Denmark, home to Hans Christian Andersen and all those friendly, tall—and it must be said—great Danes, was recently proclaimed the happiest place on earth. In a number of population studies, pollsters asked residents to rate their level of happiness and other factors, and it seems the Danes have a real twist for felicity.

All this happiness, in spite of high taxes and hefty price tags? After all, according to the Big Mac Index, a Happy Meal must cost at least $5 in Copenhagen! Yet we agree: Denmark is a happy (and happening) place!

Here are five of our favorite and free ways to boost your serotonin in Copenhagen:

1) Get cultured

In 2006, the National Museum and the Statens Museum of Kunst became free to the public. And, every Wednesday, a number of other major museums and galleries open their doors without a charge. We suggest the Tøjhusmuseet, where the relics of the Royal Danish Arsenal are housed, and the Hirschsprungske and Ordrupgaard Collections, two museums with some of the best French and Danish art from the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries. For more info and to browse current exhibitions, go to the Copenhagen Tourism’s art museum page.

2) Park yourself

Copenhagen has some of the most expansive and pretty parks in Europe. Retreats like Orsteds Park, Frederiksberg Garden or Vondelpark are free to enter and stroll. Both have incredible sculptures and fountains and a host of traveling street performers. We also recommend the Botanical Gardens.

3) Get thee to church

Seriously, not only are Copenhagen’s many religious establishments architectural marvels, but they’re free to visit, and often host free concerts. Some charge a nominal fee for truly spectacular shows, like the Danish boys choir Christmas concert at the Church of Our Lady (Vor Frue Kirke), founded in 1209.

4) Grab a bike without paying

Yes, it’s that easy. You see a bike. You need a bike? You take the bike and ride it. A minimal deposit (about $3) gets returned when you bring the bike back to any number of designated spots. The promotion runs annually from May 1st to December 15th. More info can be found here.

5) See the statues

Go for a walk near the Copenhagen harbor, and spend some time gazing at the Little Mermaid. (She can’t charge you a krone to check out her scales.) Near City Hall, visit with Hans Christian Andersen. Later, walk the stone path at the Thorvaldsens museum in Slotsholmen.

Whatever you do, take lots of photos… or take brochures. After all, they’re free!

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Ok, so a recent installation at the Tate Modern in London kinda cracked us up.

The exhibit, by Colombian artist Doris Salcedo, is called Shibboleth and is a 167-meter long crack in the floor. Museum goers are invited to interact with the exhibit. A story in the AFP says, “some visitors have been so distracted by the impressive surroundings that they have unwittingly fallen into the crack, around one foot (or 30 centimetres) wide in places.” The crack gets filled next April.

For more on the artist, check out the Tate’s site.

Across town at the National Portrait Gallery, a huge pop art exhibit opened today. The usual suspects—Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and David Hockney—are among the 52 artists represented. The exhibition runs through January 20th, 2008. More info at the Gallery’s Web site. Price: £10.

And, if you’re in London—whatever you do—please, for the love of art, go to the annual Frieze Art Fest. It’s on until October 14th and, though it will set you back £18.50, you’ll feast on the works of more than 1,000 artists the world ’round.

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Karlsplatz in Vienna’s Fourth District, bordering the Inner District, is especially festive today through 8 p.m. What is being celebrated is Karlstag, which is basically a Karlsplatz openhouse. The visitors can storm the Secession and other museums in the vicinity and stay for longer hours. Best of all the entrance and tour guide are for free.

Karlstag also features a flea market, outside pubs and bars, workshops, and a program just for children at the Wien Museum called “Kinder Wirtshaft,” where the kids can roleplay as waiters serving customers. This correlates with the museum’s current exhibition, “Im Wirtshaus: Eine Geschichte der Wiener Geselligkeit,” a history of the Viennese pubs and their way of life.

Ending the fest will be an open-air free concert by the Vienna University of Technology Orchestra and Kollegium Kalksburg in front of the Karlskirche at 8 p.m.

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Photo by oliviagiovetti

We overheard this brilliant aside from an American backpacker in a bar in Zizkov: “What the hell is up with all the puppets?”

It’s sort of a good question. Prague’s more touristy areas have marionette shops on practically every corner. The art of puppetry has been a popular form in Prague since the 17th Century. It was one of the first forms of theatre performed in Czech. Historically, the innocence of the marionettes and the naïveté of their puppeteers have allowed many censored ideas to reach the public.

The National Marionette Theatre (Zatecka 1 in Stare Mesto) performs Mozart’s opera Don Giovanni twice daily. With a theatre bar that allows you to bring your Pilsner into the performance, this Giovanni is a burlesque send-up for those who love and loathe opera alike. Sit in the front row if you don’t mind getting wet.

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Photo by oliviagiovetti

If you’re in Prague on Saturday, June 16, 2007 don’t spend your day museum-hopping. Wait until 7 p.m., when the bulk of the city’s museums and galleries will waive admission as part of Prague’s Museum Night.

In its fourth year (2007), Prague’s Museum Night is part of a European movement to make art open, accessible, and (best of all) free. The only two museums not offering free admission are asking for “symbolic admission”: the Museum of the City of Prague is charging CZK1 (€.04; $.05), while the City Gallery Prague is asking for CZK10 (€.35; $.47) per entrant. If you’re completely strapped for crowns, don’t fret. There are over 15 other museums and galleries to keep you busy.

Transportation between museums will also be free. A handful of other cultural events and exhibitions will complement the evening’s festivities. So if you’ve ever found yourself jonesing for a Cinderella, stroke-of-midnight moment at Prague Castle, June 16 is your chance.

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If you’ll be in the Louvre any time soon, don’t be confused by rather anachronistic installation pieces scattered throughout the museum.

In the Puget and Marly sculpture galleries, contemporary artists have put up resin statues and fake trees next to the marble figures of greek gods. It’s all part of the Counterpoint program, which runs through June 25. This is the third edition of Counterpoint, which features the work of 11 sculptors: Elisabeth Ballet, Richard Deacon, Luciano Fabro, Gloria Friedmann, Anish Kapoor, Robert Morris, Claudio Parmiggiani, Giuseppe Penone, Didier Trenet, Michel Verjux, and Jacques Vieille.

Many museum-goers appear to be annoyed at the juxtaposition of new and old, but we appreciate the impulse to shake things up a little.

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Photo by cassiefornia

If you’re not familiar with the work of Jack B. Yeats, brother of famed poet W.B. Yeats, now is a great time to swing by the National Gallery in Dublin. The Gallery’s impressive collection of oil paintings, watercolors, and drawings by Yeats recently moved from the Dargan Wing to the newly renovated Beit Wing, which was its home from 1999 until its recent move.

The gallery says that the smaller space provides “a more sympathetic scale” in which to showcase its collection of paintings by Yeats, Ireland’s principal 20th century visual artist. We’re no art world copy writers, but we buy it, considering the dreamy, impressionistic tone of Yeats’ work.

Cheapo Bonus: entrance to the National Gallery’s permanent collection is free, as are public tours on Saturdays (3 p.m.) and Sundays (2, 3, and 4 p.m.).

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Photo by RichardsonA

Usually a late night in London means a long night out, a club with a cover charge, and kebabs as the sun comes up. Now, the more cultured among us can step out for something other than a sticky dance floor and over-priced mojitos. Okay, so the new Late Nights at London’s cultural venues don’t last until the sun comes up, but National Gallery, The Tate, and other London favorites now have extended weekday hours. Now we can have our culture after work during the week, freeing up coveted weeken hours, which could easily be spent country hopping on Ryanair.

Check out the Lates website for all information on what’s currently on and what’s upcoming.

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Photograph by Elen Farkas

Vienna is subdivided into 23 districts. On Sunday, March 25, 2007 for the first time, Vienna will hold the Tag der Wiener Bezirksmuseen, or the day of district museums. Starting at 10 a.m., all district museums in Vienna will be open to those interested in finding out more about each district’s culture, history, and significant residents.

Aside from exhibitions, there will also be press conferences, seminars, and matinee concerts. In the inner First District, discussions of its famous citizens (Ludwig van Beethoven, the playwright Johann Nestroy, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, among others) are scheduled. In the Eighth District (Josefstadt) a special exhibit, “Hollywood in der Josefstadt” is in planned. Noted Viennese luminaries such as Billy Wilder (who became a popular director in Tinseltown with “Sabrina” and “The Seven Year Itch,”) Oskar Werner, and Fritz Lang will surely be hot topics.

For more information, summary of events and the addresses of the museums, visit the City of Vienna’s Web site or call +43 (0)1 403 6415. Admission is free.

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Photograph by Rita Crane

Apparently the French Ministry of Culture caught on that €8 is a lot to pay just to get lost trying to find the Mona Lisa.

For younger visitors, there’s a better way. The Louvre is absolutely free for everyone under 26 years old, every Friday evening. The free hours are from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Who knew the Louvre was the place to be on a Friday night?

This Friday, March 23rd, 2007, there’s the added bonus of free music to compliment your art. Students from the National Conservatory of Music will be playing in front of their favorite pieces of art throughout the museum. Two for the price of none!

Take metro lines 1 or 7 to Palais Royal Musée du Louvre. The station connects to the museum underground.

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