An overview of the city of Copenhagen and details on what fans should expect from the Whites' opponents in Denmark
Ahead of Wanderers’ pre-season matches against Danish sides Brondby IF and FC Vestsjaelland, Copenhagen based journalist Lars Eriksen offered bwfc.co.uk an insight into the capital city of Denmark and the low-down on the first team’s opponents.
Lars, what can Bolton fans expect from Copenhagen as a city?
Apparently it is one of the happiest places in the world! I think football fans, and especially British football fans, will always feel welcome there because there is such an affinity between Scandinavian players and the English leagues.
Even in the local pubs, you have Scandinavians wearing a variety of English football shirts so there will always plenty of people around willing to discuss football.
As a city, it is not particularly big but is very compact with an outgoing vibe with those who live there keen to enjoy life to the full.
The dining scene has also become a bit of a success story in the past five to ten years – before that, people didn’t really pay much attention to food out here, but now there are some of the world’s best restaurants here and that has definitely filtered down to the rest of the city.
If Bolton fans are looking to try some interesting food, there are certainly some interesting options available for them.
Is there anything in particular the club’s supporters need to visit or experience whilst out in Copenhagen?
If they get the opportunity, it is great to view the city on bike – it is the main mode of transport in Copenhagen and there are bike paths running in and out of every major part of the city.
It is definitely the easiest way to get around and the perfect way to visit Christiania which is a very unique part of town and very popular with tourists – they have some very strange houses which look like spaceships.
The city itself also has some very beautiful parks which are great to enjoy on a summer’s day and tourists are encouraged to enjoy a local sandwich with a cold beer there.
What should fans expect in regards to the weather out there?
It is hard to say exactly what kind of weather they will get, but the past few years in early July have brought blinding sunshine to the city.
There is always the threat of rain as there is in most places, but hopefully the weather will be nice and warm for the fans and the players.
Can you offer an insight into the currency in Denmark?
If fans are travelling to both Denmark and Sweden, they will have to get different currency as both countries have their own krona.
In terms of value for money, alcohol is definitely cheaper in Denmark as opposed to Sweden but the Swedes have very good taste, so some of their bars and liquor stores have a really good selection.
The team face Brondby in their first pre-season game on Thursday 10 July. What can Bolton fans expect from the opposition?
They are probably the most decorated Danish team in the history of the game over here, although FC Copenhagen have taken over that mantle in recent times.
In the early 1990s, Brondby redefined Danish football not only in Denmark, but on the international scale too.
They’ve been through a bit of a turbulent time off the pitch since they won the Danish Superliga in 2005, a season where they had Johan Elmander playing for them and Michael Laudrup managing the team.
They did qualify for Europe last season however after a few seasons further down the league table and have recently resigned Elmander, so Bolton fans could be seeing him play against them in Brondby.
In terms of other players, there is Thomas Kahlenberg who is a Danish international and has played for Wolfsburg – he was with the club as a youngster and came home last season where he did very well.
What is the best way for fans to make their journey to the game with Brondby being on the outskirts of Copenhagen?
It is very easy for fans to travel from the centre of the city to the ground – the best option is to take the S-Train which is the best mode of transportation to get to the fringes of Copenhagen and the suburbs.
The journey will take roughly 20 minutes and from there it is about a 15 minute walk to the stadium – I would recommend allowing 45 minutes to be safe – and there is also an infamous pub called the Hovsa Bodega where the Brondby fans congregate before the games and create a great atmosphere.
In terms of nightlife after the game though, fans are probably best to head back up to Copenhagen as Brondby itself is very residential.
The team then face FC Vestjaelland on Sunday 13 July. How do they differ from Brondby?
Vestjaelland only had their first season in the Superliga last year, but they did well and finished a respectable ninth in the table.
People didn’t have too much expectation for them when they won promotion last year, but for them to survive their first season was quite an achievement.
They’re a relatively young club because they are an amalgamation of a couple of local football teams – they’ve only been known as Vestjaelland for six years but they’ve certainly been a surprise package.
In terms of travelling to the weekend’s game, is the journey similar to that to Brondby?
It’s a little bit further – you have to go on the main line train and it takes about 40 minutes and from there it is a 15 minute walk to the stadium itself.
It is still quite easy to find, but fans should allow themselves ample time to get to the stadium.
Lars, a well-known journalist in his homeland, recently co-wrote a book entitled 'Danish Dynamite: The Story of Football's Greatest Cult Team' which is available to purchase on Amazon.
For fans heading out to Denmark, ticket details for Wanderers' first game against Brondby IF can be found by CLICKING HERE.