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Copenhagen goes green and is awarded Bike City status

Everybody likes a green city and, this year, they don’t come much more carbon-neutral than Copenhagen. Not only is the Danish capital the only city in the world to have been awarded the UCI Bike City label, but it is also halfway through its four-year run of world class cycling events, which started in 2008.

Created by the International Cycling Union, the idea of awarding UCI Bike City monikers was developed to promote cycling amongst internationally renowned cities. From designating good quality cycle networks to hosting international competitive cycling championships, the award can go to any city that is seen to be actively promoting the environmental element of using a bike. Though Copenhagen is the only city so far to meet all of the criteria needed for the award, other cities will undoubtedly follow not far behind, as many cities, like Copenhagen, are committed to promoting cycling as a green means of transport.

To mark this nomination and to further promote cycling, Copenhagen launched a programme of cycling events in 2008 to run right through to 2011. Six world class races have been planned over four years, starting with the UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics that was held in 2008, followed by the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup, both of which were repeated in 2009. However, the two major events that have caught the attention of the worldwide cycling press are the 2010 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in March and the UCI Road World Championships, to be held in late August or early September 2011.

As Copenhagen makes the most of its place as the world’s leading cycling city, several other major cycling events have taken place over 2008 and 2009 and will take place again in 2010 and 2011; from televised races to local community projects to encourage all ages and abilities to turn to cycling as an everyday means of transport. Already, more than 35% of all Copenhageners travel to work or school on a bicycle, which is one of the highest figures of any city in the world, but the target for 2015 has been set at an ambitious 50%.

Not only this, but the capital has one of the highest per capita bicycle ownerships, with around 80% of the city’s residents owning a bike and, between them, 1.1 million kilometres are ridden by Copenhageners every single day.

Not only a great mode of transport, residents of Denmark’s capital realise how efficient cycling can be as it dramatically cuts down on CO2 omissions and, due to the reduced amount of road traffic, is considerably quicker and safer for driving short distances. It is also a superb way to keep fit, so hopefully more cities will follow in Copenhagen’s footsteps, or tyre treads, in the near future. This year, many luxury hotels in Copenhagen are offering deals to help celebrate the city’s place as one of the most forward-thinking and environmentally friendly capitals in the world.

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The 5 Worst Tourist Traps in Copenhagen

Copenhagen is a wonderful city, especially if you know how to use it in the right way. Here is a list of a few golden rules of conduct and tourist traps. Avoid these and you’ll be on the right track to a fantastic stay in the Danish capital. With no further ado, here are the 5 worst tourist traps in Copenhagen.

1. The first thing to stay clear of is Tivoli in major holidays. Tivoli is fun but also expensive. Being Denmark’s single largest tourist attraction with more than 4 million visitors a year the huge line outside on special days like Halloween and Christmas is really not worth the wait. Tivoli should be visited in the summer time, if at all, and be prepared to pay large amount for rides, food, drinks, well basically for everything inside the walls.

2. Another thing to watch out for is Copenhagen’s main shopping street, Strøget. The main shopping street is nowhere to go. It is crowded, the stores are the same as in any other European city and the tall buildings block the sun all day. By avoiding the main shopping street, ‘Strøget’, you’ll also avoid other unpleasant phenomena like hustlers, beggars and thieves.

3. The people in Copenhagen are active bikers, if you are not, you should be sensible enough to not be in the bike lane with no bike. At all costs avoid stepping onto the biker’s lane! People bike a lot in Copenhagen and they ride fast at all streets and at all times of day and night – a common newbie mistake is to step out into the bike lane without looking and this tends to lead to huge traffic jams, and piles of bikes and people in the streets. If things don’t turn out all that bad, you can be sure to get a few sour words from the bikers if you make this mistake.

4. Your wallet will thank you if you manage to stay away from the high-priced canal tours. The canal tours are a great way to see the city, but be careful: Two different companies operate the boats, and one is double the cost. The cheap ‘Netto’ boats are the way to go, and you’ll even avoid listening to the annoying speaker announcements from the tourist guide.

5. When going out for a drink, avoid the inner city tourist bars. The drinks are expensive and the atmosphere is chaotic at best, depressing at worst. When arriving at Copenhagen Central Station posters will try to lure you into bars such as Rosy McGee’s. This must be avoided at all costs. No locals would dream of stepping foot inside; the drinks are expensive, the music is horrible and the crowd is either teenagers or middle-aged.

If you manage to stay clear of these 5 pitfalls your stay in Copenhagen should be on track for success. Enjoy the best of what the city has to offer and let other tourists fall into these traps instead.

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More and More, US Citizens are Discovering the Joys of European Travel

Backed by figures from Airports Council International, which revealed that -thanks to historically-low airfare deals to Europe in 2010- overall passenger traffic at Europe’s airports increased by 5.6 percent in June compared to the same month last year, cities such as Munich, Moscow and Istanbul welcoming particularly large numbers of US visitors.

Perhaps you’re intrigued by a break in the UK and would like to discover more about Britain’s eventful past? The good news is that some of the country’s top attractions are free – from The National Gallery in London to Northern Ireland’s Giant’s Causeway. The British Museum won’t cost you a cent either, while Wales’s St Fagan’s Natural History Museum, one of Europe’s leading open-air museums, is also completely free.

While northern Europe won’t guarantee vacationers sunshine, even in the height of summer, the same cannot be said of the continent’s southern regions. Many travelers are drawn to the impossibly beautiful Mediterranean coast and the countries of Spain, France, Italy, Croatia and Greece in particular. The latter nation boasts an 8,498-mile coastline and hundreds of beautiful islands – many of which are accessible on cheap flights from Athens, Greece’s capital.

Europe is home to a number of hub airports, which means that even if you can’t fly directly to your destination, you’ll be able to pick up a connecting flight with very little hassle. London Heathrow, Amsterdam Schipol and Rome Fiumicino are three of the busiest, and many trippers choose to extend their trip by a couple of nights in order to explore these cities’ attractions.

The beauty of the continent is its variety and while Europe is home to a number of famed destinations, it is also home to some comparatively undiscovered locations. Particularly charming are the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, with the respective capital cities of Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius being especially beautiful.

Because Europe is so accessible, you can be sure of exploring the best the continent has to offer – from historic cities and rolling green hills to the mountain ranges of the Alps and Pyrenees and the turquoise waters of the Mediterranean

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I went on a trip to Prague with my brother and some good friends one of which took some photos, so i put tham together so we could check them out when we wanted.
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Famous Festivals in Kiev, Ukraine

Evidently the chief events in Kiev and Ukraine in common, are inclined to the nationwide holidays. Events like Kiev Day, Victory Day, Independence Day, Easter and Christmas are observed with great fervor, splendor and fashion.