Copenhagen really captured my heart during this winter visit — it’s an incredibly cool and special place, and 4 nights was not nearly enough. I could have easily stayed for at least 2 weeks, especially given how little of my list of recommendations I managed to work through.
I’m going to get right into where we stayed in Copenhagen, and a little overview of how we spent our few days, with where to eat & drink in Copenhagen and where to soak up the fashion, art & design (shopping and museums) in separate blog posts, as I started writing it all in one and quickly got up to 2500 words, which is just far too much info for anyone.
I’ll also include some of the places that were recommended to me that I didn’t have time to get to, as some of them look really incredible. But for now…
Where to stay in Copenhagen
We stayed in Amager East, at the Dahei Apartment Hotel. I liked the look of it online because the website had good branding, the apartments looked colourful and clean, and they had amenities such as an oven, hob, fridge, and dishwasher.
I wanted the option to cook and eat at the apartment, as I knew eating out in Copenhagen could be expensive, but we didn’t end up doing any cooking at all. The fridge was handy for our snacks though.
There are also washing machines and lockers downstairs in the communal area — handy for those staying longer or needing to store luggage. We had an evening flight home on our last day, and it was so good to be able to chuck our stuff in a locker, rather than drag it around the city all day.
The apartment worked really well for us. It was comfortable, cosy, and quiet. It was also really easy to get to from the airport on the metro — no changes, just a few stops, and it took about 15 minutes.
The easiest way to get around Copenhagen
A quick note on the public transport in Copenhagen, because I love the Copenhagen metro. I absolutely love it.
The trains are super frequent, easy to use, clean, and quiet. There are only 4 lines, so it’s all very straightforward, and they get you to a lot of places in the city. Last time I visited Copenhagen, I used the bus, which I remember also being very easy.
Before flying to Copenhagen, we downloaded the Rejsekort app and connected it to our Apple Pay. You can use this app for all public transport, and you save 20% if you travel during off-peak hours (Saturdays, Sundays, holidays, and weekdays between 11am-1pm, and 6pm-7am).
When you board/alight the metro, you just need to check in/out on the app. Sometimes you need to click “show ticket” if there’s an attendant checking for QR codes, but that’s super easy too.
For a trip outside of the city on the overground train, I used the Rejsebillet app, which is just as straightforward — typing in the destination, it shows you options for different times, you select and pay, and the train comes on time. Can you imagine!?
Of course, the cycling in Copenhagen is top-notch too — everywhere is flat with wide cycle lanes. However, last time I rode a bike, I had a panic attack, so I wasn’t about to hire a bike. If you’re less of a scaredy-cat than me, you def should.
Use the sidebar navigation to jump to the walks that I enjoyed in Copenhagen >>>
4 wintery days of Copenhagen hygge
I was a little worried about visiting Copenhagen in January, thinking it would be miserable and cold, with nothing much to do. While some small businesses do close for a little break in early January, by the time we went on the 16th of January, everything was open and bustling again.
And, in fact, it was probably nicer going in January, because there were far fewer tourists around — yes, I know I was one, but I like to avoid crowds — plus flying and accommodation were cheaper out of high season.
Our first day was super misty, which made everything really atmospheric and moody, and the other days were dry and sunny. Perfect wandering around weather, really.
There’s something extremely charming about visiting Copenhagen in the winter — and that’s the hygge. Hygge describes a “cosy, contented mood evoked by comfort and conviviality,” from the hygge Wikipedia page.
(Side note: does anyone remember when hygge was a big trend around 2016? I received 2 copies of The Little Book of Hygge for Christmas that year… what a time.)
If you know me even a tiny bit, you know how much cosiness means to me, so I was really pleased to discover the sheer volume of candles and blankets to be found at almost every establishment. I posted about it on Instagram, writing:
Something I loved about visiting Copenhagen earlier this month was how many candles there were everywhere — in cafés, restaurants, shops, on doorsteps and outdoor tables in lanterns.
The thoughtful low lighting indoors. The fairy lights still adorning facades.
The antidote to short, cold, and often dark days is never ever the big light. It’s leaning in to the cosiness.
The warm glow was such a contrast to the misty blanket and fresh blue skies, and the frozen water.
Cosiness has always been a cornerstone of my life, and Danish hygge is really something I can get on board with. It’s something that the dreary days of winter really need, especially in grey ol’ England.
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We spent our days drinking coffees, eating pastries, drinking craft beers, and having lovely dinners, as well as exploring vintage shops and museums, and admiring the beautiful architecture in the winter light.
One of the main reasons for visiting was to meet up with my friend Gabi, who lives in the US but was visiting Copenhagen for a couple of months — what a lucky duck.
Gabi and I have followed each other online for a few years, and we became much closer after a shared traumatic experience. The lore runs deep, and I’m not about to share it here… but maybe I’ll share it in a Substack post sometime (you can follow me on Substack for monthly letters that get a little more personal than here).
Anyway, it was so wonderful to finally meet Gabi in person — she was even cooler and lovelier than I thought she’d be. Since she’d been in Copenhagen a little while when we got there (and had visited before), she had loads of great recommendations, and was the perfect person to visit the Design Museum and Louisiana Museum of Modern Art with.
Gabi is an amazing photographer, and you might just spot someone familiar over on her Instagram grid @gabriellavalladares.
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What a location – if it had been warmer, I’d have been tempted to head down to the sea for a swim.
I definitely want to visit Copenhagen in the summer, having only visited in January and March. Gabi was telling me about how different the city is in the warmer months — how it comes alive, and the rivers are lined with people having fun together, jumping into the water.
As much as I enjoyed visiting Copenhagen in the winter, I need to experience this other side. Hopefully I won’t have to wait too long.
Walks & other things to do in Copenhagen
Finally, I wanted to share a few wanders that were very enjoyable, no matter the weather or time of year.
Walk through Kongens Have, Botanisk Have & Østre Anlæg
From my favourite café in Copenhagen (find out which one in my food & drink in Copenhagen blog post) it’s very quick to get to Kongens Have, and on to Botanisk Have and Østre Anlæg (the botanic garden and nearby park, all of which are really lovely for a walk.
I have it on good authority that the rose garden in Kongens Have is beautiful in the summer, and a happy occurrence in Østre Anlæg was seeing 2 herons — it was like being back home in my local park, but even more exciting.
Walk through Amalienborg Slotsplads during the changing of the guard
As we were walking to the Design Museum and chasing the gorgeous light bouncing off gorgeous buildings, we heard a brass band in the distance and went to see what it was, thinking we might get a glimpse of the Danish royal family.
We didn’t see them, but we did get to watch the guards’ band for a while, with a little procession and then a switchover of the guards, which was really fun! It’s well worth a visit.
Walk through Freetown Christiana & explore the canals of Christianshavn to Refshaleøen
Copenhagen is on the Danish island of Zealand and the smaller island of Amager, so it has lots of interesting bodies of water, from the lakes to all the little canals, and of course, the sea.
Freetown Christiana is an interesting place to walk through (remember not to take any photos), and has loads of little canals nearby, which are great for exploring, and the Church of Our Saviour is nearby too which is really great — I went up it during my last trip to Copenhagen in 2016.
If you walk north-east you can see many of the canals, and end up at the island of Refshaleøen, where there are lots of places to eat, drink, and have fun.
I think I better leave this blog post here, before I end up at 2.5k words again.
Make sure to read my other posts, Where to eat & drink in Copenhagen, and Fashion, art & design in Copenhagen for all my recommendations (plus a list of the places that other people recommended, but I couldn’t make it to!).
