Bus & Boat Tours -- The boat and bus sightseeing tours in Copenhagen range from get-acquainted jaunts to in-depth excursions. Either of the following tours can be arranged through Copenhagen Excursions (tel. 32-54-06-06) or Vikingbus (tel. 32-66-00-00). Inexpensive bus tours depart from the lur blowers' statue at Town Hall Square, and boat trips leave from Gammel Strand (the fish market) or Nyhavn. Visit the Sightseeing DK website for more information.

For orientation, hop on a bus for the 1 1/2-hour City Tour, which covers scenic highlights like The Little Mermaid, Rosenborg Castle, and Amalienborg Palace. Tours depart from the City Hall Square daily at 9:30am, 11:30am, and 1:30pm May 15 to September 30. They cost 130DKK ($22/£12) for adults, 65DKK ($11/£5.85) for children under 12.

We heartily recommend the City and Harbor Tour, a 2 1/2-hour trip by launch and bus that departs from Town Hall Square. The boat tours the city's main canals, passing The Little Mermaid and the Old Fish Market. It operates May 15 to September 30, daily at 9:30am, 11:30am, and 1:30pm. It costs 175DKK ($30/£16) for adults, 90DKK ($15/£8.10) for children under 12.

Shakespeare buffs may be interested in an afternoon excursion to the castles of North Zealand. The 7-hour tour explores the area north of Copenhagen, including Kronborg (Hamlet's castle); briefly visits Fredensborg, the queen's residence; and makes a stopover at Frederiksborg Castle and the National Historical Museum. Tours depart from Town Hall Square, running February to April and October to December Wednesday and Sunday at 9:30am; May to September Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday at 9:30am. The cost is 430DKK ($73/£39) for adults, 225DKK ($38/£20) for children under 12.

A Visit to Copenhagen's Most Famous Brewery -- Carlsberg is the most famous beer in Denmark and the country's best-known brand internationally. Much of it is produced within an old-fashioned brewery constructed in 1847, which was enlarged in 2005 with the addition of a spanking-new microbrewery that's devoted to the production of at least four "affiliated" brews which are being marketed under the brand name of "Jacobsen." Jointly, the brewery turns out at least three million bottles of beer a day. Even Danny Kaye, in Denmark to film Hans Christian Andersen for Samuel Goldwyn, drank a beer here, although this gourmet later admitted, "I infinitely prefer French wine." From within the newly redesigned Visitors' Center, you can take a self-guided tour of both sides of the brewery, walking around an observation gallery whose English-language signs and flickering video screens will explain the brewing process. The factory is open for visits Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 4pm. Entrance (and access to the self-guided tours) costs 45DKK ($7.65/£4.05) per person (there's no discount for children), and each adult visitor is given a free beer at the end of the tour, with the option of buying more at the on-site pub. The entrance to the brewery is graced with a pair of sculpted elephants, each with armored regalia that includes a swastika. That doesn't mean the company was a Nazi sympathizer -- Carlsberg used the symbol as part of its image long before Hitler. Take bus no. 26 from Copenhagen Central Station or from the Town Hall Square in Copenhagen to Carlsberg Brewery, Gamle Carlsberg Vej 11 (tel. 33-27-13-14).