Fun for one
Discover a world of activities in Copenhagen – all of them geared towards single travellers
No travelling partner? No problem. Copenhagen, the cultural capital of northern Europe, has declared 2007 the year of the single tourist
TRAVEL CAN BE a lonely business, especially when you find yourself alone in a strange town while everyone else is cuddling up on the couch for Valentine’s Day.
But if you’re dreading the idea of being home alone on 14 February, help is at hand. Copenhagen, the cultural capital of northern Europe, has declared 2007 the year of the single tourist. The initiative is based around a series of specially dreamt up ideas to help singles experience Copenhagen in the sparkling company of other lone travellers. This opens up direct access to a community of like-minded people with themed excursions based around groups of about 10 people.
This is not a dating service, however, so bringing your lucky pants is optional.
The project reflects a social trend sweeping across Europe, seeing more people living and travelling on their own. About 39% of the adult British population is now single (that’s a lot of microwavable ready-meals) and the proportion of one-person households now stands at 20%. According to research by Mintel, 15.4m Britons are expected to take a holiday alone in 2007, compared with just 9.6m 10 years ago. With the rise of the single traveller providing a juicy marketing opportunity, especially as the biggest growth sector is the travel-hungry 25-34-year-olds, ABTA (the Association of British Travel Agents) has even started lobbying hoteliers to provide more single rooms to meet the growing demand.
To celebrate being single and proud of it, voyager takes a solo trip to Copenhagen in search of a teddy bear-free Valentine’s Day – and maybe the opportunity to wear those pants after all.
For more information about Copenhagen visit www.visitcopenhagen.com and for details of packages for single travellers visit www.onederfulcopenhagen.com
DINING
Dinner can be a solitary nightmare for the solo traveller but Copenhagen has just the answer for young singles with a taste for adventure and an aversion to asking for a “table for one”. Runningdinner is a local institution with an email subscriber list of over 1,500 single Danes. People are matched into couples and each pair is responsible for preparing an appetiser, a main dish or a dessert. Couples eat each different course at one of the participant’s apartments before moving on – hence “running dinner”. Everyone eats with 18 other singles, excluding themselves and their partner, over the course of the evening, so it is similar to speed dating but all about taste, not haste.
Den Røde Pimpernel is a more chilled supper club in the Tivoli Gardens that is favoured by mature singles and divorcees for its kitsch décor and regular singles events. Alternatively, Meet the Danes has a cultural exchange programme to give lone tourists and business travellers the opportunity to learn about Danish culture and enjoy some Danish hospitality over dinner at a family home. With over 200 registered families on the books and an average of four dinners per week, the company can cater for all dietary requirements. The fee is split between family and organiser with three days’ notice required. www.runningdinner.dk www.denroedepimpernel.dk www.meetthedanes.dk
ART
Friday night is the big night out for single culture vultures in Copenhagen, with galleries across town throwing open the doors for people to drop in for a glass of wine, a chance to check out the latest exhibition and maybe find your eyes and minds meeting across one of Danish designer Arne Jacobsen’s famous Egg or Ant chairs. Visit www.visitcopenhagen.com for details of events.
For solo movie buffs, catching a film alone is a traditional bugbear but a new small-group tour of Scene [Studio] Two, owned by Nordisk Film, the oldest film studio in the world, brings people together to explore the romance of the silent era and discover the history of Denmark’s cinema industry. The walls of Scene Two are adorned with a collection of stills from the silent era, including images of early matinee heart throbs such as Valdemar Psilander. After the tour groups move into the private movie theatre for a screening of classic Danish weepies, such as silent movie Løvejagten (The Lion Hunt) from 1907. £47; www.nordiskfilm.com
MUSIC
A night at the opera may not be the most obvious choice for a solo outing so the Copenhagen Opera House has found a clever way to unite people via their love of music. The package includes transfer by water taxi through the picturesque canals of old Christianshavn to the opera house, which is located on the island of Holmen. Opened in 2005, the building offers a futuristic vision of the cityscape and upon arrival the group gathers to chat over a delicious three-course tasting menu before the start of the evening performance.
Alternatively, small-group backstage tours of the opera house appeal to a more refined crowd with a chance to explore the many secret nooks and crannies of the building. The three-hour tour culminates with in cocktail party against the backdrop of the city’s harbour district with the sheer-glass façade of the building offering a new perspective on the surroundings.
Night at the opera with three-course dinner £113. Backstage tour of the opera house and cocktail party £47; www.operaen.dk
BARS
No trip to Copenhagen would be complete without a drop of the local tipple and there’s no better way to sample it than with a tour of Copenhagen’s legendary Carlsberg Brewery. Single boys about town will love the group tours of the Carlsberg Visitors’ Centre that take in the site of the first Carlsberg Brewery, set up in 1847, and a range of exhibitions explaining the history behind the brewery. The tour finishes with a tasting session and includes coach transfers to the western district of Valby.
For an older crowd, a more gourmet option is a private tour of the Nørrebro Bryghus microbrewery with brewmaster Anders Kissmeyer as your personal guide. The microbrewery is passionate about beer, producing around 20,000 litres per month and constantly trying out new recipes. The tour explains the rationale behind their critically acclaimed techniques. After a tasting session of their 10 hand-crafted beers, the group retires to the in-house restaurant for a three-course dinner, where the house ales are a key ingredient in the dishes.
Brewery tour £47; www.info.carlsberg.com NØerrebro Bryghus and dinner £86; www.noerrebrobryghus.dk
ACTIVITIES
The prospect of spending Valentine’s Day surrounded by heaps of wet fish may not be the traditional take on a romantic day-trip, but bonding over the gutted herring on a fishing-trawler excursion from Elsinore Harbour, close to Elsinore (aka Hamlet’s) Castle, can be a great way to make new friends. With a five-hour weekend sailing time and romantic moonlight trips during summer, groups work together to bring in the catch of the day. It puts a whole new spin on the term “pulling”, anyway.
On terra firma, opt for a bicycle tour through the streets of Copenhagen. Small group trips take in all the major sights, including the Little Mermaid, the canal-side Nyhavn district and the Black Diamond (the new extension to the Royal Library) before crossing the bridge to the island of Amager and the alternative community of Christianshavn. The three-hour tour finishes at City Hall Square, the centre of Copenhagen, and includes a coffee stop en route to chat with your fellow cyclists.
Fishing-trawler tour with transfers £136. Bicycle tour £60; www.one-derfulcopenhagen.com
SHOPPING
Indulging in some retail therapy can be fun alone but it’s even better with a friend. And better still when that friend knows all the best places around town for bargain prices and the latest in cool Danish designer labels. Founded by two young female city residents, CPH:cool eschews museums and sightseeing in favour of shopping, with a spree though the Vesterbro district, Copenhagen’s most fashion-conscious area.
Focusing on Istedgade and the quarter around Enghaveplads, with their designer boutiques and trend-setting cafes, the tours (in English) are designed as a way for visitors to swap insider tips on the coolest places to shop and be seen.
Shopping tour £18; www.cphcool.dk
Words: David Atkinson
