Practical information : Take a break Denmark
Timetable
Opening hours vary depending on the establishment, but in general, bars and cafés open from noon or 3pm and close at midnight. On Fridays and Saturdays, they are open until 2am. Bars are very busy from 4pm to 5pm when people leave work.
No sale of alcohol in the stores after 5pm.
Budget & Tips
Draught beer is the cheapest alcoholic beverage and can be found everywhere in Denmark. Each inhabitant consumes an estimated 64 liters per year. It is estimated that there are over 200 microbreweries and around twenty popular beers, mostly located around Copenhagen. Among the best-known are Carlsberg and Tuborg. In Copenhagen, the average price of a beer is DKK 60-90. This is 34% more expensive than in France.
A cocktail costs DKK 100/130; a coffee DKK 35-40. The best way to save money is to take advantageof Happy Hour. Of course, it can get a little early between 4 and 6pm! But some places start between 8pm and 9pm and go on until midnight!
In the Faroes, cafés are much less common than in Denmark, and many of them close at the end of August. On the other hand, there are two breweries: Føroyar Bjór and Okkara, whose beers are sold in Rúsdrekkasøla outlets or in local beer outlets around the islands.
Age restrictions
In Denmark, excessive alcohol consumption among young people is a real problem. It seems that Danes aged 15-17 are the heaviest drinkers in Europe in this age group. One of the main reasons for this is the easy access to alcohol from the age of 16.
Drinking is part of Danish culture and part of high-school social relations. Examples abound. Every year, they get together near Copenhagen to celebrate the start of the new school year, which is an occasion for heavy drinking. On the day of their confirmation, Blå mandag, young teenagers are traditionally given a drink.
Similarly, later in life, young Danes can't avoid Fredag's bar (Friday Bar), very popular at universities and in the corporate world. Their frequentation is often seen as a prerequisite for social integration.
What's very local
Sunday opening is customary in Copenhagen. We like to get together with our families for brunch.
Aquavit, an eau-de-vie that takes your breath away, traditionally accompanies smørrebrød. Long neglected, it's back in fashion.
In Denmark, orders are almost always taken and paid for at the counter. But the waiters clear the tables.
In the Faroe Islands, all alcoholic beverages over 2.8% vol. are imported and sold by Rúsdrekkasøla Landsins, the national alcohol monopoly. Rúsdrekkasøla Landsins has six sales outlets. Spirits sold in the Faroe Islands must not exceed 60% vol. Which explains why the alcohol sections of the airport duty-free shop are packed!
See customs regulations for more information on importing beverages.
Kids
You must be 18 to buy alcoholic beverages in bars and nightclubs.
Minors are allowed to visit restaurants unaccompanied by their parents or other persons responsible for their upbringing.
Establishments indicate when children are not allowed, which is quite rare in Denmark, with the exception of certain cocktail bars and nightclubs! Visit: http://www.protection-of-minors.eu/fr/country/DK.
Smokers
Smoking is not allowed inside restaurants or bars, but Danes enjoy sitting on a terrace in any season where smoking is allowed. The exception is made for cafés that have a license to sell alcohol and are less than 40m2 in size! In this case, smoking inside is still allowed!
Of course, the cigarette butt goes back with its owner or ends its life in an ashtray, but never, never, never on the ground or in a sewer!