Copenhagen: a simple (but long) travel guide
Since I moved to Copenhagen I have had a lot of requests for recommendations from friends, or friends of friends. Since I’ve noticed that I always end up recommending the same things, I thought about posting my ‘must sees’ here, so me, friends and readers can use these tips as ‘reference’.
There are some things that I would like to make clear to start with: a. I am not a person who enjoys traveling as a tourist. I normally never go to museums, monuments or touristic attractions when I travel. I don’t think these places say much about a society - maybe about its past - so I’d rather like to get lost in the trashy streets and talk to the people I find in the local bodega. I have to say, however, that Copenhagen is such a small city that it is hard to figure out where the touristic ends and the local begin. Also, Copenhagen is one of the few cities where I find incredible beautiful and interesting touristic places. b. Copenhagen is not as beautiful in the winter as it is in the summer. Do not get me wrong! I love the city all year round, but as a tourist, I can see how January or February are not as attractive due to the cold and darkness. In my opinion, the best months to visit Copenhagen are December - the city is decorated for Christmas and it feels like a fairy tale - and the spring/summer months of April, May, June, July and August. September is still ok, but the closer you get to the autumn the more it rains. c. Denmark in general is an expensive country. Being the capital, Copenhagen is considered the most expensive city (though transportation does not vary much). I do not believe that there is a comfortable ‘low-cost’ way of visiting Copenhagen. Of course you can do it by not eating out and finding accommodation through platforms as Couchsurfing or Airb&b, but it will never be like traveling in South-Europe, not to compare it with South-East Asia. It is an expensive city and therefore, I recommend that you save up properly and you do not stay for too long - In fact, you can see everything in a matter of 3-4 days, so just a weekend will be ideal. d. Talking about money, transportation is an important topic here. Again, Copenhagen is a small city, so generally you can walk almost everywhere. Besides this, I believe that the best way to move around the city is by biking. The city is constructed for cyclists and you can rent bikes in almost every corner or in your hotel/hostel. Biking is the most local, cheapest and fastest way to move around. However, If you are visiting the city in winter when there is snow or you do not feel too comfortable biking around, you do not need to worry. Copenhagen is a well connected city and you can chose to move around with the S-trains, metro, busses or regional trains. But remember, it is kinda pricy and the zone system pretty complicated.
Now, with these things clear, I can start with what I consider ‘must sees’. I decided to divide it into different sections, so it does not get too messy. I have divided my recommendations into Touristic Attractions, Museums, Parks, Food and Coffee Culture and Night Life. I hope you find this information helpful.
Touristic Attractions If you are traveling to Copenhagen in the beginning of the year (Jan. Feb. and March) you will not be able to enjoy the Tivoli Gardens- and that is a shame because in my opinion is one of the most magical and family friendly places to go. This is a touristic attraction but I can asure you that is very much visited by locals, especially for the Christmas fair or the spring opening in April. For you who visit the city from April to December, I recommend you to not miss this wonderful attraction park where you can enjoy beautiful gardening, interesting shops, delicious restaurants and awesome theater and attractions. The Tivoli Gardens are situated between the Central Station and the Town Hall Square — Price 99DKK and 330DKK
Besides biking, another great way to toddle around the city is by taking a canal tour. There are two companies offering these types of tours and I believe they are open all year - though they are not open as late during the winter. You can ask for more information in their offices which can be found in Nyhavn and in Gammel Strand (I will refer to these places again later) — Price between 40DKK and 80DKK
There are many palaces in Copenhagen. However I believe that the most imposing one is the Amalienborg Palace. You cannot always come in and see it on the inside because a par of the Royal family lives there, but I know that one small part of the palace is used as a museum where you can snoop around the belongings of Denmark’s ancient kings. If you visit the Palace around noon, you will be lucky enough to see the soldier’s changing of guard which is always interesting and entertaining. Once you are around this area I will suggest that you visit Frederik’s Church, popularly known as The Marble Church for its rococo architecture, which was church was designed by the architect Nicolai Eigtved in 1740. Also, if you follow the river towards the West from Amalienborg Palace, you will arrive to The Little Mermaid statue which is a very well known monument which I am not much fond of. I know tourists from all over the world have gone home disappointed after seeing the very famous statue of The Little Mermaid which is a tiny piece of rock and is alway surrounded by a million of tourist trying to get a selfie with the mermaid. Besides my very negative opinion on this statue, I guess it is something you ‘have’ to see when you come to Copenhagen and the walk from the palace to the statue is very nice since you pass by other important buildings and attractions such as the St. Alban’s Church or the Gefion Fountain — All these attractions are free of charge unless you decide to visit the museum inside the Palace.
I hear a lot of foreigners talk about visiting the Carlsberg brewery. I’ve never been there so I cannot say much about it. I guess it can be a good thing to do, but I know that there are smaller local breweries around the city where you can enjoy a good beer without paying much. I believe it takes just a look on Google. Close to where I live, there is this little bar that produces it own (very good) beer. I believe experiences like these are much more local and interesting, but that is just me. The place is called Kølsters Tolv Haner and it is located in Rantzausgade 56, 2200.
Last but not least, Christiania is a place where I suggest you go, especially if you are traveling in the summer. Christiania is a self-proclaimed autonomous neighborhood of about 850 residents. The area has a unique status in that it is regulated by a special law, the Christiania Law of 1989, which transfers parts of the supervision of the area from the municipality of Copenhagen to the state. Among many Christiania residents, the community is known as ‘staden’ (the town), short for ‘fristaden’ (the freetown) - You can get to Christiania by taking the Metro and get off in Christianshavn, which is also a beautiful place to walk around.
To end this section, I would like to refer to two streets or areas that I highly recommend to just toddle around, shop or even take a bite. These are the Strøget and the Nyhavn area. Strøget is well known as the main shopping street of Copenhagen. This popular tourist attraction in the centre of town is one of the longest pedestrian shopping streets in Europe. Being 1,1km long, the street/area goes from Kongens Nytorv Square to the Town Hall Square, branching at one point to the Northern part of the city and ending in Nørreport Sation, one of the most central stations of the city. On the other hand, Nyhavn is is a 17th-century waterfront, canal and entertainment district where you can mainly find coffee shops, pubs and restaurants (I will refer later on to Nyhavn since I know two restaurants where you can try the typical Danish herring dish).
Museums I am not much of a museum person so I have not visited many of them. Here I will just talk about a few that I have been to and I liked. Denmark’s National Museum in Copenhagen has exhibitions from the Stone Age, the Viking Age, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and Modern Danish History. It is a good option for those traveling on a low budget since it is free of charge. The National Museum boasts a very large ethnographical collection, a collection of classical and near eastern antiquities, a coin- and medal collection, and a toy museum. I really enjoyed the toy collection and it made me reflect a lot into how kids are being brought up in todays society. If you think this might be something for you, I totally recommend you to take a look. It is good for family visits since it has a whole section dedicated to a Children’s Museum. The New Carlsberg Glyptotek in another great history museum which is free of charge on Sundays. The Glyptotek’s collection consists of works of art and artifacts from the beginning of history in Mesopotamia, Egypt of the pharaohs, ancient Greece, Etruria and the Roman Empire – around the entire Mediterranean, as well as French and Danish art of the 19th century. The building itself is very imposing and there is a closed French garden with a quirky coffee place in the center. Very nice for recovering the heat after a long walk in the cold. Of course, Museum of excellence is, in my opinion, the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. It is unfortunately situated pretty far away from Copenhagen so it will take you a whole day to go, enjoy it and come back, but if you have the time, you should definitely do it.
Parks Copenhagen is a city full with parks. All of them are beautiful and they all deserve to be visited. However, if you only have a few days and you want to enjoy a bit of nature among all the asphalt, I suggest that you visit the Botanical Garden and Frederiksberg Gardens. Both of them are free of charge. The Botanical Garden is located in the centre of Copenhagen. The garden covers an area of 10 hectares and is particularly noted for its extensive complex of historical glasshouses dating from 1874. Frederiksberg Gardens are some of the largest and most attractive greenspaces in Copenhagen. They offer 64 hectares of a romantic landscape garden designed in the English style.
Food Now, I am not much of a meet/fish eater. I enjoy my greens more than anything. However, If you are in Copenhagen and you want a bite of the traditional Danish taste you will have to eat veal meat with potatoes and brown sauce, flounder/plaice fillet with remoulade, a herring plate or a combination of the famous Smørrebrød (food on top of rye bread). For these, I have some suggestions:
- For a good and typical Danish sea taste, I will suggest to try places in Nyhavn such as Cap Horn (Nº21) or Skipperkroen (Nº27). The prices are OK in comparison with everything else. Again, I am not an expert and I believe that, if you visit a food blog, you will get better suggestions, but this is where I normally take visitors and they all leave very satisfied. - For those who enjoy a main course with meat, potatoes and gravy, I will suggest to visit Frk. Barners Kælder in Helgolansgade 8A, 1653. This is a must go, weather you like meat or not. I have never tried such good Danish traditional food anywhere. They also serve local fish dishes such as herring, but the way they do the veal and other more meaty dishes cannot be compared to anything else. It is a bit pricier compared to the ones in Nyhavn but the quality is incomparable. - Regarding Smørrebrød, I will definitely suggest Fleisch (Slagterboderne 7, 1617) or Royal Smushi Cafe (Amagertorv 6, 1160). Both places are well located in relation to the city center and are definitely two of my favorite ones.
Yes… I know… I am not talking about sweets and this is almost an abomination! In Denmark locals love to spend their time consuming sweets. They do not necessarily go out of their caves to do so, since many of the traditional stuff can be bought in supermarkets or baked. Now, I will select some of my favorite sweets and you tell me what you liked once you tried them.
In Copenhagen there is nothing better to do than to grab a quality ice cream, specially in the summer. You should def. try the ‘gammeldags is’ – an old fashioned ice cream cone with delicious ice cream, whipped cream, jam and a “flødebolle”. You can also order something more simple such as a soft is with some delicious topping. No matter what you fancy but Copenhagen is your city. You can find many types of ice cream shops ranging from the fancy branches or more local ones. No matter where you go, they will be delicious. For example, walking down Nyhavn you’ll find some good ice cream houses that sell the famous old days Danish cones. If you run into one, give it a try!
Danish Pastries are another thing that you cannot leave without trying. You will probably run into them in your hostel/hotel breakfast table. In case you do not, pass by a Lagkagehuset and I promise that you won’t be able to get out with ought buying something.
Flødeboller are little, creamy and sweet Danish treats that you could maybe call cream buns or snowballs. Basically, it is a wafer or marzipan disk, topped with a velvety, foamy meringue with a marshmallow like quality (but a bit runnier than a full marshmallow), which is delicately covered with either dark or white chocolate. They are not a seasonal treat so you can find them in all supermarkets, bakeries and most cafes. Some are classic and others are flavored with either mocha, licorice, strawberry or caramel. A good place to go for a flødeboller degustation will be Toverhallerne, which is a local market besides Nørreport Station where you can find 60 stands selling everything from fresh fish and meat to gourmet chocolate and exotic spices, as well as small places where you can have a quick bite to eat. It is actually a good place to go an eat anything, from Danish typical treats to very great Sushi.
Coffee Culture Now, I do not believe that I have invented the term coffee culture. However, it has been hard for me to find information about the coffee culture of Copenhagen which is what I love the most about this city. I do not know how to explain it but about two years ago, there was no coffee franchise in Copenhagen. Between 2014 and 2015 about seven Starbucks opened around the city. I do not have anything against Starbucks but I have to say that I enjoy much more sitting in a local and unique shop where I can have a coffee made for me with lots of love. If I search for Coffee Culture, the internet describes it as a social atmosphere or series of associated social behaviors that depends heavily upon coffee, particularly as a social lubricant. I think that I agree, but on top of that I think that Copenhagen is so full with unique and cozy places that you even can add to this definition the fact that you hop from one coffee place to the other just to explore the different smells and subcultures of the city. Because I am such a freak of coffee and coffee places, I thought I had to add a section about where I like to go to carry out my coffee culture experience. To be honest, I do this a bit far away from the city center so I can escape from the touristic prices and noises. However, I know that there are lots of nice and cozy places in the inner city. There are thousands of places where I would like to take my visitors, so I had to narrow it down to make this a bit shorter than the Bible. Anyway… let’s start with two of my favorite neighborhoods:
Nørrebro is one of the 10 official districts of Copenhagen. It is northwest of the city centre and is known for its poly-cultural society, mostly of Middle Eastern origin. For some years now, Nørrebro has been the -in part of the city where all hipster and alternative minded people waste their time. Maybe this is the reason why the coolest coffee places are located in this district. Again, I could go on for hours, but to make it short I think you should visit Jægersborggade which is a small street that has turned from dodgy to hip and is one of the hippest and most buzzing streets of the neighborhood. Today, this street is home to art galleries, organic produce shops, vintage clothes, ceramics and jewelry designers, as well as wine bars, coffee shops and restaurants. If after walking through this street you are eager to experience Nørrebro, just keep on walking around the smalls streets between Jægersborggade and Nørrebrogade.
Vesterbro was/is known as the city’s red light district. Today, is one of the hippest areas in the Danish capital. The district is situated within walking distance of Copenhagen city centre, right behind the Central Station. It is one of the most fashionable places in Copenhagen - not just to live - but to shop, eat, drink and have a great night out. Along Vesterbrogade and Istedgade, where you will find the original red light district on the first stretch from Copenhagen Central Station and up, you will find plenty of bars, restaurants, and designer stores (source http://www.visitcopenhagen.com/copenhagen/culture/hipster-vesterbro). However, the greatest and most peculiar shops and bars are situated in the small streets around these two main streets ( Vesterbrogade and Istedgade).
I do not know if I can recommend you one single specific bar because my list is long and I do not think it will be fair to mention some above others. Just walk around these areas and let yourself get lost in the most charming streets of the city.
Night Life The night life in Copenhagen is insane. I love it and would never change it for anything else. Most of the places are super lay back and let you in in sneakers (love it, since I hate heals). The youngest ones normally gather around Gothersgade and Vestergade which honestly, I do not like. They play commercial music and it is filled up with tourist and sixteen years old kids. I cannot deny though, that I had some great night out there. However, I am more of a bar person and I enjoy sitting around with my friends having great conversations and listening to good music. Therefore, I spend most of my time out in bars like Moose Bar (Sværtegade 5), Bo-Bi Bar (Klareboderne 14) and Mesteren & Lærlingen (Flæsketorvet 86). You always find great people to talk to in these bars and they are normally from everywhere and of different ages. If you are more a party person, I will suggest the Meat Packing District, which is a cluster with a trendy nightlife, where you can find bars and clubs such as Jolene, Mesteren & Lærlingen and Bakken and a broad range of high quality restaurants.
My friend’s blog talks about Copenhagen today!
