SEPTEMBER 2019
We stayed three nights in Copenhagen, the capital city of Denmark. After having a lovely stay in Aarhus, my mother and I took the Flixbus to Copenhagen for € 15 per person. The Flixbus was pretty ideal, we had a hassle free transfer and got to see the bridges connecting different parts of Denmark. I found it pretty funny that at times Copenhagen really reminded me of Amsterdam with all its canals. The Danish language looks and sounds a bit like Dutch at well, so it was really easy to feel at home in this city! After this visit I had a slight preference for Aarhus, but I find it really difficult to point out what the reason of that is.
Practical information
In Denmark you pay with Danish Krones. To be honest we did not see a Danish Krone once, as we paid everything by creditcard. We could even tip our “free tour” with a creditcard, which was super handy. I found the public transport in Denmark/Copenhagen to be really good. The buses and trains run frequently and are a nice way to see the city. In the harbor area of Copenhagen there are ferry boats, which are called harbour buses, which are included in your public transport ticket as well. As we stayed just a bit out of the city center, we bought an unlimited public transport card (City Pass). This was a good deal given that you pay about € 3,50 for a single ride with the public transport otherwise. You can buy the City Pass at the public transport ticket machines. You can also buy a Copenhagen card, which combines entrances for many sights with unlimited travel.
Denmark is just like the Netherlands when it comes to cycling. You will find bicycle lanes everywhere in the city and it is really easy to hire a bike to explore the city. Even the trains are equipped with special bicycle parking spots. The Danish do bike really fast, so please beware of that before crossing a street!
Another practicality is that Denmark is really expensive. Lodging, food and drinks will be really expensive, so take that into account when thinking of a budget. A sit down meal can easily cost € 50 per person and a glass of wine € 10.
Things to do
In Copenhagen you can a lot of fun things, and luckily some of these things are free, which makes up for your other expenses 😉
Nyhavn: Nyhavn means the “new harbor” but some houses are over 300 years old. Nyhavn is one of the most iconic spots of Copenhagen and is somewhat of an Instagram heaven. However around 11 in the morning it was still quite relaxed, there were not too many photo shoots going on and no waiting lines for pictures 😉 I love cities with colorful streets and I really liked Nyhavn, despite of the gloomy weather it was really colorful and clean. Just beware that it is mainly one long strip of houses, while I expected the whole of Nyhavn to be super colorful. We visited in autumn and there was hardly any sunshine, so we did not see a spectacular sunset at Nyhavn.. but I can imagine this being a really good spot on a day with more sun intensity. We had dinner in Nyhavn at Heering and apparently it is one o the better restaurants at Nyhavn. They serve original mains and even had vegan options! We paid about € 60 for two mains and tapwater.
Reffen: Reffen is a food- and alternative designmarket in an industrial area of Copenhagen (right opposite the Little Mermaid statue) and was my highlight of Copenhagen! The food stalls of Reffen are built in and around colorful sea containers, they are super diverse qua food and there is a really relaxed vibe. This place still is a bit dirty and I really liked it.. As we visited at the start of autumn, the huge crowds were gone and you had plenty of relaxed photo opportunities. Reffen also has a little beach, which I can imagine gets really crowded in summer when the sun is out! You can also check the activities calendar; Reffen hosts (beach) parties and salsa classes. Reffen is mostly outside but they have some places where you can find shelter on a windy day. It closes at the end of October and reopens in Spring, so definitely check the website before you visit.
Free tours: We did the Christianshavn walking tour with Free Tours Copenhagen as I love getting to know a city with a guide. Laura was really kind and knowledgeable about the architecture of Christianshavn and living in Denmark in general, so it was definitely of added value to do this tour. They offer other tours as well, so make sure to book the tour that matches your interests. In the end you pay by tipping the amount you want, which really makes the guides work for their money.
Christiania: Christiania is the “free town” of Copenhagen, a semi-independent hippie community. It is worth it to visit for the street art, which really can be found all over. In one street of Christiania soft drugs are being sold, so you will smell some weed… You are not allowed to take pictures of this street and the police sometimes raids Christiania because of the sale of drugs. I just visited for the street art and to explore the hippie vibes and found that you could easily avoid the drugs part. I did feel safe, while my mother felt a little uncomfortable. It definitely is a special place.
Dybbolsbro: Dybbolsbro is the “meatpacking district” of Copenhagen and a cool place to go get a bite. The area is up and coming and many industrial buildings are being transformed into houses and restaurants. We had dinner at Karma Sushi in Dybbolsbro and found the sushi absolutely delicious and served in a cool atmosphere. We paid € 90 for 4 beers and a small portion of sushi. I would recommend to research a restaurant to your liking and budget and going to Dybbolsbro at night.
Library: The public library is definitely worth a visit and the perfect example of old and new Copenhagen architecture. At the backside of the library you will find a British University style library with classic study rooms and in the front you will find a super sleek, modern atrium with amazing views of the harbor. Budget tip: the cafe in the library is pretty affordable and has delicious sweets!
Borgen: My mother is a great fan of tvshows like Borgen, so we had to visit some of the filming locations. Borgen is based on Christiansborg Palace, which hosts the Supreme Court and the Parliament. We visited the surroundings of Christiansborg Palace, the stables and the gardens and it made for a fun walk (especially for fans of the show). You can also visit the tower of Christiansborg Palace, for a fee, to get good views of Copenhagen. It was super foggy so we decided not to do that.
Daytrip to Sweden: The Flixbus to Malmo made it really easy to check Sweden off my list of countries to visit. We decided to head to Malmo for an afternoon to check out the Gamla Vaster (old town), drink a Swedish beer and check out where Zlatan Ibrahimovic grew up. I particularly liked the Jons Fillgaten street as it had old, colorful houses with flowers growing against it and the Lilla torg square which was perfect for a few drinks. A cool bonus for this visit is that you will cross the Oresund bridge (the bridge!) connecting Denmark and Sweden. The bridge is 8 KM long and pretty impressive.
Where we stayed
We stayed at the Moxy hotel in Sydhavn, only two train stops from Copenhagen central station. The Moxy is kind of a co-working hotel and you will see lots of (solo) travelers hitting up the hotel bar at night to do some work on their laptop and have a drink. The hotel definitely thought about having quirky and comfy design and looks very inviting. The rooms were really comfortable as well, with super new beds, fast internet and a google chromecast on your tv. I really liked our stay at the Moxy, it is supposed to be a low budget hotel with high comfort, but I still found it quite expensive. If you add a breakfast to your stay you will easily pay over € 150 a night. We booked two months in advance and it could be cheaper if you wait with booking for a bit. Luckily my mother paid the bill..
