1. Don’t be surprised if your appointment arrives on a bike – try to do the same.
2. The Danes are a straightforward bunch, they call a spade a spade.
3. Time on your hands at lunch? Grab a towel and go for a swim in the Øresund with the rest of the city.
4. Flying visit? Kastrup airport has excellent meeting facilities.
5. Our favourite Danish word is hygge. There’s no direct translation but the closest is “cosy”. Find your hygge place in CPH.
6. Forget taxis, the only way to explore Copenhagen is by bike.
7. For a real slice of Danish culture, we recommend you visit Christiana during the day.
8. Like Swedes and Norwegians, the Danish are very practical and like their Flemish neighbours they are refreshingly open-minded.
9. Forget air kissing, a firm handshake will suffice for him or for her.
10. Ida Davidsen serves the best open sandwiches in Scandinavia, and if you’re lucky, Ida herself will stop for a chat. Order the “Finn Ziegler”.

From Monocle

Population: 503,699.

Crime: murders, nine; domestic break-ins, 3,475.

Education: Copenhagen has a textbook network of state schools and universities.

Medical care: healthcare provision is universal – appropriately for a country with one of the highest cancer rates in Europe.

Sunshine: annual average, 1,670 hours.

Temperature: January average temperature 0C, July average 17C.

Wired: 147 public Wi-Fi hotspots.

Tolerance: Denmark legalised same-sex unions in 1989. Attempts to evict residents from the alternative enclave of Christiania have raised hackles. Let’s not forget relations with the Muslim community.

Drinking and shopping: alcohol laws are liberal, with bars staying open as late as their patrons demand. Shops adhere to a more rigid regime; most open around 11.00 and close dead on 18.00, while nearly all close on Sundays.

Public transport: the first phase of a metro system opened in 2003, with another two phases ready for this year and 2012 respectively. From April to December, the City Bike season allows you to release one of 2,000 bikes provided across the city for €2.70 – it can then be returned at any rack.

From the International Herald Tribune