Oh Copenhagen, you are so lovely. You’re so clean, so vibrant, so friendly, so cool. I didn’t see enough of you over the four days I was there, but in this blog I’m going to share what we did manage.

The first thing that struck me was the beautiful architecture, often covered in bold block colours or graffiti. The roads were pretty quiet for a city too, due to the amount of bicycles.

The city is flat, and every road has a wide cycle lane, so it’s very easy to get around by bike. This is unfortunately something I missed out on this time, but if I ever go back I’ll definitely be hiring a bike.

 

 

Where to stay in Copenhagen

 

First up, where we stayed. There were 7 of us on this trip, so we needed to find a place big enough to house us all comfortably.

We were in luck! We trawled Airbnb and found this gorgeous penthouse apartment within our budget and with plenty of space.

 

 

This was my first time using Airbnb and I will definitely be using it again. It was so easy, great to be able to message the host with any questions, and we loved having a home away from home.

It was a perfect base, with all the amenities we needed to cook breakfast, nip back for afternoon naps, and hang out late at night.

 

Where to eat & drink in Copenhagen

 

Bodega

 

 

After wandering for what felt like eternity on our first day, we came across Bodega – a cool cafe bar which had a small lunch menu with familiar things like burgers, along with slightly more Danish fish dishes and of course, herring.

A bunch of us had the pork sandwich. I never knew a pork sandwich could be so good. It was basically two pork steaks in a bun, with pickled cabbage, gherkins etc. So tasty, so messy.

I tried the herring too, which was alright, but I probably wouldn’t choose it again myself.

(Note: Bodega is now closed)

 

 

Torvehallerne market

 

 

After even more wandering, we came across a food market called Torvehallerne, with both outdoor stalls and more permanent mini-shops inside these big glass buildings, selling fresh ingredients as well as snacks and meals you can eat there.

Definitely worth a visit if you want to cook something fancy for dinner, to pick up some bottles of craft beer, or need a good quality snack.

 

 

Reffen Street Food Market

 

 

The street food stalls at Reffen were so good. I highly recommend heading over there. There were so many different kinds of food, it was really difficult to choose.

In the end I chose pulled duck in a brioche bun, Will had an amazing dish of Brazilian meats, salsa, corn and potatoes, and India had Korean chicken. We were hoping to have cheesecake afterwards, but the stall had sold out – heartbreaking.

Note that the market is seasonal, and is open Thursday-Sunday lunchtime ’til late.

 

 

Eat smørrebrød

 

 

If you haven’t heard of it before, smørrebrød is a Danish open sandwich, and they can be found in many places across the city.

Unfortunately, because we decided to eat by Nyhaven (a very touristy area) the only smørrebrød we had during our entire Copenhagen trip was rather pricey, but it was tasty.

If you want to try some authentic smørrebrød for less eye-watering prices, I’d head to the food markets instead.

 

 

Bistro Royal

 

 

One evening, we headed in the direction of Nyhavn to have dinner at a place that had been recommended to me – I can’t remember who suggested it but I want to say thank you, because it was so delicious.

Bistro Royal serves up possibly the best beef I’ve ever had. It wasn’t cheap but it was absolutely worth it.

A few of us chose the grilled beef cuvette – which you carve yourself at the table – so a huge hunk of meat turned up for us all to share, as well as sharing bowls of perfectly crisp chips and salad. I love this communal style of eating.

The beef was incredibly soft and tasty. You really must have a meal here if you’re a meat-eater.

 

 

Drink at one (or all) of the Mikkeller bars

 

 

Mikkeller Bar had been recommended to us numerous times, and they have many locations across Copenhagen.

It was more expensive than I’m used to, but boy were the beers tasty. I had one called Susan, and she was perfect.

 

 

What to do in Copenhagen

 

Visit Nyhaven

 

 

After a hearty breakfast at our apartment, we made our way to Nyhavn – aka an Instagrammers dream, and home to that view of Copenhagen that you see on all the blogs and Instagram posts.

This little harbour inlet is full of colourful houses and beautiful old boats. I think I took a picture of every single building, but that was a little too much for the blog, so I’ll share only my favourites.

 

 

Climb the Church of our Saviour, or spiral church

 

 

We tried to get a boat over to Christianshavn to head to the spiral church, but we timed it really badly, so we walked the long way around, stopping to jump on the trampolines, and fall pretty dramatically in some cases.

My photos don’t do the church justice in any way. You can spot the spiral spire from miles away, and it’s actually a lot higher than it looks here.

We made our way up the tiny, higgledy-piggledy, worn away staircases, stopping to let people come down, peeping through dusty windows until we finally made it to the outdoor spiral staircase. It was cold, it was windy, it made me feel quite unwell – and I’m not usually scared of heights – but those views were worth it.

Every time we walked past afterwards, we couldn’t believe we’d walked to the top of that tiny spire – it looked so flimsy.

Fun fact: There is a long-lived urban legend stating that the architect killed himself by jumping from the top of the spire, when he realised that the spiral turns the wrong way – anticlockwise – around.

 

 

Walk around Freetown Christiana

 

 

We walked a couple of minutes down the road from the spiral church to Christiana – a commune which doesn’t seem to conform to all the common laws, but they have their own – no running, and no photographs. It’s important to respect the residents and their wishes, though one of my pals did snap this sneaky pic of me…

It’s the fourth largest tourist attraction in Copenhagen, with half a million visitors annually, and it opened in 1971, and has a very interesting history.

 

 

Have fun at the Tivoli amusement park

 

 

Did you know, Copenhagen’s Tivoli is the second-oldest operating amusement park in the world!

I’ve never been a huge fan of amusement parks or fairground ride, so we started off on a couple of the more tame rides, moving on to the Star Flyer (the world’s second tallest carousel) which was actually quite terrifying.

I also went on a drop tower, and… The Demon.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I’ve finally been on a rollercoaster. In one of the prettiest, oldest amusement parks. And I loved it. The beer probably helped.

 

 

Hang out in Assistens Cemetery

Assistens Cemetery is where Danish author Hans Christian Andersen was buried. You know the guy, he wrote The Little Mermaid, The Princess and the Pea, and a bunch of other fairytales.

We met there one evening before dinner, and noticed that it’s not like a cemetery you’d imagine. It’s more like a park with a few pretty graves dotted around, and is an important green space in Copenhagen.

 

 

Visit the Little Mermaid

 

 

Speaking of Hans, one morning we headed towards the sea to visit the Little Mermaid statue, which was lovely until a coach load of people turned up and you could barely see it.

We moved on and explored the area a bit, stopping in to an old fort with a beautiful windmill before heading central for some late lunch.

 

 

Along with all those wonderful things, we spent some time hanging out at our lovely Airbnb apartment and eating breakfasts there, drinking at the local pub where we met some hilarious old men and laughed so much.

Copenhagen is a super cool city, and it made me feel so safe and relaxed – I would definitely feel comfortable enough to head back there on my own. And I think I might need to, as I didn’t get to go shopping…