Ajimura

51 Shelton Street, WC2. Phone: 240 0178. Fax: 497 2240. Hours: Closed Saturday lunch & Sunday. Price: £60 ($91) for two. All major cards. (E2).

A cheap and casual eatery with one of the best Japanese cooking in town, where you can sit at the kitchen bar to watch the proceedings.

The menu explains itself. A good choice is to order two of the four set meals of the day, chalked on a blackboard. The result comes in colorful arrangements on the plate. Set lunches and pre-theater dinners are good value.

• Deep-fried pork with aubergines, salad and rice.

• Shrimps, raw salmon and clear fish soup.

• Shrimps, deep-fried fish, egg salad and clear fish soup.

• Sashimi = raw fish.

• Tempura = deep-fried fish.

• Sukiyaki = thin slices of beef, pan-fried.

Japanese cuisine is the second most important cuisine in the world next to French cuisine. It is usually very light and easy on the stomach, in most cases either raw or boiled. The appearance of the food is of great importance. Rice and vegetables are the basics, mainly supported by seafood, rather than meat. It is now helping to make Western cuisine lighter.

Arirang

31 Poland Street, W1. Phone: 437 6633. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: £50 ($76) for two. All major cards. (D2).

The best Korean place in London is at the northern end of Soho, just a few steps off Oxford Street. Korean cooking is little known in the West, but the courses are exciting and enjoyable. Try beef soup, beef pancakes, marinated beef, sour bean sprouts and rice.

It is unusually decorated, cozy but not harmonious. Prettily clad and civilized young ladies serve the food with the help of host Wee. It is easiest for beginners to order a set meal. Fruit and tea is included. Evade kim chee, badly smelling fermented cabbage, said to be military grub in the homeland.

• Bul-kal-bee = spareribs.

• Hong cho = deep-fried sweet-and-sour fish.

• Thah thoree tang = chicken.

• Slobal chun = deep-fried marrow.

• Chop che = mixed salad.

• Pahb = rice.

Korean cooking is midway between Chinese and Japanese cooking as stands to geographical reason. It does not have the delicacy of Japanese cooking and the variety of Chinese cooking. It evokes images of East Asia countryside cooking.

Bentley‘s

11 Swallow Street, W1. Phone: 734 4756. Fax: 287 2972. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: £70 ($106) for two. All major cards. (D2).

In a narrow street that runs between Regent Street and Piccadilly there is an oyster bar with atmosphere on the ground floor and a proper restaurant without one on the first floor. It has its own oyster grounds at Colchester and offers solid products. The bar downstairs is convenient for single persons.

In addition there is fresh fish of many varieties, sole, turbot, plaice, haddock, trout, also crabs, shrimp and lobster. Take care to choose grilled, poached or meuniere; and evade the names Thermidor, Newburg, Dugléré and Florentine, all standing for complex cookery spoiling the delicate raw material.

• Colchester oysters.

• Mussels poached in white wine.

• Poached scallops.

• Baked crab.

• Fresh strawberries.

Brasserie St Quentin

243 Brompton Road, SW3. Phone: 581 5131. Fax: 584 6064. Price: £50 ($76) for two. All major cards. (B4).

A belle-epoche brasserie of bourgeois cooking from the southwest of France by chef Nigel Davis, right on the major Knightsbridge avenue, near the Egerton Terrace sidestreet, just before the avenue splits into Cromwell Road and Brompton Road.

Elegant and civilized, bright and open, well insulated from the outside traffic, with red-brown banquettes lining the walls, mirrors and pillars, brass and dark wood. A bar with wine racks dominates one of the walls. The place becomes lively when it fills up. Service in black and white is French and efficient.

• Tarte aux cêpes et confit de canard = a tart of boletus mushrooms and preseved duck.

• Oeufs en cocotte au foie gras et mouillettes = baked eggs with goose liver and toast.

• Brochette de coquilles Saint-Jacques et jambon de Bayonne = scallops with Bayonne ham.

• Filet de boeuf au Roquefort = fillet of beef with Roquefort cheese and walnut butter.

• Pavé de chocolat amer á l’ecorce d’oranges = St Quentin’s bitter chocolate and orange dessert.

• Figues rôties et glace aux amandes = baked figs and almond ice cream.

Café Royal Brasserie

68 Regent Street, W1. Phone: 437 9090. Fax: 439 7672. Hours: Closed Sunday dinner. Price: £50 ($76) for two. All major cards. (D2).

A well-designed restaurant with a comfortable atmosphere on a busy shopping street a few steps from Piccadilly Circus. It uses the same kitchen as the adjoining and more expensive Café Royal Grill.

The setting is beautiful and the cuisine is light and modern. Service is efficient as befits a brasserie.

• Smoked rabbit salad with asparagus and mustard dressing.

• Mixed calf’s liver with bacon and onions.

• Grilled fillet of salmon with red pepper sauce.

Café Royal Grill Room

68 Regent Street, W1. Phone: 439 9090. Hours: Closed Saturday lunch & Sunday. Price: £100 ($152) for two. All major cards. (D2).

Neither a café nor a grill, but a stunning restaurant of baroque grandeur, recently and surprisingly also offering excellent, traditional French cuisine on the bend of Regent Street just before it joins Piccadilly Circus.

The carpets are red and the comfortable chairs and banquettes are red. The walls have heavily ornate windows and paintings. The ceiling and pillars also have ornate carvings and paintings. The food arrives under cupolas in polished silver serving wagons. Service is formal and generally competent. The ancient and tipsy customers are the only discordant note.

• Escalopes of fresh foie gras with a ragoût of celeriae and truffle sauce.

• Red mullet with orange zest, basil and black olives.

• Seared fillet of sea bass with fennel, sundried tomatoes and saffron.

• Crown of lamb filled with Provençale vegetables, pesto and balsamic vinegar sauce.

• Pyramid of walnut ganache with vanilla sauce.

• Caramel mousseline with mango compote and lime.

Calabash

The Africa Centre, 38 King Street, WC2. Phone: 836 1976. Hours: Closed Saturday lunch & Sunday. Price: £20 ($30) for two. No cards. (E2).

The authentic representative of the African continent. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Caprice

Arlington House, Arlington Street, SW1. Phone: 629 2239. Fax: 493 9040. Price: £65 ($98) for two. (D3).

A French place much in fashion, just behind the Ritz hotel, run by well-known restaurateurs Chris Corbin and Jeremy King.

It is regally furnished in a pre-war functional style, with mirrors on columns and walls, flowers on tables and champagne buckets at every table. It is a venue for lively business lunches and after-theater dinners. The service is perfect.

• Crab soup.

• Gravad laks = marinated salmon.

• Partridge with asparagus salad.

• Lamb filet with feta cheese.

• Venison steak.

Caravan Serai

50 Paddington Street, W1. Phone: 935 1208. Fax: 431 4969. Hours: Closed Sunday lunch. Price: £45 ($68) for two. All major cards. (C1).

In the Marylebone district, reasonably priced if you are careful in choosing from the menu, the single acceptable representative of Afghan cooking, which is almost unknown in the West.

Chez Nico at 90

90 Park Lane, W1. Phone: 409 1290. Fax: 355 4877. Hours: Closed Saturday lunch & Sunday. Price: £135 ($205) for two. All major cards. (C2).

The newest location of moveable chef Nico, in the Grosvenor House hotel opposite Hyde Park. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Chuen Chen Ku

17 Wardour Street, W1. Phone: 734 3281. Price: £35 ($53) for two. All major cards. (E2).

Between Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus, offering the best Chinese lunch appetizers for small change. You can understand why every other Chinese family with children lunches here on Sunday. The restaurant is on several floors in the narrow building. This is not an elegant eatery by Western standards. It is noisy and authentic, as most of the customers are Chinese.

The starters are called dim sum. They are wheeled around the salons in warm trolleys and the customers point to the dishes they desire. Most of the dim sum are priced at £1. Most dim sums are cooked in steam in small, round sauce-pans, covered with balsam and stapled up in towers. If many are feasting together it is fun to order all the dim sums and share them.

Most Chinese restaurants in the West are derived from Hong Kong, which is a Canton type of cuisine. Cantonese food is usually steamed. Dim sum appetizers are a perfect example of steamed Cantonese food. They are usually consumed at lunch in the West, but at home they are used as snacks. Rice is the mainstay of Cantonese cuisine.

Connaught

Carlos Place, W1. Phone: 499 7070. Fax: 495 3262. Price: £100 ($152) for two. All major cards. (D2).

This busy hotel restaurant is a gastronomic temple with classic French cooking in the middle of exclusive Mayfair. Male guests must wear a tie, not to lessen the impression when they enter the dining room with a court of headwaiters around. The chef is the renowned Michel Bourdin, specializing in game.

The main dining room is a solid and wealthy looking room of club tones, furnished in mahogany and crowned with crystal chandeliers. The grill-room is smaller and less stylish. The service is absolutely perfect, almost like mind-reading, even though unobtrusive. There are many starters, main courses and desserts, and the price is determined by the choice of the main course.

• Surprise ecosse = smoked salmon.

• Croustade d’oeufs de caille Maintenon = quail eggs.

• Koulebiac de saumon = salmon encased in paté.

• Grouse rotie a l’Anglaise = grouse.

• Rendez-vous du pêcheur, sauce légere au parfum exotique = seafood plate.

• Mousse glacée aux framboises = raspberry mousse.

• Bread and butter pudding.

• Brunello di Montalcino 1976.

Crank’s

11 The Market, Covent Garden, WC2. Phone: 379 6508. Price: £20 ($30) for two. No cards. (E2).

A vegetarian restaurant in the Covent Garden market building. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Dell’Ugo

56 Frith Street, W1. Phone: 734 8300. Fax: 734 8784. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: £40 ($61) for two. All major cards. (E2).

A trendy mass feeding station of moderate prices with an interesting menu in the Hollywood style and acceptable service on three floors on the main restaurant street in Soho, near the corner of Bateman Street, always full of young people who like to be in an “in” place.

There is a café downstairs, a bistro on the first floor and a proper restaurant on the second floor. The luxury increases up the floors and there is white and multicolor linen on the top floor tables, hard-wood walls and deluxe chairs. The menu also gets more luxurious on the upper floors. The service is slightly unprofessional and slow.

• Irish black pudding with caramelized crisp bacon and potato pancake.

• Braised squid, salt cod and scallops, potato rosti.

• Roast venison, baby beetroot and Jerusalem artichokes.

• Chargrilled breast of cornfed chicken, warm borloti bean salad.

• Fig and armanac parfaît.

• Poached pears with gorgonzola.

Dorchester Grill

Park Lane, W1. Phone: 629 8888. Fax: 495 7351. Price: £100 ($152) for two. All major cards. (C3).

A gastronomic temple in the grand saloon of a distinguished hotel alongside Hyde Park on the Mayfair side, with the well-known Willi Elsener at the helm. His kitchen also serves the Terrace restaurant in the same hotel. His specialty is an English version of Nouvelle Cuisine with emphasis on game.

The grill-room is very solid and heavy with decorations in Spanish style. There are big chandeliers in the ceiling and on the walls and a thick carpet on the floor. The tables are old and dignified and the arm-chairs are of leather. The service is exemplary.

• Cold cucumber and dill soup.

• Celery pancakes with wild mushrooms and Stilton cheese.

• Steamed brill on coquilles St-Jacques.

• Poached trout with leek sauce.

• Partridge with wild mushrooms.

• Pear and cognac profiteroles.

English House

3 Milner Street, SW3. Phone: 584 3002. Fax: 581 2848. Price: £80 ($121) for two. All major cards. (C4).

Midway between the South Kensington underground station and Sloane Square, an attractive, snug and cozy town house, which is a fort of traditional English cooking. The historian and television cook, Michael Smith, and Malcolm Livingston, founded this place to offer English court and country cooking from the 18th C. He should know the métier, as he has written books on it.

The dining rooms are old-fashioned and dainty with chandeliers, dried flowers and silver decorations, also silver cutlery, especially heavy. The atmosphere is British 19th C. and the customers seem to be British gentry and would-like-to-be British gentry.

• Cold stilton soup with pears.

• Galantine of rabbit with sage and apple jelly.

• Venison with juniper berries.

• Steak, kidney and mushroom pie.

• Créme brulée.

Preserves and pies have always been the hallmarks of English cooking.

Food for Thought

31 Neal Street, WC2. Phone: 836 0239. Hours: Closed Sunday dinner. Price: £30 ($45) for two. All major cards. (E2).
A famous vegetarian basement eatery on Neal Street, usually crowded at lunch.

The dining area resembles a small corridor where 40 lean guests can sit on wood benches and stools at tiny tables. The short and imaginative menu, chalked on a blackboard, changes daily.

• Couscous.

• Salads.

• Stir-fry vegetables.

• Cauliflower quiche.

• Tom Yam soup.

• Apple crumble.

• Orange and coconut scones with whipped cream.

Fung Shing

15 Lisle Street, Wc2. Phone: 437 1539. Price: £50 ($76) for two. All major cards. (E2).

A bright and airy upscale Chinese restaurant with superior Cantonese cooking in Chinatown on the northern side of this street of Chinese restaurants near its western end.

Occasional modern and traditional paints decorate the cream colored walls. Comfortable cane chairs surround round tables with light blue linen. Service is efficient and almost Italian in style, hurrying with the ordering and slowing down with the coffee.

• Sesame prawn toast.

• Stir fried abalon with vegetable.

• Roasted crispy chicken.

• Singapore fried noodles.

• Fried rice with egg.

Gavroche

43 Upper Brook Street, W1. Phone: 408 0881. Fax: 409 0939. Hours: Closed Saturday & Sunday. Price: £160 ($242) for two. All major cards. (C2).

Considered to be one of the top three restaurants in London, in the western part of Mayfair. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Gay Hussar

2 Greek Street, W1. Phone: 437 0973. Fax: 437 4631. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: £55 ($83) for two. All major cards. (E2).

An Hungarian gourmet temple in the north of Soho, 200 meters from Oxford Street and 100 meters from Charing Cross Road. In gastronomy Hungary is the center of central Europe, and this restaurant is its top representative in the West. The émigré Victor Sassie is in charge of a paneled and upholstered restaurant, receiving politicians and journalists for lunch.

This is the place where to hold forth on politics for hours over red cabbage, pressed wild boar heads, goulash and Tokay wine. The Hungarian names on the menu are not suitable for easy understanding and choosing. Most customers therefore stick to the three course set lunch menu which should keep a cavalry of Hussars from starving.

• Cherry soup.

• Pressed wild boar heads.

• Chicken paprika.

• Veal pancakes.

• Cherry tart.

• Palascinta pancakes.

• Badascony white whine and sweet Tokay, 5 puttenoy.

Hungary has traditionally provided the best cooks in central Europe. Their cuisine is more flamboyant than the cooking of their neighbors. It combines delicacy with abundance and is usually heavy on the stomach. Due to Hungarian influence in the Austrian empire this cuisine spread around central Europe, competing with French cuisine emanating from Western Europe.

Gaylord

79 Mortimer Street. Phone: 580 3615. Price: £30 ($45) for two. All major cards. (D1).

An unusually decorative Indian restaurant, 200 meters north from Oxford Street, specializing in food from Northern India.

It is a little more expensive than ordinary Indian restaurants, but in turn you get more agreeable surroundings and more thoughtful cooking. There are loud and red decorations on the walls and service is as good as you can expect in the best Western places.

• Tandoori = yogurt coated chicken, baked in a clay oven.

• Tikka = chicken grilled on skewers.

• Curries.

• Spiced lamb.

• Butter cakes.

• Pan-fried chicken in yogurt.

Indian cuisine is in fact many cuisines. The Mogul cuisine in the north is influenced by invading nomads, speaking first Indo-Aryan and later Mongolian languages. It is a lavish cuisine based on meat, mainly lamb. Stewing is the most popular cooking method. Clay ovens are also used. Wheat is more important than rice.

Gopal’s

12 Bateman Street, W1. Phone: 434 0840. Price: £40 ($61) for two. All major cards. (E2).

One of the top Indian restaurants in London is in a small street crossing Frith Street in Soho, a tasteful and delicate place.

Guests sit on comfortable wicker chairs at tightly spaced tables with pink linen. Large Indian paintings decorate the creamy walls. Mirrors and greenery are wisely used to add space. Service is efficient. Ingredients are first rate and herbs are used and combined in imaginative ways.

• Mangalorean crab = freshly flaked crab meat cooked with coconut and several rare spices, served on a red cabbage leaf.

• Mashed potato cake stuffed with lentils, onions, green chillies and coriander leaves, served with sour sauce.

• Meenu curry = cooked fish in karnatah curry, with a strong sauce of cocunut and several rare spices.

• Multa Zacutti = hot lamb cooked with coconut, vinegar and rarte spices.

• Mushroom bhaji = mushrooms cooked with mild spices.

• Fried pulau = fried Basmati rice with peas.

• Nan and Papad bread.

Green’s

36 Duke Street, St James’s, SW1. Phone: 930 4566. Fax: 930 1383. Hours: Closed Sunday dinner. Price: £60 ($91) for two. All major cards. (D3).

A St James’s clubby restaurant of good and traditional British food in bright and traditional surroundings near the Jermyn Street end of the King and Jermyn Streets stretch of the street.

The atmosphere is old-fashined and tradtitional and mainly friendly and solid. There are good paintings on wood-paneled walls and light brown linen on the tables. The comfortable chairs have red upholstery. Singles prefer to dine at the bar. Service is exceptionally nice by any standards. The place is always full and alway easy-going and congenial.

• Crab cocktail.

• Crab cake with Pommery mustard sauce.

• Pan fried scallops with potao cake and tomato and basil sauce.

• Roast grouse with traditional accompaniments.

• Roast guinea fowl with cabbage and bacon.

• Honey, brandy and raisin ice cream.

• Iced chocolate parfait with toffee cream.

Hard Rock Cafe

150 Old Park Lane, W1. Phone: 629 0382. Price: £35 ($53) for two. All major cards. (D3).

The best hamburgers in London are served in this place near the southwest end of Piccadilly. It is big and noisy, and so popular that a waiting line is on the pavement at meal times.

It is a haven for homesick Americans.

• Voluminous salads.

• Chips in blue cheese sauce.

• T-bone steaks with baked potatoes.

• Milk shakes.

• Giant ice-creams.

• Devil food cakes.

America has in the latest decades influenced European cooking very much, and not only n fast food. Salads as a major part of a meal come from America. The emphasis on beef is also an American influence in Europe.

India Club

143 Strand, WC2. Phone: 836 0650. Price: £20 ($30) for two. No cards. (F2).

An inexpensive Indian restaurant. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Joe Allen

13 Exeter Street, WC2. Phone: 836 0651. Fax: 497 2148. Price: £45 ($68) for two. All major cards. (E2).

Hiding in a back street between Covent Garden and Strand, difficult to find, as the restaurant sign is very small. It is the main fortress of American-Italian cooking in London, often crowded with celebrities, sprinkled with journalists and actors. The majority, though, consists of homesick Americans.

The atmosphere is animated and charming between the brick walls. The menu is chalked on a blackboard.

• Spinach salad.

• Spareribs.

• Black bean soup.

• Baked John Dory with tomato, capers and olives.

• Pecan pie.

• Angel food cake.

America has in the latest decades influenced European cooking very much, and not only n fast food. Salads as a major part of a meal come from America. The emphasis on beef is also an American influence in Europe.

Joe’s

Fenwick of Bond Street, 63 New Bond Street, W1. Phone: 629 9161. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: £20 ($30) for two. No cards. (D2).

A fashionable and inexpensive restaurant in the middle of expensive Mayfair. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Ken Lo‘s Memories of China

67-69 Ebury Street, SW1. Phone: 730 7734. Fax: 730 2992. Hours: Closed Sunday lunch. Price: £55 ($83) for two. (D4).

The best Chinese restaurant is near Victoria Station. It is a civilized and a simple place, popular with the upper classes. The owners, Kenneth and Anne Lo, are both cooking.

The menu shows examples of cooking from several part of China.

• Chicken in lotus leaves.

• Steamed turbot.

• Steamed scallops in the shell, with hot black bean sauce.

• Lamb in cabbage on skewer.

• Peking duck.

There are several cooking traditions in China. Best known is Cantonese cooking, light and sweet, usually steamed, based on rice. Next comes Peking cooking with stronger tastes, often deep-fried and crispy. Lesser known is Shanghai cooking which is fatter, based on oil and noodles. Finally there is Szechuan cooking which is the strongest of the lot.

Langan‘s Brassiere

Stratton Street, W1. Phone: 491 8822. Hours: Closed Saturday lunch & Sunday. Price: £60 ($91) for two. All major cards. (D3).

A class in itself, a big and crowded meeting place of the beautiful and important people and still being able to serve excellent food at mild prices. It is owned by notorious imbiber Peter Langan from Ireland, popular comedian Michael Caine and respectable cook Richard Shepherd, attracting people from entertainment and information, actors and models, lords and ladies.

Outside paparazzi are waiting. Inside there is pandemonium, waiters running back and forth while the in-people shout greetings between tables. Take care not to be relegated to the Venetian saloon for tourists on the first floor. Get a table on the ground floor, dominated by huge air condition propellers and a rag-tag collection of paintings and posters, Casablanca movie style.

• Salade d’avocat aux crevettes = avocado salad with crayfish.

• Escargots a l’ail = snails in garlic.

• Langue de boeuf braise sauce madere = tongue in Madeira sauce.

• Soufflé aux épinards sauce anchois = spinach soufflé with anchovy sauce.

• Entrecote grillé, sauce béarnaise = steak with Béarnaise sauce.

• Creme brulée = caramel cream.

• Milles feuilles brassiere = flaky Napoleon pastry.

Manzi‘s

1-2 Leicester Street, WC2. Phone: 734 0224. Fax: 437 4864. Hours: Closed Sunday lunch. Price: £60 ($91) for two. All major cards. (E2).

A seafood place just off central Leicester Square, for decades one of the most popular feasting places in town, with an Italian atmosphere. There is no meat on the menu.

The waiters are experienced and informative. The atmosphere is zestful and lively on both floors. Upstairs in the Cabin Room the tone is more relaxed than in the noisy bistro downstairs. The golden rule is to order nothing complicated, just poached or grilled seafood. The raw material is always first class, but the chefs tend to overdo complex courses.

• Avocado and scallops in the shells.

• Fish soup.

• Grilled halibut.

• Poached turbot.

• Strawberry tart.

• Cherry sorbet.

• Trout or skate in black butter.

Maroush I

21 Edgeware Road, W2. Phone: 723 0773. Price: £60 ($91) for two. (C2).

200 meters along on the main street north from Marble Arch, the best Arabian restaurant in town, often crowded with Libyan expatriates.

• Felafel = minced bean and onion balls, deep-fried.

• Shawarma = slices of marinated lamb shaved off a rotating skewer.

• Lebanese salad.

• Stuffed lamb.

• Sweet cakes.

Lebanese and Egyptian cooking are the high points of Arab cooking. Lebanese cooking combines many centuries of commerce and contact with the outside world and the flavor of local produce and spices.

Mijanou

143 Ebury Street, SW1. Phone: 730 4099. Fax: 823 6402. Hours: Closed Saturday & Sunday. Price: £80 ($121) for two. All major cards. (D4).

A perennial London winner in Belgravia, 500 meters from Victoria Station. It is on two floors, one for non-smokers, ruled by Neville Blech. The kitchen is on the split-level between, the domain of Sonia Blech. The restaurant is small, seats 30, but spacious and invites to linger over the cognac at the red and black table linen.

Mr. Blech receives guests as cordially as ever and describes at length the contents of the courses and the methods in the kitchen. The cooking is semi-classic French, with elements of Nouvelle Cuisine and Far Eastern Cuisine. There is a list of about 100 well chosen wines, many are not expensive.

• Terrine de fromage blanc aux fines herbes et legumes avec son coulis de tomates = white cheese, herb and vegetable terrine with fresh tomato coulis.

• Mousseline de coquilles St-Jacques sauce gingembre et citron vert = mousse of scallop with a sauce of ginger and green lemons.

• Mousseline chaude de foies de caille au porto = mousse of quail livers in port.

• Noisettes d’agneau gratinée béarnaise = lamb cutlets gratinated in béarnaise sauce.

• Mousseline de loup de mer au Ricard = sea bass mousse.

• Medaillons de chevreuil au sureau et a l’eau de vie de genievre = saddle of venison with elderberry and juniper gin sauce.
• Panaché de sorbets = three sorbets.

• Fromage glacé aux pruneaux et a l’armagnac = ice cream of white cheese, cream and prunes marinated in armagnac.
• Plateau de fromages = cheese board.

Neal Street Restaurant

26 Neal Street, WC2. Phone: 836 8368. Fax: 497 1361. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: £80 ($121) for two. All major cards. (E2).

The wild mushroom restaurant of London is in the theater district of Covent Garden, always overflowing with fresh mushrooms. It is an Italian restaurant, appearing to be full of sunshine all the time.

It is a bright and modern place with lots of mirrors and bright flowers. Guests sit bistro-style on sofas along the wall or on chairs opposite. Large windows enlargen the dining room. Geometric abstract painting decorate the creamy walls. The Italian service is very good. Black olives

• Mixed sauté funghi of the day.

• Wild mushroom soup.

• Sweetbreads with mixed funghi.

• Roast grouse and Scottish chanterelles.

• Fillet of beef with poricini sauce.

• Tiramisù.

O’Keefe’s

19 Dering Street, W1. Phone: 495 0878. Hours: Closed Sunday & dinner, except Thursday. Price: £20 ($30) for two. No cards.

Inexpensive and conveniently located near Oxford Street. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Orso

27 Wellington Street, WC2. Phone: 240 5269. Fax: 497 2148. Price: £60 ($91) for two. No cards. (F2).

A simple and popular Italian restaurant with a rustically modern menu that changes daily, hidden in a cellar on a street leading off Strand, just south of Tavistock Street.

The decorative theme of the simple dining room consists of lots of small, black & white photos of movie stars on the pale red wood paneled walls. Quaint wine racks are behind an iron grill. A beutiful parquet graces the floor. The kitchen operations are visible from the dining room.

• Chicken, white bean and spinach soup.

• Pork chops with mozzarella cheese.

• Thin pasta with crab, courgettes and chopped tomato.

• Roast suckling pig with garlic potatoes.

• Chocolate cake with coffee zabaglione.

• Pecorino cheese with pear.

Pearl of Knightsbridge

22 Brompton Road, SW1. Phone: 225 3888. Price: £75 ($114) for two. All major cards. (C3).

A Cantonese China restaurant of quality in tasteful and comfortable circumstances near the Harrods department store, on the north side of the street where it splits into Knightsbridge and Brompton Road.

A bright place with contemporary paintings on the white walls and a red carpet on the floor. Beautiful high chairs of black wood and red seats dominate the modern style. White linen and flowers cover the tables. Service is unusually smooth and friendly and the Chinese music is relaxed. Set lunches are good value.

• Snow prawn ball = minced prawns with crispy shredded spring roll wrapper.

• Gourmet supreme shark’s fin = shark’s fin served with consommé.

• Shark’s fin and seafood bisque = shark’s fin with prawns, scallops and crabmeat soup.

• Pearl lobster = shelled lobster simmered in spring onions and ginger on a bed of fine noodles.

• Sea bass á la Han Chow = deep fried sea bass with sweet vinegar sauce.

• Toffe of apples and bananas.

• Pancake oriental = pancake stuffed with red bean paste.

Planet Hollywood

13 Coventry Street, The Trocadero, W1. Phone: 287 1000. Price: £50 ($76) for two. All major cards. (E2).

An inferior copy of Hard Rock Café, with accepteble food though, on the short street between Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Squere, suitable for observing moneyed young people being relieved of some of their money.

This hamburger joint is not as decorative as Hard Rock Café, with movies as the theme, showing film trailers on a screen. It is been “in” since its start.

• Blackened shrimp.

• Hollywood bowl salad.

• Mexican shrimp salad.

• Grilled sirloin strip.

• Ranch pork chops.

• Cajun chicken breast sandwich.

• Thai shrimp pasta.

• White chocolate bread pudding.

• Caramel crunch pie.

Poons

4 Leicester Street, WC2. Phone: 437 1528. Fax: 458 0968. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: £35 ($53) for two. All major cards. (E2).

One of many Poons restaurants in London, offering southern Chinese cooking from Canton, adapted to normal Western taste. For a long time the outlet on Leicester Street, just off Leicester Square, has been one of the best examples, simple and animated. In the window you can see wind-dried fowl and fish, advertising the specialty of the place.

Cooking is serious at this restaurant.

• Steamed scallops.

• Wun Tun soup.

• Wind-dried duck.

• Deep-fried squid with green pepper and salted black beans.

• Fried milk with Mandarin brandy.

Quaglino’s

16 Bury Street, SW1 171 930 6767. Phone: 930 6767. Fax: 836 2866. Price: £60 ($91) for two. All major cards. (D3).

An elegant and spacious St James’s basement restaurant with modern English cooking on the east side of the street, almost at Jermyn Street.

Under the observing look of already arrived guests, arriving ones make their grand entrance down a curving Hollywood staircase with is the main theme in the design of this bright and noisy restaurant with white linen on round tables, black benches, black chairs and red tables. Service is friendly and competent.

• Fish cake with parsley butter.

• Rost chicken, bacon and stuffing.

• Orange cake and vanilla sabayon.

• Pigeon salad, french beans and olive oil.

• Braised lamb, kidney and creamed parsnips.

• Pavlova with mixed berries.

Salloos

62-64 Kinnerton Street, SW1. Phone: 235 4444. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: £60 ($91) for two. All major cards. (C3).

The best Pakistani restaurant is in a back street just off Hyde Park Corner, 50 meters from the Berkeley hotel. Its prices reflect the good cooking.

Mr. and Mrs. Salahuddin receive guests in this quiet and clean restaurant. The decorations are Pakistani, but otherwise the place looks Western. The cooking is done in a tandoori clay oven.

• Chicken in cheese soufflé.

• Mutton porridge.

• Chicken tikka = spicy chicken.

• Tandoori prawns = oven-baked prawns.

• Chicken korma = braised chicken in youghurt.

Pakistani cuisine is influenced by invading nomads, speaking first Indo-Aryan and later Mongolian languages. It is a lavish cuisine based on meat, mainly lamb. Stewing is the most popular cooking method. Clay ovens are also used. Wheat is more important than rice.

Scott’s

20 Mount Street, W1. Phone: 629 5248. Fax: 499 8246. Hours: Closed Saturday lunch, Sunday. Price: £100 ($152) for two. All major cards. (C2).

A classic seafood restaurant in Mayfair, heavily decorated and frequented by ancient customers. Plans are for a refurbishment and an enlargement in early 1996.

The dining room is large and the tables are well spaced. Guests sit in comfortable leaher chairs at well laid-out tables. Heavily decorated and mirrored columns and a flower arrangement dominate the scene. The walls are pink and green, hung with modern paintings. The service is uneven, as there is much arguing between the waiters.

• Beetroot soup with horseradish cream.

• Sautéed wild mushroom salad.

• Seared salmon with grilled vegetables and new potatoes.

• Boiled bacon, mash and mushy peas.

• Sticky toffe pudding

• A selection of ice creams.

Tante Claire

68 Royal Hospital Road, SW3. Phone: 352 6045. Fax: 352 3257. Hours: Closed Saturday & Sunday. Price: £125 ($189) for two. All major cards.

In the deep south of Chelsea, almost by the Thames, with Pierre Koffmann in the kitchen and Claire Koffmann in the dining room, seating only 32. It is best to visit it at lunch as then you are offered a set meal of the day at half the a la carte price. Koffmann’s specialty consists in fine nuances rather than violent contrasts. The menu is short and changing all the time.

It is simple and gracious, the air-condition a little weak when cigar smokers come in force. The French waiters are good professionals.

• Coquilles St-Jacques a l’orange = scallops in orange sauce.

• Coquilles St-Jacques au gros sel = scallops on salt.

• Andouillette de la mer au vinaigre de cassis = seafood sausages with vinegar.

• Barbue au sauce moutarde = brill with mustard sauce.

• Ris de veau au gingembre = sweetbreads in ginger sauce.

• Filet de boeuf et sa sauce claire aux huitres = beef with oyster sauce.

• French cheeses from Philippe Olivier.

Tate

Tate Gallery, Millbank, SW1. Phone: 887 8877. Fax: 887 8902. Hours: Closed dinner & Sunday. Price: £50 ($76) for two. (E4).

One of the most important restaurants in London is in the cellar of Tate Gallery, only open for lunch. It is both known for its extensive and well chosen wine list at reasonable prices and for specializing in traditional English cooking.

The kitchen tries to reconstruct old English cooking, based on known recipes which are printed on the menu, including recipes from Oliver Cromwell’s wife.

• Buttered crab.

• Potted salmon.

• Jean Cromwell Grand Sallet.

• Steak, kidney and mushroom pie.

• Profiteroles.

• Blackberry meringue.

Preserves and pies have always been the hallmarks of English cooking.

Wheeler’s

19-21 Old Compton Street, W1. Phone: 437 2706. Price: £70 ($106) for two. All major cards. (E2).

An institution for decades, with offspring in several places in central London, an old-fashioned seafood restaurant for people over 65 years old. The original Wheeler’s is on the border of St James’s and Soho districts.

Guests sit bistro-style on benches along the walls at small tables or on chairs opposite them. Old pictures of fish decorate the yellowish walls. The Italian service is efficient. Green colors dominate.

• King prawns wrapped with courgette and served with a grain mustard sauce.

• Wheeler’s native oysters.

• Grilled whole baby turbot with mustard sauce.

• Cod and chips.

• Smoked haddock poached with spinach and cheese sauce.

• Berries of the season with clogged cream.

Zoe

St Christopher’s Place, W1. Phone: 224 1122. Fax: 935 5444. Hours: Closed Sunday dinner. Price: £55 ($83) for two. All major cards. (C2).

A multi-ethnic and trendy restaurant with good and robust cooking and a Mediterranean atmosphere just above Oxford Street on the corner of Barret Street and St Christopher’s Place.

The smart and lively restaurant of pleasant service is on two floors with a winding staircase between. The circular tables are well spaced. Walls and pillars are multicolored and there is a noisy parquet on the floor.

• Confit of rabbit, leek and Savoy cabbage terrine with bruschetta.

• Lobster carpaccio, sesame and ginger dressing.

• Scallop roe tartlet.

• Venison cutlets, pink peppercorn jus with roast aquid, saffron and parsnip risotto cake.

• Langoustine and scallop mousse canneloni with aquid ink sauce.

• Baked ricotta cheesecake.

• Sticky toffee pudding with brandy sauce and nutmeg butter.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

22 Jermyn Street

22 Jermyn Street, SW1. Phone: 734 2353. Fax: 734 0750. Price: £170 ($258) without breakfast. All major cards. 184 rooms. (E2).

A small and stylish hotel with gracious service for discrete connaisseurs on the north side of Jermyn Street near Regent Street, a few steps south of Piccadilly.

The discrete entrance masks the civilized interior with Edwardian antiques and fresh flowers. The 24 hour service is efficient and personalized at this hotel in the third generation of private owners. A weather forecast is even availabe at the breakfast table, also same-day washing, internet / fax facilities, and temporary membership of a neighboring health center.

The greenish room no. 104 is cozy and exquisite, with lots of quality furniture and thick rugs and curtains, strange drawings on the walls and a mirror on the desk. The marbled bathroom has all the amenities, including bathrobes.

Aster House

3 Sumner Place, SW7. Phone: 581 5888. Fax: 584 4925. Price: £78 ($118) without breakfast. All major cards. 12 rooms. (B4).

A tiny and charming hotel in South Kensington. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Athenaeum

116 Piccadilly W1. Phone: 499 3464. Fax: 493 1860. Price: £225 ($341) without breakfast. All major cards. 111 rooms. (D3).

Conveniently located and recently refurbished, sparkling business hotel overlooking Green Park.

The hotel staff is very efficient, specially the concierges. John remembers the names of the guests in spite of their number and daily changes. The breakfast is good and includes a healthy option of müsli, yoghurt, fruits and berries instead of the boring and heavy English eggs and bacon and sausages. There is a health center in the basement and jogging maps for the parks.

Room no. 504 is spacious, with quality furniture and relaxing blue-green colors. It has a sitting area by the windows to the street and park. The bathroom is laid in marble and functions very well.

Basil Street

8 Basil Street, SW3. Phone: 581 3311. Fax: 581 3693. Price: £175 ($265) without breakfast. All major cards. 93 rooms. (C3).

An aristocratic and old-fashioned hotel with an Edwardian country house soul caters especially to women and regulars in a quiet street a few steps from the Harrods department store and the Knightsbridge metro station, a short way from Hyde Park and the Knightsbridge museums.

In the third generation of owners this comfortable hotel is refined all the way from the courteous doorman at the beautiful entrance to the rich antiques in the corridors. The charming rooms are variable and the service is personable. A retreat for women is on he premises, The Parrot Club.

The rather spacious and quiet room no. 231 is in cozy colors and is equipped with quality furniture, including a carved table and an old-fashioned radio and TV set. The large and well-rigged bathroom has cork on the floor, tiles on the walls and wood in the ceiling.

Beaufort

33 Beaufort Gardens, SW3. Phone: 584 5252. Fax: 589 2834. Price: £140 ($212) without breakfast. All major cards. 28 rooms. (C4).

A charming hotel in a quiet place near Harrods. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Berkeley

Wilton Place, SW1. Phone: 235 6000. Fax: 235 4330. Price: £290 ($439) without breakfast. All major cards. 1602 rooms. (C3).

The best hotel in London, even if it is not quite as expensive as the Dorchester and the Claridges. It was built in 1971 and is the sole recently-built super-luxury hotel in the city. This is a castle of the British aristocracy. Most guests seem to wear bespoke outfits and speak with an Oxford accent. Here you wear a tie instead of a camera.

Immediately on the marble floor in the entrance hall we see that this is a different world from the outside. It does not even have the feel of a hotel, as softly spoken young men in city dresses offer a seat at an antique writing -desk during the formalities. The entrance and saloon are in oak. The dining rooms offer outstanding food. And a pretty swimming pool is at the top.

Room no. 329 has a good view out to Hyde Park. It is refined, lovely, roomy and comfortable. The silence is complete in spite of the heavy Knightsbridge traffic outside. The bathroom is spacious, done in marble and tiles, loaded with super-dimensional towels.

Chelsea

17-25 Sloane Street, SW1. Phone: 235 4377. Fax: 235 3705. Price: £190 ($288) without breakfast. All major cards. 225 rooms. (C3).

In a tower just behind the Harrods department store in Knightsbridge, better than many chain hotels. It has a swimming pool.

The hotel has a moveable roof, adapting to weather of each day. Tropical furniture and plants are used to create the impression of the Southern seas beside the pool and in the restaurant above it.

Room no. 705 is spacious and bright with a good view. The appointments are solid both in the room and in the rather cramped bedroom.

Clifton-Ford

47 Welbeck Street, W1. Phone: 486 6600. Fax: 486 7492. Price: £180 ($273) with breakfast. All major cards. 212 rooms. (D1).

Just north of Oxford Street, convenient both for shopping and theater, a good hotel in a modern building.

It has a roomy vestibule and an attractive bar with coats of arms. It is peaceful in spite of being so near the shopping clatter. The personnel is especially friendly and helpful.

Room no. 525 is spacious and conveniently furnished with a tastefully tiled bathroom. This is really a comfortable and a likable haven for London travelers, a modern and an aesthetic room.

Connaught

Carlos Place, W1. Phone: 499 7070. Fax: 495 3262. Price: £240 ($364) without breakfast. All major cards. 90 rooms. (D2).

The most aristocratic hotel and probably the second best hotel in London, in the center of Mayfair. It is so exclusive that you need a recommendation to get in for a first stay, just as you need at Claridges. The difference between the two is that you don’t see here any foreigners in travel clothes sporting cameras. De Gaulle lived here during the war. They now take cards.

The luxury is subdued, slow and a little stiff, but perfectly operative. The aged and courteous personnel know their jobs to the fingertips. The drawing room has Victorian gilding and plaster above the antique furniture, which does not match. The oak paneled bar with hunting relics is comfortable. A massive oak staircase leads up to corridors with lovely flower arrangements.

Room no. 223 is capacious, furnished in yellow colors. All appointments are old and tasteful. Mirrors are all over the place. The bathroom is not modern but has all the equipment and plenty of giant towels. By pressing a button you get laundering and pressing done in minutes. The high point of the breakfast in bed is Kedgeree, plucked fish in curry, an English bliss.

Dorchester

Park Lane, W1. Phone: 629 8888. Fax: 409 0114. Price: £280 ($424) without breakfast. All major cards. 247 rooms. (C3).

One of the top hotels in the world, facing Hyde Park. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Dukes

35 St James’s Place, SW1. Phone: 491 4840. Fax: 493 1264. Price: £240 ($364) without breakfast. All major cards. 64 rooms. (D3).

A charming hotel in a cul-de-sac off St James’s Street. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Durrant‘s

26 George Street, W1. Phone: 935 8131. Fax: 487 3510. Price: £115 ($174) with breakfast. All major cards. 96 rooms. (C1).

Directly behind the Wallace Collection, about 500 meters from Oxford Street, in an old Regency building, conveniently situate for the Oxford Street shops.

Inside it is full of oak paneling, antiques and old paintings. It looks and feels as you imagine a British club would do. The reception is most amiable.

Room no. 311 is rather cramped but well furnished in a modernist style and has a good bathroom. It is in the older part of the hotel. In the newer part they are simpler and less convenient.

Edward Lear

28-30 Seymour Street, W1. Phone: 402 5401. Fax: 706 3766. Price: £75 ($114) without breakfast. All major cards. (C2).

A well situated and functional hotel of comfortable prices on the northern side of the next street that runs parallel to Oxford Street, just to the west of New Quebec Street.

There is no elevator and service is minimal.

Room no. 11 is clean and relatively spacious, with flowery wallpaper, folding chairs, a tea service and a minimal TV set. The bathroom is fully tiled.

Elizabeth

37 Eccleston Square, SW1. Phone: 828 6812. Price: £70 ($106) without breakfast. No cards. 40 rooms. (D4).

A small hotel near Victoria Station. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Goring

Beeston Place 15, Grosvenor Gardens, SW1. Phone: 396 9000. Fax: 834 4393. Price: £200 ($303) without breakfast. All major cards. 79 rooms. (D4).

Between Buckingham Palace and Victoria Station, a small and quiet luxury hotel in family ownership, boasting of being the first in the world to offer a bathroom and central heating for each of its rooms. Here everything is spotless and well maintained.

This Edwardian hotel carries a solid, old-fashioned aura, reflected in the courteous and amiable staff. Spacious sitting rooms look to a peaceful garden. It is advisable to ask for a room overlooking that garden to avoid the traffic noise at the front.

Room no. 116 is ample and convenient. It has solid furniture and a big bathroom. We first thought there was no washbasin until we noticed that it looked the other way, into the room, where it is in a cupboard. Matching pastel colors make the room very pleasant, at least when the cupboard is closed.

Grosvenor

101 Buckingham Palace Road, SW1. Phone: 834 9494. Fax: 630 1978. Price: £140 ($212) without breakfast. All major cards. 366 rooms. (D4).

British Rail operates adequate and relatively inexpensive hotels at the stations Victoria and Charing Cross, both Victorian in appearance but more modern inside. This one at the Victoria Station is a Victorian palace pile.

The front rooms are imposing as the building itself, with arches, plastering, ornamented columns and a hilarious staircase.

Room no. 608 is a smallish attic room. It has a pervading flowery pattern in curtains, blankets and wall-paper. It could have been a notch cleaner. All amenities in the room and in the bathroom are in perfect condition.

Hazlitt’s

6 Frith Street, W1. Phone: 434 1771. Fax: 439 1524. Price: £130 ($197) without breakfast. All major cards. 22 rooms. (E2).

Very quaint and antique and comfortable hotel in the main restaurant street of Soho, opposite Bistrot Bruno and dell’Ugo, very well located for the evening action in the London West End.

There are three staircases and usually two rooms on each floor. Each room is named after a personality in the history of the house. No floor in the hotel is remotely horizontal. The reception is very friendly. Breakfast is served in the rooms, including warm bread, made on the premises. Hotel guests get an outdoor key, as the hotel is locked at all times.

Room Lady Francis Hewitt is wonderfully quaint. It has a canopy bed, antique furniture, dozens of old drawings, a large mirror and two large windows to Frith Street. The bathroom is large, also with dozens of old drawings and a large mirror, and has a Neo-Greek bust in the large window behind the toilet. Everything functions well, both in the room and in the bathroom.

Hospitality Inn Piccadilly

39 Coventry Street/Whitcomb Street, W1. Phone: 930 4033. Fax: 925 2586. Price: £130 ($197) without breakfast. All major cards. 92 rooms. (E2).

In an excellent location, just by Leicester Square, a solid no-frills hotel with large rooms in a decorous Victorian building, entered from Whitcomb Street

The public areas are imposing, almost pompous, with heavy leather chairs in the lobby.

Room no. 601 is very large and rather empty-looking, even if it has the essential furniture, including a desk, a large mirror, two easy-chairs and a trouser press. The bathroom is also large and fully tiled, but not attractive. The room overlooks and overhears Coventry Street. More quiet rooms are available at the back.

Hotel 167

167 Old Brompton Road, SW5. Phone: 373 0672. Fax: 373 3360. Price: £68 ($103) without breakfast. All major cards. 19 rooms. (A4).

A tiny hotel on the main South Kensington street. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

London Mews

2 Stanhope Row, W1. Phone: 493 7222. Fax: 629 9423. Price: £180 ($273) with breakfast. All major cards. 71 rooms. (D3).

Nestling unconspicuously behind the Hilton tower in the southwest corner of Mayfair, well situated for luxury shopping. The old oasis of Shepherd Market is just behind the hotel. It is easy to get a taxi by walking 200 meters to the Hilton entrance.

A marble floor and restful easy-chairs set the tone downstairs, as does the obliging personnel, ready day and night.

The furniture in the smallish room no. 202 is recent and homey, but the carpentry work on the massive pine is not first class. The fully tiled bathroom with a marble floor is well equipped, except for too small towels and a mirror not transparent enough. There is little disturbance from the occasional car in the alley leading to the hotel.

Manzi’s

1-2 Leicester Street, WC2. Phone: 734 0224. Fax: 437 4864. Price: £65 ($98) with breakfast. All major cards. 15 rooms. (E2).

A tiny hotel above a very good restaurant in the most perfect location in London. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

May Fair

Stratton Street, W1. Phone: 629 7777. Fax: 629 1459. Price: £270 ($409) without breakfast. All major cards. 287 rooms. (D2).

If you stay at the May Fair you don’t have to go outdoors, as a theater, a cinema and a nightclub are under the same roof. This may explain the popularity of the hotel with actors and entertainers who sometimes sit in the Victorian bar of this hotel in the south of Mayfair, 200 meters north of Piccadilly.

The vestibule has an agreeable parlor, marble columns, an impressive chrome staircase, an elegant crystal chandelier and amusing engravings from the Twenties above the purple plush in the bar.

Room no. 664 is cozy and warm. The dark hardwood is in unison with the plush Regency easy-chair, the statuette-lamp and two circular table mirrors. The bathroom is fully tiled and has all amenities.

Merryfield

42 York Street, W1. Phone: 935 8326. Price: £48 ($73) with breakfast. No cards. 8 rooms. (C1).

Here is the rock bottom price for a twin room with a bathroom in central London. It is in ten minutes walking distance north from Marble Arch, the west end of Oxford Street.

It is the domain of cheerful Mrs. O’Brien who cares for her guests. This is a spotless hotel. And remember to book early.

The rooms are small and snug. The bathrooms are also small, but in perfect condition.

Rembrandt

11 Thurloe Place, SW7. Phone: 589 8100. Fax: 225 3363. Price: £144 ($218) without breakfast. All major cards. 195 rooms. (B4).

A Victorian hotel opposite the Victoria & Albert Museum and the scientific museums of South Kensington and only about 500 meters from Harrods and other important Knightsbridge shops.

The hotel has been renovated and is sparkling. The spacious saloons downstairs are in traditional style, but the commodious bedrooms have acquired a modern look. It is advisable to book at the back as the traffic is heavy on the main street in front.

Room no. 531 is spacious, tasteful and comfortable. It has an ample, fully tiled and a sparkling bathroom.

Ritz

Piccadilly, W1. Phone: 493 8181. Fax: 4932687. Price: £270 ($409) without breakfast. All major cards. 130 rooms. (D3).

A renowned luxury hotel on one of the main streets of central London, near St James’s Street. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Royal Trafalgar

Whitcomb Street, WC2. Phone: 930 4477. Fax: 925 2149. Price: £140 ($212) without breakfast. All major cards. 108 rooms. (E2).

Smack in the heart of London, between the squares of Trafalgar and Leicester, the touching point of the restaurant, theater and cinema areas of Covent Garden in the east and Soho in the north, and of the shopping districts of St. James and Mayfair in the west, and of the political borough of Westminster in the south. The whole city center lies at your feet.

It is on a few floors in a modern tower alongside the National Gallery. The foyer, reception and front room are small, but attractive, as is the traditional pub, also on the ground floor. The staff is amiable. They give 24 hours service and remember the names of recurrent guests.

Room no. 409 looks to the National Gallery. It is nicely furnished with matching furniture which is just a little beginning to tire. It also has a thick carpet and a pleasant wall-paper. This relaxing room is a silent oasis in the turbulence of the metropolis. The bathroom is partly tiled and has a rather feeble shower.

Selfridge

Orchard Street W1. Phone: 408 2080. Fax: 629 8849. Price: £200 ($303) without breakfast. All major cards. 295 rooms. (C2).

Behind the department store of the same name in Oxford Street, convenient for shopaholists.

Above the pleasant foyer there is a peaceful living room with leather chairs, cedar wood and marble, and a bar with a cast-iron stove and roof beams, giving an impression of bygone days.

The Oxford Street uproar does not reach room no. 509. It is tastefully decorated in classical style, with practical positioning of furniture. The bathroom is modern and fully tiled.

Stafford

16-18 St James’s Place, SW1. Phone: 493 0111. Fax: 493 7121. Price: £225 ($341) without breakfast. All major cards. 74 rooms. (D3).

At a narrow alley leading off St James’s Street in the exclusive gentlemen’s club district of St James. It has complete peace and silence, only a stone’s throw from the hustle and bustle of St James’s Street and Piccadilly. In the same alley there is the equally quiet Dukes hotel, approximately in the same class, but with smaller rooms.

An easeful sitting room and a comfortable bar open out to a small flower garden. The hotel is so small that it resembles a country mansion with an army of servants.

Room no. 605 is spacious and richly furnished, partly with antiques. The relaxing wall-paper matches the outfit. Cupboards and luggage-holders are out of sight in order not to diminish the feeling that it would be far more glorious to wallow here in laziness than to do something important in the city. Even the bathroom is so attractive that you want to linger there.

Willett House

32 Sloane Gardens, SW1. Phone: 824 8415. Fax: 730 4830. Price: £90 ($136) for two. All major cards. 17 rooms. (C4).

In the heart of Chelsea in a quiet location just 100 meters off Sloane Square, the Victorian house of the amiable Nunez family.

Some of the rooms have bathrooms and all have TV sets but no direct telephone. They have acceptable furnishings and are very clean.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

History

London was born in the Roman invasions of Britain in the 1st C. B.C. It soon became the largest town in the country anl in 1066. Very little remains of the city as it was before the great fire of 1666.

In the 18th C. it grew d became the capital in 1066. Very little remains of the city as it was before the great fire of 1666.

Life

Pleasant London is one of the very few main centers of the human race, a world center of finance, business and politics. The pavements of the city center are crowded with people of all nations, many of them from distant corners of the world. Its inhabitants are unusually civilized. They even have time to help strangers.

It is not only on business that people visit London. It is no ordinary, busy city. It is also a quiet city with plenty of scope for relaxation. It is a city of gardens, big and small. It is a low-profile city of low-rise houses lining narrow and winding streets. It is also a conservative city of old mores and customs.

Leisure opportunities in London are a magnet. It is the soccer capital of the world and the theater capital of the world. Its pubs are justly famous. The cinemas are on top of everything new. It is a world center of pop music and one of the top fashion centers. Famous museums are also attractive. London is not beautiful, but it is a leisured city of many charms.

Nightlife

In spite of British stiff upper lip, London is a swinging city. The glitter of its night-life is most obvious at the discos of the town and other dancing venues, sometimes called clubs or nightclubs. Discos rise and fall so quickly that it is difficult to give up-to-date information in a travelers’ guide. We concentrate on those who have shown some staying power.

Pleasure

Nothing is simpler than killing time in London. Some like nothing better than to be driven around in the best taxis in the world. The restaurants cover the ethnic picture of the whole world. Wine bars are a distinct specialty of this world city. And pubs are very much a British institution.

In addition there are many and varied amusements for everybody’s taste. Some of us are theater addicts and others are cinema fans. Still other concentrate on discos or jazz cellars. We do not either forget the Saturday soccer game. Finally there are also some well advertised and mostly uninteresting arrangements for tourists, as set down in brochures available everywhere.

Soccer

London is the home town of a few famous soccer clubs, with Arsenal and Tottenham traditionally at the top. During season you can expect at lest one important soccer game in London each Saturday afternoon.

The play usually starts at 14, but fans arrive much earlier. It is advisable to have plenty of time as traffic jams around the stadiums can become heavy. Those with time on their hands can amuse themselves by watching the proceedings of the fans outside and inside the stadium.

Theater

London is world center of theater. Everybody can find something to suit his tastes, be it ballet, opera, musicals, comedy or drama. Many famous film actors regularly perform in London plays. A normal ticket price is £12 and higher for musicals.

Many of the main theaters are in the Covent Garden area and some in adjoining Soho. Those who want to become acquainted with the newest, will find experimental theaters in the suburbs. Information on plays is in daily newspapers and weeklies for visitors.

In most good hotels the hall porters are happy to help in acquiring tickets to the theater. In some hotels there are special ticket offices. On Leicester Square there is a kiosk where you can buy tickets at reduced prices for the performances of the day. You should have more than one play in mind to be ready to choose from those who have seats available.

Villages

London is a peculiar collection of villages of different personalities, of different attractions. As Westminster is a world different from City, so Covent Garden is a world different from its neighbor Soho. Instead of calling London a world city, we might as well call it a collection of world villages.

Embassies

Australia

Australia House, The Strand WC2. Phone: 379 4334.

Canada

Macdonald House, 1 Grosvenor Square W1. Phone: 379 4334. (D1).

New Zealand

New Zealand House, 80 Haymarket SW1. Phone: 930 8422.

United States

24 Grosvenor Square W1. Phone: 499 9000. (D1).

Accident

Phone: 999.

Ambulance

Phone: 999.

Complaints

The police in London is exemplary in their readiness to help people.

Dentist

Phone: 837 3646.

This emergency number answers day and night. Emergency dental care is available during the day at Royal Dental Hospital, 32 Leicester Square WC2, tel. 171 930 8831. After 17 it is at St. George’s Hospital, Tooting Grove, Tooting SW17, tel. 171 672 1255.

Fire

Phone: 999.

Hospital

Hospitals with emergency wards in central London are the Middlesex Hospital, Mortimer Street W1, tel. 171 636 8333; St Mary’s Hospital, Praed Street W2, tel. 171 262 1280; and St Thomas’s Hospital, Lambeth Palace Road SE1, tel. 171 928 9292.

Medical care

Medical Express, 17a Harley Street W1, tel. 171 499 1991, is a private clinic that guarantees treatment within 30 minutes.

Pharmacy

(E2).

Boots, Piccadilly Circus W1, tel. 171 734 6126, is open 8:30-20 Monday-Friday, 9-20 Saturday, 12-18 Sunday.

Police

Phone: 999.

Precautions

London is a relatively safe place for travelers. Even petty crime is rare.

Banks

Hours: 9:30-15:30 Monday-Friday.

Credit cards

Credit cards are accepted in hotels, restaurants and shops. Visa and Access (Eurocard, MasterCard) have the largest circulation.

Electricity

British voltage is 220V, same as in Europe. The plugs are different, with three pins.

Hotels

London hotels are generally rather clean, sometimes not well maintained, especially the plumbing. Small hotels, relatively few in central London, can be very good, even if they do not have TV sets in guest rooms. A bathroom is taken for granted nowadays.

We only include hotels with private bathrooms, and in most cases we also demand a direct telephone line, working air-condition, and peace and silence during the night. Only hotels in the city center are included as we want to avoid long journeys between sightseeing and our afternoon naps.

The price ranges from £25 to £220, in most cases including a substantial breakfast. There is no low season in London.

We checked all the hotels in this database during the winter of 1995-1996 as everything is fickle in this world. We have also tested some other hotels that are not included as they were not on par with the best in each price category.

Money

The currency in Great-Britain is the Pound Sterling, £, divided into 100 pence, p. There are £50, £20, £10, £5 notes, and coins for £1, 50p, 20p, 10p, 5p, 2p, 1p.

Prices

Prices have lately become stable in England.

Street numbers

There is scant logic in London street numbering. Sometimes odd and even numbers are on each side of the street. Sometimes the numbering goes up one side of the street and back the other side.

Tipping

Service is generally included in hotel and restaurant bills. If not, 10-15% is customary. Taxi drivers expect 10-15%. Porters, hairdressers and cloakroom attendants get small change.

Toilets

Avoid those in streets, parks and underground stations. Prefer those in museums, galleries, department stores and railway stations. You can use those of cafés for the price of a cup of coffee.

Tourist office

(D4).

The central information service of the British Tourist Authority is at 4 Grosvenor Gardens SW1, tel. 171 730 3400. The London Tourist Board answers at 171 971 0026.

Water

London tap water is drinkable.

Accommodation

Tourist information desks at Heathrow Central Station and at platform 15 in the Victoria railway station find accommodation for travelers.

Airport

The Piccadilly underground line brings you in 45 minutes from central London to Heathrow airport and goes every 5 minutes. A taxi takes the same time and costs ca £25. Check-in occasionally can take one hour. Gatwick airport connections are by rail and bus from Victoria Station. The train brings you in 35 minutes to that airport.

Check carefully which of the four terminals at the is your point of departure or whether your flight leaves from Gatwick airport. Heathrow Terminal 1 is for BA European flights, 2 for non-British European flights, 3 for non-British overseas flights and 4 for BA overseas flights. At Gatwick there are two terminals.

News

Information on goings-on in London is in the weeklies Time Out and What’s On and in the evening daily Standard. Ticket offices are numerous, often situated in lobbies of large hotels.

Phone

The British country code is 44. The local code for central London is 171, for other parts of London it is 181. The foreign code from Britain is 010.

Post

(E2).

The post office at William IV Street at Trafalgar Square is open day and night.

Railways

The British railway system is reliable.

Taxis

Taxis are better in London than anywhere else. They are roomy and reliable and their drivers know where they are going.

Traffic

Rush hours are 8-9:30 and 17-19 Monday-Friday. One-day, four-days and seven-days tickets with unlimited access in chosen city zones to all lines of buses and the underground railway system are available at stations and at newsagents. Most sights are in zone 1.

Cuisine

London is not a place for any recognizable English cooking. Most quality restaurants in London go in for French cuisine. The English have embraced French cuisine as suitable for their upper class dining.

The importance of London in gastronomy emanates from the many varieties of ethnic restaurants, representing all the corners of the world. Even New York with its many ethnic restaurants, does not have the same variety as London. Many ethnic restaurants in London are inexpensive. It is best to seek those out that cater to their own nationals.

Pubs

British pubs are justly world famous. Some of them still have beautiful decorations from the end of the 18th C. They are world renowned centers of rendez-vous. Each tavern has its own atmosphere made of its furnishings and clientele. In the city center they are usually open 11-15 and 17:30-23 and Sunday 12-14 and 19-20:30.

Unhappily some pubs have become a haven for idle drunkards. Others have been invaded by noisy electronic gadgetry and games machines. Still there are taverns who keep standards and are cozy resting places between planned activities of London visitors.

Restaurants

Lunch hour is 12:30-14:30 and dinner time is 19-23.

Wine

The British are wine connoisseurs. In fact they have always been leading in the systematic study of wine, even if producing very little of it. The lack of local produce has made it easier for them to seek wines from many countries and of many styles. The preference though is for French wine.

Wine bars

Wine bars have blossomed in London. As wined drinkers usually have a keener nose and tongue than beer swillers, they usually are more demanding of the food. Therefore wine bar fare is usually better than pub grub. All wines bars also serve good wines at a reasonable price, some of them by the glass.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Sjælland

We could go on an organized sightseeing tour, but it is more fun to set our own pace. Therefore we rent a car for an extra day for a trip around the northern part of Zealand to survey a typical Danish landscape, castles and a cathedral, and some very important museums.

If we want to have a look at everything in one day, we must set out early, at 9:00 in the morning. The round trip is 175 kilometers and takes almost four hours to cover, excluding stops. As some important sites close rather early, we do not have much time at each stop.

If we use two days for the trip we can either overnight at Hotel Marienlyst at 2 Nordre Strandvej in Helsingør = Elsinore, or at Hotel Store Kro at 6 Slotsgade in Fredensborg. We start by going north along the coast about 40 km to Humlebæk.

We find our way from Oslo Plads through Hammerskjölds Alle and Østerbrogade which soon changes into Strandvejen = The Coast Road. We drive on it out of town. This a narrow district road, winding its way around coastal villages, summer villas and country estates. In clear weather we can see the island Ven and the coast of Sweden. At Humlebæk we turn off the road to Louisiana.

Louisiana

Gammel Strandvej 13, Humlebæk. Hours: Open 10-17, Wednesday -22.

An country estate in a large and beautiful garden at the northern end of the village, a whole little world of modern art, both in and out of doors, in the old chateau and in new galleries, some of them underground. This is one of the most free museums in existence, gently kissed by the fresh ocean air.

If you don’t have a car, you can leave by train from Copenhagen Hovedbanegården. It leaves every half an hour. A ticket including entrance to the the museum costs DKr. 85.

You should plan to spend some time in Louisiana and have lunch there.

We now turn our attention to the artists. Alberto Giacometti is among them.

Alberto Giacometti

An Italian Swiss, born 1901. He started as a Cubist but became Surrealist before World War II. After the war he was considered an Existentialist in painting, depicting the distress of modern times.

Next comes Alexander Calder

Alexander Calder

Born in America 1898, educated as an engineer. Became a resident of Paris in 1926 and took up sculpture, in the beginning by using wire as material. Was a friend of Arp, Miro, Mondrian and Léger and started to make Abstract sculpture. Many of his works are mobile, some of them operated by machines and others moving with the wind.

Next is César (Baldaccini).

César

Born in France 1921, became a Neo-Realist sculptor, concentrating on works of art made of industrial refuse, such as car wrecks, depicting the destructive stress of modern times.

We turn our attention to Frank Stella.

Frank Stella

Born in America, an adherent of simple Abstract Geometrism, empasizing the repeat and rhythm of the simple line.

Henry Moore is next.

Henry Moore

Born in Britain in 1898, started as a Surrealist and moved into Abstract sculpture. After World War II his best-known work has mainly been massive outdoor sculpture with holes.

Jean Dubuffet is next.

Jean Dubuffet

Born in France 1901, worked partly in commerce until 1947. His works have tended to the Primitive, Savage Art as he calls it, combining it with elements of Surrealism.

Now it is Joan Miró’s turn.

Joan Miró

Born in Spain 1893, lived for a while in Paris. He went through periods, started in Cubism, went into Dadaism and then Surrealism. He signed the Surrealist Manifesto. His works exude fairy tales and joy.

Nobuo Sekine catches our interest next.

Nobuo Sekine

Born in Japan, a sculptor famous for heavy forms on slender feet.

Richard Long follows.

Richard Long

His specialty is to make art in nature by lining up stones.

Then comes Sebastian Matta.

Sebastian Matta

Born in Spain 1912. Educated as an architect and worked with Corbusier. Became an Abstract painter before World War II. After the war he has embraced mechanistic and symbolic techniques.

Jean Tinguely comes next.

Jean Tinguely

Born in Switzerland 1925, built windmills and became a Dadaist Abstract painter and sculptor after World War II. Produced art machines who move and make music and are even edible, moving between Neo-Realism and Kinetism

This must be enough of samples of the important artists of this century whose works are on display in Louisiana. We must move on.

We drive again to the Strandvejen coast road and drive the short way to Helsisgør = Elsinore. We keep to Strandvejen all the way to the harbor for the ferries to Sweden, as from there the directions to Kronborg castle are clearly marked.

Kronborg

Hours: Open in summer 10-17, in winter 11-15.

An ancient cornerstone of the Danish Realm, a fort from which ships, which refused to pay for passage through the Sound, were shelled. It was built in 1574-1585 in Dutch Mannerist style, rather cold to look at, in red tile and with a copper roof. This is the setting Shakespeare used for his Hamlet tragedy, now bringing in a steady stream of English speaking travelers.

Inside we can see one of Europe’s greatest palace saloons, original oak furniture in a church and the chambers of the king and queen. Most important is Handels- & Søfartsmuseet = The Danish Maritime Museum, in the castle.

Having refreshed the memory of our literary education we can get lost and find the sedate market square downtown in Helsingør = Elsinore, surrounded with old houses and old streets. If we have lunch or dinner at Gæstgivergården Torvet we will enjoy a timeless atmosphere.

After lunch or dinner or next morning we are on the road again. We take A3 and turn on to A6 after six kilometers. After 20 minutes driving we arrive at a new stop, Fredensborg Slot = Palace of Peace. Take care to follow the signs to Fredensborg Slot, not Fredensborg, as it is the name of the adjoining village.

Fredensborg Slot

Fredensborg. Hours: Open in July at the hours 13-17.

The peaceful palace is open to the public only in July, but the great park is open all year. The palace was built in 1719-1726 by Frederik IV in Italian style.

It was a kind of European society center in the reign of Christian IX. He was called the father-in-law of Europe, as so many of his daughters married foreign crown-princes. Here he laid out summer parties for his relatives and in-laws, among them Czar Alexander III of Russia and King Edward VII of Britain.

In Fredensborg town there are two good restaurants, Skipperhuset, Skipperallé 6, 3480 Fredensborg; and Hotel Store Kro, Slotsgade 6, 3480 Fredensborg. The latter one is also a hotel that we are recommending.

We continue on A6 for ten minutes through Gribskov, one of Denmark’s biggest forests, to Hillerød. Arriving there we follow signs to Frederiksborg Slot.

Frederiksborg Slot

Hillerød. Hours: Open in summer 10-17, in winter 11-15.

A majestic and elegant castle, built by Frederik II in 1560 in Dutch Mannerist style. His son, Christian IV, also influenced its architecture. He was born here and had the castle changed and renovated in 1602-1620.

It is now a major national museum with a gem of a chapel with a throne and an organ from 1610. The main hall of the castle is also heavily decorated. Here the kings of Denmark were crowned until the custom of crowning was abolished. In the museum there are innumerable paintings and old pieces of furniture.

We again drive on A6 and this time for three quarters of an hour to reach the former royal town of Roskilde. Arriving there we first follow signs to the town center, looking for a roundabout crossing with a sign pointing to Vikingeskibshallen = The Viking Ships Museum, at the harbor.

Vikingeskibshallen

Roskilde. Hours: Open in summer 9-18, in winter 10-16.

Opened in 1969, exhibiting five ships from 1000-1050, which were sunk in the narrow entrance to the fjord, probably to prevent the entering of a group of Norwegian Vikings. 70% of the wood from the ships has been preserved and put into place again with the greatest skill.

Here we can see what is possibly the sole survivor of the type of ship that the Vikings of Scandinavia used to discover Iceland, Greenland and America. It is the merchant ship, “knörr”. The other ships are a small merchant ship, a ferry, a fishing boat and a military longship.

We return to the traffic roundabout and continue into Roskilde center. It will not be difficult to locate the dominant cathedral.

Roskilde Domkirke

Roskilde. Hours: Open in summer Sunday 12:30-17:45, Monday-Saturday 9-17:45, in winter Sunday 12:30-15:45, Monday-Friday 10-15:45, Saturday 9-17:45.

The foundations of the cathedral date from the time of bishop Absalon, about 1170, but the tops of towers were not added until 1635. The style is a combination of Romanesque and Gothic. The church was damaged in a fire in 1968, but has been restored since.

In this cathedral most Danish kings and queens have been buried for the last 1000 years. Some of the coffins are of alabaster, others of marble. In the chapel of Christian I there is a column on which the height of royal visitors are marked.

When we leave Roskilde we make a short detour to Lejre, if we still have time before Oldtidsbyen = The Iron Age Hamlet, closes for the day at 17:00. To find Lejre we take A1 south from Roskilde and soon arrive at a signpost to Lejre. The whole way takes about a quarter of an hour. Otherwise we drive on A1 in the other direction and reach Copenhagen in only half an hour.

Oldtidsbyen

Lejre. Hours: Open in summer 10-17.

An Iron Age Hamlet has been reconstructed in an archeological center. It has workshops for ceramics, weaving, coloring, masonry and carpentry.

We return on A1 and turn back to Copenhagen.

Dragør

Amager.

If we are idle for half a day it is ideal to take a bus to the village of Dragør behind the Kastrup airport on the island of Amager. Buses 30, 33 and 33 H leave from Rådhuspladsen square.

It is a sleepy seaside village with old, romantic houses and narrow streets, founded by Dutch settlers in the 1st half of the 16th C.

Baghuset, Strandgade 14, 2791 Dragør, is the good restaurant in town.

From Dragør harbor there is a ferry to Limhamn in Sweden.

Malmø

The flying boats between Copenhagen and Malmø in Sweden leave from the corner of Nyhavn and Havnegade in the city center. The trip takes only 35 minutes.

On the other side of the channel we can inspect the cathedral of Malmø, the most beautiful Romanesque church in Scandinavia, built 1080-1145.

We can also go to the sympathetic university and bishopric suburb of Lund.

Danmark

We should try to discover the charms of the country behind Copenhagen, the roots on which the cosmopolitan stem of Copenhagen rests. We can visit old castles and churches and old towns and countrysides, which have bred the Danish “hygge” through the centuries. If we have children in tow we can easily fit in visits to safari parks and the children’s park of Legoland.

We suggest a trip of 900 km driving, plus four ferry rides between islands. If we are planning for a whole week, it will make a relaxed daily driving of about 130 km, with plenty of time for sightseeing and relaxing. In more hurry this trip could be made in fewer days, especially if we consent to skip some of the less important sights in the following pages.

Having booked all hotels on our planned itinerary, we depart in a rented car from Copenhagen and head south on A2/E4 all the 38 km to the town of Køge, where we follow the town center signs to the Torvet main square.

Køge

Køge.

We can park and buy provisions at Torvet, the main square of Køge. In the square and in two of the streets leading off it, Kirkestræde and Vestergade, there are some 16th C. half-timbered houses.

In Kirkestræde we can also see the 17th C. Skt. Nicolaj church, from the tower of which Christian V observed the naval battle of Denmark and Sweden in Køge bay in 1677.

We soon strike out south in the direction of Vordingborg on the district road, not the motorway A2/E4. After about 20 km we come to the latter of two signs to Haslev on the right. We turn there if we want to see the chateaux of Bregentved and Gisselfeld. From the crossroads there are 2 km to Bregentved. Otherwise we keep on and look for the Næstved sign, 5 km farther on.

Bregentved

Haslev. Hours: Open Sunday & Wednesday.

A Rococo mansion with a park with lime-tree alleys, basins, flower arrangements and open spaces. The park is open to the public on Sunday and Wednesday.

Two km farther on the road we take a left turn for Gisselfeld.

Gisselfeld

Haslev.

A Renaissance castle, built in 1547 as a fortress, surrounded by a moat. The beautiful park is open to the public.

On the same road we soon see the Næstved sign. After passing through Holme-Olstrup we turn right for the Holmegård glassworks.

Holmegård Glasværk

Fensmark. Hours: Open Monday-Friday 9-12 & 12:30-13:30, in summer also Saturday-Sunday 11-15.

Here we can see the most precious glass hand-blown by time-honored methods. This is one of the most famous Danish glassworks and is probably the best one, founded in 1825. This is a place to linger in, if you can tolerate the heat from the 1450?C hot glass.

We put the car in gear and keep on the road all they way to Næstved. When entering the town we make a few hundred meters detour to the former monastery of Herlufsholm.

Herlufsholm

Næstved. Hours: Open in summer 10-16, in winter 11-13.

The monastery is from 1560. The most important part of it is the 12th C. church which still retains a 13th C. look.

Now it is time for lunch and we head straight for Næstved center where we park under the hill of Skt. Peders church. We climb the short way to church square and go directly for lunch into hotel Vinhuset, Skt. Peders Kirkeplads. We have traveled 60 km since leaving Køge. After lunch we enter Skt. Peders church.

Sankt Pederskirke

Næstved. Hours: Open in Summer Tuesday-Friday 10-12 & 14-16, in winter 10-12.

The biggest Gothic church in Denmark is from the 13th and 14th C.

We stroll along the church square, Akseltorv, through Torvestræde to the Skt. Mortens church from the 12th C. Then we turn into the Renaissance-looking Riddergade with a half-timbered house from 1500, and then back on Købmagergade and Skt. Peders Kirkeplads, past an old rectory from 1450 and a local museum, back to our car.

Having breathed memories from the Medieval merchant and monastery town of Næstved, we hit the 29 km road straight to Vordingborg, a town in beautiful surroundings. Our road leads by Algade directly to the town center and to the ruins of the town castle.

Gåsetårnet

Vordingborg. Hours: Open in summer Tuesday-Sunday 13-16.

The national hero Valdemar the Great built the castle in the 12th C. as a starting point for his military campaigns in Germany and Poland. He died in the castle in 1182.

We can see walls, foundations and cellars in addition to Gåsetårnet = The Geese Tower, which still stands, seven storeys high. It was both a fortress tower and a dungeon, with 3,5 m thick walls and a height of 36 m up to the golden goose on top.

Now we drive over Denmark’s longest bridge, 3,2 km, over Storstrømmen to the island of Falster, on our 31 km road straight to Nykøbing. There we follow signs to the center-east and soon find the Baltic Hotel on the corner of Bredgade and Jernbanegade, tel. 0385 3066. We book dinner at Czarens Hus in nearby Langgade 2, tel. 0385 2829, and also our ferries for tomorrow.

Nykøbing

Nykøbing.

After a shower we walk Jernbanegade to Gråbrødrekirken = Gray Friars’ Church, from 1532, with an adjoining monastery. From the church we plunge into pedestrian Lille Kirkestræde, which has kept an old atmosphere. We turn right into Friesgade / Langgade, past the oldest burgher house in town, at no. 18, from 1580, to Czarens Hus at no. 2.

This is a half-timbered house from around 1700. Czar Peter the Great dined there and so we are doing tonight. It is a museum of cultural history and a restaurant. The latter is a museum in itself.

Having booked the ferries Tårs-Spodsbjerg, Rudkøbing-Marstal and Søby-Fåborg, we take Brovejen over the bridge between the islands of Falser and Lolland and either go directly on A7 for Sakskøbing and Maribo or make the Nysted detour to Fuglsang chateau and Ålholm castle. The road from Nykøbing to Nysted is 16 km and 24 km from there to Maribo. We next arrive at Fuglsang.

Fuglsang

Nykøbing.

A Gothic Renaissance manor in a beautiful park, suitable for a morning stroll.

We go on to Nysted, where we make a detour to Ålholm Slot just when entering town.

Ålholm Slot

Nysted. Hours: Open in summer 11-18.

The large 12th C. castle looks like a fairy tale’s robbers’ castle. It has many different styles from different periods. The north-east tower is from the 14th C and the western walls are from the 13th C. It was once a royal residence.

Near the castle is the Ålholm Automobil Museum with 200 antique cars from 1896 to 1939.

From Ålholm we take the Sakskøbing road to Maribo. Near the central square of Torvet we find the Maribo cathedral.

Maribo Domkirke

Maribo.

The town is built around a convent and a monastery from the early 15th C. The church, from 1413-1470 is beautifully situated at pleasant lakes.

After 3 km on the A7 in the direction of Nakskov, we turn right for Bandholm to make a 5 km detour to Knuthenborg safari park.

Knuthenborg Safari Park

Bandholm. Hours: Open in summer 9-18.

The largest safari park in Scandinavia, since 1970, with Bengali tigers as the main attraction. In addition the park boasts of wild-roaming antelopes, giraffes, zebras, camels, rhinos, ostriches, apes, etc.

There is also a large children’s zoo with pony riding, a playground with a miniature country and other attractions, seven miniature English palaces and castles, and 500 different species of trees.

This is a good place to spend the whole afternoon, if children are traveling with us. We can have lunch at Skovridergård Cafeteria in the middle of the park. But we must also take care not to miss the two ferries we have to catch before arriving in Ærøskøbing tonight.

In due time we must return back to the A7 from Maribo to Nakskov, drive the 27 km to Nakskov and from there the 4 km to the ferry harbor of Tårs. The ferry from Tårs to Spodsbjerg on Langeland island runs every hour and often every half an hour. The trips takes 45 minutes. From Spodsbjerg pier there is only a short trip of 8 km to the ferry pier in Rudkøbing.

Rudkøbing

Rudkøbing.

From the pier we walk up Brogade to Gåsetorvet which is surrounded with old houses, and then a few meters on to the church, which is partly from ca 1100, with a Renaissance tower from 1621.

From there we walk through the old atmosphere along Smedegade, Vinkældergade, Ramsherredsgade, Gammel Sømandsgade, Strandgade, Sidsel Bagersgade, Østergade and then back Brogade to the harbor.

From Rudkøbing we can make a detour over the Langeland bridge of 1,7 km and back again to the pier.

The last ferry to Marstal on Ærø island leaves at 20:15 and weekends at 21:15. The trip takes an hour. From Marstal there is a short 5 km ride to Ærøskøbing where we park in the middle of the old town, at the parking place of hotel Ærøhus, Vesterbrogade 38, tel. 0952 1003. We hurry to claim our dinner table at nostalgic Mumm in nearby Søndergade, tel. 0952 1212.

Ærøskøbing

After sleeping soundly in one of the garden houses of the quiet old Ærøhus hotel, we stroll through the old streets, Søndergade, Gyden, Nørregade, Smedegade and the crossing Vestergade and Brogade.

This is the most genuine 17th and 18th C. town in the whole of Denmark. Ærøskøbing is the high point of our trip back into romantic history and nostalgia. The whole town is old like a museum, with 36 protected houses, but still livable and lived in, with modern children going to school through the alleys in the morning. And the town is happily off the main tourist track.
We book the ferry and dial Falsled Kro for a late 14:30 lunch.

We take the 13:15 ferry from Søby, 16 km west of Ærøskøbing. The ferry ride takes an hour to Fåborg on the island of Fyn. On arriving there we drive directly 10 km to Falsled on the Assens road, for a real gastronomic lunch at beautiful and luxurious Falsled Kro by the sea at the far end of Assens village. After lunch we return to Fåborg and park at the central Torvet square.

Vesterport

Fåborg.

We have a look at old street parts around Vesterport, in Vestergade, Holkegade and Østergade, all in the immediate vicinity of the remaining tower of the demolished Skt. Nicolai church, just by our parking place.

Færgegårdens Restaurant, Christian IX’s vej, 5600 Fåborg, is a good restaurant in town.

From Fåborg we set out on the 47 km A8 road to Nyborg, first passing Brahetrolleborg 1 km on the far side of Korinth village.

Brahetrolleborg

Korinth.

A Cistercian Monastery, church and castle from 1172.

We continue on A8. 10 km later we make a 1 km detour to Egeskov.

Egeskov

Kværndrup. Hours: Open in summer 10-17.

The best preserved Renaissance moated castle in Europe, with a unique garden, including 200 years old bushes and a herb garden. It was built 1524-1554 on oak poles rammed into the bed of a lake.

We drive back to A8 and continue to Nyborg where we drive straight past the center to Nyborg Strand, looking for our lodgings at the Hesselet, Nyborg Strand, tel. 0931 3029, one of the best hotels in Denmark, in spite of being a conference hotel. It also has gastronomic ambitions. After a morning ride on a hotel cycle we drive to Nyborg center and park at Nyborg Slot.

Nyborg Slot

Hours: Open in summer 10-17, in winter Tuesday-Sunday 10-15.

A castle from 1170, long a strategic meeting place for royalty and nobility.

Soon we speed on A1/E66 the short 29 km to Odense. We go straight for the center and park underground at the square opposite the Skt. Albani church.

Odense

Odense.

One of the oldest towns in Scandinavia, the third largest city in Denmark, a bishopric since 1020 and the special town of story-teller H.C. Andersen.

The best culinary restaurant in Odense is Marie Louise, Lottrups Gård, Vestergade 70-72, 5000 Odense, tel. 6617 9295, closed Sunday. For atmoshphere we are recommending Under Lindetræet or Den Gamle Kro, which we shall pass on our walk in the center.

First we walk right off the square past the city hall to Skt. Knuds church.

Sankt Knuds Kirke

Odense.

From the middle of the 13th C. the most important Gothic church of Denmark, housing the graves of a few Danish kings and queens, a clean and harmonious building, especially inside.

Just farther than the church along Skt. Knuds Kirkestræde there is Munkemøllerstræde with the childhood home of H.C. Andersen at no. 3-5, open in summer 10-17, in winter 12-15.

We return to Skt. Albani church, cross Torvegade and walk into the district of Overgade, Bangsboder, Jensensstræde, Ramsherred and Sortebrødretorv.

H. C. Andersen Museum

Odense.

The more or less pedestrian district of Overgade, Bangsboder, Jensensstræde, Ramsherred and Sortebrødretorv is an old village inside the modern city center.

In Jensensstræde 39-43 the H.C. Andersen museum is open in summer 9-18, in winter 10-15, showing some of his personal things, books and original drawings.

Opposite the museum, at Ramsherred 2, the restaurant Under Lindetræet, tel. 0912 9286, is suitable for H.C. Andersen’s fans. A more economical alternative, also in an old atmosphere is Den gamle Kro in Overgade 23, tel. 0912 1433, a restaurant in a half-timbered house from 1683, surrounding a courtyard. It has been a restaurant all this time.

After lunch and possibly further walks in the old center, we steer again to the A1 for a late afternoon one hour drive the 67 km to Kolding on the Jylland = Jutland mainland of Europe, crossing the Lillebæltet suspension bridge from 1970 of 1 km in length and 42 m of sailing height. In Kolding center we stop beside the castle of Koldinghus.

Koldinghus Slot

Kolding. Hours: Open in summer 10-17, in winter Monday-Saturday 12-15, Sunday 10-15.

A castle from the 13th C., partially restored as a museum of several collections.

It is pleasant to saunter on the love path along the lake in front of the castle.

On the other side of the lake is the city park with hotel Tre Roser, Grønningen 2, tel. 0553 2122, where we are going to dine and overnight. Another alternative at this side of the lake is Saxildhus, Banegårdspladsen, tel. 0552 1200. The best restaurant in town is La Cocotte, Scantiocon, Skovbrynet 1, 6000 Kolding.

Next morning we leave town on A10/E3, charging into the Billund road soon after our start. The trip to Billund is 40 km and we arrive at the Legoland gate when this children’s wonderland opens at 10:00 in summer.

Legoland

Billund. Hours: Open 10-20.

Here we must give the children a free rein into the afternoon, interrupted by lunch at Vis-a-Vis, directly accessible without leaving the park. The Lego guard parades Saturday and Sunday at 13-15.

Legoland is owned by Lego Systems, the producer of famous little play-bricks for children. The main attraction is a miniature country built from 33 million Lego bricks, with medieval towns and villages, modeled on Amsterdam and other romantic cities, and landscapes from Rhineland, Norway, Sweden and Holland. The versatility of the Lego bricks is astounding.

The children also love to test their driving skills in the driving school and to get their certification afterwards. There is also a unique doll museum with over 350 antique dolls and ca 40 doll houses; a toy theater with six performances daily; a wild-west town with an Indian settlement, pony riding, gold-digging and a saloon; furthermore trains, cars, boats and kindergartens.

From Billund we take the road signposted to Give, and having passed that village we turn right for the Vejle road. After some 25 km from Legoland we arrive at Give Løvepark = Lions Park.

Give Løvepark

Give. Hours: Open in summer 10 – 2,5 hours before sunset.

A kind of a safari land with lions as the main attraction. We can drive around, occasionally having to nudge the animals off the track.

In addition to lions Give park boasts of elephants, wild boars, antelopes, camels, tapirs, hippos, zebras, ostriches, lamas and many exotic birds. There is also a kindergarten with special facilities for children to get acquainted with animals.

We continue the 20 km of the road from Give to Vejle, stopping for a while at Jelling.

Jelling

Jelling.

We climb the mounds on either side of the church, the graves of the 10th C. king Gorm and queen Tyre, from the late 10th C.

In the cemetery we inspect the two runic stones, the smaller one erected by king Gorm in memory of Tyre, and the bigger one erected by king Harald Blåtand = Blue Tooth, in memory of Gorm. We can also see about 50 reerected menhirs in the area.

On the same road we arrive at Vejle and drive south through the city on A18/E67 and turn left for Munkebjerg. After some 8 km on the coast road we arrive for an overnight at panoramic hotel Munkebjerg, tel. 0582 7500. Next morning we drive back in the direction of Vejle, look for the Århus sign, cross the bay on a high bridge and drive on A10 all the way to Århus center.

Århus

Århus.

The second city of Denmark. It has a famous reconstruction of a village of historical buildings, the well-preserved remains of a 1600 years old corpse, and many other interesting sights.

Among them is a museum of natural history in the university park, especially noteworthy for showing the start and evolution of life. Also the cathedral, founded in 1201, consecrated to Skt. Clemens. It was originally a Romanesque brick church, restored and enlarged in the 15th C. and changed into a Gothic style. It is the longest church in Denmark.

There are some nice dinner spots in town, including the gastronomic De 4 Årstider at Åbulevarden, tel. 0619 9696 and Gammel Åbyhøj at Bakkealle 1, tel. 0615 7733 and the historical Kellers Gård at Frederiksgade 84-86.

Finding the Århus harbor, we drive south Spanien and Srandvejen where we find Hotel Marselis, Strandvejen 25, tel. 0614 4411. After getting our room we continue on Strandvejen past the camping place and follow the signs to Mosegård museum.

Mosegård

Århus. Hours: Open in summer 10-17, in winter Tuesday-Sunday 10-17.

An archeological and ethnographic museum in the woods, showing us Danish prehistory, including the famous, well-preserved Grauballe man, looking as if he was offered to the gods only a few months ago. This 1600 old corpse is more macabre than anything at Madame Tussaud.

Returning to the hotel we prepare for a visit to Den gamle By = The Old Village, in the city center and to have dinner in town.

Den gamle By

Århus. Hours: Open in summer 9-17, in winter Monday-Saturday 11-13, Sunday 10-15.

An open-air museum of 60 old buildings, which have been transported here and reerected. They are complete with interiors, showing bygone economy, architecture, habitation, commerce and handicraft.

Especially noteworthy is the Mayor’s house from 1597 at the main village square. Many of the shops have intriguing interiors, such as the watchmaker’s, the brewery and the chemist’s, full of quaint jars and pharmaceutical instruments.

This is the recreation area of Århus, overflowing with people during happenings on weekends, extremely amusing in being in the same breath a nostalgia and a living carrousel. Beside it the botanical garden spreads out for afternoon picnics.

After the night at Marselis we have to rise early to catch the 8:00 ferry from Århus harbor to Kalundborg on the island of Sjælland. We can skip breakfast at the hotel as we can have it at leisure on board. Landing in Kalundborg we drive directly up the hill to the church, where we part in Adelgade.

Kalundborg Kirke

Kalundborg. Hours: Open in summer 9-18, in winter 9-16.

A Byzantine church, built in 1170 in the form of five towers with a ground plan resembling a Greek crucifix, one of Denmark’s most unusual churches.

There are nice, old houses in the church square.

Leaving Kaldundborg on the road to Slagelse, we take a right hand detour of 4 km to the palace of Lerchenborg.

Lerchenborg

Kalundborg. Hours: Open in summer Monday-Thursday & Saturday 13-17, Sunday 13-18.

A Baroque building from 1743-1753 with an entrance to a wide park of 20,000 roses among other flowers and trees.

We return to the main road and continue the 38 km to Slagelse. Arriving there we find the Korsør road out of the town center and look for a right hand sign to Trelleborg, where there is a 5 km detour for us.

Trelleborg

Slagelse.

A most curious Viking fortress from 1000-1050. It includes a moat and a main fort, surrounded by a high circular wall with four gates facing the four major directions. Inside the main wall there are sixteen house, built in a strict geometric pattern. Outside there is a reconstruction of one of the fortress houses.

Anyone who thought that the Vikings were not especially influenced by Roman engineering and exactitude may change his opinion here. The only difference is that Roman castra were rectangular and Trelleborg is circular.

Turning back to Slagelse we hit the A1/E66 to Copenhagen, through Sorø and Ringsted. The first leg, to Sorø, is 15 km. We stop in the town center at the square Torvet just by the convent gate and cross the street for a late lunch in the confectionery. Then we walk through the gate to Sorø Klosterkirke.

Sorø Klosterkirke

Sorø. Hours: Open in summer Monday-Saturday 11-17, Sunday 13-17.

The largest convent church in Denmark. The Cistercian convent was founded 1160-1170 at the instigation of folk-hero and bishop Absalon, who is buried behind the altar as the other folk-hero, king Valdemar Atterdag and some other kings.

We also walk down to the lake which is in beautiful surroundings, eminently suitable for relaxed strolls. The park includes an English garden on the right when approaching the lake.

From Sorø there are 16 km along the same road to Ringsted. There we drive to Skt. Bendts Kirke in the center,

Skt. Bendts Kirke

Ringsted. Hours: Open in summer 10-12 & 13-17, in winter 10-12.

A Benedictine church in the Romanesque style, one of the very first brick buildings in Denmark. The Gothic elements were added after a fire in 1241. In he church there are over 20 royal graves.

Now we take the car for the last leg of 60 km to Copenhagen. We have made a seven-day pilgrimage through the country, parks, villages, towns, churches, museums and castles of Denmark, through its history, its ambiance, its nostalgia, its “hygge”, -ever ready for another visit sooner or later.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Strøget

(B2).

The liveliest street in town, the true axis of the center, crowded with pedestrians all day long. All kinds of people mix together and fit together. It takes 15 minutes to walk along the whole street, excluding window-shopping and observing happenings. There are many sidewalk cafés, mainly at Amagertorv. The latter square is the center of importance at Strøget.

We went our way listening to a jazz band’s lively music on the corner of Bremerholm, foreign hippies’ guitar music in a closed bank entrance in Østergade, atomic power friends leaflet distribution on Amagertorv, students’ protest against cuts in the education budget on Vimmelskaftet, and their colleagues’ play about the same issue on Nytorv.

It connects the two central squares of Copenhagen, Kongens Nytorv and Rådhuspladsen. It has the densest concentration of interesting shops for travelers, especially the eastern part of it, in the neighborhood of Kongens Nytorv. Crossing Strøget are also some interesting shopping streets and alleys. At both ends of Strøget there are other popular shopping streets.

We start at Hans Hansen on the corner of Strøget (signposted as Amagertorv) and Hemmingsensgade.

Hans Hansen

Amagertorv 16. (B2).

On the corner of Strøget and Hemmingsensgade, opposite Helligåndskirken church, one of the best silver shops in Denmark, with displays of modern design, including silver-inlaid palisander in fifty different objects. The style of owner Karl Gustav Hansen’s design is angular, almost mathematical, and will probably still be fashionable in the 21st C.

From Amagertorv we continue eastwards on Strøget (signposted as Amagertorv) and soon arrive at Illum’s Bolighus on our left side.

Illums

Amagertorv 10. (B2).

One of the best and most important home-furnishings shops in the world, a four-storey world of wonders, with no single item of a tun-of-the-mill type. Many of the best-known Danish designers are represented at Illums, amongst them Bjørn Viinblad, the illustrious and dynamic creator. Some of his designs are moderately priced at Illums, an exception that proves the rule.

Here the feeling grows inside us that all our odds and ends at home are only worth a classified ad in our local newspaper, and that we must instead get a container full of the artistic, high-quality and clever designer items at Illums. The central main hall of the shop was originally a courtyard behind many narrow houses that one by one were added to the shop.

This is an ocean of lamps, carpets, fabrics, furs, fashions, ceramics, jewelry, glass, kitchenware, tableware, furniture and other things for the house. Our local shops seem provincial by comparison. On our last visit we especially noticed simple lampshades with inlaid dried flowers. They were beautiful and reasonable priced, but alas, too bulky for a travelers baggage.

Next door is Royal Copenhagen, Den Kongelige Porcelainsfabrik.

Kongelige Porcelainsfabrik

Amagertorv 4. (B2).

Having incorporated it nearest neighbor and competitor in porcelain, Bing & Grøndahl, it is now the best known producer in the world of serial Christmas plates, Mother’s Day plates and the Seagull china collection. It has also incorporated Holmegaard glassware and Georg Jensen silwerware, and offers now porcelain, glass and silver under the banner of Royal Copenhagen.

Kongelige Porcelainsfabrik and Bing & Grøndahl were the first to underglaze a century ago, to color porcelain before glazing. Originally they mastered the blue color, best known from the Seagull and Empire collections. Later black was mastered and the Falling Leaf collection was sold around the world.

There are hundreds of types of tableware, gliding birds, swimming fish, smiling children, statuettes, lamps, vases and ashtrays. And twelve beautiful Copenhagen plates. Many items have a singular, polished magic.

On the other side of the street we see the W.Ø. Larsen tobacco shop.

Larsen

Amagertorv 9. (B2).

The premier pipe- and tobacco shop in Denmark was founded in 1864 and has been owned by the same family for five generations. To the right of the entrance there is a small museum on the history of smoking. Exhibited are many types of pipes, including Indian peace pipes and porcelain pipes.

The shop itself is on the left side, long and narrow. It sells rare pipes, rare pipe tobacco, rare snuff and the finest real Havanas in the world.

On continuing eastwards we come to the pedestrian Købmagergade leading off Strøget to the north.

Købmagergade

Købmagergade. (B2).

Three well known gourmet shops line this side street. On the right side are side by side the Melhede butcher shop at no. 52 and the Czar-Andersens cheese shop at no 32. They exhibit dozens of different sausages and more than hundred French cheeses in addition to the local ones.

Opposite these shops, at no. 15 the Marstand bakery sends aromas of fresh Danish Pastry, Napoleon cakes and many other diet-forgetting delicacies.

We turn back to Strøget (here signposted as Østergade) and continue to the east. An pedestrian alley called Pistolstræde leads north off the Strøget.

Pistolstræde

(B2).

The nicest shopping alley in town, giving us a glimpse of the 18th C, even if deodorized. The furrier Birger Christensen worked for years with architect Erik Møller to rehabilitate this old and dying alley by renovating the old half-timbered houses.

To the left of the entrance is Bee Cee, a subsidiary for young women of Christensen’s main shop. To the right is the St Laurent Rive Gauche fashion shop. Next on the right is the Bee Cee lunch restaurant with happy paintings by Jean Dewasne. On the left is Court Gallery, showing abstract art including Miro and the Cobra group, which became famous here.

We walk past an inlaid chessboard in the pavement, continue past Chanel and More & More on the left and Skandinavisk Glas and Duqaine Hansen on the right. Skandinavisk Glass sells glassware from all the Scandinavian countries, including the designs of Orrefors and Kosta.

At the right hand turn of the street we arrive at the back door of Ting & Sager.

Ting & Sager

(B2).

A tiny and cramped rag shop in a house from 1750, overflowing with kitchen utensils, blouses, carpets and other most amusing and unbelievable things.

Beside Ting & Sager is Cranks Grønne Buffet, the best-known vegetarian restaurant in Copenhagen, in a building from 1728.

The most beautiful half-timbered houses are in this part of the alley.

Continuing on Pistolstræde we pass restaurant Alsace on our right. Arriving at Ny Østergade we turn left and go a few steps to Bjørn Viinblad’s Hus.

Bjørn Wiinblads Hus

(B2).

A combination of a gallery and an art shop, showing and selling objects made by Bjørn Viinblad. This 18th C. house with an inside atrium with a fountain has been changed into a fairy tale.

Exhibited are ceramic plates, large circular tables, quaint posters, reprints of sketches for the ballet and theater, bedroom sheets and jewelry. Wiinblads flowery style is unmistakable.

If we continue and turn right we arrive at the front doors of Ting & Sager and Crank’s Grønne Buffet. Otherwise we turn back and walk on Pistolstræde to Strøget (signposted as Østergade) where we see Holmegård directly opposite the entrance of Pistolstræde.

Holmegaard

Østergade 15. (B2).

The main outlet of a famous Danish glassworks, well known for its President collection of wine glasses. One of its main designers is Per Lütken, famous for his Ships collection of wine glasses. Another is Michael Bang, who designed the Globetrotter glasses. A third one is Torben Jørgensen.

Available are all kinds of glass objects, not only glasses.

Holmegaard is now under the Royal Copenhagen umbrella, just like Bing & Grøndahl and Georg Jensen.

On the other side of the street we see the main outlet of Birger Christensen.

Birger Christensen

38 Østergade. (B2).

One of the best known furriers in the world. Here every fur is special, tastefully designed. Only in-house design is sold. And a new line is brought out twice a year. The prices range from DKr. 9,000 to DKr. 250,000. The pride of the house is the Saga-mink line bred in 20 colors.

We are soon at the end of Strøget. On our right, we come to Bang & Olufsen.

Bang & Olufsen

Østergade 3-5. (B2).

Danish design is evident in this audio and video equipment shop. The flat and gracious style is the hallmark of Bang & Olufsen technology.

Beside Bang & Olufsen, on the corner of Kongens Nytorv square, the is Østergades Vinhandel.

Østergades Vinhandel
Østergade 1. (B2).

One of the best-known wine shops in Copenhagen, on the former premises of the 19th C. restaurant Genelli.

We now cross Strøget and continue on Kongens Nytorv past the Angleterre hotel and arrive at the Couronne de Lierre florist.

Couronne de Lierre

Kongens Nytorv. (B2).

The best florist in town, on the ground floor of the palace of Store Skandinaviske. It is small and inconspicious. The flowers are beautiful and some of them are rare. They specialize in making unusual flower arrangements.

We retrace our steps back along Kongens Nytorv, cross Strøget and come to the palace of Magasin du Nord.

Magasin du Nord

Kongens Nytorv 13. (B2).

One of the largest department stores in Scandinavia. It is very practical for travelers as the various departments include offers from most of the specialty shops of Danish design.

Finally we take a taxi or walk 1200 meters to the Israels Plads outdoor market. From Kongens Nytorv we walk north along Gothersgade all the way to Linnesgade where we turn left to arrive at the market.

Israels Plads

Israels Plads. (A2).

A small market with a good choice of most fresh vegetables, fruit and flowers. The prices are about 60% of the prices of shops in the city center. It is most lively on Saturday, when there is also a flea market until 14.

Den Permanente

(A3).

A perennial pride of Copenhagen, this applied art gallery and boutique specializes in home furnishings, designed by Danish artists and architects. It has designer furniture and avant-garde tableware and earthenware, ceramics and fabrics, jewelry and other finery, games and decorations.

Tivoli

Tivoli. (A3).

Spring has arrived in Copenhagen when Danes start to amuse themselves in this garden, unparalleled anywhere else in its special Danish-ness, the relaxed atmosphere called “hygge”. Nothing is more likely to relax a stressed mind or gladden a sorrowful heart. The place is so imbued with effortless Danish joy, that it dwarfs the Disneylands and theme parks of other countries.

From 1843 this famous amusement park has been in the heart of Copenhagen, a blissful place of peace and variety, only a few steps from the heavy downtown traffic. We leave modern reality and enter the strange and beautiful worlds of fairy tales. We imagine faraway continents with minarets and pagodas. We enter our own imagination in this surrealistic combination of unbelievables.

Tivoli is a kind of democracy mixing people from upstairs and downstairs, where young and old have a good time side by side. All are equal, all are informal, both the ambassador and the thrash-man. The park has many faces. We can sit down in morning peace and quiet by the lake. We can sample the rides in the afternoon. In the evening we can dance or observe the play of colors.

Tivoligarden is an integral part of Tivoli.

Tivoligarden

Tivoli. (A3).

An orchestra of 106 boys from the ages of 9 to 16, as old an institution as the park itself. It marches Thursday at 17:00 and Saturday & Sunday at 18:30 and 20:30; and plays at the Plænen in front of the H.C. Andersen’s palace Sunday at 15:15.

Tivoli opens at 10 in the morning. Then the baby-sitters arrive, leaving the children in the park’s kindergarten. Widows on pensions, who have bought seasonal tickets to the park, look at the flower displays and rest on the benches. Even businessmen come at noon to finish deals at the lunch table. The rides for children start at 11:30 and all is in full swing by 15:00.

Valmuen, the children’s theater has shows Saturday and Sunday at 13:30 and 14:30 and Wednesday-Monday in July.

We turn our attention to the pantomime Påfuglsteatret.

Påfuglsteatret

Tivoli. (A3).

The peacock theater has been a specialty of Tivoli for a century. It is a pantomime theater according to Venetian rules from the Renaissance. We see Harlequin, Columbina, Pierrot and Cassandra show the classic type of pantomime. It starts Monday-Saturday at 19:45, Saturday also at 21:45. There is a ballet at Påfuglsteatret Monday-Friday at 21:45.

Next we go to Koncerthallen in the center of the garden.

Koncerthallen

Tivoli. (A3).

Music is an integral part of Tivoli. Its center is a concert hall, Koncertsalen, where the garden’s own symphonic orchestra plays, often with illustrious foreign soloists. The first evening performance usually begins at 19:30 and the last one at 21:00. It plays both classic music and modern jazz.

Other orchestras and bands play elsewhere in the park. Open-air concerts start at Promenade-pavilionen about 16:00 and continue with short pauses until midnight.

Acrobatic artists appear on Plænen at 19:00 and 22:30 all days and also Saturday and Sunday at 17:00. In Tivoli-teatret plays usually commence at 19:30 and 21:30.

The H.C. Andersen’s palace houses the vax museum.

Voksmuseum

Tivoli. Hours: Open in summer 10-23, in winter 10-18. (A3).

We see Charles, Prince of Wales, and Karl Gustaf, King of Sweden, at a reception given by Margaret, Queen of Denmark. We also see the Middle Eastern leaders Arafat and Rabin and the presidents of world powers at a press conference. We see the writers Hemingway and Shakespeare in a library. We also see all kinds of figures from the fairy tales of H.C. Andersen.

There are 200 full-size figures in the museum.

DKr. 48 for adults and DKr. 20 for children.

When the evening comes on and the lights start to dominate, Pagoden comes into the forefront.

Pagoden

Tivoli. (A3).

At 19:00 the over 20 restaurants in the park start to light up, including Pagoden. At 20:00 the dancing starts at Taverna, folk-singing at Vise-Vers and jazz at Slukefter. The merrymaking increases in the evening when it gets dark. 110,000 multicolored lamps and lights in fountains and in the beds of 160,000 flowers illuminate the park. Some days end with a firecracker show.

We don’t recommend a formal walk through Tivoli. Much more interesting is to wander around and lose one’s way, getting carried by the continuous flow of smiling and laughing people. But we can show you the way around. You may arrive by the main entrance, facing Vesterbrogade. On our right-hand side there is an information office and the Valmuen children’s theater.

We go straight on past Promenade-pavilionen to our right and the Plænen open-air stage on the left. Restaurant Balkonen is opposite Plænen. That is the place for a drawn-out dinner, watching the happenings on Plænen, the acrobats, the firecrackers and the marching of Tivoligården.

The best restaurant in Tivoli is Sct. Georg III. This time we are sampling the atmosphere and prefer to have dinner at Færgekroen.

Færgekroen

Tivoli. (A3).

After dinner at romantic Færgekroen we return to Plænen. From there we go through the fountain area to the carnival merry-go-rounds, where the Rutchebanen switchback is most popular and Baljebanen brings you to the sunken world of Atlantis. Here also is a Ferris wheel and about 20 other rides.

We walk between gadgets and roulettes past the Taverna dancing hall, go behind the concert hall, past the Pagoden pagoda and the mirror saloon. We walk counter-clockwise around the lake where we recognize restaurant Færgekro. We keep to the lake, walk past the kindergarten and the H.C. Andersen’s palace, where the vax museum is inside.

We walk through the flower garden all the way to Harmonia-pavilionen where we leave the lake and turn to the right past Tivoli-teatret and restaurant Grøften which is the most zestful and the most Danish restaurant in the park. Finally we pass Påfuglsteatret and arrive again at the main Vesterbrogade entrance. We have spent a whole day here and are ready to come again.

Another place for children is just 100 meters from the entrance. It is Circus Benneweis.

Circus Benneweis

Jernbanegade 8. (A3).

An important part of the special charm of the city center. The building is more than a century old. The fifth generation of the oldest circus family in Europe, the Benneweis family, is in charge. From April 1st to the end of October each year this circus has a two and a half hour performance each day and twice on Saturday and Sunday. In winter the circus goes traveling.

Animals are central to the show, drilled by the Benneweis family. White Arabian horses and elephants have the most interesting performances. In addition new artists are collected each spring, such as clowns, tightrope walkers, acrobats, magicians and jugglers. Often the shows are performed by visiting circus groups. Everybody has fun and thrills, both young and old.

We include the Copenhagen Zoo which is a short way from the center in the eastern direction along Vesterbrogade and its continuation in Roskildevej.

Zoo

Roskildevej 32 / Søndre Fasanenvej. Phone: 3630 2001. Hours: Open 9-16/18.

The zoo is one of the oldest in the world, opened in 1859, but does not look its age, as it is under constant renovation. It has experienced better success than most others in making the animals relatively happy in conditions not natural to them. This is probably one of the very few zoos where Indian elephants, white rhinos and Congo peacocks have had offspring.

This is noteworthy as the zoo is in a restricted space in the city itself. But its directors and zoologists have put special emphasis on trying to make the animals comfortable in spite of the conditions. The zoo is open all year round, but is most interesting when flowers are in bloom. Entrance is DKr. 55 for adults, DKr. 27 for children. Buses 27 and 28.

It boasts 500 different species, some of them a rarity in zoos. Among them are the Bengali tiger, the musk ox and the Congo peacock. There are of course also lions and panthers, camels and zebras, giraffes and ostriches, bears and antelopes. The animals are most lively at feeding times. A special area is reserved for the children’s zoo where you can touch the animals and play.

Old Town

Warrior bishop Absalon founded Copenhagen in 1167 by building a castle on the island of Slotsholmen. The fishing village around the castle soon grew into a merchant town, giving it the present name, which means: “Merchants’ harbor”. For centuries the royal palace was on the island and the merchant town was on the banks round the island. Now the parliament is on Slotsholmen.

It became an official capital of Denmark in the early 15th C. Many churches and palaces in the center date from a building boom in the 17th C. during the reign of Christian IV. Devastating city fires in 1728 and 1795 destroyed most of the ordinary houses inside the city walls, so that the present-day architecture of the old center is mainly from the beginning of the 19th C.

We cover the old town inside the former city walls in three short walks. The first one covers Slotsholmen and the oldest part of the merchant town. This is the area between the main squares of the center, Kongens Nytorv and Rådhuspladsen.

We start on Kongens Nytorv, where it meets pedestrian Strøget.

Kongens Nytorv

Kongens Nytorv. (B2).

The most beautiful square in central Copenhagen, lined with palaces and enjoying a green park in the middle. It is dominated by the snow white Angleterre hotel with its long glassed-in sidewalk café. Other buildings of note are the palace of the Store Skandinaviske company; the Charlottenborg academy of arts; and the royal theater and opera, Kongelige Teater.

There are some amusing bars at Kongens Nytorv or a few steps from it. Hviids Vinstue, one of the oldest pubs in town, and Skindbuksen are between Angleterre and Kongelige Teater and Brønnum is between Kongelige Teater and Charlottenborg.

We walk to the green Krinsen park in the middle.

Krinsen

Kongens Nytorv. (B2).

The green is around an equestrian statue of Christian V. The statue is a recent bronze copy of the original lead statue from 1688. During the centuries the leaden feet of the horse has sunk, making it advisable in 1946 to change to a stronger material.

On the other side of the square, beside Nyhavn, there is Charlottenborg palace.

Charlottenborg

Nyhavn 2. (B2).

Built in Baroque style 1672-1683, at that time considered to be the most elegant building of Copenhagen. The Royal Academy of Arts, Den Kongelige Akademi, has been there since 1754. Behind the palace is a big gallery, where important exhibitions are held.

To the right of Charlottenborg there is the Kongelige Teater = The Royal Theater.

Kongelig Teater

Kongens Nytorv. (B2).

The conspicuous palace from 1872-1874 houses the royal theater, the royal opera and the royal ballet. The main auditorium holds 1500 spectators and the smaller auditorium holds 1000.

Theater, opera and ballet are top class in Copenhagen. Inspect the monthly “Copenhagen This Week” or the local newspapers to find information on performances.

We cross the Holmens Kanal street from the theater palace to the department store of Magasin du Nord, formerly the famous Hotel du Nord. We walk past the store and turn right into Vingårdsstræde, go past the gourmet temple of Kong Hans and arrive at Bremerholm street where we turn left.

Holmensgade

(B2).

This was once a narrow and a notorious street named Holmensgade with shady bars and bordellos. The occupations of sin were driven away by demolition and moved first to Nyhavn harbor and then to the Istedgade area behind the central railway station. Now solemnity reigns here and nothing reminds us of the former atmosphere.

The district around the street dates partly from the years after the city fire of 1795. Many of the old house shave been demolished and new ones built in their places, completely spoiling the character of the district. We can have a look in some of the small and older side streets.

We continue on Bremerholm, cross Holmens Kanal, a street that was once a canal, and walk along Havnegade to the former island of Bremerholm.

Bremerholm

(B2).

The former island was the shipyard of the royal navy. The workforce came from the Bremerholm prison where prisoners for life were kept.

Denmark was a naval power some centuries ago. The glory of its kings was mainly based on the navy that was built here almost under the windows of Christiansborg, the kings’ palace. Once this fleet ruled over almost the whole of Scandinavia and at another time it ranged to distant continents and colonies.

We turn our attention to the church on our right, Holmens Kirke.

Holmens Kirke

Holmens Kanal. Hours: In summer 9-14, in winter 9-13. (B3).

Built in 1563 as the anchor factory of the royal shipyard. This Renaissance factory was converted into a church for the navy in 1619 by orders of the great builder Christian IV. Since then the church has been renovated several times. In 1641-1643 it was enlarged by adding two wings, giving it a form of a Greek cross. The long chapel along the canal is from 1705-1708.

Queen Margaret II of Denmark was married here in 1967.

Then we continue along Havnegade to the canal. We cross by the Børsbroen = Stock Exchange Bridge from the island of Bremerholm to the island of Slotsholmen = Palace Island.

Slotsholmen

(B3).

We are on the island that for centuries has been the political center of Denmark, first as the island of the bishop, the the island of the king and now as the island of the parliament and part of government.

The common people of Copenhagen did not always respect the king and court as much as the latter wished. The palace is partly situated on a small islet which formerly was the garbage mound of the city, Skarnholmen or Garbage Island. In 1650 the king had to declare formally that it was forbidden to use the name Skarnholmen for Slotsholmen.

The island is now the address of parliament, the supreme court, the foreign ministry, a few museums, the state archives, the royal library and the stock exchange Børsen.

Børsen = The Stock Exchange, is in front of us.

Børsen

(B3).

The long and low building of the stock exchange was built in Dutch Mannerist style 1619-1640 by Christian IV. It is richly adorned both inside and outside. Most conspicuous is the long and narrow tower woven together of four dragon tails.

We turn left and walk around Børsen into Slotsholmsgade and walk along it, past an ancient government buildings on the left side of the street.

Kanselli

(B3).

In the 18th and 19th C. this building housed in its right wing the Kanselli ministry of finance and economics and in its left wing the Rentekammer ministry of justice, church and education.

We continue along the street to the square in front of Christiansborg palace.

Christiansborg

(B3).

The imposing palace front rises behind an equestrian statue of Frederik VII. We see the balcony on which new kings are proclaimed in Denmark. The present palace was built 1907-1928 after a palace fire of 1884. It is covered in granite from Bornholm island and has lots of copper on the roof as do so many palaces in Copenhagen.

It houses the Danish supreme court, the national parliament, the ministry of foreign affairs and the reception rooms of king and government. Excavations under it have revealed the remains of the 12th C. castle of bishop Absalon. All Danish royal palaces were built in the same place up to the Great Fire of 1794, when the king moved from the ruins to Amalienborg palace.

When Danish kings resided in the town of Roskilde, power in the city was in hands of bishop Absalon’s successors. The Danish king took over in the 15th C. And finally, in times of democracy, parliamentarians and ministers took the place of the king. Christiansborg has thus weathered all the vicissitudes of political history.

We leave the heavy traffic of the square and go through the passage between the palace to the right and the state archives to the left and enter into Rigsdagsgården = The Parliament Courtyard.

Rigsdagsgården

(B3).

The name translates to The Parliament Courtyard. To the right we see the impressive entrance to the Danish parliament, which occupies a part of the former royal palace.

We turn left into the first passage and enter the rose garden of Det Kongelige Bibliotek. To the left side of the garden is the Proviantgården = The Provisions House.

Proviantgården

(B3).

This is the former storehouse of provisions for the royal navy. The busy harbor of the navy was where the peaceful rose garden is now. The Danish kings based their power and wealth on the navy, so they liked to keep an eye on it through their palace windows.

For a long time the Icelandic manuscripts of the Nordic Eddas and Sagas were kept in Proviantgården. By agreement between the states of Denmark and Iceland these manuscripts were returned to their home in Iceland, showing the way for other countries to settle their differences on ownership of antiques that have been removed from their original home in times of trouble or decay.

The rose garden is named after Den Kongelige Bibliotek = The Royal Library, which is behind the garden.

Kongelig Bibliotek

Christians Brygge 8. Hours: Open Monday & Friday-Saturday 9-19, Tuesday-Thursday 9-21. (B3).

Built in 1898-1906 to house the royal or national library. 3,3 million books are kept there and 52,000 manuscripts. It stands in the former entrance to the harbor of the royal navy.

On the third side of the garden there is Tøjhuset. To enter it we return through the passage to Rigsdagsgården, and turn left for the entrance.

Tøjhuset

Tøjhusgade 3. Hours: Open Tuesday-Sunday 10-16. (B3).

Built in 1598-1604 as the barracks of the Royal Guard. It has since 1838 been an arsenal museum, one of the major ones in the world. The display is in one of the longest rooms in Europe, 163 meters, housing endless rows of ancient cannons.

DKr. 20 for adults, DKr. 5 for children.

The royal stables are opposite Tøjhuset entrance. We pass between them and the parliament and enter the equestrian training grounds of the royal palace. From the grounds we enter into the inner courtyard to the palace.

Slotsgården

(B3).

Several museums are entered from the Slotsgården courtyard.

The Royal reception rooms: Guided tours at 11 & 15, in summer Tuesday-Sunday, in winter Tuesday, Thursday & Sunday. Adults DKr. 28, children DKr. 10 The Medieval ruins, including Absalon’s castle: 9:30-15:30, in summer all days, in winter Sunday & Tuesday-Friday. Adults DKr. 15, children Kr. 5. The royal stables: 14-16, in summer Friday-Sunday, in winter Saturday-Sunday.

The meeting rooms of the parliament: Guided tours every hour 10-16, in summer Sunday-Friday, in winter on Sunday. From the outer equestrian training grounds we can enter the Court Theater, now a theater museum, open Wednesday 14-16, Sunday 12-16. Adults DKr. 20, children Kr. 5.

We walk through the grounds away from the palace, come to a canal, cross it on the Marmorbroen = Marble Bridge, and directly from the bridge into Ny Vestergade, where the entrance to Nationalmuseet is on the right hand side.

Nationalmuseet

Ny Vesterbrogade 10. Hours: Open Tuesday-Sunday 10-17. (B3).

One of the oldest and largest national museums in the world is housed in Prinsens Palæ, The Palace of the Prince. It is in fact nine different museums.

The exhibits are mainly archeological, historical and ethnographic, but there is also a coin museum, and a museum of natural history.

Adults DKr. 30, children free.

We continue on Ny Vestergade, cross Vester Voldgade, enter Dantes Plads and cross H.C. Andersens Boulevard to enter Glyptoteket museum.

Glyptoteket

Dantes Plads 7. Hours: Open in summer Tuesday-Sunday 10-16, in winter Tuesday-Saturday 12-15, Sunday 10-16. (B3).

Built in 1888 for one of Europe’s greatest museums of ancient art, mainly Egyptian, Greek and Roman art.
Adults DKr. 15, children free.

We return the same way via Dantes Plads and Ny Vestergade to Marmorbroen bridge. At this side of the bridge we turn left and walk along the canal to the next bridge, Vindebro, cross it and enter into Vindebrogade, where Thorvaldsens Museum is in front of us. Across the canal are the Nybrogade houses.

Nybrogade

(B3).

No. 12 in Nybrogade is one of the proudest Rococo houses of the former bourgeoisie in Copenhagen, richly decorated with sandstone. And nos. 14-20 are typical “firehouses” in Baroque style, built after the Great Fire of 1728.

From Vindebrogade we enter Thorvaldsens Museum

Thorvaldsen Museum

Porthusgade 2. Hours: Open Tuesday-Sunday 10-17. (B3).

Built 1839-1848 around the works of the famous Danish-Icelandic sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen. The exhibition is dominated by serene white Neoclassic works based on Greek mythology.

When we leave the museum we turn left along the Supreme Court part of Christiansborg palace and then again left between the museum and Slotskirken = The Palace Church.

Slotskirken

(B3).

The palace church is in Neoclassic style from 1826. It was recently damaged in a fire and is being restored again.

We are now back at the square in front of Christiansborg palace. We turn left and cross the canal on Højbro to enter Højbro Plads square.

Højbro

(B2).

This is the ancient entrance to the merchants’ town of Copenhagen. A fish market was at the foot of the bridge until recently. A statue reminds us of the fish saleswomen. A greater statue of bishop Absalon, the founder of the city, is in the middle of the square.

From the bridge we have a good view, if we turn around to se Holmens Kirke, Børsen, Christiansborg, Slotskirken and Thorvaldsens Museum, counting from left to right.

We also observe beautiful old houses on the square, at nos. 6, 9 and 17-21. The best seafood restaurants in Copenhagen are here beside the former fish market, at Gammel Strand and at Ved Stranden.

From the bridge we turn left into Gammel Strand. Assistenshuset is in front of us.

Assistenshuset

(B2).

The official pawnbroker house from 1728 now houses the Ministry of Culture.

We go to the right of Assistenshuset and walk into Snaregade.

Snaregade

(B2).

An authentic town street, narrow and winding, full of the quiet charm of olden times. Old business quarters line the street on both sides.

We have entered the old merchants’ and artisans’ Copenhagen. In this district many streets are named after the typical occupation of its residents. We can find Vognmagergade = Coach makers’ Street; Farvergade = Dyers’ Street; Brolæggergade = Bridge Builders’ Street; and Læderstræde = Leather Street. One is named Hyskenstræde in memory of the small Häuschen of Hansa merchants.

Snaregade soon changes into Magstræde. Where the two streets meet we take a short right-hand turn into Knabostræde to the corner of Kompagniestræde to enjoy the atmosphere of former times more fully. Then we walk back on Knabostræde and turn right into Magstræde.

Magstræde

(B3).

Time seems to have stood still in this street. The buildings no. 17 and 19 are considered to be among the oldest, if not the oldest buildings in Copenhagen.

At no. 14 there is Huset = The House, a kind of a club and a social center for youth.

We do not rush here, as Snaregade and Magstræde are probably those streets of the city have succeeded best in preserving the atmosphere of a bygone ear. Their winding prevents us being disturbed by a view to more modern streets and structures. This place closes in on us as though we were in a private world.

At the far end of Magstræde we come to a very small square, Vandkunsten = Water Magic, where the water pump of Christiansborg palace was formerly situated. We turn right into Rådhusstræde = City Hall Street, and walk up to Nytorv = New Square, first, and then into Gammeltorv = Old Square.

Gammeltorv

(B2).

Nytorv and Gammeltorv were formerly the focus of daily life in Copenhagen. They are still lively, but now it is only because pedestrian Strøget runs through them. The City Hall was until the Great Fire of 1795 at the intersection of the squares, just below where Strøget now runs through. A new City Hall was built elsewhere and the two squares were combined.

Community meetings were held on Gammeltorv. Here the court jousted to amuse the public. Here people were flogged and executed, both to amuse and to warn the public. Here of course was the pillory and the jail. Here also the city fathers’ pub was in the City Hall cellar. Here traveling clowns and artists performed. It was fun here.

Noble houses enclose the squares. The courthouse of Copenhagen is here. In the middle of Gammeltorv there is one of the city’s gems, a fountain from 1608-1610. On royal birthdays, golden apples bob in the water. And we can sit down beside the fountain and have a coffee or a beer and watch the world go by.

We turn northeast into Strøget, which here is first called Nygade and then Vimmelskaftet, until we come to Helligåndskirken = The Church of the Holy Spirit, on our right side. We walk around the church into Hemmingsensgade to inspect the adjoining Helligåndshuset behind the church.

Helligåndshuset

Hours: Open workdays 12-16. (B2).

One of the very oldest buildings in town, built in the middle of the 14th C. as the hospital of an Augustine monastery in Catholic times. It is now used as a conference hall.

The church itself is from 1730-1732, built after the Great Fire of 1728.

We continue further on Hemmingsensgade to Gråbrødretorv = Gray Friars’ Square.

Gråbrødretorv

Gråbrødretorv. (B2).

The favorite square of local intellectuals. Students congregate in this pedestrian area, surrounded by tall and narrow, brightly painted 18th C. houses, away from traffic noise and jostling crowds. It is lined with pubs and cafés and restaurants with outdoor sections. It is a closed world, especially when there are musical performances in the open.

We sit by the fountain, on benches, at one of the tables, or stand in groups in the middle of the square. Here people know each other and greet each other. We can also visit rather noisy beer cellars or serious restaurants. This is the most human square in the city center. We are now in the Latin Quarter around the University of Copenhagen, echoing songs for centuries.

The name of the square reminds us of the Fransiscan monks who had a monastery here just beside the Augustine monastery at Helligåndshuset. The remains of the Franciscan monastery can be seen in the Bøf & Ost restaurant in a 16th C. cellar of Gråbrødretorv 13, where there are archeological findings on display in niches in the walls.

We leave the north end of the square through a short street grandly named Kejsergade = Emperor Street. First we have a glimpse into Skindergade to the right to see an old street section before we walk that street to the left. It runs to Gammeltorv and from there continues as Vestergade in gentle curves past tranquil, white houses all the way to Rådhuspladsen = City Hall Square.

Rådhuspladsen

Rådhuspladsen. (A3).

A continuous stream of cars and pedestrians cross this busy square, which connects the old district around Strøget with the modern shops and offices district around Vesterbrogade. The Tivoli Gardens are behind the Copenhagen Corner restaurant building and behind the gardens there is the central railway station.

Extensive changes are being made on Rådhuspladsen to keep motorized traffic away and to make the square more pleasant to pedestrians. The Vesterbrogade traffic artery has been slashed, preventing motorized traffic to connect with H.C. Andersens Boulevard. Bus traffic has been limited to the northern end of the square and cut off from view by a narrow building.

We turn our attention to Rådhuset = The City Hall.

Rådhuset

Rådhuspladsen. Hours: Open Monday-Friday 9:30-15, Thursday -16. (A3).

A famous building, rather eclectic in style, built in 1892-1905 in the Historical style, copying Florentine Renaissance architecture and considered a great scandal at that time.

The main attraction of the city hall is a universal clock made by Jens Olsen. It is just inside the main door and shows many different time zones and the paths of the stars, unparalleled in the world. It is accessible when the building is open and also on Saturday 10-13.

We turn away from the City Hall and walk north along Vester Voldgade to Jarmers Plads.

Jarmers Plads

Jarmers Plads. (A2).

In the middle of the square are the remains of a tower from 1528, a part of the city walls that have made way for the traffic arteries of Vester Voldgade = West Wall Street; Nørre Voldgade = North Wall Street; and Øster Voldgade = East Wall Street.

We turn back into Vester Voldgade and turn left into Studiestræde = Street of Studies, now a street of antiquarians, with some sidewalk book displays. We cross Larsbjørnsstræde and are at the corner of Nørregade where we turn left. Bispegården = The Bishop’s Residence, is at this corner.

Bispegården

(A2).

The Bishop’s Palace was once the City Hall of Copenhagen.

Towering over Bispegården on the other side of Nørregade is Vor Frue Kirke = Our Lady’s Church.

Vor Frue Kirke

Nørregade. Hours: Open 8-17. (A2).

The Classicist cathedral of Copenhagen is stern and cold, rebuilt in 1811-1829 after the British shelling of the city in 1807. The church is best known for Thorvaldsen’s sculptures inside.

To the left of the cathedral is the University of Copenhagen.

Universitetet

Frue Plads. (B2).

The university faces the right side of the cathedral. Behind the facade from 1831-1836 there is a tranquil, medieval atmosphere in the courtyard.

We enter the university courtyard at the left of the entrance to see Konistoriet = The Consistorium.

Konsistoriet

(A2).

The only relic of the Catholic bishopric of the Middle Ages. In its cellar six Romanesque vaults rest on granite columns.

We leave the courtyard and turn right into Nørregade. At Nørregade 13 is a “fire house” from 1728. On the corner of Nørregade and Skt. Pedersstræde there is Sankt Petri Kirke.

Sankt Petri Kirke

Nørregade 15/ Skt. Pedersstræde. Hours: Open during services. (A2).

The oldest church of the city, first mentioned in 1304, rebuilt several times after city fires. The present look is mainly from 1731 and it has a remarkable sepulchral chapel from 1681-1683.

On this side is Kannibalen = The Cannibal, the university students’ dining hall. The name implies that the food has not always been outstanding.

We turn right and walk along Krystalgade past Daells department store to Fiolstræde, where we turn left.

Fiolstræde

(A2).

This is a pedestrian street of hawkers’ stands and book-cases of antiquarians.

After looking around we turn back and walk south on Fiolstræde, past a nicely renovated half-timbered house on our left and the university library on our right. We arrive again at Vor Frue Kirke, this time at the back of the cathedral. We stop to observe the church and university from a new angle before we turn left into Store Kannikestræde = Great Choir Brothers’ Street.

Store Kannikestræde

(B2).

The street of student hostels, the heart of the Latin Quarter. Most of the houses have for centuries been directly or indirectly connected with students and the university. Famous hostels are here on both sides, Borchs Kollegium at no. 12, Elers Kollegium at no. 9 and Admiral Gjeddes Gård at no. 10. We have a quick look into the serene yard of Borchs Kollegium.

At the far end of the street to the left we arrive at the Regensen hostel and enter its courtyard.

Regensen

Købmagergade. (B2).

The largest and most important student hostel in the area, built in 1623-1628 and partly rebuilt after the Great Fire of 1728. The dominating red brick walls date from that year. Here we can rest at the central lime tree in the courtyard.

Rundetårn looms over Regensen.

We leave the courtyard, continue on the street, cross Købmagergade and enter Rundetårn = The Round Tower.

Rundetårn

Købmagergade. Hours: Open in summer Monday-Saturday 10-20 (-22 on Tuesday & Wednesday) & Sunday 12-20, in winter Monday-Saturday 10-17 & Sunday 12-16. (B2).

A combined observatory and a church tower of Trinitatis Kirke, built in 1656. It is 36 meters in height and 15 meters in diameter. They way up the tower is along a spiral road, not a staircase. Empress Catherine of Russia in 1716 drove up in a coach while her husband, Czar Peter the Great, went up on horseback. We know of no other royal enterprises of that kind in later centuries.

The road is easy on the feet. We are soon at the top, where we have an excellent view over the roofs and towers of the old center. We get a good idea of how cramped the city center is inside the former city walls.

The observatory in the tower is open in summer on Sunday 13-16, in winter Tuesday-Wednesday 19-22. Adults DKr. 15, children Kr. 5.

When leaving the tower we turn left into pedestrian Købmagergade and stroll along this shopping street in the direction of Strøget. Before we reach Strøget we turn left into Silkegade and continue into Antonigade, turning again left, into Gammel Mønt.

Gammel Mønt

(B2).

This area was once one of the worst slums of Copenhagen, full of dangerous passages. In a side street the illustrious sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen was brought up by quarreling parents.

This is an area of Brandhuse = Fire Houses. These are the houses that were built immediately after the great fires of Copenhagen in the 18th C. Some of the half-timbered houses are even older than that.

We return on Gammel Mønt almost to Antonigade and turn left into Grønnegade to Gothersgade where we turn right into Kongens Nytorv where we started this walk. The next walk also starts here.

Frederikssted

The center of Copenhagen was enlarged in the 18th C. The addition constitutes the northern part of the center. It is sometimes called Frederikssted, planned by strict and modern rules at that time, with broad streets and respectable houses. But this development lacks the zest of the old center. The liveliest street is the shopping street of Store Kongensgade.

The area is interesting for tourists because of the Nyhavn harbor, the Amalienborg royal palace, the Kastellet fortress with the statue of Den Lille Havfrue and also because of the many parks and museums in that area.

We start and end this walk on Kongens Nytorv, the same square that was the start and the end of our walk through the oldest part of central Copenhagen. We already know about square and its surroundings, so we immediately cross the square from Angleterre hotel and enter the Nyhavn harbor on its left side. Kanneworffske Hus is on the corner of Bredgade and Store Strandstræde.

Kanneworffske Hus

(B2).

Do notice the quaint corner angle of the houses on the opposite corners of Store Strandstræde.

To see some houses from the latter part of the 18th C. we can walk along Store Strandstræde to the corner of Lille Strandstræde where we take a sharp right turn and walk that street back to Nyhavn. We take note of nos. 3 and 18 at Store Strandstræde and nos. 14 and 6 at Lille Strandstræde.

Back in Nyhavn we observe the houses at Nyhavn to the right and left of Lille Strandstræde.

Nyhavn

(C2).

The harbor was built in 1673. The oldest Nyhavn house is no. 9, from 1681. We do not miss an unusual clock on the roof of no. 11 and an old pub sign from 1803 on no. 23. Many pubs are there, but the foreign languages you hear do not belong to sailors but to tourists. There are no fights any more, and no knives flash in the air.

We should take our time in walking the length of Nyhavn. There are many interesting, amusing or quaint details worth inspecting and lots of bars where to look for a drink. Some good restaurants are also here.

Nyhavn also has some things to tell us about H.C. Andersen.

H. C. Andersen

There are other memories than those of merry sailors connected with Nyhavn. The teller of fairy stories, H.C. Andersen, liked this street. He wrote his first stories in no. 20, lived with interruptions 1854-1864 at no. 67 and spent his last two years at no. 18.

Arriving at the tip of Nyhavn we have a good view over the inner harbor of Christianshavn.

From Nyhavn we turn left into Kvæsthusgade and then left again into Skt. Annæ Plads. We see the signs of a few good hotels on this short part of the walk. We continue on that street, cross Toldbodgade and turn right into Amaliegade and walk along it all the way under the overpass to the square in front of Amalienborg, the royal palace.

Amalienplads

(C2).

The octagonal Rococo square from 1749-1760, surrounded with four identical palaces, is one of the main attractions of Copenhagen. The royal guards with their enormous fur hats are some of the most frequently photographed subjects in the city. They come marching along Amaliegade into the square for the ceremonial changing of the guards at 12:00.

The four palaces merit our attention.

Amalienborg

(C2).

Four identical Rococo palaces built in 1749-1760 for four noblemen. Together they became the royal palace of Denmark after the old palace in Slotsholmen burned down in 1794.

Clockwise from Amaliegade, from which we entered the square, there is first the palace for royal receptions and banquets, then the palace of the late King Christian X, then the palace of Queen Ingrid, widow of King Frederik IX, and finally the palace of the present Queen Margaret II. The royal banner over that palace shows whether she is in residence.

King Christians VIII Palace, Danish Glücksborg royalty’s private quarters, are open 11-16 some days in winter. Inquire at hotel. Adults DKr. 35, children Kr. 5.

From the middle of the square we can see Marmorkirken = The Marble church, and we walk in that direction.

Marmorkirken

Hours: Open Monday-Friday, 11-14, Wednesday -18,Saturday-Sunday 12-16. (C2).

The real name of this Neo-Baroque church is Frederikskirke. It has one of the largest cupolas in the world, 45 meters in height and 30 meters in diameter, covered with green copper. The building, started in 1746, was not finished until 1894.
Adults DKr. 20, children Kr. 10. The cupola is accessible Saturday at 11, DKr. 20.

From the church we go back to Bredgade and turn left into that street where we soon come to Kunstindustrimuseet = Museum of Handicrafts, on the right side of the street.

Kunstindustrimuseet

Bredgade 68. Hours: Open Tuesday-Sunday 13-16. (C2).

Formerly Frederiks Hospital, now a museum of old and new handicrafts, Danish and foreign. It can be entered both from Bredgade and Amaliegade.

Adults DKr. 30, children free.

Back in the street we turn right and walk along Bredgade to Esplanaden where we turn right. Frihedsmuseet = The Resistance Museum, is on the other side of the street.

Frihedsmuseet

Churchill-parken. Hours: Open in summer Tuesday-Saturday 10-16, Sunday 10-17. (C1).

The small building exhibits memories from the struggle of the Danish resistance during the 2nd World War.

We go past the museum into the Churchill park with the English Church. On its right there is the Gefion fountain.

Gefion

(C1).

The sculpture shows the Nordic goddess Gefjun, who changed her sons into bulls to draw a plow that she used to carve Denmark out of southern Sweden, according to mythology.

We walk on a pedestrian road from the Gefion fountain to Langelinie, pass Langelinie Pavilionen and continue to Den Lille Havfrue = The Little Mermaid.

Den lille Havfrue

Langelinie. (C1).

Edward Eriksen’s sculpture from 1913 is the internationally known landmark and sign of Copenhagen.

Beyond The Little Mermaid the street turns away from the harbor. We walk over a bridge and then turn left off the street to Kastellet = The Citadel.

Kastellet

Langelinie. Hours: Open 6-sunset. (C1).

The citadel fortress of Copenhagen, built 1662-1665 above an older fortress. The outer ramparts are partly destroyed but the inner pentagon is still intact.

There are interesting gates and the Kastelskirken Church, which is cleverly connected with the jail in such a way that the prisoners could hear services without leaving their cells.

The most beautiful part of Kastellet is the windmill on the western front.

We again cross Churchill park to Esplanaden, where we turn right and walk along it until it ends at Store Kongensgade. On that corner we see to the right a part of the Nyboder district from 1631. Then we turn left into Store Kongensgade and then immediately right into Skt. Paulsgade. On the right side we soon come to Nyboder = New Apartments.

Nyboder

(B1).

Christian IV had these long houses built for the royal navy’s employees in 1631. The lower houses are original, the others have been enlarged.

We continue on Skt. Paulsgade past the Skt. Paulskirke to the end and turn right into Rigensgade and then left into Stokhusgade, named after a notorious prison that took over from Bremerholm in 1741. Nothing is to be seen of the old prison, as the technical university of Copenhagen has been built here. We cross Øster Voldgade and the railway overpass to Østre Anlæg.

Østre Anlæg

(B1).

A beautiful garden, laid out in the old fortress moat. The original form of the moat can still be seen.

We walk through the garden in the direction of Statens Museum for Kunst = The State Museum of Art in the southern corner of the garden.

Statens Museum for Kunst

Sølvgade 48-50. Hours: Open Tuesday-Sunday 10-16:30, Wednesday -21. (B1).

It has a good collection of old masters, especially Dutch. There are important works by Rubens, Rembrandt, Cranach, Tintoretto, Mantegna, Titian, Hogarth, Dürer, Braque, Matisse, Picasso and others. There are also Danish masters.

We cross Sølvgade to Botanisk Have = The Botanical Garden.

Botanisk have

Gothersgade 128. Hours: Open in summer 8:30-18, in winter 8:30-16. (B1).

25,000 different plants, among them rain forest plants grown indoors in the greenhouse Palmhuset. The garden has a rosary, a rock garden and perennials.

The 1872 glass conservatory Palmhuset is in the northeastern part of the botanic garden, inspired by Crystal Palace in London. It is open 10-15.

The cactus and orchid house is open Saturday-Sunday 13-15.

We cross Øster Voldgade and walk back to the corner of Sølvgade where we enter Kongens Have = The King’s Garden, near its north corner to visit the Rosenborg palace.

Rosenborg Slot

Øster Voldgade 4A. Hours: Open in winter Tuesday, Friday & Sunday 11-14, in September & October all days 11-15. (B2).

Kongens Have is the oldest park in the city and one of the largest. There are beautiful roses and lime trees. The biggest jewel, though, is the Rosenborg palace, near the western edge of the garden.

Rosenborg Slot = Palace of Roses, was built 1606-1617 in Renaissance style by that tireless builder Christian IV. The palace was the royal summer residence and later became the royal reception palace until it was changed into a royal museum in 1858.

The crown jewels and other royal memorabilia are exhibited. Open November-August Tuesday-Sunday 11-14, September-October all days 11-15.

We leave the park by one of the south gates and cross Gothersgade, then walk that street to the left straight to Kongens Nytorv, the starting and ending point of this walk.

Christianshavn

(C3).

The last walk through the old center of Copenhagen, which was inside the former city walls, covers the part that is on the other side of the inner harbor, on the island of Amager.

There are some romantic canal scenes, a few important churches, old harbor buildings that have been converted into modern use, and the semi-free state of Christiania.

We take a bus or a taxi or walk over Knippelsbro bridge to the corner of Torvegade and Strandgade. We then first turn to the right in the direction of Christians Kirke at the end of Strandgade.

Christians Kirke

Strandgade 1-2. Hours: Oopen in summer 8-18, in winter 8-17. (B3).

A Rococo church from 1755-1759, flanked by small pavilions. Magnificient Rococo interior with storeyed galleries.

On the corner, at Strandgade 14, is the old town hall of the Christianshavn district.

We walk back Strandgade to the north, cross Torvegade and continue on Strandgade. When we come to Skt. Annægade the palace of Asiatisk Kompagni = Asia Company, is opposite that street.

Asiatisk Kompagni

(C3).

The palace from 1740 evokes memories of the golden age when the Danish fleet roamed the oceans and Denmark was a colonial power. The palace now houses the Foreign Ministry.

Next to Asiatisk Kompagni there is Gammel Dok opposite Bådmandsstræde.

Gammel Dok

Strangade 27 B. Hours: Open 10-17. (C3).

An old warehouse has been artistically converted into offices, a museum and a café with a good harbor view.

Adults DKr. 20, children free.

We look into the backyard of no. 44 where there were artillery barracks, now changed into flats, before we continue along Strandgade. Then we continue on Strandgade to the canal, where we turn right. Here we enter the Amsterdam of Copenhagen. We walk along the canal to Overgaden Neden Vandet.

Christianshavn Kanal

(C3).

This part of Copenhagen was laid out in 1618 by Dutch architects and engineers summoned by the repeatedly mentioned super-builder Christian IV. It reminds us of the Amsterdam canals.

At the corner of Overgaden Neden Vandet we have an excellent view along Christianshavn Kanal with freshly painted boats nestling at the quays and old houses and warehouses nestling in the streets. We note the Dutch hoists on the narrow house fronts.

At the canal corner we turn right into Overgaden Neden Vandet and walk to Skt. Annægade, where we turn left to the Vor Frelsers Kirke = Our Savior’s Church.

Vor Frelsers Kirke

Sankt Annægade 29. Hours: Open in summer 9-16:30, in winter 9-15:30. (C3).

The unique spiral tower was added in 1747-1752 to the already existing Baroque church from 1682-1696. The spire is 87 meters, second only to the city hall spire.

We can climb the tower on the inside and the spire on the outside in April 1966 when tower has been opened after reparations.

On the other side of the church we turn into Prinsessegade, cross Bådmandsstræde and are on the lookout to the entrance of Christiania on the right side of Prinsessegade.

Christiania

(C3).

A kind of a free state of young people who occupied these barracks of 170 houses in 18 hectares of central land when they were abandoned in 1971 and were to be torn down. It has evolved into one of the main tourist attractions of Copenhagen. The middle-aged hippies and other eccentrics of Christiania do not frown upon square-looking and camera-toting visitors.

After much haggling between the squatters and the authorities the experiment of Christiania was reluctantly accepted on a temporary basis. Christiania has since been a colorful part of town, with inexpensive restaurants and experimental theaters, lots of music and some eccentric buildings.

The place was somewhat run down and soiled, only a shadow of its former self but has recently become invigorated through tourist commercialization.

We cross Christiania to the other side and arrive at the old city ramparts where we turn right.

Ramparts

(C3).

In 1659 these ramparts saved Copenhagen from a Swedish onslaught. Now they have been changed into peaceful public parks. We turn right and saunter relaxedly along them, getting invigorated by the change from the Christiania garishness.

When we come to Overgaden Over Vandet, we leave the ramparts and continue along Christianshavn Kanal.

Overgaden

(C3).

On this side of the canal there are many beautiful old houses, mostly built by rich merchants in the 18th C.

In no. 58 there is Orlogsmuseet = The Royal Danish Naval Museum, open Tuesday-Sunday 12-16.

Arriving at Christianshavn Torv at the corner of the Torvegade traffic artery, we have finished this short sightseeing walk and are ready to take a taxi or a bus or to walk over Knippelsbro bridge to the mainland side of Copenhagen.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Bakken

Klampenborg. Hours: Open in summer.

An amusement park like Tivoli in the suburb of Klampenborg, more basic and with more space, popular with many locals.

Brønnum

Kongens Nytorv. (B2).

The senior actors and artists pub in town, conveniently situated between the Royal Theater and the Royal Academy of Arts at the central Kongens Nytorv Square. The antique bar is comfortably weary-looking and romantic.

Hviids Vinstue

Kongens Nytorv. (B2).

One of the oldest pubs in the center, situated on Kongens Nytorv in several small rooms in a cellar reeking with antiquity. It looks like it must have looked in the 19th C. It has a low ceiling, hard benches and chairs. The visibility is poor due to tobacco smoke, and the guests never seem to leave, nor to stop ordering more beer.

When the happy hour arrives, this ancient wine bar fills up for a while with loud and happy people from the offices around. The congregate here before going out or home to dinner.

Library Bar

Bernstorffsgade 4. (A3).

Heavy wood, old books and thick leather are the hallmarks of this upper-class bar of the Plaza hotel, alongside the central railway station. Speech hushes into a whisper in the distinguished and irresistible library, dominated by a flower arrangement.

Vin & Ølgod

Skindergade 45. (B2).

The mood is usually exuberant in this moderately priced late evening beer hall accommodating 400 guests. Customers in high spirits stand on benches and sing along to old favorites. A small band and a jester keep things going. The place fits the older crowd. Beer is drunk freely from one-liter mugs and a few smørrebrød are devoured too.

It is a distant relative of the beer halls of Bavaria. Those are more brassy and these have milder music and songs of a more universally popular variety, the texts being conveniently provided in song-books at every seat. Guests sit on benches at long tables, join hands with neighbors, waive flags and dance waltzes and rhumbas.

If we want more quiet, we can order a window table upstairs in the English Pub, where we have an excellent view over the commotion. The Portuguese bistro can also be used in the same way. If we want to concentrate on beer-guzzling, there are long tables downstairs in Rådhuskælderen under seven centuries old vaults and ancient dungeon irons.

Cafe Dan Turéll

Skt. Regnegade 3-5. Phone: 3314 1047. (B2).

A tiny café in a small street near Kongens Nytorv, very “in” and crowded for several years, with literary and intellectual regulars.

Cafe Europa

Amagertorv 1. Phone: 3314 2889. (B2).

Perfectly situated on pedestrian Strøget, specializing in newspapers. It is good vantage point to observe the pedestrian commotion outside.

Cafe Krasnapolsky

Vestergade 10. Phone: 3332 8800. (A2).

A popular café with techno music and large windows near Rådhuspladsen, on the northern side of the street, between Larsbjørnsstræde and Gammeltorv. The kitchen is above par and the the service is getting slower all the time. A rectangular bar in the middle dominates the place.

Cafe Norden

Amagertorv. (B2).

Perfectly situated on pedestrian Strøget, specializing in cakes, on the corner of the shopping streets Købmagergade and Strøget. It is on two floors, but the most attractive part is the one that spills into the pavement in summer, when artists perform on the square.

Cafe Sommersko

Kronprinsensgade 6. Phone: 3314 8189. (B2).

On the southern side of the street, a few steps from the pedestrian Købmagergade, the Danish answer to Café Flora and Café Deux Magots in Paris. It is the mother of bohemian cafés in Copenhagen, brightly lit, has lots of mirrors and the staff are in uniform.

Falsled Kro

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Alsace
Ny Østergade 9 / Pistolstræde, 1101 K. Phone: 3314 5743. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: DKr.400 ($70) for two. All major cards. (B2).

One of the city’s more refined restaurants, in a pedestrian alley leading off Strøget. A part of it is a sidewalk restaurant and part is a conventional restaurant in a white-painted brick cellar.

There are lots of fresh flowers, green sofas along the walls and tiles on the floor. The room is in two parts one of which has a view into the kitchen. The wine list concentrates on Alsace.

• Clear truffle soup.

• Goose liver paté with toast.

• Oyster soup.

• Venison with chanterelles.

• Sauerkraut

• Butter-fried partridge with grapes.

• Grilled feta cheese

• Champagne sorbet.

Amalie

Amaliegade 11. Phone: 3312 8810. Hours: Closed dinner, Saturday & Sunday. Price: DKr.120 ($21) for two. All major cards. (C2).

In a street leading from Amalienborg, just 100 meters from the palace, an exquisite little lunch cellar with a low ceiling in a conservation protected house.

The white walls are decorated with old etchings, the tables with candles and crochet mats. The cooking is simple and excellent.

• Smoked eel.

• Cod roes.

• Fish dumplings.

• Beef tartar.

Belle Terrasse

Tivoli, Vesterbrogade 3, 1620 V. Phone: 3312 1136. Fax: 3315 0031. Hours: Closed in winter. Price: DKr.650 ($113) for two. All major cards. (A3).

The best restaurant in the Tivoli garden. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Bernstorff

Bernstorffsgade 7, 1577 V. Phone: 3311 0668. Fax: 3315 1547. Hours: Closed dinner, Saturday & Sunday. Price: DKr.100 ($17) for two. All major cards. (A3).

Opposite the central railway stations and with Tivoli Gardens at its back, this restaurant offers some of the most reasonable prices in town.

It is clean, with gleaming white linen, decorated with items from the Tivoli Gardens. The main attraction is the reasonably prices lunch buffet. Service is very good.

• Salmon paté.

• Marinated salmon.

Cafe Victor

Hovedvagtsvej 8 / Ny Østergade, 1101 K. Phone: 3313 3613. Hours: Main room closed Sunday. Price: DKr.150 ($26) for two. All major cards. (B2).

Just behind hotel Angleterre, 50 meters from Kongens Nytorv square, a fashionable meeting place of young and affluent intellectuals.

It is open and cold and mainly noisy. The bar is more comfortable than the dining room. The place is really a café that offers a menu at lunch. The naked windows are immense and there are mirrors behind the bar. Everything seems to make sure that everyone sees everyone else, even from the outside. The service is good.

Caféen i Nicolai

Nikolaj Plads12. Phone: 3311 6313. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: DKr.400 ($70) for two. All major cards. (B2).

In the southern transept of Sankt Nikolaj church, just a few steps from Strøget pedestrian street. There is plenty of room in all directions, especially up.

The coolness of the big, stained windows is offset by big paintings on the walls and dark beams in the ceiling.

• Fish soup with home baked whole-grain bread.

• Butter-fried cod roes.

• Orange marinated catfish roes.

• Danish goat cheese.

Copenhagen Corner

Rådhuspladsen, Vesterbrogade 1A, 1620 V. Phone: 3391 4545. Fax: 3391 0404. Price: DKr.130 ($23) for two. All major cards. (A3).

Even if concentrating on tourist, this corner on Rådhuspladsen square is also a solid restaurant with correct prices, a worthy descendant of Frascati, which was here in the building that preceded the present one. The glassed-in front part evokes memories of the old sidewalk café.

It offers premium wines by the glass. The wine is drawn from the bottles with a Cruover without uncorking them.

• Warm-smoked salmon.

• Duck breast in calvados.

• Catfish in marinated vegetables.

• Oven-baked filet of beef.

• Pancakes with raisins and redcurrants.

Els

Store Strandstræde 3. Phone: 3314 1341. Price: DKr.450 ($78) for two. All major cards. (B2).

One of Denmark’s nicest restaurant, in a side street leading off Kongens Nytorv, a few steps from the square. The house and its design are from 1853, including the restaurant furnishings, which evoke memories from Austrian luxury cafés. The surroundings, the atmosphere and the cooking combine to make a harmonious whole that is not reflected in the rather low prices.

The inner dining room is the most interesting part. Recently restored are the six big pictures which are painted directly on the wood walls. The tables on the carpeted floor are of white and blue porcelain tiles. The atmosphere is unhurried and dignified and enhances the good service and still better cooking. The menu changes twice a day. The wine list is extensive.

• Guinea fowl with honey and orange sauce.

• Seafood chowder with mushrooms and herbs.

• Smoked salmon with truffles.

• Witch flounder with salmon mousse and salmon caviar.

• Turbot in cognac fumé.

• Charolais tournedos with herb mousse and tomatoes.

• Saddle of venison with truffes and Madeira.

• Peach pie with blackcurrant jelly and strawberries

• Cognac pie with whipped cream and blueberries.

• Mountain cheeses with grapes.

Era Ora

Torvegade 62, 1400 K. Phone: 3154 0693. Fax: 3185 0753. Hours: Closed lunch & Sunday. Price: DKr.800 ($139) for two. All major cards. (C3).

The best Christianshavn restaurant, rather expensive, on the main throughfare. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Escoffier

Dronningens Tværgade 43, 1302 K. Phone: 3315 1505. Fax: 3315 4405. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: DKr.550 ($96) for two. All major cards. (B2).

A beautiful and tasteful restaurant adjoining Hotel Christian IV, a few steps from Kongens have.

The ceiling is dark blue and the walls are yellow. Large and modern paintings and other works of art give the tone. Large chairs have blue, red and golden upholstery with African designs. White linen and candles are on the tables. Service is good.

• Bagt torske souffle med svampe i persille-hvidløgs marinade = baked cod soufflé with mushrooms in a marinade of parsley and garlic.

• Perlhøneterrin anrettet på stegt pære i balsamico = guinea hen on baked pear.

• Glaceret okse tournedos med ristede skorzornerødder og sennepskorn sauce = glazed beef tournedos with mustard sauce.

• Sesamebagt laks med spinat-dild mousse og hummercreme = salmon baked in sesame with a mousse of spinach and dill and lobster sauce.

• Gratineret brie med piment og ribs i oliven olie = gratinated brie cheese with redcurrants in olive oil.

• Valnøddekage med vanille syltede vindruer = walnut cake with vanilla pickled grapes.

Fiskekælderen, Den Gyldne Fortun

Ved Stranden 18, 1061 K. Phone: 3312 2011. Fax: 3393 3511. Hours: Closed Saturday & Sunday lunch. Price: DKr.400 ($70) for two. All major cards. (B2).

The best fish restaurants huddle together in the former fish market area at the canal facing Christiansborg palace, only 100 meters from pedestrian Strøget. One of the best is in a corner house cellar from 1796, small and tight, heavily furnished.

Knowledgeable and energetic waiters are friendly. The best part is the delicate, modern cuisine. Poaching and steaming are much in use, keeping the delicate taste of good an fresh seafood better than different types of frying. Avoid the fish items in the written menu as they can be frozen. Choose from the daily offerings chalked on blackboards on the walls.

• Mussels in the shell, poached in white wine. garlic and spices.

• Vineyard snails in the shells with salmon mousse and Burgundy sauce.

• Grilled lobster.

• Poached Dover sole with salmon mousse.

• Steamed ocean trout in white wine, with salmon and sturgeon caviar.

• Poached turbot in white wine, with wild mushroom sauce.

• Flambéed figs with pistachio ice-cream.

Fregatten Sct Georg III

Vesterbrogade 3, Tivoli, 1630 V. Phone: 3315 9204. Price: DKr.660 ($115) for two. All major cards. (A3).

An old frigate has been dumped into the middle of the lake in the eastern part of the Tivoli garden and serves as an restaurant with amusing ambience. In summer there is also dining on the deck.

Walls and ceilings are curved, just as one would expect in a ship. Everything is made of massive wood. You will not forget that you are aboard a ship. The sitting is close and the napkins are of paper. Food is acceptable and service barely so.

• Tre slags danske sild = three types of marinated herring.

• Graved laks med salat af fennikel = dill marinated salmon with fennel salad.

• Letsaltet andebryst kogt i krydderlage med lun løgkompot, svesker og rosiner = lightly salted duck boiled in herbs, with stewed onions, prunes and raisins.

• Lun flæskesteg fra Skallebølle med råmarineret rødkål = pork with marinated red cabbage.

• Danske oste fra Tebstrup, Them, Aså og Fanø = four Danish cheeses.

• Ris a la mande = spiced rice and cream.

Godt

Gothersgade 38, 1123 K. Phone: 3315 2122. Hours: Closed Monday. Price: DKr.600 ($104) for two. All major cards. (B2).

Husband-and-wife Corin Rice and Marie-Anne Ravn started this tiny restaurant for twenty guests in 1994 only 100 meters from Kongens Nytorv, on the stretch between Adelgade and Borgergade. It immediately took top honors for cooking and ambience.

The dining room is on two floors, with simple and tasteful furnishings, good linen on the tables. Marie-Anne takes good care of the guests and explains both the menu and the wine list. There is only one menu of four courses, changing every day.

• Ande-borstj med bacon = thin slices of duck with bacon.

• Søtunge og laks på frisk spinat med basilikum sauce = Dover sole and salmon on fresh spinach with basil sauce.

• Kalvemørbrad med skysauce, kantareller i fløde, dagens grøntsager og kartofler = beef fillet in own juice, chanterelle mushrooms in cream sauce, with zucchini, carrots, beans, broccoli and potatoes.

• Hasselnøddekage med friske figner i solbærsauce og pocherede ferskener = hazelnut cake with fresh figs in blackcurrant sauce and marinated plums.

Gråbrødre Torv 21

Gråbrødre Torv 21, 1154 K. Phone: 3311 4707. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: DKr.640 ($111) for two. All major cards. (B2).

The best restaurant on the charming Gråbrødretorv in the center of the old city, situated on the southwestern corner of the square, frequented by people from the fashion industry.

Sparsely furnished and cozy, with candlelights, paintings, a wooden floor, small tables with yellow and white linen and large bouqets of orange roses. The service is rather good.

• Hummersuppe med cognac = lobster soup with brandy.

• Iransk sevruga caviar = Iranian sevruga caviar.

• Letsprængt gåsebryst med peberrod = lightly salt-marinated goose with horseradish.

• Frikassé af hummer and havtaske = pieces of lobster and monkfish.

• Kogt torsk med sennepssause = poached cod with mustard sauce.

• Krondyrmedaillon på rosmarinsky = venison medaillons in rosemary.

• Pralinéis med kaffecreme = confection ice with coffee creme.

• Chokoladeterrin med orange = chocolate terrine with orange.

Ida Davidsen

St. Kongensgade 70, 1264 K. Phone: 3391 3655. Fax: 3311 3655. Hours: Closed Saturday & Sunday. Price: DKr.400 ($70) for two. All major cards. (B2).

The best and the most expensive “smørrebrød” restaurant in town, near the royal palace. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Kanal-Kaféen

Frederiksholms Kanal 18. Phone: 3311 5770. Hours: Closed dinner; Saturday & Sunday. Price: DKr.120 ($21) for two. All major cards. (B3).

An old and historical lunch pub hides in two ancient rooms on the canal opposite the back of Christiansborg palace.

The ceiling is low. There are ship models in the windows, pictures of ships on the walls. Regulars sit on cane chairs at the linen tables, enjoying good atmosphere and quick service.

• Marinated salmon.

• Smoked salmon.

• Pickled lamb.

• Home-made meat paté.

• Aged cheese.

Kokkeriet

Kronprinsessegade 64, 1306 K. Phone: 3315 2777. Hours: Closed Monday. Price: DKr.600 ($104) for two. All major cards. (B1).

A lightly trendy mixture of Danish, Far Eastern and French cooking recently opened in a lightly trendy setting near Kongens Have, about 400 meters from the royal Amalienborg palace. The cooking is surprisingly good for such a lightly trendy place.

The place is a little naked, but not uncomfortably so, dominated by a long aluminium bar and aluminium air-condition pipes in the ceiling. White colors are much in evidence, on the walls and in the linen. There are candlelights for romance and trendy pictures on the wall. The lightly casual service is nothing to write home about, spoiling the otherwise comfortable ambience.

• Grilled torsk i hummercremesuppe med porre = grilled cod in lobster cream soup.

• Kammusling fricasse med jomfruhummer og persille olie = mussels with lobster and parsley in oil.

• Chilimarineret fjordlaks med fyldte orientalske ruller = salmon in red chili and spring rolls with cabbabe and aubergine.

• Portvinsbraisere fasan med jordskokker og svampe = braised pheasant with mushrooms.

• Kokkeriets osteudvalg = blue cheese, feta, svendbo and gorgonzola cheese.

• Letfrossen chokoladekage med nøddekompot og pæresorbet = lightly frozen chocolate cake with nut compote and pear sorbet.

• Beaujolaissyltede blommer med rørt vanilleiscreme = plums pickled in red wine, with vanilla ice cream.

Kommandanten
Ny Adelgade 7, 1104 K. Phone: 3312 0990. Fax: 3393 1223. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: DKr.1050 ($183) for two. All major cards. (B2).

A thoroughly designed restaurant on two floors in a charming 17th C. residence, on the south side of the street, near Grønnegade.

Gray walls of stone and gray upholstery and gray linen, silver-sprayed leaves and branches, mirrors and vases, silver cutlery and porcelain plates distinguish the restaurant, just as specially designed metallic chairs, halogen lights and a wooden floor. The service is professional.

• Frikassé af frølår og krydderurter, serveret med persillesoufflé og løgcreme = fricassé of frogs’ legs and herbs, served with parsley soufflé and onion cream.

• Gulerodsfeulleté med kalvebrisler og danske vinbjergsnegle, serveret med morkelsky = flaky carrot pastry with sweetbreads and snails, served with mushroom sauce.

• Grilled kalvetournedos med svampefritot, perlebyg, tomat og sauce diable = grilled veal tournedos with mushrooms, tomatoes and devil’s sauce.

• Frikassé of poularde fra Bresse, vintertrøfler, selleri og skorzonerødder = fricassé of Bresse hens, truffles and celery.

• Pandekager med appelsinkompot, hertil mandler og mandel sorbet = pancakes with orange compote, almonds and almond sorbet.

Kong Hans

Vingårdstræde 6. Phone: 3311 6868. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: DKr.1100 ($191) for two. All major cards. (B2).

One of the main gourmet temples in town hides almost unmarked in a cellar about 200 meters from Kongens Nytorv square and 100 meters from pedestrian Strøget. You start with drinks at the bar watching the work of the chefs in the open kitchen before you are shown to a table in a beautiful and romantic dining room behind the kitchen. This place combines atmosphere and cuisine.

White cellar vaults with Gothic ribs dominate the room. Avant-garde works of art line the walls. The table service is elegant but the waiter service could be better. A coffee and cognac sitting room is behind the dining room, sparing diners the cigar smell. A choice of set menus of three, four, six and eight courses offers excellent cuisine at stratospheric prices.

• Goose liver and sweetbreads with pickled vegetables.

• Asparagus and sparrow eggs in butter pie with zucchini, mushrooms, salmon and sturgeon caviar.

• Salmon and lemon sole in cream sauce.

• Champagne sorbet.

• Milk lamb in sage sauce.

• Beef contrefilet with mushroom and red wine sauce.

• Apple pie with raspberry sauce.

• Cheeses and desserts from the trolley.

Kongkursen

Kompagnistræde 4, 1208 K. Price: DKr.400 ($70) for two. All major cards. (B2).

In the oldest part of the city center, functioning both as a café and as a restaurant. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Krogs Fiskerestaurant

Gammel Strand 38, 1202 K. Phone: 3315 8915. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: DKr.1050 ($183) for two. All major cards. (B2).

A 1910 original of a fish restaurant in Empire style overlooking the royal palace complex on the other side of the canal, near Højbro plads, serving good seafood on the classic French side at high prices.

The green walls are covered with gilded mirrors and 19th C. paintings in white frames. The chairs are of mahogny. White linen, oil lamps and porcelain is on the tables. This is a refined place, typically Danish.

• Røget laks, æble chutney og jomfruhummer tatar = smoked salmon, apple chutney and lobster tartare.

• Hummerbisque serveret med hummer og tilsmagt med armagnac = lobster chowder with lobster and armagnac.

• Ristet pighvarfilet med ratatouille af tre slags løg og citronsmør = baked turbot fillet with a stew of tomatoes and three types of onion, and lemon butter.

• Grillet hummer med vanille, jordskokker og æbler = grilled lobster with vanilla, mushrooms and apples.

• Créme brûlé med mild stjerneanis og mocca detil vanillesorbet = créme brûlé with anis and mocca, served with vanilla sorbet.

• Chokolade pyramide med pistacie karamel = chocolate pyramid with pistacio caramel.

Leonore Christine

Nyhavn 9. Phone: 3313 5040. Price: DKr.600 ($104) for two. All major cards. (C2).

In the oldest Nyhavn house, from 1681, less than 100 meters from Kongens Nytorv square, a nice little restaurant with big windows facing Nyhavn harbor. The house has been preserved in original condition. The furnishings under the white walls are simple and unostentatious.

It has been a popular meeting place of boisterous businessmen for many years. The service is rather good, even if uneven. The menu is short and handwritten, showing clear signs of Nouvelle Cuisine. The refined cooking is by far the best one in Nyhavn. The wine list is rather high in price.

• Venison tartar with dill and egg.

• Mushroom mousse.

• Duck breast with shallots and red wine fumé.

• Venison leg with goose fat.

• Candied pistachio ice-cream with prune sabajon.

• Desserts from the trolley.

Lille Lækkerbisken

Gammel Strand 34, 1202 K. Phone: 3332 0400. Fax: 3332 0797. Price: DKr.400 ($70) for two. All major cards. (B2).

Centrally located on the canals. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Lumskebugten

Esplanaden 21. Phone: 3315 6029. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: DKr.440 ($77) for two. All major cards. (C1).

500 meters north from royal Amalienborg palace on the way to Den lille Havfrue, a former café has been successfully transformed into a modern culinary temple with simple and beautiful furnishings.

The house is white, long and narrow, with the main dining room in front, a bar and two smaller rooms behind. The rooms are bright, old and roomy, decorated with old photos and posters. The linen is gleaming white under flower and candle decorations. The offers of the day are chalked on a blackboard in addition to handwritten menus which change two times a day.

• Beef tartar.

• Skate stuffed with salad and salmon roes.
• Leg of venison with fumé of nuts, apples and blackberries.

• Chocolate cream cake with mashed fruit and ice-cream.

Nouvelle

Gammel Strand 34, 1202 K. Phone: 3313 5018. Fax: 3332 0797. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: DKr.950 ($165) for two. All major cards. (B2).

A hidden gem on the pretty Gammel Strand canal street near Højbro plads, entered through an almost unmarked courtyard. It is an exquisite restaurant with perfect service and almost perfect French nouvelle cuisine.

The colors are grey, blue and curry. An enormous and original chandelier is in the middle of the tiled ceiling. Open cupboards of glasses and wine bottles are in some crannies. The butter trays, plates and ashtrays are of pewter. The linen is orange and dark blue. There are flowers and candles on the tables. Service is unobtrusive and watchful and technically perfect.

• Æg nouvelle fyldt med hummermousseline og sevruga caviar = marbled egg with lobster mousseline and sevruga caviar.

• Terrine af vesterhavsfisk og muslinger med peberrod = Nordsee fish terrine and mussels with horseradish.

• Terrine af gåsefoiegras med mango og mild pebergelé = goose liver terrine with mango and pepper gelé.

• Pighvarfilet med letrøget spæk, balsamico og morkler = turbot with lightly smoked bacon and mushrooms.

• Hel hummer med salvie, spinat og pecorino = whole lobster with sage, spinach and pecorino cheese.

• Svesker i armagnac med creme og sukkerkurve = prunes in armagnac with cream and sugar basket.

• Lille æbletærte serveret varm med syltede valnødder og rørt iscreme = warm apple pie with pickled walnuts and ice cream.

Ostehjørnet

Store Kongensgade 56. Phone: 3315 9133. Hours: Closed Saturday dinner & Sunday. Price: DKr.130 ($23) for two. All major cards. (B2).

An excellent cheese shop is in a cellar on a main street 400 meters from Kongens Nytorv square and Amalienborg square. Above the shop a small restaurant specializes in cheese.

Salads, cheeses and cold cuts are on display at the bar, as customary at Danish lunch places. The staff knows about cheeses. Beer is preferable to the inferior wine.

• Cheese platter with emmenthaler, camembert, bresse bleu, brie and feta.

Restaurationen

Møntergade 19, 1116 K. Phone: 3314 9495. Hours: Closed Monday. Price: DKr.550 ($96) for two. All major cards. (B2).

A top-flight husband-and-wife restaurant of Bo and Lisbeth Jacobsen in a beautiful corner house on the west side of Möntergade and north side of Vognmagergade, only a few steps from Kongens Have and about 300 meters from Kongens Nytorv. Bo is a well-known TV cook, both are wine tasting specialists, and the cuisine is one of the best two or three in Copenhagen.

Beautiful, large paintings line the white walls of this airy restaurant with an open layout and a view into the kitchen, white linen and blue porcelain on the tables. Service is excellent and informative. There is only one menu of five courses, changed two times each day.

• Bagt helleflynder piqueret med røget hellefisk, syltede Karl Johann svampe og persillecrem = baked halibut, spiced with smoked halibut, pickled mushrooms and parsley cream.

• Laks indbage i butterdej med safransmør, glaseret selleri og lakserogn = salmon in butter pastry with saffron butter, glazed celery and salmon caviar.

• Marinerede linser bagt i porer, vinaigrette med kørvet og phylladej bagt med tapande = marinated baked beans.

• Kalvemørbrad farseret med brisler og vintertrøfler, madeira-trøffelsauce, grønkål med fløde bagt i bacon og kartoffel gratin med parmesan = veal fillet with sweetbreads and truffles, madeira sauce and gratinated potatoes with parmesan.

• Valnødde-marengskage med honning-citronfløde = walnut meringue cake with honey and lemon cream.

• Hvid chokolade iscreme med chokolade tuilles og svedsker i ahorn-sirup = white chocolate icea cream.

• Bagt æble med karamelcreme og orangesauce med koriander = baked apple with caramel creme and orange sauce with coriander.

Saison

Hellerup Parkhotel, Strandvejen 203, 2900 Hellerup. Phone: 3962 4842. Fax: 3962 5657. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: DKr.800 ($139) for two. All major cards.

The doyen of Danish chefs, Erwin Lauterbach, is back in Copenhagen and runs a restaurant in Hellerup Parkhotel in the suburb of Hellerup, on the coast road from Copenhagen to Elsinore, when you have just passed the Experimentarium exhibition and the Tuborg breweries. Lauterbach specializes in nouvelle vegetarian cuisine.

Beautiful, bright and spacious, with dark parquet and light furniture, red and golden curtains, brass and glass chandeliers, candlelights and white linen on the tables, and paintings by contemporary Danish artists. The kitchen is partly in view. Service by knowledgeable waiters is outstanding but rather busy at times. Good care is taken of the guests.

• Foie gras af and i terrine med briochebrød = duck liver in terrine with brioches.

• Crudité med grøntsager, safranmarinade og krydderurtetoast = crudité of vegetables, saffrom marinade and spiced toast.

• Jordskokker og blomkål med rosiner og kapers i muskatnøddesauce = mushrooms and cauliflower with raisins and capers in nut sauce.

• Grillet filet af torsk med porrer og linser = grilled cod fillet with lentils.

• Pandekager krydret med chili og serveret med hvidebønner i sauce med friske koriander = pancakes spiced with chile and served with white beans in sauce with fresh coriander.

• Makroner med kastanjeis og chokoladesauce = Macaroones with castagne ice cream and chocolate sauce.

• Anisparfait med karameliseret ananas = Anis parfait with caramelized pineapple.

Sankt Annæ

Sankt Annæ Plads 12, 1250 K. Phone: 3312 5497. Hours: Closed dinner; Saturday & Sunday. Price: DKr.150 ($26) for two. All major cards. (C2).

Alongside hotel Neptun, 200 meters from Kongens Nytorv square, a small hole for 32 lunchers sitting tight, if they can get through the narrow entrance. All the food is made on the premises.

This is a nice place, decorated with wagon wheels and old wagon drawings. There is no menu. Instead you trot to the bar, where the food is, and point out what you want to eat.

• Salmon with shrimp.

• Egg with shrimp.

• Marinated herring.

• Danish cheeses.

Skagen

Toldboldgade 2, Kælderen, 1253 K. Phone: 3393 8385. Hours: Closed Monday. Price: DKr.540 ($94) for two. All major cards. (C2).

A simple cellar restaurant with a seaside atmosphere and a short menu of standardized Danish-French cooking on the corner of Nyhavn and Toldbodgade, about 300 meters from Kongens Nytorv.

Benches of dark wood line the walls. There are ship lanterns, candles, stones and conches in the window-sills. The linen is white and gray. Seaside paintings enhance the ambience. Service is frendly but not very professional.

• Poulard frikasse med kammuslinger og salad = braised pullet pieces with mussels and salad.

• Andeleverterrine med svampe = duck liver terrine with mushrooms.

• Hummerfrikassé med urter = lobster pieces with herbs.

• Stegt lyssej med hummersauce = pan-fried saithe with lobster sauce.

• Kalvemørbrad med røgede svampe-sauce = veal with smoked mushroom sauce.

• Desserttallerken = mixed desserts.

Skildpadden

Gråbrødretorv 9, 1154 K. Phone: 3313 0506. Price: DKr.120 ($21) for two. All major cards. (B2).

An inexpensive café-cum-restaurant on the friendliest square in the center. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Slotskælderen

Fortunstræde 4, 1065 K. Phone: 3311 1537. Hours: Closed dinner & Sunday & Monday. Price: DKr.200 ($35) for two. All major cards. (B2).

One of the better lunch restaurants in the center, near the pedestrian Strøget. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Sorte Ravn

Nyhavn 14, 1051 K. Phone: 3312 2011. Fax: 3393 3511. Price: DKr.800 ($139) for two. All major cards. (C2).

A cozy and pretty restaurant with solid French cuisine on the quiet side of Nyhavn, between the Kongens Nytorv square and Holbergsgade.

A bright place with small and deep windows, white walls and white linen, red ceiling bricks, brown leather benches and comfortable Nordic chairs. The table service is elegant, includes oil lamps and large wine glasses. There are rough bast mats on the floor. The total ambience is one of warmth and relaxation, just as the service.

• Dybkaosrejer omviklet med bacon, serveret med beurre blanc, tomatconcassé og vilde ris = ocean shrimp with bacon, served with melted butter, tomatpuré and wild rice.

• To slags laks med estragonsky, urter, hakkede æg, citronglacerede østers, salat og purløgescreme = two types of salmon in tarragon fond, with herbs, ground eggs and oysters in lemon glace.

• Indbagt pighvarfilet med hummerkød, laksemousse, samt hummer-cognac sauce = baked turbot with lobster, salmon mousse and lobster-brandy sauce.

• Helstegt svampefarseret dyrefilet med bær, selleriepure, andelevermousse and Madagaskar-pebersauce = braised venison with mushroom puré, berries, celery puré, duck liver mousse and pepper sauce.

• Lettfrossen nødde nougatkage med appelsin og solbærsorbet = lightly frozen nut and nougat cake with orange and blackcurrant sorbet.

• Frisk frugtsorbet = sorbet of fresh fruit.

Spinderokken

Trommesalen 5, 1614 V. Phone: 3122 1314. Fax: 3122 3513. Hours: Closed lunch; Sunday. Price: DKr.400 ($70) for two. All major cards. (A3).

The heavily decorated restaurant 100 meters from the central railway station has remained unchanged for a long time, hiding behind two stained windows and a heavy oak door. This peaceful and lazy place is old-fashioned in cooking, in service and in decor.

The old and dimly lit dining room in front is preferable to the newer one on the side. Oak, copper, antiques, candles, woven fabrics are all around. Here people do not hurry, even at lunch, when they linger into the afternoon, chatting over a glass of cognac. Lately a cold lunch buffet has been the specialty of the house, culminating in many types of marinated herring.

• Breast of turkey with creamed eggs.

• Three types of marinated herring with black bread.

St Gertruds Kloster

Hauser plads 32, 127 K. Phone: 3314 6630. Price: DKr.1150 ($200) for two. All major cards. (B2).

A unique and an immense restaurant for parties and tourist groups in the cellar of a charming 14th C. convent, a few steps from Kultorvet square, on the north side of the street, unusually furnished and lit by 1500 candles without the help of electricity. Sadly service and cooking do not reflect the high standard of the design.

Brick vaults, arcades. old chairs and tables of massive wood, heavy staircases, beams and pillars, religious artifacts and noisy diners. Aperitifs are taken in nooks and crannies and coffee is served in a library of leather furniture. Service is in the style of conveyor belts, rather rude and inattentive. Butter is served in airline alumnium packages.

• Flødeglaceret hummersuppe med armagnac og hummerkød = cream glazed lobster soup with armagnac and lobster chunks.

• Friskkogt hummer serveret i safranfløde, tilsmagnt med hvid bourgogne og dild = poached lobster in saffron cream, with white wine and dill.

• Andebryst letsalted og stegt på grill, serveret med risted andelever, estragonsauce, dagens grøntsag og kartoffel = lightly salted duck grilled and served with roasted duck liver, tarragon sauce, vegetables of the day and potatoes.

• Helstegt oksemørbrad serveret med kraftig trøffelsauce, hertil sauteret frisk spinat, ristede svampe = beef fillet with truffle sauce, sautéed spinach and roasted mushrooms.

• Letfrossen appelsinkage med nøddekrokant og hindbærpuré = lightly frozen orange cake with nut croquant and raspberry puré.

• Skobærparfait med karamelfløde og friske jordbær = parfait of berries from the wood with caramel cream and strawberries.

Sticks ‘n Sushi

Nørre Søgade 11, 1370 K. Hours: Closed lunch. Price: DKr.250 ($43) for two. All major cards. (A2).

One of the best Japanese restaurant in town, in the Kong Arthur hotel, near the central lakes. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Thorvaldsen

Gammel Strand 34, 1202 K. Phone: 3332 0400. Fax: 3332 0797. Hours: Closed Sunday & in winter dinner. Price: DKr.350 ($61) for two. All major cards. (B2).

Conveniently located opposite the palace island. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Tivolihallen

Vester Voldgade 91. Phone: 3311 0160. Hours: Closed Saturday & Sunday. Price: DKr.120 ($21) for two. All major cards. (B3).

The baccalao saltfish center in town is in a 125 year old cellar just behind the city hall, 300 meters from Rådhuspladsen. You either order your baccalao by phone or wait for 25 minutes to get the exquisite delicacy on your plate, overcooked in the Icelandic manner.

Middle-aged regulars sit on worn benches and torn chairs in two tired and cozy rooms to devour big portions of baccalao and other grandmother’s dishes. Everything is clean and the linen is gleaming white. There is no menu and no price list.

• Saltfish, Icelandic way.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

71 Nyhavn

Nyhavn 71, 1051 K. Phone: 3311 8585. Fax: 3393 1585. Price: DKr.1350 ($235) with breakfast. All major cards. 82 rooms. (C2).

A relaxing hotel in a converted harbor warehouse, 500 meters from Kongens Nytorv, built as a storehouse for salt and spices at the tip of Nyhavn harbor. It survived the bombardment of Copenhagen in 1807, fell on hard times and served as a furniture storehouse in the latter part of this century. In 1971 is was converted into a hotel, collecting several restoration awards.

It looks like the warehouse it was. Even most of the window shutters are original. The entrance is modest. The supporting structure of broad pine beams is everywhere in evidence, in every room. Corridors are narrow. Most modern conveniences have been built into this skeleton. Staying here is like traveling first class to the past. The staff remember guests’ room numbers.

Room no. 340 has the preferred Nyhavn side and Malmø ferries view. It is small but grows larger when the curtains are drawn. The furniture is modern and comfortable, with one easy-chair. The tiled bathroom is even smaller. All instruments are of the most modern kind and function perfectly, but the towels are on the small side.

Admiral

Toldbodgade 24-28, 1253 K. Phone: 3311 8282. Fax: 3332 5542. Price: DKr.950 ($165) with breakfast. All major cards. 366 rooms. (C2).

The avant-garde antique hotel is in a 200 years old grain-drying house at the harbor, 500 meters from Kongens Nytorv square and 300 meters from the royal residence in Amalienborg. This severe-looking building is one of a few substantial ones to survive both the city fire of 1795 and the bombardment of 1807. The heavy Pomeranian pine structure is everywhere evident.

There is no steel and no concrete. Most of the corridors have the original wide and arched brick wall running through the whole length of the building. Reception and service is friendly, but there can be a traffic congestion in the lobby when groups are leaving and coming. A nightclub is in the hotel, which is popular for conferences.

The spacious room no. 624 has the preferred harborside view. It is on two levels in the attic, with a sleeping area upstairs. Brown beams and buttresses contrast with white walls. A wooden staircase connects the two levels. Amusing paintings decorate the place. In the sitting area there are two easy-chairs and a convertible sofa. The tiled bathroom is well equipped.

Angleterre

Kongens Nytorv 34, 1050 K. Phone: 3312 0095. Fax: 3312 1118. Price: DKr.2050 ($357) with breakfast. All major cards. 139 rooms. (B2).

The prestigious address in Copenhagen for centuries, one of the oldest luxury hotels of the world, founded more than two centuries ago. The White Lady of the North has ever since been a stopover for kings and presidents, nobles and snobs, the right address at the right city square. It look elegant at Kongens Nytorv, stealing the scene from other palaces around the square.

Restorations have succeeded in keeping up with time. Service is quick and friendly. Famous restaurant Reine Pedauque is surprisingly good and surprisingly inexpensive, especially the set lunch. Breakfast is served in the glassed-in sidewalk café on the square.

The large room no. 427 is comfortable and polished, with ample furniture of an inconsistent style, neither modern nor antique. It is quiet in spite of having a balcony overlooking the street. In the spacious bathroom everything is in good condition.

Ascot

Studiestræde 61, 1554 V. Phone: 3312 6000. Fax: 3314 6040. Price: DKr.890 ($155) with breakfast. All major cards. 58 rooms. (A3).

One of the friendliest hotels in town, in a small building just 100 meters from Rådhuspladsen square.

It is a peaceful and an homelike inn, manned by staff of friendly young people who remember guests’ room numbers and give lightning-fast room service. It has an eccentric lift in ancient British style. The hotel is decorated with several works by Bjørn Viinblad, paintings, sculpture and flower-pots.

Room no. 305 is smallish, with an inside corner window. The furniture is showing signs of age, but not unpleasantly so. Lights are modern and rather dim. The spacious bathroom has all necessary fixtures. A graphic work by Bjørn Viinblad brightens one of the walls.

Christian IV

Dronningens Tværgade 45, 1302 K. Phone: 3332 1044. Fax: 3332 0706. Price: DKr.900 ($157) with breakfast. All major cards. 42 rooms. (B2).

A small and modern hotel a few steps from Kongens Have and 300 meters from Kongens Nytorv.

The public rooms are tasteful and comfortable, with good breakfast and several newspapers.

Room no. 22 is of medium size, white walls and bright furniture, blue and golden curtains and bed-spreads. The fully tiled bathroom has an open shower.

City

Peder Skramsgade 24, 1054 K. Phone: 3313 0666. Fax: 3313 0667. Price: DKr.1040 ($181) with breakfast. All major cards. 81 rooms. (C2).

A comfortable and centrally located hotel in a white building on the stretch between Holbergsgade and Havnegade about 200 meters from Kongens Nytorv square.

In the lobby a fountain staircase sculpture with ivy greets you in front of the breakfast room.

The clean and comfortable room no. 511 has quality furniture in bright, somewhat sterile colors, and reproductions on the walls. It has a trouser press. The bathroom in light brown tiles functions very well.

Copenhagen Crown

Vesterbrogade 41, 1620 V. Phone: 3121 2166. Fax: 3121 0066. Price: DKr.1150 ($200) with breakfast. All major cards. 80 rooms. (A3).

Situated on the main traffic artery in the center. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Danmark

Vester Voldgade 89, 1552 V. Phone: 3311 4806. Fax: 3314 3630. Price: DKr.895 ($156) with breakfast. All major cards. 49 rooms. (B3).

A very small hotel just behind the City Hall, 200 meters from Rådhuspladsen square.

It is recently furnished in a modern building with large windows.

Room no. 508 is well furnished, with large windows, and is quiet in spite of that. The tiled bathroom is comfortable.

Esplanaden

Bredgade 78, 1260 K. Phone: 3391 3200. Fax: 3391 3239. Price: DKr.850 ($148) with breakfast. All major cards. 116 rooms. (C1).

Near the Kastellet promenade area and the Little Mermaid. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Grand

Vesterbrogade 9a, 1620 V. Phone: 3131 3600. Fax: 3131 3350. Price: DKr.1095 ($190) with breakfast. All major cards. 144 rooms. (A3).

Conveniently located in front of the central railway station. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Hebron

Helgolandsgade 4, 1653 V. Phone: 3131 6906. Fax: 3131 9067. Price: DKr.500 ($87) with breakfast. All major cards. (A3).

A cheap and basic hotel 200 meters from the central railway station.

There is no service but the breakfast buffet is good.

The rooms are clean and comfortable and have everything in good working condition.

Komfort

Løngangsstræde 27, 1468 K. Phone: 3312 6570. Fax: 3315 2899. Price: DKr.950 ($165) with breakfast. All major cards. 201 rooms. (B3).

An adequate hotel in a nondescript building perfectly located a few steps from the city hall, on the stretch between Vester Voldgade and Kattesund.

The lobby is clean, the breakfast room is fine and service is rather good. There is also a game room with a billiard table.

The worn and old-fashioned room no. 407 has solid furniture of wood, including a writing table and two easy-chairs. The bathroom is clean and fully tiled, but not especially inviting.

Kong Arthur

Nørre Søgade 11, 1370 K. Phone: 3311 1212. Fax: 3332 6130. Price: DKr.1195 ($208) with breakfast. All major cards. 107 rooms. (A2).

In a quiet place near he lakes. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Kong Frederik

Vester Voldgade 25, 1552 V. Phone: 3312 5902. Fax: 3393 5901. Price: DKr.1750 ($304) without breakfast. All major cards. 110 rooms. (A2).

Beautiful inside and out, a white building from the start of the 20th C.,centrally located a few steps from Rådhuspladsen square, between Vestergade and Studiestræde.

A large lobby with pictures of Danish kings is in front of a glassed-in garden for breakfasts. Service is friendly and comfortable.

The spacious room no. 129 has quality furniture of brown wood, yellow wallpaper and thick curtains in front of a large window overlooking the breakfast garden. The fully tiled bathroom has all the amenities.

Mayfair

Helgolandsgade 3, 1653 V. Phone: 3131 4801. Fax: 3313 8900. Price: DKr.925 ($161) with breakfast. All major cards. 126 rooms. (A3).

Conveniently situated around the corner from the central railway station, about 200 meters away.

It has moved up in the world following a face-lift.

The rooms are recently furnished and comfortable and all the fixtures are working in the bathrooms. The rooms even have trouser-presses.

Mercur

17 Vester Farimagsgade, 1780 V. Phone: 3312 5711. Fax: 3312 5717. Price: DKr.955 ($166) with breakfast. All major cards. 108 rooms. (A3).

In the central railway station area. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Neptun

Sankt Annæ Plads 14-20, 1250 K. Phone: 3313 8900. Fax: 3314 1250. Price: DKr.1235 ($215) with breakfast. All major cards. 60 rooms. (C2).

A small neighbor to Angleterre, 300 meters from Kongens Nytorv square.

The reception is small and the service is friendly. Behind the lobby there a small back garden and distinguished sitting rooms with antique furniture.

Room no. 204 was on the small side, overlooking the garden, very clean and well equipped, including a trouser-press.

Opera

Tordenskjoldsgade 15, 1055 K. Phone: 3312 1519. Fax: 3332 1282. Price: DKr.980 ($170) with breakfast. All major cards. 66 rooms. (B2).

A small and central hotel behind the Royal Theater and Opera, 100 meters from Kongens Nytorv square.
It has a distinguished atmosphere and efficient staff that know guests by their names. It sports a comfortable bar which is popular after performances.

Room no. 316 is complicated and looks to three directions at the same time. It is divided into a front area with a cupboard, a sitting area and a sleeping area with a fully tiled bathroom. In the middle there is an old writing desk.

Palace

Rådhuspladsen 57, 1550 V. Phone: 3314 4050. Fax: 3314 5279. Price: DKr.1425 ($248) with breakfast. All major cards. (A3).

The most elegant rooms are to be had directly at Rådhuspladsen square, in a hotel that has been renovated and is sparkling again. It has a respectable front and an imposing tower.

The service and the price do not quite match the elegance of the guest rooms.

The spacious room no. 308 has a perfect view and is completely quiet when the window is closed. It is richly and comfortably furnished in polished wood of excellent carpentry.

Park

Jarmers Plads 3, 1551 V. Phone: 3313 3000. Fax: 3314 3033. Price: DKr.760 ($132) with breakfast. All major cards. 66 rooms. (A2).

A small hotel with a human touch and variable rooms, just 200 meters from Rådhuspladsen square.

The reception and service is agreeably Danish and old-fashioned. The inside rooms are preferable to the ones facing the traffic-heavy avenue outside. Many of the back rooms have elements of the original structure included in the decoration.

Room no. 102 is large and elegant, with a sitting area, a real writing desk, a bathroom laid in marble and three big windows to the street, a little more expensive than the other two. No. 402 is not as large and not as noisy. No. 315 is smallest and most romantic, with a half-timbered wall. All the rooms are in mint condition, equipped with excellent bathrooms.

Phoenix

Bredgade 37, 1260 K. Phone: 3395 9500. Fax: 3333 9833. Price: DKr.1450 ($252) without breakfast. All major cards. 212 rooms. (B2).

A beautiful 17th C. building in a lovely location, used in sequence as headquarters for the German occupation army, the Allied Forces and the Danish Communist Party before it was converted into a hotel. It is centrally located on the corner of Bredgade and Dronningens Tværgade about 200 meters from the central Kongens Nytorv square.

The large and marbled lobby has a fountain in the middle and carved furniture, sculptures and statues, crystal chandeliers and paintings. The service fits the august atmosphere.

Room no. 1147 is rather spacious and very tasteful, with thick curtains in front of three windows, a crystal chandelier. It is crowded with white and antique furnishings of quality, including such modern things as a trouser press, a fax machine, a security box and a large TV set. The fully tied bathroom has a marble table.

Plaza

Bernstorffsgade 4, 1577 V. Phone: 3314 9262. Fax: 3393 9362. Price: DKr.1650 ($287) with breakfast. All major cards. 96 rooms. (A3).

One of the two best hotels in Copenhagen, smaller and not quite as expensive as Angleterre, is opposite the central railway station and Tivoli, convenient for those who arrive by train or plane.

Heavy wood and thick leather are the hallmarks. Speech hushes into a whisper in the distinguished library, dominated by a flower arrangement. The reception is small and the service is friendly, remembering the room numbers and names of guests. A lift of glass whisks up to the upper floors after a drink in the irresistible library.

The unusual room no. 602 is in the attic, characterized by the structural beams. Room no. 408 is more conventional. Both are big, well furnished in a traditional manner and well equipped, also in the completely tiled bathroom. Mild and cozy colors dominate with exuberant modern paintings.

Richmond

Vester Farimagsgade 33, 1780 V. Phone: 3312 3366. Fax: 3312 9717. Price: DKr.955 ($166) with breakfast. All major cards. 135 rooms. (A2).

A small and quiet hotel 600 meters from Rådhuspladsen and the central railway station.

Rooms at the back are preferable to the noisy front rooms.

Room no. 502 is ample, furnished with quality and sober elegance in a somewhat outdated Scandinavian style.

Royal

Hammerichsgade 1, 1611 V. Phone: 3314 1412. Fax: 3314 1421. Price: DKr.2000 ($348) without breakfast. All major cards. 263 rooms. (A3).

The oldest and the most central of the hotel towers. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Sophie Amalie

Sankt Annæ Plads 21, 1250 K. Phone: 4533 1334. Price: DKr.960 ($167) without breakfast. All major cards. 134 rooms. (C2).

A nice and modern hotel with a harbour view on the corner of Sankt Annæ Plads and Toldbodgade, about 200 meters from the royal Amalienborg palace and the same distance in the other direction to Nyhavn harbour.

The lobby is graced with a charming water sculpture.

Room no. 301 is spacious, with a sitting area. It has modern furnishings in white and softly violet colors, a granite table and a glass wall with a harbour view. The bathroom is small and adequate.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

“Hygge”

“Hygge” is a Danish word not easily translated into English. It resembles the German “Gemütlichkeit” and means a relaxed, feeling comfortable and secure. It describes a personality trait that is more common in easy-going Denmark and positive attitude, feeling comfortable and secure. It describes a personality trait that is more common in easy-going Danes.

History

Warrior bishop Absalon founded Copenhagen in 1167 by building a castle on the island of Slotsholmen. The fishing village around the castle soon grew into a merchant town, giving it the present name, which means: “Merchants’ harbor”. For centuries the royal palace was on the island and the merchant town was on the banks round the island. Now the parliament is on Slotsholmen.

It became an official capital of Denmark in the early 15th C. Many churches and palaces in the center date from a building boom in the 17th C. during the reign of Christian IV. Devastating city fires in 1728 and 1795 destroyed most of the ordinary houses inside the city walls, so that the present-day architecture of the old center is mainly from the beginning of the 19th C.

Life

There is no better place for guests. This merry city is one of the friendliest in the world, open-minded and international, without having lost Danish customs and culture. The Danes have acquired the style of the relaxed cosmopolitan, the witty prankster and the adventurous artist. They have opened up their windows to the world and are nevertheless unlike anyone else.

They have few natural resources other than their wits, which are best evident in their world-famous works of art. Everything becomes beautiful in their hands, glass, clay and wood, silver, hides and steel. And nowhere is this better seen than in Copenhagen.

Life is both rough and soft, all the way from the drug addict’s despair to the connoisseur’s delight. Here beer and wine flow freely with good and abundant food. Here is companionship and solitude in cafés and pubs, in pedestrian streets and gardens. Here is coziness and charm as guests from abroad are quick to find the Danish beat of life.

Taste

The Danes are justly famous for applied arts. Copenhagen shops are a fairy-tale land of refined taste and traditional handicraft. No shopping street in the world equals the pedestrian Strøget for its concentration of beautiful and useful things. During 15 minutes of walking one sees there rows of shops, all full of wonders to admire and enjoy.

We see unique things, furniture and home appliances, furs and porcelain, gold and glass, pottery and linen, much of it so exquisite that we look at in awe. It is simplest to window-shop on Strøget and its pedestrian side-streets. It has the densest concentration of exactly those shops offering goods that travelers want to inspect.

Accident

Phone: 112.

Indicate fire, policed or ambulance as required, sea or air accident. Speak slowly and distinctly. State phone number and address. Emergency calls from public booths are free, coins not needed.

Ambulance

Phone: 112.

Indicate fire, policed or ambulance as required, sea or air accident. Speak slowly and distinctly. State phone number and address. Emergency calls from public booths are free, coins not needed.

Complaints

The police in Copenhagen are generally nice, just as the population on the whole. Most people understand English.

Dentist

Oslo Plads 14. Phone: 3138 0251. Hours: Open 8-21:30 Monday-Friday, 10-12 Saturday-Sunday.

Tandlægevagten. Personal callers only. Emergencies only.

Fire

Phone: 112.

Indicate fire, policed or ambulance as required, sea or air accident. Speak slowly and distinctly. State phone number and address. Emergency calls from public booths are free, coins not needed.

Hospital

Blegdamsvej 9. Phone: 112.

Casualty wards. Day & night treatment, emergencies only.

All foreigners staying temporarily in Denmark are entitled to free treatment in hospitals and casualty wards in the event of sudden illness or aggravation of chronic disease, provide the patient has not come to Denmark with the intention of obtaining treatment or is not strong enough to return to home country. Transport home is paid by patient or his insurance.

Medical care

Phone: 3393 6300. Hours: Monday-Friday 9-16.

Doctors on Call. Outside work hours dial 3312 0041. In emergency dial 112.

Pharmacy

Vesterbrogade 6c. Phone: 3314 8266. Hours: Open day & night. (A3).

Steno Apotek.

Police

Phone: 112.

Indicate fire, policed or ambulance as required, sea or air accident. Speak slowly and distinctly. State phone number and address. Emergency calls from public booths are free, coins not needed.

Precautions

There is little petty crime and almost no violent crime in Copenhagen.

Banks

(A3).

Den Danske Bank at the central railway station is open all days 7-21. Banking hours are Monday-Friday 9:30-16, Thursday -18.

Credit cards

Credit cards are accepted in hotels, restaurants and shops. Visa and Eurocard (Access, MasterCard) have the largest circulation.

Missing cards: For Eurocheque, Eurocard, MasterCard, Access, Visa and JCB dial Eurocard Danmark 4489 2500 day & night. For American Express dial 8001 0021, for Diners dial 3672 3672.

Electricity

Danish voltage is 220V, same as in Europe. Plugs are continental.

Hotels

Copenhagen hotels are generally clean and well maintained, including plumbing. Small hotels can be good, even if they do not have TV sets in guest rooms. A bathroom is taken for granted nowadays. Some hotels have been artistically designed out of old warehouse buildings and have a personal appearance.

We only include hotels with private bathrooms, and in most cases we also demand a direct telephone line, working air-condition, and peace and silence during the night. Only hotels in the city center are included as we want to avoid long journeys between sightseeing and our afternoon naps.

The price ranges from DKr. 500 to DKr. 2050, including a substantial breakfast.

We checked all the hotels in this database during the winter of 1995-1996 as everything is fickle in this world. We have also tested some other hotels that are not included as they were not on par with the best in each price category. Some expensive hotels in Copenhagen are in fact no better than our selection of smaller hotels.

Money

The currency in Denmark is the Danish Krone, DKr, divided into 100 ører.

Prices

Prices have lately become stable in Denmark.

Shopping

Normal shopping hours are Monday-Friday 9:30/10:00-5:30/7:00 and Saturday 9-14. Some shops may open at 6:00 and some may close at 20:00. Some may be open weekends. The Seven-Eleven supermarket at Rådhuspladsen square is open day and night. Shop-owners are allowed to keep open at any hours Monday-Saturday and large shops are also allowed to keep open on Sunday also.

Non-residents of the European Union and Norway are entitled to buy tax-free in Denmark. Buying tax-free is easy. You save from 15% up to 19% on purchases in shops with the Europe Tax-Free Shopping sign on doors or windows. Each time you buy, ask for your tax-refund cheque. You can cash that cheque at Copenhagen Airport or one of the major European airports when you leave.

Tipping

Service is included in hotel and restaurant bills and on taximeters.

Toilets

Toilets are free of charge in restaurants, cafés and pubs. They are generally good.

Tourist office

Bernstorffsgade 1 / Vesterbrogade. Phone: 3312 2880. Fax: 3393 4969. Hours: Open 9-24 in summer, in winter Monday-Friday 9-17, Saturday 9-14. (A3).

Copenhagen Tourist Information, opposite the central railway station.

Water

Tap water is quite drinkable.

Accommodation

Bernstorffsgade 1 / Vesterbrogade. Phone: 3312 2880. Fax: 3393 4969. Hours: Open 9-24 in summer, in winter Monday-Friday 9-17, Saturday 9-14. (A3).

Copenhagen Tourist Information Hotel Bookings, opposite the central railway station.

Airport

Hovedbanegården, Bernstorffsgade. Phone: 3154 1701. (A3).

The SAS airport bus from the bus terminal at main entrance of Hovedbanegården, the central railway station, opposite Tivoli Gardens, leaves 5:42 & 6:10, from 6:15-6:45 every 15 minutes, 7:00-7:50 every 10 minutes, 8:00-21:45 every 15 minutes.

The phone number gives information on bus departures and on flight arrivals and departures.

News

International newspapers are readily available in Copenhagen. Some English channels are usually on TV sets in hotels. Information on what is on in the city is in the weekly Copenhagen This Week.

Phone

The Danish country code is 45. There are no local codes. The foreign code from Denmark is 00.

Post

Hovedbanegården, Bernstorffsgade. Hours: Monday-Friday 8-22, Saturday 9-16, Sunday 10-17. (A3).

The main post office is at Tietgensgade 37, behind Tivoli Gardens, open Monday-Friday 9-19, Saturday 9-13.

Railways

The Danish railway is reliable.

Taxis

You wave cabs down in the street. Otherwise: Københavns Taxa 3135 3535; Amager/Øbro Taxi 3151 5151; Hovedstadens Taxi 3122 5555; Radio/Codan Bilen 3131 7777.

Traffic

The Copenhagen Card is available at railway stations, hotels and travel agents. It is valid for buses and trains, many museums and Tivoli. It also gives a rebate on boat trips to Malmø in Sweden. 24 hours card costs DKr. 140, 48 hours card costs DKr. 230 and 72 hours card costs DKr. 295. Children under 12 pay half price.

Each trip in the center costs DKr. 10. Ten tickets together cost DKr. 70. Month tickets cost DKr. 235. A ticket for a city train is also valid for the connecting bus and vice versa. Some buses go all night.

1000 cycles are available for free at 120 special stands. You pay DKr. 20 to release one. If you return it to another stand, you get back your DKr. 20. This is a Danish innovation. Otherwise cycles are for rent in the center at: Rent-a-bike, Colbjørnsensgade 3; Københavns Cykelbørs, Gothersgade 157; Københavns Cykler, Reventlowsgade 11; and Østerport Cykler, Oslo Plads 9.

Cheese

Danablue and Mycella are blue mould cheeses, Havarti and Esrom are half-firm ones, Samsö, Danbo, Fynbo and Maribo are firm and Hingino and Svenbo are hard cheeses.

Cuisine

Danish cuisine has always been related to the mother cuisine in France, adapted to Danish countryside cooking. Open sandwiches for lunch are often an artwork of beauty. Many varieties of marinated herring are another popular lunch item. Beer is the national drink and Danish aquavit is well-known.

• Øllebrød = bread and beer soup, really thick and hot.

• Leverpostej = pork liver paté.

• Plukfisk = chopped fish and eggs in cream sauce.

• Frikadeller = meatballs.

• Oksebryst = lightly smoked beef.

• Rødkål = sweet and sour red cabbage.

• Risengrød = rice dessert with almond.

• Rødgrød med fløde = stewed redcurrants, blackcurrants and raspberries with cream.

• Æblekage = apple pie.

• Wienerbrød = Danish pastry.

Drinks

Beer is the national drink. Tuborg and Carlsberg are well-known breweries. The best beer is the light one, sometimes called “grøn” (Tuborg) or “hof” (Carlsberg). Stronger beers are called “guld” or “luxus” and one of the strongest is “elefant” (Carlsberg) and “fine festival” (Tuborg).

Akvavit is the hard drink of the country, mainly the Ålborg brand, either Taffel or Jubilæum. It is a clear spirit with a taste of caraway seeds, taken ice cold from the freezer. Many use it as a chaser with beer.

The morning hangover drink is Gammel Dansk, widely seen at breakfast tables. The cherry liqueur Cherry Herring, the coffee liqueur Kahlua and the Solbærrom blackcurrant rum are well known.

Lunch

All over central Copenhagen there are small restaurants that are only open for lunch. They serve light snacks, such as beautiful open sandwiches of many types and several varieties of marinated herring.

Restaurants

The Danish take their meals early. Normal lunch hours are 12:15-13:30, dinner hours 19-21. Most waiters speak excellent English and Danish restaurants are generally spotless.

The Danish have more or less accepted French cuisine as their own. They still keep to aspects of their old-fashioned heavy cooking and like to dine in snug and cozy rooms with traditional Danish antiques and traditional Copenhagen atmosphere.

A Danish specialty are the lunch restaurants, specializing in open sandwiches, called “smørrebrød”, and marinated herring.

Smørrebrød

Open sandwiches are a Danish specialty. They come in endless variations. Some special shops in Copenhagen have 200 different types. They are usually based on meat, fish or vegetables with lots of mayonnaise and other sauces plus garnishes. The presentation, decoration and colors are considered important.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Ireland

The Irish get more courteous, sincere and helpful the further we get from Dublin. On the west coast they greet passing drivers with a hearty wave. Everywhere people try to help strangers and involve them in conversations. The best way to get around with freedom of movement is to rent a car. The road network is extensive, and quite good B&B’s are all over the country.

Ireland is mild and green. Most roads are lined with trees and surrounded with pastures for cattle and sheep, horses and goats. Farmhouses and villages, manors and palaces, fit naturally in the pastoral scene. Only at the west and north coasts does nature get harsher and wilder. On this trip we concentrate on nature and on historical monuments which dot the countryside.

Ancient monuments tell a story, especially from the first centuries of Christianity, when Ireland was for a while the center of the new religion. We visit monasteries, where beautiful manuscripts were made and from where monks went on missions over the oceans. We visit castles and palaces and manors, some of whom double as convenient hotels or restaurants for travelers.

We are going to thread all this up on a necklace of jewels, reaching in a circle around the country. We may use a week for the trip as distances are short or we may spend more time. We start and end in Dublin and go counter-clockwise through the country. We drive on N3 north out of Dublin and at Black Bull turn left into R154 to the castle of Trim.

Trim Castle

Trim. (I7).

The Medieval ruins of Trim castle are the most extensive ones in the country, covering nearly an hectare. English occupiers built it in Norman style. The central keep is from 1220-1225 and the outer walls from 1250.

The entrance to the castle is now from the western part of the middle of the town. The keep contained two banquet halls and bedrooms over them. The main part of the castle was on its eastern side where the original entrance was, with two drawbridges, a barbican and a prison. Henry IV was imprisoned there by Richard II, but escaped and went on to win the throne of England.

From Trim we drive on R161 in the direction of Navan and find a road sign to Tara on our right.

Tara

Tara. (I7).

Tara was the holy hill of northwestern Ireland in pagan times. There is now a church and extensive pastures, where can be seen the contours of mounds which are the remains of a Pre-Christian temple, royal palace and a parliament.

From the access of the Nialls to power as High Kings in Ulster in the 6th C. Tara was the political and religious center of Ulster. After the advent of Christianity it continued as a holy shrine until 1022, when it disappeared from the scene, continuing only in stories and tales.

We return to R161, turn right and continue to Navan. From there we take N51 through Slane in the direction of Drogheda, until we arrive at the road sign to Newgrange on the right.

Newgrange

Hours: Open in summer 10-18:30, in spring and fall 10-13 & 14-17, in winter Tuesday-Sunday 10-13 & 14-16:30. (I7).

An impressive burial temple from 3000 B.C., one of the most important in the world of the type. It is a man-made and grass covered stone mound, sheathed in white quartz. It is 80 meters in diameter and 12 meters in height.

It is enclosed in an inner circle of horizontal stones, some of them inscribed with signs, and an outer circle of vertical stones. The building is an engineering feat in an age of primitive technology, bearing witness to intense religious belief and strong political power.

From the concave entrance there is a 20 meters corridor into a burial chamber with three nooks, probably altars. At winter solstice the sun shines almost horizontally through the corridor into the burial chamber and lits it up for a few minutes.

We return to N51 where we turn right, and almost immediately turn left, following a sign to Mellifont Abbey.

Mellifont Abbey

Hours: Open in summer 9:30-18:30, in spring Monday-Saturday 9:30-13 &14-17:30, Sunday 14-17:30. (I7).

Well-preserved ruins of a Cistercian monastery from 1142. The foundations are visible of the church, which was consecrated in 1157. Remaining are mainly a gatehouse to the right, an octagonal lavabo in the middle, both original, and a chapter house from the 14th C. to the left. The monastery was closed down in 1556.

We continue on the road and follow signs to Monasterboice.

Monasterboice

(I7).

A large Round Tower from the Viking period is almost intact in the graveyard. Irish monks built such towers to defend themselves and the treasures of the church against the raiding Vikings. The tower was burned in 1097 and its treasures scattered.

Three High Crosses, monoliths from the 10th C. are also in the graveyard. The largest of them is 7 meters high. These are among the best-preserved and most beautiful High Crosses of Ireland, richly sculptured with scenes from the Bible.

High Crosses with a long leg and an orb in the center were a characteristic feature of Irish Christianity from the 8th to the 10th C., at the Golden Age of Ireland as the world center of Early Christianity. They varied from 2 to 7 meters and were sculptured first with abstract signs and later with episodes from the Holy Scriptures.

From here we go directly to N1 in the direction of Dundalk. We pass the city center in the direction of Belfast, cross a bridge and pass a graveyard on the way out of Dundalk, still on N1, and soon arrive at a signpost to Ballymascanlon hotel to the right.

Ballymascanlon

Dundalk. Phone: 42 71124. Fax: 42 71598. Price: £75 ($117) with breakfast. All major cards. 36 rooms. (I6).

An old manor converted into a cozy hotel with a golf course and a gym.

The dining room has large windows to the grounds. Fly-baiters hang in the chandeliers. Service is good, also the cooking, even if old-fashioned French. Dinner is £40 for two, excluding beverages.

Room no. 30 is small and well equipped, including a coffee machine and a trouser press.

We continue on N1 over the border to Northern Ireland, where the road continues as A1 all the way into Belfast center. From King Street we drive into a car parking house adjoining the Castlecourt shopping center. From there we walk 600 meters on King Street and then left on Wellington Place to City Hall.

Belfast

(J6).

Belfast started as an English castle in 1177, when John de Courcy invaded Ulster. The castle was destroyed by Edward Bruce in 1315 and the area was then held by the Niall High Kings until 1603.

This is mainly an industrial city, built up in the Victorian period, and has stagnated in the 20th C., partly because of its position as a battleground between Protestant Unionists and Catholic Republicans.

City Hall is the main landmark of Belfast. We are standing in front of it.

City Hall

Donegal Square, Belfast. Phone: (232) 320 202. Hours: Open 10:30, book in advance. (J6).

The most impressive building in the city, a white palace at the intersection of the main streets. It was built in 1898-1906 in a Neo-Classic wedding-cake style with a large copper dome over the middle. It is open to the public.

Donegal Square in front of City Hall is the main square of the center and its bus center. Opposite City Hall on the other side of the square there is a pedestrian shopping district.

We walk the same way back, through Wellington Place and King Street. If we take a detour to the left into Fisherwick Street instead of turning right into King Street, we will after 200 meters arrive at the most famous hotel and the most famous pub in town, in Great Victoria Street.

Crown Liquor

Great Victoria Street, Belfast. (J6).

A Victorian pub, richly decorated on the inside and outside, with porcelain tiles on the outside, stained windows, gas lights, semi-closed compartments for groups of guests, and carved wood in pillars and ceiling.

This haven of tired travelers is possibly the most remarkable monument in Belfast. We would not dwell for long in this city, were it not for the Crown Liquor.

Opposite Crown Liquor there is Hotel Europe, recently renovated and sparkling at present.

We drive out of Belfast, first on M2, then M5 and finally A2 a short way to Carrickfergus by the sea. We stop in a car park between the boat harbor and Carrickfergus Castle.

Carrickfergus Castle

Carrickfergus. Hours: Open in summer Monday-Saturday 10-18, Sunday 14-18, in winter Monday-Saturday 10-16, Sunday 14-16. (J6).

The castle dominates the main street in town, standing on ocean cliffs, originally separated from the mainland. It is a Norman castle from 1180, one of the largest and best-preserved castles in Ireland. The castle is now a museum, showing the history of itself.

It defended the entrance to Belfast harbor and was for a long time the main English fortress against Irish rebels. In spite of its apparent invulnerability it was taken three times, once by Scots in 1315, by Protestants in 1689, and by the French in 1760.

The oldest part is the keep, surrounded with two outer and younger walls. The castle is a very good example of the defense engineering technology of the French-Nordic Normans in the Middle Ages.

We cross the main street to the old hotel pub in town.

Dobbin’s Inn

6-8 High Street, Carrickfergus. Phone: 9603 51905. Price: £60 ($94) with breakfast. All major cards. (J6).
A typical Irish hotel in an old building, famous for Maud the ghost, who haunts the hotel. From the hotel there is a subterranean corridor to the castle across the street.

We can stay here or have a lunch or a pint at the pub before continuing. Lunch is £10 for two, excluding beverages.

The road is straight on A2 and we next stop at Ballygally castle hotel.

Ballygally Castle

Ballygally. Phone: 574 83212. Price: £60 ($94) with breakfast. All major cards. (J5).

Built in 1625 in Scottish style, with a view to Scotland on a good day. It has been preserved in the original condition. The hotel itself is mainly in an adjoining building.

You should book a room in the old castle. The rooms have modern conveniences, such as a hair-dryer and a trouser-press. And the plumbing is not original, for certain.

We continue on A2 to Glenariff, where we have two choices. We can turn left for a detour on A43 through Glenariff wood and past Glenariff falls and then on B14 to Cushendun. Or we can go directly on the B92 coast road to Cushendall and on to Cushendun.

Cushendun

(J5).

Cushendall and Cushendun are romantic coastal towns. The latter is as a whole protected as a national heritage. White and peaceful houses nest between large trees and broad streets.

From Cushendum we drive on to A2 and continue on that road to Ballycastle, where we turn right on B15. We soon come to a car park at the beginning of the half an hour path to the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge.

Carrick-a-Rede

(I5).

A robe bridge with a span of 20 meters, 25 meters above the sea, connecting the mainland with a rock, where fishermen catch salmon in summer.

The bridge sways under steps of passers-by. The walk over the bridge is not for the faint-hearted. But there are no documented accidents in the whole 200 years history of the bridge.

We continue on B15 to A2 and soon come to a tourist center, from which small busses drive people down to the coast to the hexagonal basalt columns of Giant’s Causeway.

Giant’s Causeway

Bushmill. (I5).

An extensive formation of groups of basaltic lava columns, created in the aftermath of volcanic eruptions sixty million years ago. Such columns are created when lava cools very slowly, making it possible for the stone to crystallize into multi-sided, often octagonal columns. There are about 40,000 such columns at Giant’s Causeway.

We continue on A2 a short way to Bushmill. When we enter the town we arrive at Bushmill’s Inn to our right.

Bushmill’s Inn

Bushmill. Phone: 2657 32339. Fax: 2657 32048. Price: £74 ($116) with breakfast. All major cards. 11 rooms. (I5).
A cozy, old lodge from the beginning of the 19th. C. in good condition.

There is an open fire in the lobby. Narrow stairs, corridors and steps are all over the house. A quaint library is above the lobby. The restaurant is partitioned by unpolished furnishings. The cooking is unusually good. Dinner is £27 or £35 for two, excluding beverages.

Room no. 24 is rather big and well equipped, with flowery wallpaper, rough furnishings of wood, creaking and carpeted floor and a parquet in the bathroom.

From Bushmill we drive on A2 and soon arrive at Dunluce Castle on the coast.

Dunluce Castle

(I5).

An enigmatic castle with a haunted look, perched on an outcrop on the coast. The oldest parts, the eastern towers and the southern wall, are from the 14th C. and the rest mainly from the 16th C. In 1639 the kitchen collapsed into the ocean with the people inside and the castle was abandoned for good.

We continue on A2 to Derry or Londonderry and drive into the old center inside the city walls.

Derry

Derry. (I5).

The city wall from 1613-1618 is the main attraction of Derry, originally with four gates but now with seven gates. It is the best Irish example of city wall so well preserved that it is possible to walk on it in a full circle around the city center.

The area inside the wall is 500 meters and 250 meters in diameter. In the middle is the main square, Diagonal. From it Bishop’s Street leads south to the Gothic St Columb’s Cathedral from 1628-1634, the first cathedral to be built after the Reformation, Gothic in style. The shopping Shipquay Street leads steeply down and north from Diagonal.

We can go straight from Derry on A2 and then N13 to a side-road on our left to Grianan of Aileach. We can also take a 160 km detour around the mountains of the Inishowen peninsula, leaving Derry on R238 through Moville, Carndonagh and Malin head, and back on the same road through Carndonagh, Ballyliffin and Buncrana to turn right into N13 to the north of Grianan of Aileach.

Malin Head

(I5).

Between Moville and Carndonagh is a side-road to the left to two High Crosses and a Cross Slab at Carrowmore. A little farther on there is a side-road to the right to the ruins of the Clonca church and a High Cross.

Malin Head is a small fishing village nestling under ocean cliffs.

On the road back is an 8th C. High Cross a little farther than Carndonagh and a Cross Slab in the graveyard of Fahan. Cross Slabs are from the 7th to the 12th C., flat and irregular stones, with hewn crosses, other religious signs and inscriptions in Latin, put over graves.

We arrive at N13 and turn right on N13 and then left on a side-road up the hill to Grianan of Aileach on the hilltop.

Grianan of Aileach

(I5).

A complete restoration from 1870 of a circular fortress originally built in the 5th C., at the beginning of Irish Christianity. It was the royal residence of the Nialls from that time to the 12th C. and was destroyed in local wars of Irish kings in 1101.

The circular hilltop fortress is 23 meters in diameter, 5 meters high and 4 meters thick. On the inside there are steps in walls to facilitate the movement of the defending forces. There is a good view from the walls, including Derry.

We go back the side-road and continue on N13 to Letterkenny, where we change to N56 and can continue until we come to a side-road to the left to Glenveagh Castle. We can also take a detour from Letterkenny on first R245 and then R247 to Rathmullan, if we want to dine and stay at Rathmullan House before we go to Glenveagh Castle.

Rathmullan House

Rathmullan. Phone: 74 58188. Fax: 74 58200. Price: £121 ($189) with breakfast. All major cards. 23 rooms. (I5).
A beautiful and remote country manor in Georgian style from the beginning of the 19th C., with comfortable antique furniture, a library, open fire, a swimming pool, a sauna and peaceful gardens.

Dinner is served in the garden pavilion of the manor. The starters’ trolley is one of the best in the whole country and the cooking is generally superior. So many people dine here that it is advisable to book a table in advance. Dinner is £60 for two, excluding beverages.

Some of the rooms have a view over beautiful gardens to the Swilly bay.

We leave on R247 and then R249 until we arrive at N56 where we turn right. Then we turn left on a side-road to Glenveagh Castle.

Glenveagh Castle

Hours: Park open all year, castle in summer 10:30-18:30. (H5).

The Glenveagh National Park covers nearly 10,000 hectares of woodland and bogs around a fake castle in Walt Disney style, built at Beagh Lake in 1870 to create a romantic atmosphere for the lord of the castle and his guests.

This is a conventional country manor disguised as a castle. It is now a museum with the rich furnishings of the former owner.

We are here in the Donegal hills.

Donegal hills

(H5).

This is the most remote part of Ireland, a narrow part of the Republic to the west and north of Northern Ireland. This is Gaelic country as we can see from many signs. The landscape is rough and rather naked.

Formerly this district was called Triconnaill, now Donegal, which comes from the Gaelic: “Dún na nGall”, meaning the Fortress of Foreigners, that is Vikings.

The best beer of Ireland, Poitin, is brewed in the Donegal hills.

We return on the side-road to N56, where we turn left and then turn right at a sign to Doe Castle, just before we come to Creeslough.

Doe Castle

(H5).

The ruins are relatively well preserved, standing on a promontory on the ocean. The age is unknown and the buildings are from several periods. The castle has obviously been damaged in several attacks over time. Many famous generals are connected with its history, either in defense or attack. At the end of the 18th C. it got more or less its present appearance.

We return on the side-road and turn right into N56 to Bunbeg.

Bunbeg

(H5).

As in many other Irish seaside villages the dwellings face inward to the country, not outside to the ocean. The harbor is lonely, quite a distance from the scattered inland dwellings. It gives the impression that people were afraid, either of pirates or of the natural powers of the ocean and wanted to live out of sight.

The harbor is peaceful and almost romantic and does not witness to much fishing nowadays.

We continue on N56 through the bogs of Rosses.

Rosses

(H5).

The Rosses means the promontories. There are few habitations and few trees, but lots of bogs and small lakes.

Peat is made here in abundance and used for heating and in electric plants. The topsoil is cut and put again in place when several shovel-layers of bog underneath have been removed for drying. Long lines of cuttings are an attribute of peat bogs country.

We continue on N56 past Dungloe and Gwebarra. When we have just passed Ardara we turn right at a sign to Glengesh Pass. From the pass we have a good view back to the valley we were coming from. We continue all the way to Glencolumbkille.

Glencolumbkille

(H5).

The landscape surrounding Glencolumbkille is wild and majestic and mainly incidental, just like it has been thrown around by the gods.

Saint Columba or Columbkille is said to have settled down here in his advanced years, far away from the commotion of the world. There are also remains of a Pre-Historic habitation.

To the south of the river outside the town the Glencolumbkille Folk Village is in a few simple houses in the farmhouse styles of 1720, 1820 and 1920, showing old tools and utensils, furnishings and furniture from those years.

We drive to Carrick and there turn left to Teelin and follow a sign to Bunglass, where an extremely narrow one-lane road clutches the steep mountain slopes and cliffs, reaching an end at an observation point from where we can see The Cliffs of Bunglass.

Cliffs of Bunglass

(H5).

Steep cliffs of 600 meters on the southern slopes of Slieve League Mountain, an impressive sight in bad weather and sparkling with colors in good weather, as there are several varieties of rock in the cliffs.

We return from Bunglass to Teelin and Carrick and continue to Killybegs.

Killybegs

(H5).

A lived-in and active fishing town with modern fishing vessels in the lively harbor. The town is on slopes above the harbor. The Killybegs hand-made carpets are made here and have been famous since the middle of the 19th C. The Irish wool industry has its center in this area.

We continue onwards from Killybegs and soon reach N56 which we follow all the way to Donegal city. We try to park in the center, near the main square, Diagonal.

Donegal center

(H5).

Founded by the Vikings and carries a name that means the Fortress of Foreigners. It is the center of the tweed-wool garment industry in Ireland.

The triangular main square was laid out in 1610. An obelisk in memory of four Irish artists and scientists is in its center.

We walk to the nearby Donegal Castle.

Donegal Castle

(H5).

Partly an old castle and partly a manor from the first half of the 17th C., as is the gate house, which is nearest to the central square.

From Donegal we take N15 in the direction of Bundoran and turn right to the Rossnowlagh strand where we come directly to Sand House.

Sand House

Rossnowlagh. Phone: 72 51777. Fax: 72 52100. Price: £80 ($125) with breakfast. All major cards. 40 rooms. (H6).
Standing alone on the beach, a bright, modern house with a crenellated roof. It has solemn furnishings and quality furniture. An open fire is in the lobby.

The service is excellent, even by Irish standards. The restaurant is top class. It offers several choices from a menu of a fixed price, £40 for two, excluding beverages.

Room no. 33 faces the ocean and listens to the comfortable lullabies of the ocean waves, when the windows are open. The quality furnishings are very beautiful.

We return to N15 and turn right, continuing south, through Bundoran and Sligo. Having passed Sligo we turn right on N59 to Ballina. We can continue on the same road to Castlebar or first make a detour to the right on R314 to a side-road to the right to Rosserk Abbey.

Rosserk Abbey

(G6).

Ruins of a Franciscan abbey from the middle of the 15th C, relatively well preserved, even if it was burned down in the 16th C. when the English drove the monks away.

Some original decorations are sill visible on the western door, in the eastern window and the southern transept.
This remote part of Ireland is Mayo, known for extensive bogs and scant habitation inland and sand beaches and rocky promontories at the seaside.

We return to Ballina and from there on N59 and then N5 to Castlebar. From there we can drive directly to Newport on R311 or take a detour from Castlebar to the left on N60 in the direction of Claremorris. On this road we soon come to Breaffy House.

Breaffy House

Castlebar. Phone: 94 22033. Fax: 94 22033. Price: £76 ($119) with breakfast. All major cards. (G6).

A quaint mixture of old and new. A modern building of concrete and glass with regular contours has been added to an old and an irregular palace. The hotel is in beautiful gardens, offering fishing, hunting and riding.

The public rooms are imposing, except the rather common dining room.

The guest rooms are modern, well furnished, including coffee machines and bathrobes.

We return the same way to Castlebar and can continue from there to Newport on R311 or make another detour, this time to the left on N84 to Ballintubber Abbey.

Ballintubber Abbey

Ballintubber. Hours: Open 9-24. (G6).

Mass has been sung daily in the Gothic abbey church for almost eight centuries since the Augustine abbey was built in 1216. Even in times of trouble not a single day was missed. The church was partly rebuilt after a fire in 1265. In 1653 Cromwell vandalized the abbey and burned the roof of the church. A new roof was added in the original style in 1966.

Inside the church there are some items from the 13th C., including an altar.

We return on N84 to Castlebar and go from there on R311 to Newport.

Newport

(G6).

A nice little resort, popular with anglers, dominated by a disused railway viaduct, converted into a pedestrian bridge.

In the town center we cross the motorists bridge and immediately turn left through a gate into the grounds of Newport House.

Newport House

Newport. Phone: 98 41222. Fax: 98 41613. Price: £87 ($136) with breakfast & dinner. All major cards. 18 rooms. (G6).
A Georgian country manor, beautifully sheathed in red creeper, almost covering the windows.

The interior is grand, especially the staircase in the hall. The dining room is superior and the food is mediocre. Coffee and confectionery are served in the drawing room after dinner. Service is outstanding. Dinner is included in the room price.

Room no. 1 is large, furnished with antiques. The bathroom is also large. There is a good view over the grounds to the river.

We can leave from here on N59 to the south to Westport. We can also drive north on N59 for a detour to Achill Island. In that case we soon turn left at a signpost to Burrishoole Friary.

Burrishoole Friary

(G6).

A Dominican friary, founded in 1486, converted into a fortress in 1486. The remains consist of a broad and squat tower, nave, chancel, south transept and parts of the friary.

We return to N59, turn left and continue a short distance to another signpost on the left to Carrigahowley or Rockfleet Castle.

Carrigahowley Castle

(G6).

A four-storeyed tower house from the 15th C, similar to several others in the country, this one especially well preserved.

Edward VI of England subsidized the building of such towers to strengthen the rule of his vassals over the unruly Irish. The ground floor housed stores and the top floor the living quarters of the masters of the tower.

We can return from here to Newport if we have little time. Otherwise we turn left on N59 and continue to Mulrany, where we turn left on R319 to the towns of Keel and Dooagh on Achill Island.

Dooagh

Dooagh. (G6).

The island of Achill is connected by a bridge to the mainland. The landscape is bare and weathered. The coast is suitable for sunbathing and the sea is suitable for surfing and fishing. Sand beached and rocky outcrops dot the coastline. Treeless villages, painted in white, rest on the beaches.

We return all the way back, first R319 and then N59 to Newport and continue on N59 south to Westport.

Westport

Westport. (G6).

A friendly tourist town, planned and built in 1780. It has a well-known manor, Westport House.

The best part of town is the Quay, where old houses have been converted into hotels and seafood restaurants. The Quay offers a good view to Croach Patrick mountain.

We take R395 out of town and drive on the coastline past Croach Patrick.

Croagh Patrick

(G6).

The 763 meters mountain on our left side has been a holy mountain since heathen times.

The story goes that Saint Patrick killed all snakes in Ireland by tolling his bell. Since then there have been no snakes in the country.

Last Sunday in July, tens of thousands of pilgrims climb the mountain, some of them bare-footed, to sing a mass at the chapel on the top. The western side of the mountain has become visually polluted because of that yearly attack.

We continue on R395 until it reaches N59, where we turn right and drive through Leenane to the fairy palace of Kylemore Abbey.

Kylemore Abbey

Hours: Open 9:30-18, closed in winter. (G7).

The abbey with all its crenellated towers rises suddenly from the wood on the far side of a lake, just as a dream or a prop in an animated Disney film. In fact the building is not especially old. It is a Neo-Gothic castle from the 19th C., a convent school of the Benedictine order. Parts of the castle are open to the public.

We continue on N59 a short way and turn left at a signpost to the Connemara National Park.

Connemara Park

Hours: Visitors center open in summer 10-18:30. (G7).

More than 200 hectares of heath, bog and wood, the home of the red Irish deer and the Connemara pony. The peak of Diamond Hill, 445 meters, dominates the view from the visitors center. The peak offers a good view over Connemara.

Connemara is a desolated and varied country with countless lakes and ridges, brooks and bogs, outcrops and sand beaches. Population is sparse in this barren country and people still speak Gaelic. The district is sometimes called Gaeltacht, the Country of the Celts.

We continue on N59. Soon we come to Letterfrack, where we have some choices. We can press on to Abbeyglen or we can turn right on a side-road to Tullycross and Renvyle. We drive to Currath Castle on the Renvyle coast.

Currath Castle

(G7).

One of many tower houses in Ireland. This one is special, as the ocean waves have broken one of its corners so that we can see the interior from the outside, including the staircase of stone.

We return the same way up to N59 and turn right. Soon we arrive at Rosleague Manor to the right.

Rosleague Manor

Letterfrack. Phone: 95 41101. Fax: 95 41168. Price: £90 ($141) with breakfast. All major cards. 20 rooms. (G7).

A country manor on a small hill in a large garden near Letterfrack, loaded with antiques and art.

Service is exceptionally friendly. The grand and beautiful dining room is one of the better ones in Ireland. Dinner is £40 for two, excluding beverages.

The guest rooms are generally large and well equipped.

We continue on N59 to Clifden center, and find the main road up the valley to Abbeyglen Castle on the slopes of the hill on the other side of town.

Abbeyglen Castle

Clifden. Phone: 95 21201. Fax: 95 21797. Price: £99 ($155) with breakfast. All major cards. (G7).

The hotel is designed as a mock castle with pointed windows, corner towers and a crenellated roof. There are large gardens near the hotels and woods farther on.

Service is very good.

The rooms are rather large and well equipped and most have good views. The best rooms are in the main building.

We continue on this side-road up the slope. We are on the Sky Road which covers the peninsula out of Clifden town.

Clifden Bay

(F7).

This road offers good views to peninsulas, islands and the ocean. This is the beautiful country of Connemara.

After the Sky Road circle we are back on N59 and drive again through Clifden. Next we turn right either on R341 or R340 and follow signs to Cashel Bay.

Cashel Bay

(G7).

Typical Connemara coastline with lots of peninsulas and islands.

We continue on the road to either Zetland House or Cashel House for an overnight.

Cashel House

Cashel Bay. Phone: 95 31001. Fax: 95 31077. Price: £127 ($198) with breakfast. All major cards. 32 rooms. (G7).
A unique hotel, most famous for being a retreat of President de Gaulle. It is a beautiful, old building in a garden, that is almost botanical, with horse stables in the back.

The lay-out of the hotel is old and accidental and mainly warm and personal. It has several nooks on the way to the bar. Drawing rooms, libraries and retreats alternate with narrow corridors. The dining room is in an adjoining garden house of glass. The cooking is first class, but the boring waiter spoke French up his nose, with an Oxford intonation. Dinner is £64 for two.

Room no. 18 is stylish, rather small, but recently and well furnished, with a good view to the garden. It has a thick carpet on the floor.

From Cashel we drive on R341 and then turn left on R340 and then turn right on N59 all the way to Maam Cross.

Maam Cross

Maam Cross. (G7).

A popular angling village in a district of extensive peat bogs, with the typical peat piles dotting the roadside.

Arriving in Maam Cross we turn left on R336 to Maam and from there to the right on R345 to Cong, where we quickly find Ashford Castle.

Ashford Castle

Cong. Phone: 92 46003. Fax: 92 46260. Price: £256 ($400) with breakfast. All major cards. 83 rooms. (G7).

This is a chapter on its own. The stone gray hotel of dreams is a quaint combination of a 13th C. castle, an old manor in the French Renaissance Chateau style and new buildings in mock-castle Neo-Gothic style. All this makes an irreal pile in spacious gardens with the hotel’s own golf course. As a hotel this pile is also a gem of quality and service and gastronomy.

Inside there is a perfect atmosphere of richness and grandeur. The wooden furnishings are heavy and the antiques numerous. There are good conference facilities for the mandarins of the European Union. The cooking is among the very best in Ireland. The smaller and more royal and expensive Connaught Room is in the manor, with large windows and tons of wood. Dinner is £80 for two.

The rooms are very spacious, offering good views in any direction and every imaginable luxury as can be understood from the price.

Before we leave Cong, we can make a detour and continue on R345 to Cross and then to the right on R334 a short way to Ross Abbey.

Ross Abbey

Ross. (G7).

The best preserved Franciscan abbey in Ireland, built in 1351, enlarged and restored in the 15th C. It was an cloister until 1753. From the church tower of 1498 there is a good view over the abbey buildings and the neighboring country.

Frescos and 15th C. windows are in the church. Parts of the cloister have been preserved, including a sacristy, lavatorium, refectory and a scriptorium.

We return on R334 and R345 to Cong, then continue on R345 to Maam and R336 to Maam Cross, where we turn left on N56 to Oughterard. Soon after entering the town we see Sweeney’s Oughterard House on our left.

Sweeney’s Oughterard House

Oughterard. Phone: 91 82207. Fax: 91 82161. Price: £70 ($109) with breakfast. All major cards. 21 rooms. (G7).

A 200 years old house covered with creepers, with a guest-rooms extension to the back.

Antique collector items are tastefully arranged in the public rooms and some of the guest rooms. The atmosphere is very comfortable. Dinner is included in the room price.

The guest rooms are simple and well appointed.

We continue to the center of Oughterard, where there is as side-road to the left with a signpost to Currarevagh House. We take that detour through woods on the banks of Lake Corrib.

Currarevagh House

Oughterard. Phone: 91 82313. Fax: 91 82731. Price: £90 ($141) with breakfast. No cards. 15 rooms. (G7).

An old country manor peacefully nested in a private wood. It does not resemble an hotel, rather a country manor. It is mainly frequented by anglers, which is evident from some of the furnishings.

Guests all dine at the same time. The host serves the main course and chats with the guests. After dinner the guests congregate in the drawing room for coffee and conversation. This is very manor-like and pleasant. People go early to bed and rise late. Breakfast is served at nine o’clock. Dinner is £38 for two, excluding beverages.

Room no. 1 is an excellent corner room with big windows with a good view to Lake Corrib. The ceiling is high and the room is spacious, the furnishings old-fashioned. The floor is covered with a carpet all the way to the bathtub. All the amenities are there, excluding a TV set and a phone, as guests are expected to be trying to forget the outside world.

We return on the side-road to the center of Oughterard, again passing the shores of Lake Corrib.

Loch Corrib

(G7).

The second largest lake in Ireland, 58 km long has several islands. It is a famous angling resort. The road between Currarevagh and Oughterard gives us a glimpse of the charm of this lake.

We continue on the side-road to the center of Oughterard, and turn left on N59. Soon we take another detour on the left, signposted for Aughnanure Castle.

Aughnanure Castle

Hours: Open in summer 9:30-18:30. (G7).

A well conserved and tower house with outer walls and the ruins of a banqueting hall. The tower has six storeys with a staircase of 73 steps. On the two topmost floors are bedrooms and a sitting hall with a fireplace. From the top there is a good view to Lake Corrib.

We return to N59, turn left and drive to Galway. We cross the bridge and drive from the roundabout to the center and find a parking place.

Galway

Galway. (G7).

The largest city on the western coast and the linguistic center of the Gaelic language. The old center with narrow streets and low-rise houses is the main attraction for tourists.

Shop Street is the main shopping street of the center and could be made more convenient by excluding cars and making it pedestrian.

Lynch’s Castle is midway along Shop Street.

Lynch’s Castle

Galway. (G7).

A tower house from the 16th C., with decorations on the outside. It is still functioning, nowadays as a bank office.

A little further on, at the same side of the street, we come to St Nicholas’ Church.

St Nicholas’

Hours: Open in summer 9-18, in winter 9-17:30. (G7).

Built in 1320 and enlarged in the 15th and 16th C., a simple and powerful church.

We leave town, first on N6, then on N18 and finally on N67, where we soon arrive at Dunguaire Castle on the coast.

Dunguaire Castle

Kinwara. Hours: Feasts start at 17:45 and 21. (G7).

A tower house of four storeys, with an outer defense wall, built in 1520 and renovated in the 20th C.

The ground and first floors are now used as a venue for banquets for tourists twice a day. These amusing feasts include a medley of short plays, witty limericks, sentimental ballads, ribald dances, all very well-done, accompanied with a food that is supposed to be as it was in the olden time.

We continue on N67 and turn left on R480 where we arrive at the Aillwee cave.

Aillwee Cave

(G7).

A long and narrow cave of 1034 meters, found in 1940 in a porous limestone mountain, the remains of a subterranean river. It has many small stalactites and stalagmites and even a small waterfall.

The atmosphere is enhanced by intelligent floodlighting.

In this area a whole system of caves and subterranean streams were found in 1987.

R480 continues up to The Burren.

Burren

(G7).

A naked, arid and stony limestone highland of 260 square km., that is being declared a National Park.

Near the road, mainly on our left side, are several megalithic tombs from the Stone Age, 4000-2000 B.C. Large and heavy, flat stones have been raised on edge and other flat stones put on top as a roof.

We continue on R480 and turn left into R476 at Leamaneh Castle.

Leamaneh Castle

(G7).

An impressive building of four storeys with large windows from the 17th C., adjoining an older tower house with small windows from the 15th C. There are 88 steps to the top.

We drive on and keep to R476 to Kilfenora. In the center there are ruins of an abbey.

Kilfenora Crosses

Kilfenora. (G7).

The cloister ruins are partly from Early Christianity in the 6th C. Three high crosses from the 12th C. are in the graveyard. The church is mainly from 1190, but renovated in the 15th C. It is mainly intact and is used for mass. This was formerly a bishopric.

We continue on R476 to Lisdoonvarna, where we turn left on L54 (R478) to the Cliffs of Moher.

Cliffs of Moher

(G7).

Dark sandstone cliffs, 182 meters high, almost vertical, stretching for 8 km.

An easy pedestrian path leads up to O’Brien’s Tower with a good view to the cliffs. The tower was built in 1853.

A tourist information center is at the start of the path, giving information on walks in the area.

We drive on, first on L54 (R478) to Lahinch and from there on N67 to Ennistymon with quaint, old shop-fronts at the main street, and from Ennistymon on N85 to Ennis. We stop in the center at Ennis Friary.

Ennis Friary

(G8).

Once a powerful Franciscan friary. 350 monks and 600 students were there in the 14th C. The friary was recently acquired again by the Franciscans.

The church is from the 13th C., except the southern transept and the central tower from the 15th C. It has no roof but is otherwise relatively intact. Its main attribute are high and narrow windows in the chancel.

We take the R469 from Ennis to Clare, Quin, Knappogue and Craggaunoven and soon come to our first stop at Clare, where we stop at the right turn in front of the railway station to inspect Clare Abbey.

Clare Abbey

(G8).

Extensive ruins of an Augustine cloister from 1189. The nave of the church is still standing, its central tower and parts of the cloister.

We continue on R469 to our next stop at Quin Friary to our left.

Quin Friary

(G8).

Extensive ruins of an imposing Franciscan friary from 1430. The cloister is mainly standing, including the central tower and the southern transept of the church.

The friary was built on the ruins of a Norman castle that again was built on the ruins of an earlier cloister.

We continue on R469 and turn right to Knappogue Castle.

Knappogue Castle

Price: £60 ($94) for two. (G8).

Built in 1467 to defend against Norman invaders and has since then been lived-in for most of the time. It really is a beautifully designed palace, built around a castle.

Now Medieval banquets for tourists are held in the grand banqueting hall twice every day, at 17:45 and 21. The food and table service are in Medieval style. Included is a program of ballads and poetry, plays and dance, which give a vivid picture of the history of Ireland and its music.

Again we return to R469 and stop at the Craggaunoven Centre.

Craggaunoven

Hours: Open in summer 10-18, in winter 9:30-17, -16 on Friday. (G8).

A kind of a museum on Irish prehistory. It is housed in a tower house from the 16th C.

The ox-hide boat or “curragh”, Brendan, is on show, a replica of the boats that Irish monks used to roam the North Atlantic from the 6th C. up to the Viking period in the 9th C. and onwards. It was built to sail to America in 1976-1977 to prove that it would have been possible for Saint Brendan to reach America in the 6th C. as has been speculated.

Below the tower is a replica of a Bronze Age village of round huts or “crannóg”, on an islet in a small lake, connected by a bridge to the mainland. The style of the huts is similar to those we see in Africa.

We return on R469 to Ennis and from there we drive on N18 to Newmarket-on-Fergus where we arrive at Dromoland Castle.

Dromoland Castle

Newmarket-on-Fergus. Phone: 61 368144. Fax: 61 363355. Price: £252 ($394) with breakfast. All major cards. 73 rooms. (G8).

The majestic castle from 1570 was owned by one of the main royal families in Ireland, the Brians, until it was converted into the primary luxury hotel in Ireland. Its main attribute is the round corner tower. The castle sits in an extensive private parkland with a famous golf course.

Inside the hotel is very cozy and comfortable, with open fire in fireplaces, lots of antiques and works of art. The library bar is a perfect venue for a drink or two. The Thomond Room restaurant is one of the best in Ireland. Dinner is £90 for two, excluding beverages.

The rooms are variable, but all are beautifully designed.

We continue on N18 almost all the way to Limerick and stop at Bunratty Castle.

Bunratty Castle

Limerick. (G8).

An unusually large and majestic tower house from 1460, recently renovated into its 16th C. form. It houses a museum of furniture and carpets from the 14th to the 17th C.

Alongside the castle is Bunratty Folk Park, exhibiting old houses and replicas of old houses, which together make a convincing village street with a 19th C. atmosphere.

Adjoining the castle is also a banquet hall, where tourists congregate twice a day, at 17:45 and 21 to have a Medieval dinner and enjoy an historic program of song and dance.

There is a short way from Bunratty Castle on N18 to Limerick. Just before we enter the town we arrive at the Limerick Inn hotel, clearly signposted.

Limerick Inn

Limerick. Phone: 61 326666. Fax: 61 326281. Price: £73 ($114) with breakfast. All major cards. 153 rooms. (G8).

A low-rise modern hotel in standard hotel style, comfortable though. It is a busy airport and convention hotel.

The food is better than can be expected at such hotels. The menu is extensive and varied. Dinner is £50 for two, excluding beverages.

Room no. 404 is large and well equipped, including a hair dryer and a trouser press. The bathroom is excellent.

We continue on N18 into Limerick, turn left, when we come to the river, and drive on the river bank to cross the river at the next bridge. On the other side of the river we arrive at King John’s Castle.

Limerick

Limerick. (G8).

Limerick is the main city of the Middle West, situated near the formerly important Shannon airport. It was founded in 922 as a Danish Viking town, its name derived from a Viking name meaning Rich Land. It was repeatedly attacked by Irish kings and finally captured by the Viking-French Normans in 1194. Little remains from this turbulent history.

A part of central Limerick has mainly an English character, including King John’s Castle and St Mary’s Cathedral, the oldest building in town.

Another part is more Irish in character, including the area around St John’s Cathedral and Limerick Museum.

We are in front of King John’s Castle.

King John’s Castle

Limerick. Hours: Open in summer 10-17. (G8).

An extremely well conserved Norman castle from 1200, majestic and powerful. It has repeatedly played a role in Irish history and is now fittingly an historical museum.

Next to the castle on Nicholas Street in the direction of the city center we come to St Mary’s Cathedral.

St Mary’s

Limerick. Hours: Open in summer 9:30-12:45 & 14:15-17:30. (G8).

The oldest building in town, from 1168, Gothic in style and crenellated.

We continue on Nicolas Street and Mary Street, cross a bridge, and continue on John Street to St John’s Cathedral.

St John’s

Hours: Open Monday-Friday 9-18:30, Saturday 9-20:30, Sunday 8-20:30. (G8).

A Neo-Gothic cathedral from 1861, with the highest church spire in Ireland, 85 meters.

John Square is in front of the church. Limerick Museum, a museum of city history, is in a 18th C. house on the square.

We leave Limerick on N20 and then N21 to Adare.

Adare Manor

Adare. Phone: 61 396566. Fax: 61 396124. Price: £220 ($344) with breakfast. All major cards. 64 rooms. (G8).

A Neo-Gothic country manor with several small towers in a large garden at the river Maigue. The hotel is beautifully furnished in an old style.

Dinner is £65 for two, excluding beverages.

The guest rooms in the main building are especially desirable.

We continue on N21 until we are near Castleisland, where there is a side-road to the left, leading to Crag Cave.

Crag Cave

(G8).

A limestone cave more than million years old, found by accident in 1983. It is almost 4 km, of which 350 m are accessible to the public. There are untouched stalagmites and stalactites, most beautiful in the floodlit Crystal Gallery.

We drive back to N21, turn left and continue through Castleisland to Tralee, where we change over to R559 to Blennerville, where we stop at a windmill on the other side of a long bridge.

Blennerville Windmill

Hours: Open in summer 9-18. (G8).

A windmill for grinding floor, 18 meters and 5 storeys, built in 1800 and still going strong. A museum on the grounds shows the history of windmills and floor-grinding and the history of Irish settlers in America.

Here is also a railway station for a narrow-gauged train with three wagons from the 19th C., all original, used for tourists today. It goes between Tralee and Blennerville.

We continue on R559 and then R560 in the direction of Connor Pass. Finally we turn into a side-road signposted to Connor Pass.

Connor Pass

(F8).

The highest road pass in Ireland, 456 meters above sea level. The road cuts through steep cliffs into a narrow slit in the mountain edge.

There is a car park at the top. From there we have good views in both directions. The landscape is naked and majestic.

We drive down the winding road on the other side, leading down to Dingle.

Dingle
Dingle. (F8).

A mixture of a fishing town and a tourist town. The outer and inner harbors shelter the ships against the fury of the Atlantic Ocean.

Every other house in the center is either a pub or a restaurant.

In the center we find Doyle’s Seafood Bar.

Doyle’s

4 John Street, Dingle. Phone: 66 51174. Fax: 66 51816. Price: £48 ($75) for two. All major cards. 8 rooms. (F8).

Situated in an house from 1830. The guest rooms are furnished with antiques and beautiful bathrooms.

Doyle’s is primarily a seafood restaurant, the best one on the west coast. The daily changing menu offers the fresh catch of each day. Dinner is £40 for two, excluding beverages.

This is the perfect place for a dinner and overnight.

We drive west out of town on a road signposted as Slea Head Drive. We go through Ventry, stopping at a sign for Dunbeg Fort. There is a footpath leading down to a Pre-Historic seaside fortress. A little further on we start to see signs to Fahan huts. We stop at the first one.

Fahan beehive huts

(F8).

There is a short walk from the road up to the first of over 400 Fahan stone huts on the slopes of Mountain Eagle.

These beehive huts or “clochans” are Pre-Historic, all built up of stones in the form of half a sphere, without any gluing or binding material, many of them in perfect condition. They are in small groups all over the mountain slopes. Most of them are from the 6th to the 10th C.

We continue on this scenic route around the peninsula and look for a sign to Gallarus Oratory, when we have driven through Ballyferriter.

Gallarus Oratory

(F8).

One of the most important historic monuments in Ireland. It is a stone church from the 8th or 9th C., built from stone slabs all the way up to the ridge, without the use of any glue or binding material.

The structure is very well done, watertight and has been preserved in perfect condition during all these centuries, while other such churches have collapsed under their own weight.

We follow signposts to Dingle. From there we take the R559 to Annaschul, the R561 to Castlemaine, N70 to Milltown and finally R563 almost all the way to Killarney, but look for a signpost to Aghadoe Heights hotel on our right.

Aghadoe Heights

Killarney. Phone: 64 31766. Fax: 64 31345. Price: £145 ($227) with breakfast. All major cards. 60 rooms. (G9).

A modern and excellent hotel on a hill outside Killarney, with a good view to Lake Leane and the mountains around Dunloe Pass.

Service is perfect, combining German efficiency and Irish hospitality. The dining room combines good views with good furnishings, excellent service and excellent food. Dinner is £60 for two, excluding beverages.

Room no. 227 is very large and majestic and mainly stylish, with a good view and all amenities.

We follow signposts to Killarney, find R562, which we drive on to Killorglin, where we change to N70 and drive a scenic route to Glenbeigh, Cahirciveen and finally Waterville.

Waterville

(F9).

A famous summer holiday resort with pleasant, old-fashioned atmosphere. The main street is on the seaside, with hotels and restaurants on the land-side and a well-tended garden on the ocean-side.

We continue on N70 up Coomakista Pass above the town, offering good views in both directions. The grand landscape of Iveragh peninsula is particularly obvious from this observation point. Then we continue on N70 and look for a signpost to Staigue to our left.

Staigue

(F9).

A 2000 years old circular fortress which has mostly withstood the ravages of time. The walls are 5 meters high and 4 meters broad.

The fortress has probably been built as a sanctuary for the local people in raids by pirates. Other fortresses have been discovered in this area, but Staigue is the largest and the best preserved one.

We continue on N70 to Sneem.

Sneem

Sneem. (F9).

A nice little tourist village with two central squares connected with an old bridge.

We continue on N70 almost all the way to Kenmare, but turn right at a signpost to Dromquinna Manor.

Dromquinna Manor

Blackwater Bridge, Kenmare. Phone: 64 41657. Fax: 64 41791. Price: £70 ($109) with breakfast. All major cards. 28 rooms. (G9).

A beautiful old Victorian manor in romantic oceanside surroundings, with its own boat harbor.

The hotel is very cozy, with creaking floors, open fire in the fireplace and several drawing rooms. This is a good place for relaxation. Dinner is £40 for two, excluding beverages.

Room without a number, named Robertson, is very large and very grand, with a royal bed and large windows to the garden. The bathroom is also elegant, with parquet on the floor.

We have a short way on N70 to Kenmare, where we stop at the main square or in its immediate vicinity.

Kenmare

Kenmare. (G9).

A quaint tourist town with an old-fashioned shopping street, Main Street, with several interesting shop-signs.

We drive Market Street which runs parallel to Main Street from the central square up to the Kenmare Stone Circle.

Kenmare Stone Circle

(G9).

Probably laid out and built by Spanish copper miners 4000 years ago. There is a big stone in the middle, surrounded with 15 smaller stones in a circle.

We drive from Kenmare on N71 through beautiful landscapes and through a 726 m mountain tunnel and arrive at the other side of the mountain in Glengariff, where we see the Eccles hotel on our left.

Eccles

Glengariff. (G9).

The best known building in this tourist town, built in 1833. It still has the same featherlight and charming look as it had when Queen Victoria stayed there. Inside as outside the hotel preserves the charm of the 19th C.

We continue on N71 to Ballylickey, where two excellent hotels are side by side to the left of the road, Ballylickey Manor House and Sea View House. We drive to the latter one.

Sea View House

Ballylickey. Phone: 27 50462. Fax: 27 51555. Price: £132 ($206) with breakfast. All major cards. 17 rooms. (G9).

A white summer manor on the hillside, very comfortable, best known for the excellent cooking.

There are antiques all over the building. Dinner is served in several adjoining small rooms. The excellent dinner is £46, excluding beverages. Breakfast includes boxty pancakes made from potatoes, an Irish specialty.

Room no. 4 is of a medium size, tasteful and old-fashioned, with a very small bathroom with a sitting tub and a shower. It has a good view over the garden down to the ocean.

We continue on N71 a short way to the 19th C. town of Bantry. When we have crossed the main square we turn left through a brick gate and drive through formal, Italian gardens to the hotel entrance of Bantry House.

Bantry House

Bantry. All major cards. 10 rooms. (G9).

A palace from 1740, now a hotel and an art museum, showing what the owners have collected through two centuries and a half.

Dinner is £40 for two, excluding beverages.

The museum has a few rooms for travelers.

We continue on N71 to Skibberen. Then we turn right into a side-road to Glandore, a small town at a small harbor. We drive on R597 through the town and look for a signpost to Drombeg Circle.

Drombeg

(G9).

One of the best preserved stone circles in Ireland. Fourteen stone slabs of up to 1.5 m each stand upright in a circle of 9 m in diameter.

The purpose of such stone circles is unknown. Possibly they are religious structures.

We continue to Roscarberry, where we take N71 and drive to Clonakilty, where we change to R600 for Timoleague.

Timoleague Friary

(G9).

The ruins of a Franciscan cloister from 1320, destroyed by Cromwell in 1642. Near it are the ruins of an hospital and the 13th C. Barrymore Castle.

R600 brings us to Kinsale, where we can park at the port.

Kinsale

(G9).

For a long time considered the gastronomic capital of Ireland, a little overstated nowadays. Its restaurants specialize in seafood.

Sailing boats dominate the harbor of this oldest town in Ireland. The streets are narrow, almost undriveable in cars. The white houses are neat and well maintained. This was such an English town that Irish were not allowed to live there until at the end of the 18th C.

We drive through town and follow signs to Charles Fort.

Charles Fort

Kinsale. Hours: Open in summer 9:30-17:30, in spring Tuesday-Saturday 9-17, Sunday 14-17. (G9).

A fortress from 1670 on a promontory to the west of the entrance to Kinsale harbor. It is as extensive as a village, surrounded by a wall. The English built it after Spanish raids and used it up to 1922, when the Irish Republic was founded.

There is a good view from the fortress to the Kinsale harbor.

We continue on R600 to the center of Cork. Before we drive down the slope to the center we stop to have a look at St Fin Barre’s Cathedral.

St Fin Barre’s

Cork. Hours: Open Monday-Friday 10-13 & 14-17:30. (G9).

A Neo-Gothic church from 1865, with a central tower of 73 m. The Elizabeth Fort from 1590 is immediately to the west from the church, offering a good view over the city center, which is on an island in the river Lee.

We continue down the slope and drive into the center of Cork, looking for a parking-house.

Cork

Cork. (G9).

The principal streets of the city center are the broad Grand Parade and the winding St Patrick’s Street. The houses along these streets are low-rise and give a comfortable impression of the city.

From the center we drive along St Patrick’s Street, then straight over the bridge, turn right, not on the river bank, but next street after it, Mac Curtain Street. Then we turn a little to the left up the slope of Summerhill and its continuation in Middle Glanmire Road, where Arbutus Lodge is on our right side.

Arbutus Lodge

Middle Glanmire Road, Cork. Phone: 21 501237. Fax: 21 502893. Price: £53 ($83) for two. All major cards. 20 rooms. (G9).

A city mansion in a beautiful garden on a slope overlooking the city center. It is one of the very best restaurants in Ireland and a comfortable hotel at the same time.

Service is young and friendly. Strawberries and raspberries were included in the breakfast. Dinner is a special occasion, costs £44-£56 for two, excluding beverages. You may start with feta salad, continue with mussels and walnuts in garlic sauce, then rhubarb and ginger sorbet, go on to braised duck with duck-leg dressing and finish with the excellent cheese and dessert trolleys.

Room without a number, called Montenotte, does not have the coveted city view. It is large and quaint, furnished with antiques.

We return down Middle Glanmire Road and Summerhill in the direction of Cork center, but make a sharp left turn into Lower Glanmire Road, which continues as N25 out of town. We then turn right into a road signposted to Cobh, where we park at the harbor.

Cobh harbor & cathedral

Cobh. (H9).

Cobh was the harbor of the British fleet in the independence war of the United States of America, later the embarkment point of hundreds of thousands of Irish emigrants, and finally a port of call for the large Atlantic liners in their heyday.

The harbor is dominated by St Colman’s Cathedral with a giant tower of 47 bells, built 1868-1915 for collection money from emigrants to America.

We return to N25 and drive all the way to the center of Youghal, where we park at Main Street, near the southern side of the city wall.

Clock Gate

Youghal. (H9).

There are some important landmarks in Main Street. Clock Gate is one, a four storeyed house built in 1777 across the street, as a part of the southern side of the city wall.

We walk Main Street to the northern side of the city wall.

Tynte’s Castle

Youghal. (H9).

On our right side, adjoining the city wall, a tower house from the 15th C., Tynte’s Castle.

Opposite, on our left side. is the Red House in Dutch style from the early 18th C.

Farther to the left, also nesting under the city wall, we come to St Mary’s Collegiate Church from the early 13th C.

We turn our attention to the city wall.

Youghal City Wall

Youghal. (H9).

This city wall is the best preserved one in Ireland. It is still intact, in spite of being built in the 13th C.

We leave town on N25 in the direction of Waterford, but soon turn left into R671 which we follow through beautiful landscapes to Clonmel, where we try to park in the central O’Connell Street, near the West Gate.

Clonmel

Clonmel. (H8).

O’Connell Street is the main street in Clonmel. In its west end the West Gate sits across the street, a 14th C. gate on the city wall.

From the gate there is a passage to the north to St Mary’s Church with an octagonal tower. In the graveyard is a well-preserved part of the city wall.

In the west O’Connell Street ends at Main Guard, the old courts building of the city.

We drive N24 to Caher and stop at a car park between the main square and the castle.

Caher

(H8).

A nice little historic town at Suir river. Its central square is on a split level, surrounded with shops in low houses.
Caher Castle is the main attraction in Caher.

Caher Castle

Hours: Open in summer 9:30-19:30, in spring and fall 10-18, in winter Monday-Saturday 10-13 & 14-16:30, Sunday 14-16:30. (H8).

An extensive castle beside the river Suir, built in the 13th C. and renovated in the 15th C. There is a keep in the middle and three ports, surrounded with a wall with three large towers.

The castle is in good condition and is used as a local museum.

We leave town on N8 and drive to Cashel, turn right into the main street and then immediately left through a gate into the grounds of Cashel Palace.

Cashel

Cashel. (H8).

Cashel is a tourist town nested under the Rock of Cashel.

It has two cathedrals linked by a passage.

There is also a Folk Village, a reconstruction of 18th C. rural life in Ireland.

Cashel Palace is our abode tonight.

Cashel Palace

Cashel. Phone: 62 61411. Fax: 62 61521. Price: £100 ($156) with breakfast. All major cards. 20 rooms. (H8).

Built in 1730 in Palladian Renaissance style as a bishopric, now a dignified and a little tired hotel with antiques and an open fire in the lobby. Its main attraction is a beautiful garden leading up o the Rock of Cashel.

Dinner is £46 for two, excluding beverages.

Room 35 is very large and has several windows to the garden, furnished with comfortable furniture and a good bathroom, also with a large window to the garden.

We walk through the garden on the Bishop’s Walk for about 7 minutes to reach the Rock of Cashel.

Rock of Cashel

Cashel. Hours: Open in summer 9-19:30, in winter 9:30-16:30. (H8).

The royal seat of the Munster kings 370-1101, similar to Tara of the Ulster kings, north of Dublin. St Patrick is said to have baptized king Aengus here in 450. The rock became a cathedral site in the 12 th C. and remained so until 1749. An English barbarian, Lord Inchiguin, burned 3000 inhabitants of Cashel inside the church in 1647.

The rock is entered through a museum in a priest’s house from the 15th C., adjoining a dormitory from the same time.

The Gothic cathedral itself rises behind, badly damaged in the fire of 1647. It is mainly from the 13th C. It has a simple crucifix form without aisles, with high lance-windows and a massive central tower. A castle tower from 1450 is at the west end of the church, built as an archbishop seat in violent times. Behind the northern transept is a Round Tower from the 12th C.

Opposite the dormitory is the Cormac’s Chapel.

Cormac’s Chapel

Cashel. (H8).

The oldest part of the monuments on the Rock of Cashel, built in Romanesque style in 1127-1134, a single nave with a chancel and two towers on the sides.

We return on the Bishop’s Walk to Cashel Palace. If we have time before dinner we can visit the Folk Village.

Folk Village

Cashel. Hours: Open in summer Monday-Saturday 10-19:30, Sunday 14-19:30. (H8).

A reconstruction of 18th C. rural life in Ireland. It shows shops and homes with the corresponding utensils.

We leave town on R660 in the direction of Holycross Abbey.

Holycross Abbey

(H8).

Built in 1168 as a Benedictine abbey and soon converted into a Cistercian abbey. It was a cloister until the 17th C. and was considered a holy place.

It has now been renovated as a parish church. It has a nave with aisles, two transepts and a powerful central

Abbey Tavern

Howth. All major cards.

The best ballad pub for tourists is in a steep street leading up from the harbor in the northern suburb of Howth, where the city railway ends at the seashore. The program is performed in a big dining room behind the pub. Busloads of tourists sit there at a candlelight dinner before the memorable performance starts.

The musicians and singers cover a broad spectrum of Irish folk ballads, from several epochs, ancient and new. They play mainly fiddles and guitars. The music is historically correct and gets directly to the heart. This is first class and no make-believe.

Admission is £3, with dinner it is £28.

Baggot Inn

Lower Baggot Street. (B2).

The pub of rock n’ roll is a clean place in the street of music pubs.

It is rather delicate and bright by Irish standards, shaped in a U. There are mirrors on columns and low partitions at the walls, hung with paintings and photos of rock singers.

People come here to listen to the newest rock bands who have concerts on the 1st floor.

Bailey

4 Duke Street. (B2).

One of three historical pubs in a small street leading off Grafton Street. This one boasts of the door to 7 Eccles Street, where Leopold Bloom lived, the main character in Ulysses by James Joyce.

It is a refined pub with carpets on the floor and good furniture, including comfortable sofas and easy-chairs. Mirrors abound. The pub is bright and almost modern. There are large windows to the street, sitting areas in front and in back and a restaurant on the 1st floor.

Tourists and affluent shoppers make up the bulk of the clientele. Formerly it was a meeting place for writers and artists, journalists and students. The food is popular.

Brazen Head

20 Lower Bridge Street. (A1).

The oldest pub is inconspicuous down by the river Liffey where Lower Bridge Street runs down to it, about 500 meters from Christ Church. The license is from 1666. A pub has probably been in this place since the 13th C. It is best known for Robert Emmet organizing there the abortive uprising against the British in 1803.

The pub is in two sections with various corridors leading off a paved courtyard. The ceiling is low and the lighting is dim.

The clients are less noisy than in many other pubs, but still as convivial as other Irishmen. Poetry recitals and Irish music are held in honor here.

Davy Byrne’s

21 Duke Street. (B2).

The fashionable pub of the up and going young set in Dublin and one of three historical pubs in a small street leading off Grafton Street, well known for the Gorgonzola cheese and Burgundy wine that Leopold Bloom got here in the novel of Ulysses by James Joyce.

The furnishings are partly in a pre-war style, with paintings of known writers that lived at the start of the 20th C. A more modern section is at the back, resembling a cocktail area.

The clientele consists of well-dressed young people on their way up in business, along with similar types from the travelers’ brigade.

Doheny & Nesbitt

5 Lower Baggot Street. (B2).

A traditional and rather worn drinking pub of professionals in politics, in the middle of the music pubs of this street, leading off St Stephen’s Green, one of the famous pubs of Dublin.

It is small and dingy, with an ugly linoleum floor, and with torn advertising posters, advertising mirrors and large pottery on the walls. Mirrored partitions at the bar counter make the pub look even more crowded.

The clientele comes from the parliament and government buildings round the corner, politicians, journalists and officials.

Duke

9 Duke Street. (B2).

A fine Victorian pub in a small street of old pubs leading off Grafton Street, spacious and bright, with murals and less wood than usual.

A nice floor carpet at the entrance gives a tone of affluence. The bar chairs are upholstered, standing on a parquet floor. There is stained glass behind the bar. Sofas are on platforms at the walls and high bar-stools on the floor beneath the platforms.

Here are many suburbanites on a shopping trip, having a beer and a bite between walks. The price is relatively good, considering the quality and the cleanliness of the place.

Foley’s

Merrion Row. (B2).

A singing pub cum restaurant on the main street of music pubs.

It is spacious and bright, with a carpet on the floor and an exhibition of paintings on the walls, also busts of venerable gentlemen.

This is a nice place, with Irish ballads in the night and at Sunday noon. There is jazz on Sunday nights.

Horseshoe Bar

The Shelbourne Hotel, St Stephen’s Green. (B2).

The most famous hotel bar in Dublin, at the eastern end of the ground floor of the Shelbourne, very small and tightly packed.

Leather sofas line the walls. In front of them are circular tables with edge fillets. The horseshoe-shaped bar is in the center, surrounded with good stools. The ceiling is high and decorations are scant, but there is a lot of mirrors.

Affluent travelers come here, mainly Americans, as the bartenders know how to make cocktails. Also jeweled people who arrive in Jaguars and Mercedeses.

Keogh’s

McDaid’s

Harry Street. (B2).

The literary pub in the center, in a short street leading off Grafton Street, almost under the eaves of Westbury Hotel. Brendan Behan and other well-known writers sat here.

The decorations are beautiful, outside and inside. Very high street windows are partly stained. Decorative porcelain tiles are beneath pictures of Samuel Becket and other writers.

There is still some literary atmosphere here, as university teachers and students congregate here to follow the tradition.

Mulligan’s

8 Poolbeg Street. (B1).

The worn-out pub of journalists near the river docks, the offices of the daily papers and the Trinity University is one of the oldest in town, from 1782 and looks every year its age. It is mentioned in Dubliners by James Joyce.

The pub forms an U around a double bar and has a small room by the window at the opening of the U. The ceiling is low, the air is heavy and the visibility is scant. The furnishings are as worn as they can possibly be. There are two rooms behind the bar area, both of them quite inhospitable. The furniture is accidental, destitute and devoid of taste.

Many guests are deep in their drinks, having the excuse that they are getting the best beer in town. It flows in torrents here from morning into the night. Journalists come here, dock workers and students. The clientele combines with the furnishings to make quite an unforgettable atmosphere.

Neary’s

1 Chatham Street. (B2).

The theater pub is of course just behind the Gaiety theater. The main entrance of the theater and the back door of the pub are opposite each other, but he main entrance of the pub is on a side street of Grafton Street.

The pub is in two parts, rather small, with large mirrors. Quaint gas-lamps of wrought iron are on a pink bar counter of marble. A fine carpet is on the floor and thick cushions are on the chairs, as this is not a place for the riff-raff.

Some actors and musicians are in the otherwise mainly tourist clientele. Peter O’Toole is said to hold court here when he is in Dublin.

O’Donoghue’s

15 Merrion Row. (B2).

One of the most famous music pubs of Ireland, rather shady, specializing in ballads. It has been in the forefront of the revival of Irish ballads. The Dubliners started here.

It is small and dingy, with red and green neon lights on the bar wall above money notes from several continents. The walls are hung with old advertising mirrors.

Guests bring their guitars, as the music is not organized, but rather emanates from the grass-roots.

O’Neill’s

2 Suffolk Street. (B1).

Opposite St Andrews, convenient for Trinity College students, just 100 meters from its main entrance at College Green.

The emblem of the pub is a large clock over one of its Suffolk Street entrance. This is a large pub, clean, well furnished, with few decorations, but lots of seats.

The pub is popular, both with students and burghers. The attraction is not only the beer, but also the grub.

Old Stand

Exchequer Street. (A1).

The main sportsmen’s pub in the center, in a side street 100 meters from the Powerscourt shopping center.

It is rather bright and unusually spacious, clean and simple, with furnishings that have not yet become worn, except for the floor.

Sport enthusiasts congregate here, talking about racing or Irish football. Many of them have something to eat here.

Palace

21 Fleet Street. (B1).

A typical smoke-filled pub in a continuation of Temple Bar in the direction of Westmoreland Street, a neighbor of hotel Temple Bar.

Wood partitions with mirrors form compartments at the heavy counter, opposite the dignified bar furniture behind the counter. Behind the bar there is a sitting room with sofas and round coffee-tables.

There is a lot of drinking and still more of smoking. The place is frequented by workers and media people.

Stag’s Head

1 Dame Court. (A1).

The best pub grub in town is to be had at a beautiful old pub, which is difficult to find in an alley running parallel with Dame Street. Probably the most beautiful pub in the city center, it was restored to its present state at the end of the 19th C. Its life was recently saved by protection activists.

The style is Victorian, with large mirrors and an arcade over the bar, an old ceiling of wood, an impressive venison head above the central bar, mahogany tables with marble tops, stained windows and deeply green sofas. The cooking is simple and the food is tasty, boiled bacon and cauliflower, Irish stew, sandwiches and hamburgers with chips.

There is generally a crowd of well-dressed people, including lawyers.

Toner’s

139 Lower Baggot Street. (B2).

The main artists’ pub, 200 years old, more or less with the original furnishings and looking its age.

At the mahogany bar counter there are narrow, mirrored partitions. The bar wall has countless drawers from the time that the pub doubled as a grocery. Old books are above the drawers. A dominating tile decoration is at the end of the pub. Opposite the counter there is a glass cupboard with memorabilia.

Among the clientele are some convivial writers and people who like convivial writers.

Gaelic football

The most popular team sport in Ireland, a rough sport somewhere between rugby and soccer. When the final game is played in Croke Park in Dublin the home districts of the competitors are almost deserted.

Hurling is another popular sport, where the ball is hit by a club, played on the same fields as football.

Horse races are at Phoenix Park and there are good golf courses all over Ireland.

Market Arcade

(A1).

Tower

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

Avalon House

55 Aungier Street. Phone: 475 0001. Fax: 475 0303. Price: £45 ($70) with breakfast. All major cards. 38 rooms. (A2).

An inexpensive hotel in a very central location. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Bloom’s

Anglesea Street. Phone: 671 5622. Fax: 671 5997. Price: £71 ($111) with breakfast. All major cards. 86 rooms. (A1).

The reasonable and small hotel, named after the main character in Ulysses by James Joyce, is perfectly located on the slope from Dame Street to Temple Bar, just 100 meters from the latter and 300 meters from Grafton Street.

This is a comfortable and just a little worn hotel in old-fashioned modern style, with good concierges. The lobby is minuscule but the rooms are ample. Room service is for 24 hours, and there are amenities for businessmen and an indoor car park.

Room 506 is high up in the hotel, with triple glass in the windows, efficiently cutting out noise. It is divided into a sleeping and a sitting section on the two sides of a balcony. It has a good writing desk, a trouser press and a hair dryer, a direct phone line, a welcoming bottle of red wine and a newspaper of the day. The quality bathroom is well equipped.

Buswell’s

Molesworth Street. Phone: 676 4013 & 676 4016. Fax: 676 2090. Price: £102 ($159) with breakfast. All major cards. 70 rooms. (B2).

The main hotel of atmosphere is old and worn and small, with parliamentarians as clients, standing opposite the entrance to the Irish Parliament in Leinster House, near most of the important museums in Dublin and 300 meters from Grafton Street. In spite of the location, the street in front is quiet.

The staff is especially friendly and efficient, some of the best staff in town. The rooms are variable in size and comfort.

Room no. 103 is old-fashioned, small and worn. It is well equipped, has a trouser press and a hair dryer. The bathroom is also small, fully tiled and with all amenities, except for a rather weak shower.

Central

1-5 Exchequer Street. Phone: 679 7302. Fax: 679 7303. Price: £100 ($156) with breakfast. All major cards. 70 rooms. (A1).

As centrally located as possible. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Christchurch Inn

Christchurch Place. Phone: 475 0111. Fax: 475 0488. Price: £60 ($94) with breakfast. All major cards. 183 rooms. (A1).

Opposite Christchurch and a few steps from Dublin Castle. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Clarence

6-8 Wellington Quay. Phone: 662 3066. Fax: 662 3077. Price: £200 ($312) with breakfast. All major cards. 50 rooms. (A1).

Refurbished luxury hotel centrally located on the Liffey. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Conrad

Earlsfort Terrace. Phone: 676 5555. Fax: 676 5424. Price: £200 ($312) with breakfast. All major cards. 191 rooms. (B2).

An expensive luxury hotel near St Stephen’s Green. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Davenport

Merrion Square. Phone: 661 6800. Fax: 661 5663. Price: £160 ($250) with breakfast. All major cards. 120 rooms. (B2).

A neo-classical hotel on one of the most charming squares in central Dublin. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Fitzwilliam

41 Upper Fitzwilliam Street. Phone: 660 0448. Fax: 676 7488. Price: £60 ($94) with breakfast. All major cards. 12 rooms. (B2).

An inexpensive, small hotel in a 18th C. city house on the corner of pubby Baggot Street and Fitzwilliam Street, 400 meters from St Stephen’s Green and 800 meters from Grafton Street.

The family-owned hotel has friendly and pleasant staff. Guests are provided with keys when they go out in the night. Breakfast is served in the basement. Many guest rooms are furnished with antiques.

Old-fashioned room no. 32 is rather large, faces the street, furnished with three beds. The bathroom is also old-fashioned but functioning well.

Georgian House

20-21 Lower Baggot Street. Phone: 661 8832. Fax: 661 8834. Price: £81 ($127) with breakfast. All major cards. 33 rooms. (B2).

A romantic and rather inexpensive hotel in four city houses directly on the main street of renowned pubs, 300 meters from St Stephen’s Green and 600 meters from Grafton Street.

The family-owned hotel has a tiny lobby below narrow stairs. The staff are friendly. Breakfast is served in the basement Ante Room restaurant, which is respected for seafood.

Room no. 124 is spacious, with large windows to the street, well equipped with heavy and solid furniture of the dated kind. The bathroom is rather well furnished.

Grafton Plaza

Johnson’s Place. Phone: 475 0888. Fax: 475 0908. Price: £80 ($125) with breakfast. All major cards. 75 rooms. (A2).

A new hotel near the pedestrian Grafton Street. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Gresham

23 Upper O’Connell Street. Phone: 874 6881. Fax: 878 7175. Price: £120 ($188) with breakfast. All major cards. 200 rooms. (B1).

One of the most traditional hotels of central Dublin. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Grey Door

23 Upper Pembroke Street. Phone: 676 3286. Fax: 676 3287. Price: £95 ($148) with breakfast. All major cards. 7 rooms. (B2).

A very elegant micro-hotel in a residential street of embassies in the center, really a renowned restaurant with some added rooms. It is 300 meters from St Stephen’s Green, 400 meters from Baggot Street and 700 meters from Grafton Street.

There is scarcely a lobby, only some space around a staircase. The sitting room upstairs is stately and spacious. The staff is excellent. The front door is always locked and guests are fitted out with a key. Breakfast is served in the venerable restaurant of the same name.

The elegant room no. 3 is divided by a kind of an arcade into a sleeping part and a sitting part. It has very good furnishings, including two TV sets, a trouser press, a hair drier, a coffee machine, a good writing desk and three easy chairs. The bathroom has elegant, white tiles, golden taps and thick robes.

Harcourt

60 Harcourt Street. Phone: 478 3677. Fax: 475 2013. Price: £80 ($125) with breakfast. All major cards. 40 rooms. (A2).

A few steps from St Stephen’s Green. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Kelly’s

36 South Great Georges Street. Phone: 677 9277. Fax: 671 3216. Price: £57 ($89) with breakfast. All major cards. 24 rooms. (A2).

A good quality to price ratio is available in this small and cozy, clean and old-fashioned hotel in the center, 200 meters from Dame Street and 400 meters from Grafton Street.

The first floor lobby adjoins a sitting room, a good breakfast room and a nice bar with high windows and leather chairs. Service is good in this family-owned hotel. The front door is locked at night and guests push a bell to be admitted.

The tiny room no. 23 is furnished in taste and has the normal conveniences, including a hair-dryer. A thick carpet covers the creaking floor. The small and tasteful bathroom has also a carpet and is well furnished.

Leeson Court

26-27 Lower Leeson Street. Phone: 676 3380. Fax: 661 8273. Price: £80 ($125) with breakfast. All major cards. 20 rooms. (B2).

Near St Stephen’s Green. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Longfields

Lower Fitzwilliam Street. Phone: 676 1367. Fax: 676 1542. Price: £80 ($125) with breakfast. All major cards. 28 rooms. (B2).

A few steps from Merrion Square (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Mont Clare

Merrion Square. Phone: 661 6799. Fax: 661 5663. Price: £125 ($195) with breakfast. All major cards. 74 rooms. (B2).

On one of the most charming squares in central Dublin. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Royal Dublin

40 Upper O’Connell Street. Phone: 873 3666. Fax: 873 3120. Price: £95 ($148) with breakfast. All major cards. 117 rooms. (B1).

On the main street north of the Liffey. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Russell Court

21-25 Harcourt Street. Phone: 478 4066. Fax: 478 1576. Price: £80 ($125) with breakfast. All major cards. 42 rooms. (A2).

A few steps from St Stephen’s Green. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Shelbourne

St Stephen’s Green. Phone: 676 6471. Fax: 661 6006. Price: £170 ($266) with breakfast. All major cards. 150 rooms. (B2).

The most expensive hotel in the city is an historical landmark since 1824 with a St Stephen’s Green address and a location only 300 meters from Grafton Street. The constitution of the Irish Republic was written in this palace of red and white and some episodes in literature are situated there.

It is old and revered, lively though, with creaking and sloping floors under thick carpets. The comfortable public rooms have been restored to their original appearance and the guest rooms are appealing. One of the best known pubs in London, the Horseshoe bar, is on the ground level. Service has come down since the Forte chain acquired it, especially the porterage.

Room no. 222 is enormous, divided in two parts, a bedroom and a sitting room, tastefully and splendidly furnished, with large windows on the green. The bathroom is unusually elegant.

Staunton’s

83 St Stephen’s Green South. Phone: 478 2300. Fax: 478 2263. Price: £88 ($138) with breakfast. All major cards. (B2).

A solid, expensive and rather sound-conductive small hotel alongside the Foreign Ministry, 500 meters from Grafton Street. The front rooms face Stephen’s Green and the back rooms face Iveagh Gardens.

The lobby is tiny, there is no lift and the stairs are steep. The views add space to the smallish rooms. The breakfast room is in the basement.

The very small no. 301 has thin walls and the normal conveniences, including a coffee machine. The tiny bathroom is neither tiled nor stylish but has all the amenities, including a good shower.

Stephen’s Hall

14-17 Lower Leeson Street. Phone: 661 0585. Fax: 661 0606. Price: £150 ($234) with breakfast. All major cards. 37 rooms. (B2).

Near St Stephen’s Green. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Temple Bar

Fleet Street. Phone: 677 3333. Fax: 677 3088. Price: £100 ($156) with breakfast. All major cards. 108 rooms. (A1).

A lively hotel in a very central location, 50 meters from Temple Bar and 400 meters from Grafton Street.

It is new and sparkling, furnished in taste and quality, including the breakfast room behind the small and sometimes crowded lobby, overflowed with groups leaving and coming. The employees are friendly and relaxed but not experienced enough in the breakfast room.

Quality and style mark room no. 115. It has a good writing desk, a trouser press and a coffee machine. The bathroom is handsome but the shower is rather tepid.

Westbury

Grafton Street. Phone: 679 1122. Fax: 679 7078. Price: £149 ($233) with breakfast. All major cards. 195 rooms. (B2).

The best and the best situated hotel, expensive, large and modern, only 30 meters from Grafton Street. The Powerscourt boutique shopping center is just behind the hotel.

No less than three of the best restaurants in Dublin are inside the hotel, Russell, Sandbank and Rajdoot. There is also a shopping arcade in the hotel, so that the hotel becomes a self-contained world in heavy rain. The lobby on two floors is a large and cold marble palace with an impressive staircase.

Room no. 606 is unusually spacious and of unusually good quality, with mahogany furniture and blue colors, good lamps and wide mirrors, impressively stylish. The bathroom is fully tiled, in two parts, with a bath and a toilet in the inner part. The shower was not very efficient.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

101 Talbot

100-102 Talbot Street. Phone: 874 5011. Price: £28 ($44) for two. All major cards. (B1).

A vegetarian restaurant near O’Connell Street. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Ante Room

20 Lower Baggot Street. Phone: 660 4716. Hours: Closed Saturday & Sunday lunch. Price: £53 ($83) for two. All major cards. (B2).

Some of the best seafood in town is served at this rather expensive cellar restaurant in the Georgian House hotel in the main street of music pubs. The cooking is simple and solid, resulting in tasteful food when the kitchen is not overwhelmed by the arrival of groups.

The furnishings are rough and the seating is tight on bare chairs of wood, when there are groups. On the other hand this is also a romantic place for candlelight dinners. It is several small rooms which camouflage its size. Service is knowledgeable.

• Crab clams in garlic butter.

• Mussels in the shell.

• Kings scallops cooked in white wine, with cream sauce and piped potatoes.

• Pan-fried tiger prawns in garlic, with leeks and pasta.

• Boned and oven baked Dover sole with lemon butter.

• Chocolate cake.

• Ice cream with caramel parfait.

Ayumi-Ya

132 Lower Baggot Street. Phone: 662 0233. Hours: Closed Saturday lunch & Sunday. Price: £30 ($47) for two. All major cards. (B2).

A Japanese restaurant in a main street of central Dublin. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Bewley’s

78-79 Grafton Street. Phone: 677 6761. Fax: 677 4021. Price: £17 ($27) for two. All major cards. (B2).

The inexpensive café is directly on the pedestrian Grafton Street. It has for a long time been the favorite resting place of citizens on downtown shopping visits and the favorite place for visitors reading the Sunday newspapers. It is the mother location of several cafés of the same chain, a breakfast room, a café and a lunch restaurant in one.

There is a bakery in front. Behind it and above it are three self-service places and two with service. The best place for a café with scones or muffins is at the marble tables at the first floor windows to the street. The furnishings are most beautiful in the very popular ground floor restaurant behind the bakery, with large and stained windows above thick and red sofas.

• Coffee and tea of several types.

• Porridge.

• Scones and muffins.

• Eggs and bacon.

• Lunch salads.

Blazing Salads

Powerscourt Townhouse Centre. Phone: 671 9552. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: £15 ($23) for two. All major cards. (A1).

The best vegetarian restaurant is an inexpensive self-service room on the second floor of the Powerscourt shopping mall. It specializes in freshly pressed fruit juices, organic wines, several courses of the day and an extensive choice of salads. Sugar is replaced by honey, and animal broths by vegetable broths. Most of the guests are young and healthy people.

The wooden furnishings are rough, open partitions, lacquered floors, massive table-tops on lathed feet and wooden chairs with wicker bottoms. Most people opt for the offerings of the day which are chalked on a blackboard above the counter. There is also a menu with conventional items of the vegetarian type.

• Ccouscous with harissa = cooked vegetables with sweet and strong paprika sauce.

• Vegetables in seaweed.

• Tabbouleh = salad in oil with cracked wheat, tomatoes and vegetables.

• Potato salad.

• Bean purée.

• Turnip cake with whipped cream.

Casablanca

22 Temple Bar. Phone: 679 9996. Price: £33 ($52) for two. All major cards. (A1).

A Morocco restaurant in the main restaurant street. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Cave

28 South Anne Street. Phone: 679 4409. Hours: Closed Sunday lunch. Price: £34 ($53) for two. All major cards. (B2).

One of the coziest restaurants in the center, an inexpensive French bistro in a tiny cellar for up to 30 guests, just off Grafton Street. Edith Piaf and other French chansonists are softly played and French poems are read Sunday nights. This is an embassy of French cuisine, the left bank of the Seine on the right bank of the Liffey.

It is dark and red. Walls, carpets, napkins and lamp shades are red, sofas and baluster chairs are dark. The tables are clothed in white and red. The bar dominates the scene. There are lots of bread and butter. Service is quick and good, not included in the price so you have to add it to the bill.

• Tabbouleh = salad in oil with cracked wheat, tomatoes and green leaves.

• Terrine de campagne = country paté.

• Cassoulet de fruits de mer = pan-fried mussels, shrimp, squid and sole.

• Braised lamb.

• Bordalou pie = peach pie with peach purée.

Cedar Tree

11a St Andrew’s Street. Phone: 677 2121. Hours: Closed lunch. Price: £35 ($55) for two. All major cards. (B1).

A few steps from College Green. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Chicago Pizza Pie Factory

St Stephen’s Green. Phone: 478 1233. Fax: 478 1550. Price: £34 ($53) for two. All major cards. (B2).

The best pizzas in the center are in a rather inexpensive cellar restaurant near the corner of St Stephen’s Green and Grafton Street. These are thick pizzas in the Chicago way. It is a family place where children are cosseted. They get large balloons and their favorite food, from pizzas to ice-creams. Pizzas at £4 for one, £8 for two and £ 12 for three are quickly devoured.

The main attribute is a large glass partition between restaurant and bar, with 700-800 bottles of spirits. The restaurant is tall and wide, with American posters and traffic signs on red walls. The table-clothes are in massive red and green colors. And there is a nice parquet on the floor. Service is very friendly and rather unschooled.

• Mushrooms filled with butter, grated bread, cheese and garlic.

• Greek summer salad, with iceberg lettuce, olives, feta-cheese, cucumber and tomato.

• Chocolate cake with chocolate sauce.

• Several varieties of pizza.

Commons

Newman House, 85-86 St Stephen’s Green. Phone: 475 2597. Fax: 478 0551. Hours: Closed Saturday lunch & Sunday. Price: £65 ($102) for two. All major cards. (B2).

A smart restaurant at St Stephen’s Green. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Cooke’s Café

14 South William Street. Phone: 679 0536. Fax: 679 0546. Price: £84 ($131) for two. All major cards. (A1).

One of the most fashionable restaurants with gourmet pretensions in town is a small and simple restaurant corner with elevated prices. It has enormous windows in front of the entrance to the Powerscourt shopping center. The guests are talkative and devour olives while waiting for the food. They do not linger as there are several sittings each night.

Mediterranean landscapes are painted directly on the walls. Venetian blinds make the windows softer. The kitchen is in plain view. The customers sit tightly on hard chairs at linoleum table-tops on a tiled floor. This succeeds in conveying a Mediterranean atmosphere. The cooking is Italianate Californian, good cooking with Hollywood headlines. The bread is home-made.

• Smoked cod roe paste from a commercial tube, with crème fraiche.

• Red pepper soup with feta cheese.

• Pan-fried sea bass with pepper, tomato, white wine, olive oil and spices.

• Grilled partridge with lemon thyme butter.

• Blueberries with whipped cream and vanilla sauce.

Cornucopia

19 Wicklow Street. Phone: 677 7583. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: £22 ($34) for two. All major cards. (B2).

A practical restaurant in the very center of Dublin. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Dobbins

15 Stephen’s Lane, Upper Mount Street. Phone: 676 4679. Hours: Closed Saturday lunch & Sunday. Price: £50 ($78) for two. All major cards. (B2).

A wine bistro a few steps from Merrion Square. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Eastern Tandoori

34-35 South William Street. Phone: 671 0428. Fax: 677 9232. Hours: Closed Sunday lunch. Price: £45 ($70) for two. All major cards. (A2).

A few steps from the charming Powerscourt shopping mall. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Elephant & Castle

18 Temple Bar. Phone: 679 3121. Price: £48 ($75) for two. All major cards. (A1).

A fashionable, youthful and lively place with superior cooking at medium prices, sitting directly on Temple Bar. It is always full, new guests immediately replacing those who leave. Tables are not booked and guests wait at the opposite pub for a vacant table and are then fetched by the waiters.

The furnishings are informal, with bare table-tops, tight chairs and lots of conversation noise. Men take off their jackets. The service is quick and to the point, perfectly fitting the clientele. The cooking is first class, reminiscent of the Hard Rock Cafés. The produce is well chosen and the kitchen is in the hands of young chefs on their way up.

• Corn chowder.

• Mexican chili soup.

• Guacamole sandwich.

• Fettucine with chicken.

• Beef, grilled to order.

• Hamburgers.

Flanagan’s

61 Upper O’Connell Street. Phone: 873 1388. Price: £25 ($39) for two. All major cards. (B1).

An economical restaurant on the main street north of Liffey. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Fréres Jacques

74 Dame Street. Phone: 679 4555. Fax: 679 4725. Hours: Closed Saturday lunch and Sunday . Price: £54 ($84) for two. All major cards. (A1).

Top gastronomic grades go to a rather expensive French restaurant opposite Dublin Castle and City Hall. The entrance is from an alley leading off Dame Street. It is a long and narrow room with a bar in the middle and seating at both ends.

The furnishings are French and the table service is elegant. Service is French and courteous, softened by Irish conviviality. This is such a cozy place that many clients come and dine alone to catch a glimpse of the real atmosphere of gastronomy. The cuisine ranges from classical to nouvelle.

• Mussels in tomato sauce.

• Duck liver in port sauce.

• Lamb liver with chanterelles.

• Mussel and fennel soup.

• Sea trout with ham.

• Chicken breast with curry and mango sauce.

• Warm rice pudding with apricots.

• Raspberry mousse Romanoff with strawberries and redcurrants.

Gallagher’s

20-21 Temple Bar. Phone: 677 2762. Price: £43 ($67) for two. All major cards. (A1).

Irish peasant cooking is best represented at this popular place of medium prices, in the midst of the Temple Bar restaurant area.

The place is dark and tight, with old walls and floors of wood, really comfortable. Irish ballads are played softly and the fireplace is in constant use, also at lunch. The reception is Irish and congenial and the room is full most of the time. You can wait in the opposite pub to be fetched by a waiter when a table is ready.

• Irish clear soup.

• Butter bean paste with thick rye bread.

• Lamb boxty with yogurt and mint sauce with red cabbage, cauliflower and turnips.

• Beef boxty with horseradish sauce.

• Bean boxty.

• Irish stew.

• Cauliflower with bacon.

• Bread- and butter pudding with raisins, whipped cream and egg whites.

Boxty are thick and leathery pancakes, made of potato dough. Formerly poor people ate boxty as they were, but now they are used with variable fillings. Formerly no wheat was used, as it was scarce and expensive, but now it is mixed in the dough.

Gastrognome

4 Nassau Street. Phone: 679 5123. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: £30 ($47) for two. All major cards. (B1).

A few steps from Trinity College. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Good World

18 South Great George’s Street. Phone: 677 5373. Price: £22 ($34) for two. All major cards. (A1).

The best Chinese restaurant in town, an inexpensive place on one of the major traffic streets in the center, just east off Dublin Castle. This is a happy restaurant for whole families, liveliest at Sunday lunch, when Chinese extended families are dining out on various dim sum. At than occasion everyone seems to know everyone else.

It is rather well designed by Chinese standards, with solid furnishings and a floor carpet. There are few of the Chinese decorations that dominate lesser places of the kind.

Won Ton = deep-fried and crisp. Cheung Fung = rolled pancakes of rice floor, filled with pork. Char Siu = deep-fried meatballs.

Dim sum arrive in towers of steaming metal pots. Some dim sum are steamed, others are deep-fried. Some are soft, others are hard. Some are sweet, others are sour. Some are strong, others are mild. The guests chose from the arriving food, building up a variety of courses on those tables, where there are many people. Rice and jasmine or green tea accompany the dim sum.

Gotham Café

8 South Anne Street. Phone: 679 5266. Price: £44 ($69) for two. All major cards. (B2).

An American style in the Grafton Street pedestrian area. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Grey Door

23 Upper Pembroke Street. Phone: 766 3286. Fax: 676 3287. Hours: Closed Saturday lunch and Sunday. Price: £60 ($94) for two. All major cards. (B2).

One of the noblest restaurants in the center, a rather expensive hotel dining room in a quiet district of 18th C. houses between Baggot Street and Leeson Street, specializing in Russian and Finnish cooking.

The restaurant is in three parts on the first floor, a red, a blue and a green room. Old paintings decorated the walls, chandeliers in the ceiling, thick white linen on the tables and comfortable, blue chairs. Downstairs is the more informal Blushes, using the same kitchen.

• Blini = Russian pancakes with smoked salmon, sturgeon caviar and salmon roes.

• Calf liver paté with raspberry jam, toast and salad.

• Salmon soup with onion, cucumber and capers.

• Lightly smoked salmon, oven-baked under a roof of cheese, crab and herbs with crème fraiche and dill.

• Braised leg of lamb in garlic fumé with new, unpeeled potatoes.

• Beef and salmon slices with mustard and mushroom sauce.

• Desserts from the trolley.

Imperial

12a Wicklow Street. Phone: 677 2580. Fax: 671 9127. Price: £36 ($56) for two. All major cards. (B1).

A good and inexpensive Chinese restaurant a few steps from Grafton Street.

It looks modern and Western, almost devoid of Chinese decorations. Still, many of the customers are from Canton or Hong Kong, especially at Sunday lunch. The menu concentrates on Canton cuisine, including almost 40 different Dim Sum lunch snacks.

• Steamed prawn butterflies.

• Deep-fried oxtail dumplings.

• Rice in lotus leaves.

• Bean paté.

• Boiled beef.

Kilkenny Kitchen

6-10 Nassau Street. Phone: 677 7066. Fax: 677 7066. Hours: Closed dinner & Sunday. Price: £10 ($16) for two. All major cards. (B1).

A first floor restaurant overlooking the Trinity university. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

King Sitric

East Pier, Howth. Phone: 832 6729. Fax: 839 2442. Hours: Closed Sunday, and in winter for lunch. Price: £60 ($94) for two. All major cards.

The city railway track ends at the boat harbor of Howth, immediately north of Dublin. At the northern end of the pier is an old-fashioned and excellent seafood restaurant, rather expensive, but worth the price.

It is small and tight, with heavy curtains, as if in pre-war Middle Europe. A very civilized inspector welcomes the guests and takes care of everything. The cooking is old-fashioned, but the material is fresh, as a lot of fish is landed here. The inspector knows what to recommend each day. The wine list is one of the best in the country.

• Smoked Ireland salmon with capers and onions.

• Wild mushroom purée.

• Poached skate with capers.

• Scallops with nectarines and herb sauce.

• Ice-cream with meringue and chocolate sauce.

L’Ecrivain

112 Lower Baggot Street. Phone: 661 1919. Fax: 676 7488. Hours: Closed Saturday lunch & Sunday. Price: £50 ($78) for two. All major cards. (B2).

A classic French restaurant in the main pub street of Dublin. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Leo Burdock’s

2 Werburgh Street. Phone: 454 03306. Hours: Closed Saturday lunch & Sunday. Price: £6 ($9) for two. No cards. (A2).

A seafood take-away. You just walk to the garden of nearby St Patrick’s to enjoy your lunch. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Lord Edward

23 Christchurch Place. Phone: 454 2420. Hours: Closed Sunday-Monday and at lunch Saturday. Price: £55 ($86) for two. All major cards. (A1).

A traditional seafood restaurant with medium prices opposite Christ Church, at lunchtime resembling a lawyers’ club, partly because of the short distance from the Four Courts palace. The bar is on the first floor and the restaurant on the second in a narrow house with steep stairs. For decades this has been the established seafood restaurant in town.

The tables are of sand-blown wood. The carpet is beautiful and there are sofas under the oriel windows. Service is old-fashioned and good, using plate service in the pre-war manner. The cooking is a little overdone but otherwise simple, concentrating on good products which arrive twice a day. The menu is mainly based on six types of seafood and three or four cooking methods.

• Prawn bisque.

• Avocado stuffed with shrimp and crab.

• Grilled sea-trout with lightly steamed vegetables and mashed potatoes.

• Grilled turbot with lightly steamed vegetables and mashed potatoes.

• Meringue with ice-cream, fruit and whipped cream.

• Crème brulée with fruit and whipped cream.

Old Dublin

90-91 Francis Street. Phone: 454 2028. Fax: 454 2330. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: £14 ($22) for two. All major cards. (A2).

Near St Patrick’s. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Omar Khayyam

51 Wellington Quay. Phone: 677 5758. Fax: 679 7560. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: £35 ($55) for two. All major cards. (A1).

A Middle Eastern restaurant on the Liffey bank. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

Patrick Guilbaud

46 James Place / Lower Baggot Street. Phone: 676 4192. Fax: 660 1546. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: £89 ($139) for two. All major cards. (B2).

The best restaurant in Dublin and one of the most expensive is in a specially designed house in a small street behind the modern Baggot Street building of the Irish Bank. The net result of the design is to convey a certain coolness in spite of the mild and yellow colors. There is a bright bar in front and a dining room with a glass roof in back.

This is a working place for real professionals, even if rather impersonal professionals. Every thread from the design through the cuisine to the service is meant to support the notion of a temple of gastronomy. This is a temple of French cooking, where the exact organization serves the art, not the other way round. The chef-owner is Patrick Guilbaud.

• Chicken liver and shrimp paté.

• Scallop pot.

• Black sausage.

• Steamed sea trout with piped potatoes and saffron, red-pepper sauce.

• Wild goose breast with figs.

• Grilled beef with glazed turnips.

• Pear pie.

• Chocolate and raspberry cake.

Periwinkle

Powerscourt Townhouse Centre. Phone: 679 4203. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: £8 ($12) for two. All major cards. (A2).

A quaint little seafood corner on the ground floor of the Powerscourt shopping center offers some of the freshest fish in town.

Diners sit on high and low, wooden taborets at narrow and lacquered wooden wall-tables in a few vaulted nooks on tiled floors under obvious external piping. The catch of the day is chalked on a blackboard above the counter. There are always some varieties of shellfish.

• Fish chowder with home-made rye bread.

• Crab claws, shrimp and mussels with home-made rye bread.

• Fish salad with shrimp, mussels and cod.

• Fresh sole in cheese mousse casserole.

• Crab claws in garlic butter.

Pigalle

14 Temple Bar, Merchant’s Arch. Phone: 671 92262. Hours: Closed Saturday lunch and Sunday. Price: £46 ($72) for two. All major cards. (A1).

One of the few top-class French bistros in Dublin is exactly on Temple Bar, in a rustic first-floor room, with variable furniture and table-service. The French cuisine specializes in game and unusual products. This place tickles the taste-buds.

The ceiling is black and the walls of brick are white, Heavy curtains are on the outside and a dark pine wall on the inside. Plants are hanging from the ceiling. The tables are decked out in white. The service is knowledgeable, with Irish warmth and conviviality adding to the sensitive cooking. The menu price is fixed, with a choice of starters, main courses and desserts.

• Crème de carotte a l’Orange = cream soup of turnips and oranges.

• Salade tiede de calamares = octopus salad with melted butter.

• Caille rotie aux poivre vert = Roasted quail with green pasta stripes.

• Supreme de pintade duxelle de champignons et vin blanc = slices of guinea hen with mushroom and white wine dressing.

• Sorbet aux fruits rouges = red fruit sorbet.

• Mousse aux framboises = raspberry mousse.

Rajdoot

26-28 Clarendon Street, Westbury Centre. Phone: 679 4274. Price: £48 ($75) for two. All major cards. (A2).

The main showcase of Indian cooking is at a medium-priced restaurant in the Westbury hotel complex, a few steps from Grafton Street. The leading Indian restaurants of London are no better than this one, specializing in Tandoori cooking.

It is very much a designed place. Guests enter a bar level with deep chairs and heavy paneling, pewter and brass on the tables, before they step down to the carpeted restaurant level with carvings on the walls and beautifully laid-out tables. The menu is extensive, offering most of the well-known Indian dishes. There are also some fixed offers.

• Shis kabab = lamb on skewers.

• Prawn kabab = prawn on skewers.

• Lamb korma = lamb in yogurt.

• Tandoori chicken = chicken, coated in curry and yogurt, baked in a Tandoor oven.

• Pillau = cooked rice.

• Biryani = rice in saffron.

Russell Room

Westbury Hotel, Grafton Street. Phone: 679 1122. Price: £55 ($86) for two. (B2).

The luxury restaurant of the Westbury hotel, with elegant carpets, lots of flower arrangements, chandeliers and beautiful chairs.

It is one of the most beautiful restaurants in Dublin and rather expensive, though not as expensive as could be expected. Service is good and the atmosphere is light in spite of the subdued elegance of the room.

• Foi de canard = duck paté.

• Prune soup.

• Grilled beef with cauliflower and vegetable threads.

• Crusted duck with lemon, lime and coriander.

• Sea trout with hazelnuts and honey sauce.

• Strawberry pastry with strawberry sauce.

Sandbank

Westbury Hotel, Grafton Street. Phone: 679 1122. Price: £39 ($61) for two. (B2).

The medium-priced and popular restaurant in the Westbury hotel, a few steps off Grafton Street is a busy and a beautiful place.

Stained glass in windows and partitions, as well as illuminated mirrors enhance the decorations. Green sofas are supported by heavy, carved furniture of wood. The naked tables are also made of heavy wood. The waiters wear straw hats and long aprons. The atmosphere is animated and relaxed, especially at busy times which are common.

• Vol-au-vent = seafood in pastry.

• Oak-smoked salmon.

• Liver paté of the house.

• Gratinated seafood.

• Wild Ireland salmon.

• French mousses, cakes and puddings.

Stampa

35 Dawson Street. Phone: 677 8611. Fax: 677 3336. Price: £67 ($105) for two. All major cards. (B2).

The most beautiful dining room in Ireland is at this French restaurant with an Italian name in a street parallel to Grafton Street. The prices are as high as the ceiling in this singular room. A permanent commotion reigns, combining the chatter of the guests and the resonance on the wood-floor from quick steps of the busy waiters who gradually lose control of the situation.

The place is spacious and there is an immense ceiling window. Giant mirrors on both sides multiply the space. The pilaster between the mirrors are continued in red ribs in the ceiling. Plants and flowers abound, and an ocean of candles increases the romantic atmosphere. Service tries its best to cope, but does not quite succeed. The elevated cuisine fits the surroundings.

• Marinated mushrooms with parmesan flakes and olive oil on salad.

• Fettucine with tomato sauce, Toulouse sausages and coriander.

• Lobster soup.

• Rib of lamb with piped potatoes and a big tomato filled with spinach purée.

• Baccalao on piped potatoes surrounded with bacon.

• Thin melon slices with mint-flavored créme fraiche.

• Caramel pudding.

Unicorn

12b Merrion Court / Merrion Row. Phone: 676 2182. Hours: Closed Sunday. Price: £18 ($28) for two. All major cards. (B2).

A low price restaurant for trendy people. (Shortlisted for evaluation and inclusion)

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

History

Dublin was founded by Norse Vikings, mainly Danish, in the 9th and 10th C. They built the first Dublin Castle. The Iri the Vikings in 988 and founded the first Christ Church in 1038. Viking influence continued in Dublin until sh took Dublin from the Vikings in 988 and founded the first Christ Church in 1038. Viking influence continued in Dublin until th by the English in the 12th C., who invaded Ireland several times and held sway in Dublin for most of the time.

English rule was generally savage. Natural catastrophes added to the misery, leading many Irishmen to flee for America. A decisive victory over the English was won in 1921 when all the Irish counties, except six in the northeast, became independent. After a civil war the Irish Free State was founded in 1923 with Dublin as its capital.

Life

The friendly and courteous Irish are a dream come true for travelers. They are helpful and fair in business, as is evident in tourism. It is the easiest and the most relaxed country for travelers. Dubliners share these traits more or less.

The pubs are the social centers of the city. Strangers meet there and almost immediately become friends. Travelers will not be lonely there as the locals are always ready for a chat with strangers. Visitors get smitten by this easy-going atmosphere and gradually start to behave and to think like the local people do.

The city is small, has only half a million inhabitants and the city center covers less than 2 km in radius from College Green. The center is mainly on the southern bank of Liffey, around on Dublin castle, the pedestrian Grafton Street and St Stephen’s Green. This is the oldest part of the city and the most beautiful part. The houses are low and the atmosphere is relaxed.

Pubs

Hours: Monday-Saturday 10:30-23:30, Sunday 12:30-14 & 16-23:30, -23 in winter.

Irish pubs are justly world famous for their easy going and friendly bartenders and customers. Each tavern has its own atmosphere made of its furnishings and clientele.

The pubs are the social centers of Dublin. Strangers meet there and almost immediately become friends. Travelers will not be lonely there as the locals are always ready for a chat with strangers. Visitors get smitten by this easy-going atmosphere and gradually start to behave and to think like the local people do.

The Irish

The friendly and courteous Irish are a dream come true for travelers. They are helpful and fair in business, as is evident in tourism. It is the easiest and the most relaxed country for travelers. Dubliners share these traits more or less.

Embassies

Canada

65 St Stephen’s Green, 2. Phone: 678 1988.

United Kingdom

31 Merrion Road, 4. Phone: 269 5211.

United States

42 Elgin Road, 4. Phone: 668 8777.

Accident

Phone: 999.

Ambulance

Phone: 999.

Complaints

Try Bord Faílte, 14 Upper O’Connell Street, tel. 874 7733.

Dentist

Lincoln Place. Phone: 679 4311.

Dublin Dental Hospital, Lincoln Place, Dublin 2, tel. 679 4311, open 9-11 and 14-16.

Fire

Phone: 999.

Hospital

Phone: 999.

Medical care

Phone: 999.

Pharmacy

Open at normal shopping hours. Closed pharmacies have signs in their windows to point out where there is night duty.

Police

Phone: 999.

Precautions

Ireland is a haven for travelers. There is very little petty crime and almost no violent crime in Ireland. The Irish are also unusually honest people. Businessmen try to give you the best deal available. But there are lots of beggars in central Dublin.

Banks

Hours: Monday-Friday 10-12:30 & 13:30-15.

Some banks are open until 17:00 on Friday and are open at lunchtime. At the airport a bank is open 6:45-22 in summer and 6:45-21 in winter.

Credit cards

Most hotels and restaurants, petrol stations and shops accept credit cards, but pubs and farmhouse accommodations do not.

Electricity

Irish voltage is 220V, same as in Europe. The plugs are different, with three pins as in Britain.

Hotels

Dublin hotels are generally rather clean and well maintained. Small hotels, are numerous and can be very good, even if they do not have TV sets in guest rooms. A bathroom is taken for granted nowadays.

We only include hotels with private bathrooms, and in most cases we also demand a direct telephone line, working air-condition, and peace and silence during the night. Only hotels in the city center are included as we want to avoid long journeys between sightseeing and our afternoon naps.

The price ranges from £57 to £170, in most cases including a substantial breakfast.

We personally tested all the hotels in this database during the winter of 1995-1996 as everything is fickle in this world. We also tested some other hotels that are not included as they were not on par with the best in each price category.

Money

The currency in Ireland is the Irish Punt, £, divided into 100 pence. There are £100, £50, £20, £10 and £5 notes and coins for £1, 50p, 10p, 5p, 2p and 1p.

Prices

Prices have lately become stable in Ireland.

Restaurants

Ireland’s wealth of agricultural resources is not reflected well enough in its restaurants. They are generally mediocre. The best ones tend to be French. Asian ethnic restaurants are often a good bet.

Shopping

Hours: Monday-Saturday 9/9:30-17:30/18.

Some shops are open Thursday to 20:00.

Tipping

Service is generally included in hotel and restaurant bills. Porters get £0,50-1 per bag, hairdressers, taxi drivers and guides get 10%.

Toilets

Restaurant lavatories are generally good. In pubs they are variable, but open for all comers.

Tourist office

14 Upper O’Connell Street. Phone: 874 7733.

The Irish National Tourist Board, Bord Fáilte.

Water

Tap water is quite drinkable.

Accommodation

Take up direct contact with the hotels before you leave from home. Use the phone or the fax.

Airport

The Dublin airport is 11 km from the center. A bus goes there every 20 minutes 7:30-20:50 and takes 30 minutes to get there. The price is £2.50. A taxi will also be 30 minutes and costs £12. For information on arrivals and departures dial 37 9900.

News

The Irish newspapers are in English, such as Irish Times, Irish Independent and Irish Press. The British dailies are widely available. A biweekly information magazine for travelers is In Dublin.

Phone

The Irish country code is 353. The local code for Dublin is 1 when dialing from abroad and 01 when dialing from outside Dublin in Ireland. The foreign code from Ireland is 00. Northern Ireland has the British country code of 44.

Post

O’Connell Street.

The main Post Office at O’Connell Street is open Monday-Saturday 9-20 and Sunday 10:30-18.

Taxis

Taxis are available at several stands in the city center.

Traffic

The most practical way to get around in central Dublin is by walking.

Traffic in Dublin is heavy and almost comes to a standstill at rush hours. Outside of Dublin traffic is generally light. The Irish drive on the left like the British, so you have be careful to look in the right direction.

Don’t use cycles on narrow country roads as many drivers speed blindly through bends.

Cuisine

Dublin is not a place for any recognizable Irish cooking. Most quality restaurants in Dublin go in for French cuisine. The Irish have embraced French cuisine as suitable for their upper class dining.

1996

© Jónas Kristjánsson

South Holland
We can explore the vicinity of Amsterdam by going on bus tours and see most of what will be described below. But a rented car can be convenient on the good and well marked roads of Holland, in addition to giving more freedom to move about without strict time schedules.
Now we are going to visit the south of Holland, including Aalsmeer, Keukenhof, Delft, Haag and Madurodam. The places described are in a distance of only one to three quarters of an hour from the city.
We take A4 south from Amsterdam, pass the airport Schiphol and turn a little later into a side road to Aalsmeer.

Aalsmeer
Hours: Open 8-11:30, closed Saturday & Sunday.
Once a fishing village, now the location of the biggest flower market in the world. We are traveling early as the main action is at 8-10. From a glassed-in gallery we can see down into three auction halls where buyers from all corners of the world sit on banks with a clear view to the stage where the flowers are exhibited.
The buyers have a microphone to ask questions and a button to make offers with. All this is regulated by a computer. The flowers come on rail wagons to the stage. A giant clock above the stage starts and gives the price in units from 100 down to 0. The buyer who first presses his button gets the flowers at the price the clock is showing.
He who is too quick buys to expensively and he who is too slow gets nothing. By this method seven million DFl. change hands each year. Surprisingly it is not tulip that holds first place, but the rose. With this intelligent auction system the lots of the day are sold at an extreme speed and to the greatest amusement of onlookers. Then the flowers go the airport to be exported.
We return to A4, change to A44 and soon take a side road to Lisse. There we arrive at Keukenhof.

Keukenhof
Hours: Open 8-20 end of March – end of May
A flower show and sale on 28 hectares in a beautiful forest. Take note that it is only open two months a year. No one who comes here can forget the ocean of flowers both in hothouses and out in the gardens.
The flowers are tastefully arranged in seemingly endless rows in all the colors of the rainbow, six millions of them. No flower show in the world is as big as this one. Most of the major producers in Holland have a bit of land there.
We now drive south along A44 to Haag and from there on A13 to Delft. We drive to the central market and find a parking place near it.

Delft
We can start our visit to Delft by walking to Oudekerk church and finding restaurant Prinsenkelder opposite the church on the other side of the Oude Delft canal. After lunch we visit the Prinsenhof museum above the restaurant. Both are in the palace of William the Silent of Oranje, who lived here when he was founding the Dutch republic and until he was murdered in 1584.
The center of Delft is one of the most beautiful towns in Holland. We should therefore take time to stroll along the canals to observe the trees on the banks and the nicely curved drawbridges.
There are also some historical buildings to see in Delft.
First we turn our attention to Oudekerk.

Oudekerk Delft
From the first half of the 13th C.
We walk a short way south along Oude Delft and enjoy the canal view. Then we turn left into the market in front of Nieuwe Kerk.

Nieuwe Kerk Delft
The lively market reaches all the way from the church to the town hall. In the market square there still are Boterhuis, the butter house, and Waag, the weights house.
Nieuwe Kerk is a Gothic church from 1430 and had then been a building site for half a century as many churches of that time. It is the resting place of the house of Oranje-Nassau, the Dutch royal dynasty. William the Silent rests there and Queen Beatrix will be buried there when her time comes.
We find the car and head out of Delft on A13, following signposts to De Porceleyne Fles.

Porceleyne Fles
This porcelain became famous at the end of the 16th C., just when the golden age was about to start. It was influenced by porcelain making in Rhineland and Italy. Chinese influence was added in the 17th C. Then Delftware became known the world over. We see here how it is produced.
Blue and white are the dominant colors of Delft porcelain. Many people will find the designs rather old-fashioned. But probably they are meant to stay like that.
Another Dutch porcelain tradition is lesser known even if it is sometimes called a better one. It is Makkum from the northeast of Holland. But international interest is focused on Delft. And Porceleyne Fles is the most important producer in Delft. Therefore the short visit to the town is a good reason to have a look at its production.
We turn around on A13 and return to Haag, all the way to the city center. We try to find a parking place near Binnenhof.

Haag
Haag has many things to see. We start be going to Mauritshuis, then continue to Binnenhof with its Ridderzaal, and end in the suburbs at Madurodam.
Mauritshuis is in front of Binnenhof.

Mauritshuis
Hours: Open 10-17, Sunday 11-17
Built in 1644 in a late Renaissance style, the Mannerist style. It has greatly influenced the history of architecture in Holland and Scandinavia. Initially it was a nobleman’s house but now it is used for the art collection of the royal family. It contains paintings by Rembrandt, Frans Hals, Breughel and Rubens.
Now we enter the Binnenhof palace complex.

Binnenhof
The central courtyard of the palace is best known for being the place where national hero Oldenbarnevelt was executed in 1619. The place is dominated by the building Ridderzaal.
We enter Ridderzaal.

Ridderzaal
Hours: Open 10-16, July – August 9-16
Built by Count Floris V is 1280 and is thus more than seven centuries old. There the queen of Holland opens parliament every year. She arrives in a golden carriage from her palace on the outskirts of Haag, Huis ten Bosch, the house in the woods.
Ridderzaal is mainly a great hall with powerful beams and stained glass windows. It is often considered to be the most beautiful Gothic building in Northern Europe. Behind it there is another hall, Rolzaal.
Finally we leave Binnenhof by the west gate and walk to the square Groenmarkt in front of the main church, Grotekerk, before we return to our car to follow signs to Madurodam, which is midway between Haag and the ocean resort of Scheveningen. It is easiest to follow first Koningskade and then straight on Ramweg on the canal bank.

Madurodam
A doll house town founded by Maduro in memory of his son who died in a Nazi concentration camp in 1945. The small houses are replicas of many famous buildings in Holland, all of them in the scale 1:25. We see the railroad system in working condition, the international airport Schiphol, a canal quarter from Amsterdam and small villages clustering around market places.
In the evening the lights come on in the houses and on the lampposts. Then the garden really sparkles.
If we had more time in Haag we could also visit Vredespaleis, the palace of peace, which is on the other side of the Scheveningen wood, housing the International Court of Justice.
We now continue on our way to Scheveningen.

Scheveningen
Famous for being one of the biggest fishing harbors in Europe, worth a visit.
It is now late and we take the road for a three quarters of an hour trip back to Amsterdam.

North Holland
We plan this one day trip through the area north of Amsterdam for a Friday as it is the day of the weekly cheese market in Alkmaar. On the road we will also visit Zaanse Schans, Volendam and Marken.
We drive directly to Alkmaar, driving on roads A10, then A8 and finally A9. In Alkmaar we find a parking place near the church.

Alkmaar
An old town with many quaint houses.
After sightseeing in Alkmaar center we walk the market street Langestraat to Waag and Kaasmarkt.

Kaasmarkt
Hours: Friday end of April – middle of September 10-12
Cheeses from Edam and Gouda lie in orderly rows on the square. The buyer and seller haggle about the price by clapping their palms together. When agreement is reached the carrier, kaasdragers, come with gondola barrows and load them with cheese, often 160 kilograms at a time. Then they run in a strange step to the scales where the cheese is weighted.
The kaasdragers wear white clothes and red, blue, yellow or green caps according to what chapter of the carriers’ guild they belong to.
Cheese is not sold this way any more. But the theater goes on, mainly to attract tourists. And the latter like it very much. It is really a nice little play about older times.
Now we turn our attention to the Waag.

Waag
The house of weights, Waag, is an 14th C. church.
We return to the car and drive the same roads most of the way back to Amsterdam. First we make a stop in Zaanstad, where there is Zaandijk with the Zaanse Schans museum.

Zaanse Schans
Since 1950 many old houses and windmills have been transplanted here to show how life was in earlier centuries. The houses are really lived-in and the windmills are in daily use.
This village is around Kalveringdijk canal and a few of its side canals. Most of the houses are of wood, painted green and black and white. The mills have various purposes, such as sawing wood, making paint, vegetable oil and mustard.
The village also has old-fashioned shops, a bakery and a wooden-shoe factory. A boat can be rented for a trip on the river Zaan. This is a romantic setting and we can linger over afternoon coffee at a café on the canal bank.
In the end we must head from Zaanstad toward Amsterdam. On the way we turn to E10 to get to the villages Marken and Volendam on the banks of the inland sea, IJsselmeer.

Volendam
When the bay Zuiderzee was changed into an inland sea IJsselmeer, the fishermen of the villages of Volendam and Marken lost their traditional livelihood. Tourism came to the rescue. The inhabitants live by dressing in national costumes and selling souvenirs to tourists. In reality this is a sham, but the traveler can easily close his eyes to that.
Volendam is on the mainland side and the people are Catholic. The small harbor is charming and more so the quaint little houses behind the main street along the strand.
We take the road to the other village, Marken.

Marken
On an island opposite Volendam, now connected to the mainland by a bridge. The people are Calvinist and wear costumes that are different from those of the Catholics in Volendam. It does not surprise you to find out that they also use another dialect, only a few kilometers away.
The Dutch language is not a lately developed Low German. It is an old language which already during the upheavals in Europe in the wake of the fall of the Roman empire had become a special Germanic language, a near relative to the language of the Anglons and Saxons who settled on the British Islands. Linguistically it is midway between English and German.
We are not in a hurry. When the afternoon passes on, the buses with the tourists leave and we get some peace to stroll around in quiet to inspect the small harbor, the green and black houses and the beautiful embroidery in the window curtains.
Finally we must return for the half an hour trip to Amsterdam.

Utrecht
Road A2 runs for two hours south from Amsterdam to Utrecht, the old university city where the Dutch Republic was proclaimed in 1579 as a defense alliance against Spain. Its university library contains many old manuscripts.
We try to park near the Oude Gracht canal.

Oude Gracht
The coziest place in Utrecht. The bank is on two levels With sidewalk cafés and restaurants protected from automotive traffic.

Schiphol
We usually say good-by to Holland at Schiphol, the international airport on the outskirts of Amsterdam. It is one of the things the Dutch are justly proud of. We shall not forget the duty free shop for years respected for being the best in the world. Wine, spirits and tobacco are less expensive than in most other duty free stores.
We buy smoked eel and wind-dried ham in convenient airtight covers, French patés and Dutch cheeses and some other things for gourmets. We also buy real Havana cigars like Montechristo. They are kept here in special conditions and are available at better prices than elsewhere. Also there is a lot of electronic gadgets. And of course perfumes and flowers.
Every month special discounts are on many goods at the airport.

1984 og 1992
© Jónas Kristjánsson