Quick visit to Copenhagen
The capital of Denmark is a beautiful destination for the weekend. If you’re traveling there from London (like me for this trip) there are many flights from the major airports that will land you there in just under 2 hours. Once you land in Copenhagen airport, there are three main ways to get into town – taxi, train and metro. The easiest (and cheapest) by far is the metro. I am personaly extremely impressed at the convenience of this option. The metro runs every few minutes and will get you into city center in just 15 minutes for around £6! Of all the cities I’ve visited, this is probably my favorite airport-city commute.
Copenhagen was founded as a city in the 11th century and had consisted of two settlements. In the 12th century it began expanding quite rapidly largely thanks to the herring trade. The city is also situated between towns Lund (now Swedish) and Roskilde, each of which had a cathedral built in town around this time by the Roman Catholic Church. The development of the cathedrals drew people to these areas and expanded both of the cities, respectively. Positioned in the middle of the two, Copenhagen provided a very convenient trading route and thus grew more from this as well.
Copenhagen is also geographically positioned in what is arguably one of the best water approaches to the Baltic Sea. This made the port of the city a big trading spot for many years. It continued to be a big stop for trading ships up until the ships grew far too large for the port and thus international trade began to use other ports in Denmark instead. Local trade within the country used land transport predominantly, so there then was a lull in development after this time, particularly for the port area of town (Nyhavn).
Where to stay
The area around Norreport is wonderful, as is the area across the bridge from there and down the Norrebrogade street. There are a lot of residential buildings in this area, so it is less touristy, but it also has a great deal of great restaurants out there as well.
In general, the whole city is very easy to get around on foot. Also, being one of the world’s bicycle capitals, it is incredibly easy to get around on a bike (and most people do!). If you stay anywhere central you will not have any issues getting about. If you do decide to cycle around - keep in mind that they take this very seriously and you will be expected to follow general rules of traffic.
While further away from city center, the area around Nørrebros Runddel St. metro station is a great choice as well. This area is more residential but has a great collection of some of the better restaurants in the city as well as many cafes and bars to enjoy.
What to do
Go to a fantastic restaurant
Yes, this is the home of Noma. However, did you know that Copenhagen has a huge concentration of Michelin restaurants? You are very much spoiled for choice - this is actually a pretty big foodie town with many, many incredible chefs and kitchens to sample. You would have to really go out of your way to not eat well during your stay here.
Of course Noma is well worth a visit in its own right, but there are plenty of incredible and mind-blowing restaurants to add to (and tick off) your list during your visit. You are literally spoiled for choice when it comes to picking a spot with an amazing chef (still, make reservations in advance. many of these spaces are small and they are always in high demand), but here are some of my picks if you need some inspiration, in no particular order:
- Relæ
- Marv & Ben
- Geist
- Mikkeller & Friends
- Iluka
- Høst
The New Danish cuisine is one of my favorites. It dates back to the Viking era, when it was largely aimed at keeping people warm through the cold season. Much of the base of the cuisine also stems from the peasant population, so it is centralized around local produce and a lot of preserved items. Food here is also traditionally focused around meat, mostly pork, as you would need plenty of nutrition to keep you going for the lifestyle and the climate. However in the relatively recent years the cuisine has evolved to also include a lot of vegetarian options and of course fish and other seafood. Fermentation further helps boost the immune system when fresh produce isn’t always at hand by preserving vitamins and probiotics in the food.
I love the use of traditional Scandinavian/Nordic flavors in this new way. In many of these restaurants you will find yourself eating things that have been specially fermented, or you might find ash being used in your dish or maybe someone will set a spring of rosemary on fire as your dish arrives. There is a lot of use of smoke, fire and fermentation across the flavors on your plate. Also, many of the things will be locally sourced and organic. Danish eat very cleanly and are largely interested to know where their food comes from. This is not just environmentally important and responsible, but it generally makes for much better and higher quality ingredients. This, in turn, makes for a phenomenal meal. When people care about the food, it really shows.
Visit the Nehavn
If you are coming to Copenhagen, you can’t not see this spot. Aside from the fact that it is a massive tourist destination, it is also very beautiful and is actually not as terribly busy as one may expect.
While seldom empty, this area always has enough space to stroll at your own pace, enjoy the views and sit down in one of the many restaurants lining the harbor.
Picking a restaurant here does not necessarily warrant a recommendation - they’re all quite similar so just pick the one that looks best to you. Some of them will have specials for certain hours of the day, so take a look as you wander past and make your choice.
Nyhavn was originally a very busy trading port which constructed in 1675 by Kind Christian V. Well, it was dug by Swedish prisoners of war at the time. It was the way from old city to the sea and the ships carried both large cargo as well as daily catch from the fishermen. The port was even home to the famous author Hans Christian Andersen for many years. He lived in No. 20, when he wrote “Little Claus and Big Claus”, “The Tinderbox” as well as “The Princess and the Pea”. He also lived for many years in No. 67 and some in No.18.
For me, this makes Nyhavn a much better destination than the Little Mermaid statue if you want to do something Andersen related. While the Mermaid status is largely out of the way and in many ways (in my opinion) not very exciting, Nyhavn is a great location right in the middle of the city with beautiful views and plenty of spots to sit down and relax, particularly if you’ve been doing a lot of walking.
I would recommend a walk along the edge of the bay, which will ultimately land you there from the river’s side. You can then walk down the beautiful sidewalk and pick one of the cafés to grab a coffee or a beer and just people watch from the comfort of one of those outdoor chairs (with heating, blankets and huge umbrellas).
Visit the Food market
In the center of the city there is a food market - Torvehallerne. Opened in 2011, this market was designed to echo the historical market that was previously located outside of old city walls. This place has a combination of produce, meats and cheeses as well as ready to eat snacks and whole meals. It consist of two halls. Hall 1 focuses on savory dishes such as meats, fish and cheeses while Hall 2 focuses on sweets, teas, coffees and wine.
There is an abundance of various shops and restaurants for you to choose from (actually, why not try several?). If you need a bit of inspiration to get your started, some of my favorites are GRØD, Grannys House and RØRT.
Danes take their coffee very seriously, and there are a few great spots for a good cup of coffee for you in the market. My favorite by far is The Coffee Collective. It is in the corner so the space boasts big glass windows and has a stylish Danish minimalist design.
These guys use high quality beans, which they source directly from farmers. All of the baristas are well trained and super knowledgable about all things coffee, so you can definitely pick their brains on the flavors/origins/etc while you’re there, if that is something you’re interested in.
Flower portion of the market
There is plenty of outdoor seating around the market to enjoy your food as well as the weather, if it is good. The market also has a pretty sizable flower section in the middle of the two halls, which adds a great deal of color to the scene.
Me being me, I spent arguably too much time photographing all of the flowers. Would recommend but I am painfully aware that not everyone would be as excited about this. Still, makes for a nice wander as a lot of (but not all) the flowers sold are both seasonal and regional, so it provides a nice glimpse into the flora of the area.
Smörgåsbord
In the market, there are several stalls with a wide range of open faced sandwiches. I would recommend getting a few and trying them out - they are all very tasty, albeit not always easy to eat!
There is also a bakery there and they have a pastry that made me rethink everything I ever knew about cinnamon rolls
Whatever they make this frosting out of should probably be illegal. Either case, I am very happy that these are not readily available on my daily commute. I reflect with fear on the amount of these I would surely eat, had this been the case.
Visit Christiania
Christiania is less than all it is cracked up to be, in my opinion, but is still a fun wander. The interesting thing about this spot is that it is a freehold within the city that is not governed by Denmark. It was originally settled in the old army barracks by some homeless folk and then over time has grown to be a community of artists and musicians. It is a fun space to see (and is a UNESCO site) if you have some extra time in Denmark.
One of the things it is famous for are the pot stands, but it is important to keep in mind that this is still very much illegal in wider Denmark and is not exactly appreciated by the Danish population. Generally, I found it to be pretty relaxed, and largely overrated on how “risqué” this is. I would recommend going for the art and music. The whole pot thing just seems very gimmicky to me. Either case, it is an interesting space to see.
You can easily get there via metro or by walking over. Closest metro stop is Christianshavn and then it is about a 5 minute walk from there. Otherwise it is a lengthy walk from city center, but if you’re into that sort of thing and the weather is nice it would make for a fun way to see the city.
Go to the design museum
Danish Museum of Art & Design is well worth a visit. Danish design is infamous and the museum has a great collection that spans various decades.
(and a huge… huge collection of chairs.)
I learned more about chairs here than I ever had previously. To be fair, I have not necessarily been seeking out this knowledge nor do I have an extensive repository of information on the matter, so we are starting well before the finish line here. That being said, it was certainly interesting and was a great way to spend a few hours while it rained outside.
The museum itself was originally a hospital (1757) and then was remodeled into the museum it is today in 1920. Museum houses the largest design library in all of Scandinavia and has a fully illustrated collection of all furniture made in Denmark from 1900 to 2000.
They actually use some of the chair designs around which you can sit in. For example, the cafe fas a huge mix-match set of chairs and sofas for the patrons and there are a few resting areas where you can sit in the quirky designs.
All in all, Copenhagen is a fantastic time. There is certainly plenty to do for a full weekend. If you find yourself with a bit more time you can always pop over to before mentioned Roskilde - a must for anyone with an interest in Vikings - or you can take a quick trip over to the Swedish town of Malmö, located just across the bay.
Malmö is a fun little town that is connected by a train from Copenhagen. The interesting thing about this connection is that half of it is a bridge, and the other half is a tunnel. While being an interesting design, this also has a very functional element to it. It was designed this way so that the connection does not obstruct the ship traffic across the bay and also so there is no backup of ice floes.
The connection is very quick and easy and you do not need to book your tickets in advance.
If you have some extra time, I would urge you to consider seeing something at the Royal Danish Opera (if you’re into that sort of thing). The opera house was built in 2000 and has a modern and beautiful design. Only snag here is the translation is only into Danish, but this did not particularly diminish my experience here in the slightest.
During your trip, you should also consider visiting the Christiansborg Palace, Legoland, Tivoli Gardens and CopenHill, which is an artificial ski slope and hiking area right in the city. If you feel like renting a car and taking a short trip outside of the city, Jægersborg Dyrehave (the Deer Park) is a great choice. Whichever way you prefer to travel, or whatever you prefer doing - chances are Copenhagen has you covered. Despite the relatively small size, this city is full of interesting things to do, delicious food to eat and plenty of beautiful views to enjoy.