Travel Guide To Copenhagen

Our Trip To Copenhagen, Denmark

In this travel guide to Copenhagen, I will share all the details about what to do, what to see, where to eat, and a few details about the city. At the end of the guide, I share a day-by-day itinerary so you get an idea how we planned out our time there.

We decided to plan a trip to Copenhagen as a wedding anniversary gift to each other. I think as we celebrate more anniversaries, we prefer experiences versus physical gifts.

Things To Know

We went to Copenhagen in early June. We wanted to get there before it was tourist season, but we also didn’t want to go when it was still cold. The weather was a bit chilly but tolerable and at times it was great because all we did was walk. It was pretty sunny the entire time we were there. The weather was in the low 60s and a little windy. However, there was a day or two that was in the low 70s. So definitely bring layers.

The daylight is long. The sun didn’t set until 10pm. To us it was awesome because the long daylight feels like it gave us a burst of energy.

Also, getting around was pretty easy in Copenhagen. Everyone can pretty much speak English. So the ‘language barrier’ was not an issue at all.

Foods To Try

This travel guide to Copenhagen would not be complete if I didn’t share some local cuisine to try. This is part of the fun when it comes to traveling!

• Copenhagen Hot Dog – This is not hard to miss. There are hot dog stands almost everywhere. We spotted a few at City Hall. Their hot dogs are different from American hot dogs. The toppings are different and they use different sausages. But they’re so good and a great snack! The original is the Rød Pølse. The sausage has a very vibrant red color with crispy onion toppings and other condiments. There’s a large variety of hot dogs to choose from!
• Smørrebrød – Basically it is an open face sandwich on rye bread. Almost every restaurant has them. They fill that sandwich. I had some where I had to use a knife & fork.
• Kanelsnegle – It is a Danish cinnamon roll. It’s not as sweet and sugary as the American cinnamon roll, which I actually like about it! The dough is different and it’s similar to a croissant.

Overall, Copenhagen is a big foodie city. There’s a wide variety of cuisines to try!

Travel Guide To Copenhagen

Alright, time to begin the travel guide to Copenhagen!

Places To Stay

We stayed at the Axel Guldsmeden hotel! We liked it! The place has a very bohemian vibe to it and it is a sustainable hotel. Loved the ambiance and the staff were very nice and helpful. We highly recommend it! The location was perfect. It is located in the Vesterbro neighborhood and is a block away from the train station. Below are other options we were looking at it.

• Ibsens Hotel
• Christian IV Hotel
• Alexandra Hotel

Places To See

• Nyhavn
  This is the infamous neighborhood in Copenhagen. When you look at photos of Copenhagen, this is the neighborhood you probably have seen mainly featured. It is a historic neighborhood with rows of colorful houses along the canal. Nyhavn used to be the old port for Copenhagen. Hans Christian Andersen lived along Nyhavn and you will definitely see a lot of references to him. The scenery is beautiful, but it is very touristy. We went there first thing in the morning, and it was perfect. It wasn’t crowded and we could thoroughly enjoy the area.
• Nyhavn Canal Boat Tour
  This may be the most touristy thing to do, but I honestly think it is worth it. You get the opportunity to see different parts of Copenhagen’s neighborhoods along the water and the scenery is BEAUTIFUL! During our canal tour, it made me wish I had time to explore all these different areas.
  
• The Little Mermaid Statue
  The infamous Little Mermaid Statue which was based on and inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s story, The Little Mermaid. The statue is not that big and it is kind of far, but it was cool to see. If you do the canal tour, you will be able to see the statue (which is what we did). Fun fact: Disney was inspired to create The Little Mermaid based on the Hans Christian Andersen version.
• Stroget
  This is an area known to be the largest shopping area in Copenhagen and Europe’s longest pedestrian street.  You’ll pass this area on the way to Nyhavn. It’s also a very picturesque street and all the well-known Scandinavian retailers have a store in this area. My favorites are Other Stories (got this rainbow stripe dress there), Moss Copenhagen, COSI and my new favorite store is Companys. Companys is a retail store that carries several different brands and has the chicest stuff!
• Copenhagen City Hall
  The city hall building is very pretty and it is right before you enter Stroget. It also has a nice square where people hang out and eat. You’ll find a few Copenhagen style hot dog stands in the city hall’s square.
• Round Tower (Rundetaarn)
  It’s a popular tourist site known for it’s circular architecture. The tower used to be an astronomical observatory. It’s a spiral walk up so make sure you wear comfortable shoes! At the very top you get a view of Copenhagen.
• Torvehallerne
  This is a very popular Copenhagen food hall / supermarket. I highly recommend coming here hungry so you have the appetite to try everything. Also, if you are limited with time, Torvehallerne should definitely be high on your list. Some of the best food spots in Copenhagen have a spot there. Which is so great because I had a list of places I wanted to try but they were either too far out of our way or we ended up not having enough time. So when we walked in Torvehallerne, I was so pleased to see some of them there!
• Rosenborg Castle
  There are several castles to see in the Copenhagen area and I believe Rosenborg Castle was the closest. This used to be the home of Copenhagen’s royal family. Just like a European castle, it’s always fascinating to see the amount of detail that went into it.
  
• The King’s Garden
  This is the garden surrounding the Rosenborg Castle. It’s a very pretty garden with a gorgeous pond right next to it. Very picturesque as well and just fun to go for a walk in. There’s also a rose garden that is beautiful. When we went, the roses were just about to bloom.
• Snaregard & Magstraede Street
  These are the two oldest streets in Copenhagen and they’re located in Old Town. They’re small, colorful, and very charming. They still have the original cobbling. And I believe these streets dated back to the 1520s. How crazy is that?!
  
• Palad Cinema
  It’s a movie theater in Copenhagen which was very close to our hotel, Axel Guldsmeden. It’s not very obvious because it is not on the main street, however, it’s not hard to miss either. I mean look at the gorgeous color this movie theater has. Totally instagrammable!
• Tivoli Gardens
  For sure should be high on your list to see in Copenhagen. In addition to Nyhaven, Tivoli is one of the most iconic photos you see of Copenhagen. Tivoli Gardens is the 2nd oldest amusement park in the world. It’s a cross between Disneyland/World meets European charm meets thrills of Six Flags rides. Even if you are not into rides, the park itself is so cute and charming. There’s several amazing restaurants in there too! For sure a must see!
  
• Malmo, Sweden
  If you are looking for a day trip, Malmo, Sweden is the place to go. It is a 30 minute train ride! I’ll share more on that in another travel guide post!
• Norrebro Neighborhood
  Norrebro is known as the “coolest” neighborhood in Copenhagen. It has a lot of cool antique, thrift stores, awesome restaurants, and pretty homes.
• The Copenhagen Lakes
  It’s 3 rectangular lakes and it’s very scenic. The lakes are surrounded by beautiful Danish homes, bridges, and a walking path. You’ll see a lot of people do their runs, walks, and biking around the lake.
• Meatpacking District
  It has a similar background to New York’s meatpacking district, as this area used to be where the meat industry held their business. Through time the area has evolved and now it is a trendy place. You’ll find so many great restaurants and nightlife places.
  
• Vesterbro Neighborhood
  This neighborhood is right by our hotel and it is so cute! Very family oriented neighborhood. Again, the houses are so cute and definitely has a charming feel to it. We went to this area for brunch.
• Copenhagen Central Station
  This is Copenhagen’s main train station. The station is also right next to our hotel and this is where you will go if you want to take day trips (i.e. Malmo, Sweden) or prefer to explore Copenhagen through public transportation.

Places To Eat/Drink/Snack

• Union Kitchen
  Out of all the places we went to for breakfast/brunch, this one was our favorite. It’s also available for lunch and dinner. The decor is really cute and modern. They’re known for their stencil art coffee. It’s so cute and the coffee was delicious too. I got the Green Bowl and it was the perfect mixture of healthy with lots of delicious flavor. It is right by Nyhavn.
  
• Coffee Collective
  This is a popular coffee shop. They have a few locations. I went to the one right by Stroget. Very cute spot.
• Copenhagen Hot Dogs (food stand)
  The copenhagen hot dogs are worth trying. They are different than the American hot dogs. The food stand we went to is located at the City Hall. It’s very easy to spot. During lunch time, they have long lines. We went during off hours and there was no wait time.
• Torvehallerne
  As mentioned above, this is the food hall. All of the best markets and popular cafes are in this food hall. Basically it is a one stop shop and perfect if you are limited with time. I wanted to try smørrebrød since I’m in Denmark, but some of the places were out of our way. Luckily, Torvehallerne had a smørrebrød food stand!
• Laura Bakery
  A very popular bakery and luckily they also had a spot at Torvehallerne since we couldn’t go to the actual bakery location. We tried their Kanelsnegle and it was soo good!
• Next Door Cafe
  Love the ambiance of this place. Their food is a mixture of healthy modern Danish food. It was really good! I had their green juice and Lidt af Hvert (blueberry pancakes with eggs & bacon). The place is small and tight even though it has two floors. We went during prime breakfast time too. Therefore, I recommend going slightly off hours.
• Espresso House
  This is the Starbucks of Copenhagen. There’s one on every corner and block. Definitely easy to spot!
• Tivoli Gardens Restaurants
  There are several restaurants in Tivoli Gardens and also a food hall. A lot of the restaurants there are known to be the best!
• Ristorante Frascati
  It’s an Italian restaurant in the Vesterbro area. It was good but not over the top amazing, ya know? I don’t know if it is me but the Italian food almost had a Nordic twist to it.
• Far’s Deng
  This spot was recommended a lot via Instagram (when I asked where we should have breakfast). It has a very eclectic and hippie feel to it. The food was your standard breakfast but it was still really good! And the staff was very friendly.
• Hotel Chocolat
  If you love chocolate, you will LOVE this place. I was in heaven! There were so many different types of chocolate bars and truffles. Of course, you have to have hot chocolate! It’s so good! Seriously the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had!
• Lagkagehuset
  This spot has every Danish pastry you can think of! We stopped here for a quick snack and we had a hard time narrowing down what we wanted to eat haha.
• Gro Spiseri
  
  Copenhagen is known to have some of the best chefs and there are several restaurants that offer pre-fixe meals. We heard great things about Gro Spiseri, and Tre’s co-worker highly recommended it. Before you decide to dine here there are a few things you need to know.
  • If you decide to dine here, you have to book and pay for your spot in advance! Go here if you want to book it. There are no walk-ins.
  • You must also be open to trying anything! I didn’t think any of the food was anything crazy or exotic but I was also raised to eat anything and everything. So if you are a picky eater, then don’t come here. They also love to make dishes with food you didn’t think existed!
  • In addition, if you have any dietary restrictions, make sure you let them know when you book your spot. That way they can offer alternatives on the day you dine.
  • Come hungry! Remember, it is a 6 course meal.
    Overall, I had an incredible experience and really expanded my palette. It was held at a rooftop with an urban garden and most of the stuff they made was from the garden. There were 3 chefs that prepared the meals and they always came out and explained the dish you were eating.
• Mad & Kaffe
  This is a super cute breakfast place. It’s your standard Danish breakfast!

Quick Recap Of Our Copenhagen Itinerary

To complete this travel guide to Copenhagen, I always love to share a cliff note version of what our day by day itinerary is like.

Before I start with Day 1, I do want to say that we arrived the night before. As a result, we arrived so late in the night that we went straight to our hotel. The true Day 1 for us was actually the second day of our trip.

Day 1

• Breakfast at Union Kitchen
• Walked around Nyhavn
• Walked around Strogets to check out where we would like to go shopping
• Coffee Break at Coffee Collective (in Bernikow)
• Rest at the hotel
• Snacked on Copenhagen hot dogs at the Copenhagen City Hall
• Went to Round Tower (Rundetaarn)
• Dinner at Torvallerne Food Hall and checked out the neighborhood

Day 2

• Breakfast at Next Door Cafe
• Went to Rosenborg Castle
• The King’s Garden
• Stroget to go shopping
• Coffee Break in Espresso House
• Walk on Snaregard & Magstraede
• Palad Cinema
• Tivoli Gardens (snacked there too)
• Dinner at Ristorante Frascati

Day 3

• Day Trip to Malmo, Sweden. Went to the Copenhagen Central Train Station.

Day 4

• Breakfast at Far’s Deng
• Canal Boat Tour in Nyhavn
• Explored Nyhavn
• Coffee & Hot Chocolate at Hotel Chocolat
• Snacked at Lagkagehuset
• Dinner at Gro Spiseri
• Walked around Norrebro neighborhood
• And walked along The Copenhagen Lakes

Day 5

• Walked around Meatpacking District
• Brunch at Mad & Kaffe
• Walked around Vesterbro neighborhood

Have you been to Copenhagen? What did you think?

If you want to see more travel guides, check out my most recent guides to Madrid, Barcelona, Porto, Lisbon, Puerto Rico, and more.

xo RD