Amager Strand (Beach in Copenhagen)
Summer in Copenhagen is not what you may expect. We’ve been here more than a month now and I’ve yet to be really hot. We may have hit 80 degrees only once or twice and haven’t come close to hitting 90. Most days top out in the low 70s. I like it. But if you enjoy hot summer days on the beach or turning up an air conditioner, other places in the world may suit you better in July.
We have been to a few beaches. One of them is fairly new and goes by the name Amager Strand. (I think strand means “beach” in Danish.)
We rode our bikes to this beach even though it is seven metro stops away. Biking in Copenhagen is very easy. Bike lanes exist on nearly every street. The lanes are more substantial and respected by autos and pedestrians alike–far more so than in the U.S. There are three signal lights to look for in Denmark at each corner–one for cars, one for walkers, and one for bikers. It is confusing at first, but once I got used to it I find it to be a superior system.
The ground is flat in Denmark. There are no hills to speak of. The only time effort is required on a bike is when you have wind in your face or are going over a bridge. Basically, biking is never tiring (even for the kids) so seven metro stops worth of biking isn’t a problem. Plus, we’d miss much of the landscape and neighborhoods along the way if we rode the metro.
I only got in up to my knees, but my kids went for it. They saw lots of jelly fish in the water.
20 percent of energy used in Denmark comes from wind. The turbines in the Oresund are not an eyesore in my opinion.
The Copenhagen clouds once again gathered on this day. They turned black and we made a run for it. Within minutes of our departure we got drenched on our bikes though. It was actually fun getting caught in the storm. Soon after the rain stopped we were dry again.
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July 29th, 2008 at 2:41 am
Great photos! Isn’t it wonderful in Copenhagen?
February 9th, 2009 at 6:05 am
As an inhabitant of Copenhagen, it is quite fun to read about your trip here. Yes – “Strand” do mean beach in danish.
This might not be a tip for you, since you are already out of Denmark, but maybe your readers might find it usefull. If you are in for a great beach on Zealand, and don’t mind spending a little more than an hour in the train (from Copenhagen), then the beach of “Tisvildeleje” in the North is really something – it don’t have the fishing industry of Gilleleje, but has plenty of top quality sand dunes and great water for bathing!