Copenhagen/Østerbro

Østerbro is a mainly residential district of Copenhagen, just north of the inner city. With its quiet cobblestone and tree lined streets, and its excellent shopping and cafe life, it makes for a good excursion from the downtown area.

Understand
Along with Frederiksberg in the west, Østerbro has long been considered the posh or upper class district of Copenhagen. These days this is mainly due to the demographic of young, liberal leaning, well paid academics, which has earned Østerbro nicknames like the Latté district and 2100 Spelt. But it has been a neighborhood of the upper middle class since modern Østerbro's inception, when Copenhagen expanded beyond the old fortifications in the 1850s.

The district takes it name from being near the old eastern gate of the city, and translates roughly into the Eastern borough, and before the city's defenses were dismantled, the area were largely dominated by grazing cows and grassy meadows, traces of which is still visible in the huge park; Fælledparken, dominating the area. When Copenhagen was finally allowed to grow out over the ramparts following a cholera epidemic, Østerbro was not build up as quickly and disorganized as its neighbours Nørrebro and Vestebro, and it was mainly the bourgeoisie who moved here in pompous villas in green surroundings, a heritage which has stuck to the district, many of the mansions still stand today, and a lot of them are occupied by foreign embassies. When development finally took hold at the turn of the century, it was better planned, and more upscale than its counterparts, and with its big apartments and nicely crafted ornamented buildings. Even the construction of a new and dirty harbour by the waterfront and new factories could not quite take the bourgeoisie aura away from the district, something it has retained to this day. And while Østerbro is still trailing behind Frederiksberg and its posh northern neighbour, Hellerup in terms of wealthy residents, visitors should still expect it to be fashionable, rather than "hip" or "cool", but watch out for the swarms of expensive prams parading the neighbourhood!

Nordhavn is a new development on the ground of the former North Harbour.

Get in
Østerbro is almost entirely located within Zone 1 of the common ticketing system that covers both the Metro, Buses, and Trains in the Copenhagen area.

By train
Østerbro is served both by the S-train suburban services that are grouped together through the central part of Copenhagen, The circle Metro line, as well as several regional lines that terminate on Østerbro's main station; Østerport. All S-Train lines except line F stop at the three S-stations on Østerbro:, , and , while lines A and F also have stops on station in the northern part of Østerbro. Svanemøllen and Ryparken stations are in Zone 2, so a northbound ticket might be cheaper from those. The Metro circle line have stops on and

By bus
The backbone of bus transport in central Copenhagen are the A buses operated by Movia, which run every few minutes throughout the day. The S Buses are express buses that operate on longer lines, with fewer stops. Trianglen square connects five major streets on Østerbro and hosts bus stops for several lines. Trianglen can be recognized by its unusual building called the soup terrine by the locals.


 * 1A Starts at Avedøre station in the western Copenhagen, and runs through all major areas of downtown before entering Østerbro at Blegdamsvej and Trianglen before running along Østerbro's main street &mdash; Østerbrogade, to Svanemøllen station. The line terminates at Hellerup station.
 * 3A This line does a half loop around downtown. Starting on Nordhavn station, and stopping at Trianglen, Rigshospitalet (the National hospital) and Panum university campus, before entering the Nørrebro district.
 * 4A Begins at Svanemøllen station, and services the northern part of the district, before it crosses Lersøpark Allé to enter the Nørrebro district. It loops all around the city center, to terminate on Amager.
 * 6A Starts in the suburb of Rødøvre west of Copenhagen, and passes the central station in downtown, before it enters Østerbro by the lakes with stops at the Rigshospitalet, the medical faculty of Copenhagen University, and the Jagtvej/Tagensvej intersection, before it enters the North-West district and continues north.
 * 150S Starts at Nørreport station in downtown, and runs through Østerbro with stops at the Rigshospitalet, Frederik Bajers Plads, The Østerbro university campus, and Ryparken station before continuing north along the highway to Kokkedal in northern Zealand.

By boat

 * Canal tours Green line is waterbus that starts in the famous Nyhavn canal downtown, and stops at some of Østerbro's main attractions: the Little Mermaid, Langelinie, and Trekroner fortresses (summer only). Tickets are 60 Kr for a single journey, and 75 Kr for a one day ticket. Runs between 10:00-17:30
 * The Arriva-operated 901 & 902 water buses are part of the public transportation system, and start at Nordre Toldbod, near the southern entrance of Kastellet, from where they cruise the inner harbour towards downtown. Prices and tickets are the same as on other buses and trains, but only if you use Rejsekortet or already have a valid ticket.

Get around
You can reach most of Østerbro by foot, but as almost everywhere in Copenhagen, biking is really the best mode of transport. Bus 1A runs every 5 minutes and stops close to most attractions and places to eat and drink.

Østerbro is the area of all of Denmark that has the fewest parking spaces relative to the number of cars owned by residents, so it can be difficult to find a place to park a car after 16:00. And if you do find a place to park your car, think twice about using it if you will be returning in the evening.

See
While most visitors head straight to the top attraction, the little mermaid statue, they are mostly left baffled on how to react by the rather unremarkable tiny statue, but all is not lost. One tip is to actually read Hans Christians Andersen's fairy tale, the statue is meant to evoke the feeling of Ariel's longing and melancholy, not impress tourists. If you have not read the fairytale you can safely queue up with the tourists, get the ritual photo over and done with, and head for the other nearby attractions.











Museums




Do



 * Football:
 * B93 play in 1. Division, the second tier, at Østerbro Stadium (capacity 7000) next to Parken Stadium.
 * Football:
 * B93 play in 1. Division, the second tier, at Østerbro Stadium (capacity 7000) next to Parken Stadium.
 * Football:
 * B93 play in 1. Division, the second tier, at Østerbro Stadium (capacity 7000) next to Parken Stadium.

Buy
Due to the young and rather wealthy demographic, there are many small stores catering the local crowd with designer clothes and home décor. There are also several small galleries and antique stores. These are mainly located on the main drags: Østerbrogade, Nordre Frihavnsgade and their side streets. On Saturdays year round there is an organic farmers market, Bondens Marked, on Jakobs Plads (Østebrogade). Groceries can be bought in MENY' on Østerfælled Square which hosts a good delicatessen and a bakery. The Irma supermarket at Østerport station is convenient for travellers.

Budget


There are some reasonable priced restaurants at the sailing clubs in Svanemøllen Harbour. For example:

Drink
Østerbro is not the place for raving nightlife, apart the Office and partly Café Bopa. Most places on Østerbro are low key, cozy places where you go to have a hyggelig conversation with friends, over a few snacks and beers or wine with quiet music playing in the background. Most locals head downtown for a big night out. As is the case with almost every bar in Copenhagen, expect draft beers to set you back 40-50 Kr.







Sleep
The options for staying at Østerbro are rather limited, as most hotels in Copenhagen are located in the downtown area &mdash; most of the surrounding neighborhoods, including Østerbro, are mainly residential. An alternative, often offering better value for money, are the numerous bed & breakfasts in private apartments.

Apartment rentals
Private apartment rentals and semi-bed & breakfasts are by large the main type of accommodations on Østerbro. These are often spacious and classic apartments from the 19th century, with high, decorated ceilings, and huge windows facing the street&mdash;as is the norm on Østerbro.

Connect
The postal code for Østerbro is 2100 (København Ø)