 rooms, most with a view over Copenhagen. The Dining Room restaurant is on the 25th floor.

Splurge

• Clarion Hotel Copenhagen Airport

  phone: +45 32 501 501
  address: Ellehammersvej 20
  Five-star hotel next to the airport, with all the facilities you'd expect from a Hilton hotel.

• Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers

  phone: +45 88 77 66 55
  address: Ørestads Boulevard 114-118
  The hotel is a bit far from everything but the surrounding office buildings, but reasonably easy to get to from both the airport and central Copenhagen by means of both trains and the metro. In a 85-metre tower you will find 366 modern if simply-styled rooms with facilities and amenities corresponding in general to the upper-midscale standard, something not easily found in Copenhagen.

• AC Hotel Bella Sky Copenhagen

  phone: +45 32 47 30 00
  address: Center Boulevard 5
  The Bella Sky towers soar over the Bella Centret conference venue, and so do room prices there whenever an event is held. Unlike most AC Hotels, it was not purpose-built as such, and thus features some really unusual and quirky design traits, like wildly placed trapezoid windows. The hotel's unusual architecture was driven by the desire to provide the best views, even if those are mostly of Orestad and Amager rather than Copenhagen itself.

• Dragør Library

  phone: +45 32 89 04 90
  address: Vestgrønningen 18-20, Dragør

• Dragør Post Office

  phone: +45 80 20 70 30
  address: Stationsplads 3, Dragør

• Sundby Library

  phone: +45 82 32 55 80
  address: Jemtelandsgade 3

• Sønderbro Post Office

  phone: +45 80 20 70 30
  address: Lyongade 23

Amager is generally as safe as the rest of Copenhagen. Try avoiding drunk people in metro & bus stations. It is a good idea to avoid local bars inside and around corners of tower block areas.