It’s suddenly dawned on me that I am off to Copenhagen next weekend and I have definitely not given it the attention this little trip deserves. The Summer brings with it the children being off school and the Alice in Scandiland Shop getting even busier, so my thoughts and energy have been spent juggling those factors, not dreaming of a wonderful Danish City break.
This said, a few months ago, I did have the sensible idea to ask my Instagram followers for their must see/do recommendations. I recorded the many replies I received, but even then barely had a spare moment to actually absorb and digest all the wonderful suggestions. But enough is enough, I deserve a little excitement and, as so many asked me to feed back on all the recommendations, here is An Instagram Guide to Copenhagen, a record of everyone’s favourites, in one place.
Food –
Granola – comes highly recommended, arrive 30 mins early as you will have to wait to be seated.
Torvehallerne – “a new food market near Nørreport Metro Station, with beautiful stalls and a chance to sample the best Copenhagen has to offer”.
The Meatpacking District, Vesterbro – “A creative cluster with a trendy nightlife and…quality restaurants”
visitcopengahen.com
Aamands – for traditional Danish Smørrebrød – traditional meets hipster, apparently.
Bento – Authentic Japanese (I like to seek out delicious Asian food when ever I’m visiting a city), the best for Sushi apparently, located in Helgolandsgade, Vesterbro.
The Royal Cafe – mini Smørrebrød/ traditional open sandwiches – served on Royal Copenhagen plates. Amazing Hot Chocolate apparently.
Leckerbær – “Reinventing the Danish Butter Cookie” – I’m there!
Skt. Peders Bageri – apparently the only bakery in the city to bake on site?
Patisserie La Glace – the oldest confectionary in Denmark.
Paradis Is – Købmagergade – a must for icecream, apparently, with shops all over the city.
Bertels Salon –
Møller Kaffe & Køkken – Nørrebrogade. Apparently this is THE place for breakfast.
Drinks –
Illum Rooftop – for coffee.
Værnedamsvej – a street in Vesterbro, referred to as “mini Paris”, great restaurants, wine bars and independent shops.
The a La Menthe – Fælledvej. Bright Moroccan Tea Room.
Vinhanen – Nørrebro/ Vesterbro, for wine.
R Vinbar – Gammel Mønt, for wine, again!
Coffee Collective – Torvehallerne. For really good coffee. Apparently the bakery next door does amazing treats too.
Copenhagen Coffee Lab – central Copenhagen.
Shopping –
Shop Dora – this shop looks right up my street, with a mix of vintage and contemporary – just like my own store.
Aesop – simply because they fit out their stores in just the most beautiful way. I visited the shop in Covent Garden earlier this year and it is just heaven.
Hay House – Pilestræde, next to Strøget. Absolutely needs to be done, especially as I will be looking at hopefully stocking them later in the year.
Illums Bolighus – a home design store which is apparently like a design museum. In the city centre.
Retro Villa – a fun interiors store with vintage wallpaper and toys.
Stilleben – recommended by a lot of you, apparently THE best handmade/ craft store in Copenhagen.
Designer Zoo – Vesterbrogade, Interiors loveliness.
Jægersborggade – a street in the north of the city, lined with quirky and interesting shops, studios, thrift stores and restaurants.
Copenhagen has a lot of vintage/ craft fairs and Loppemarked (flea markets) in the summer. Apparently this site, with the aid of Google Translate, can help give you a local’s guide to what’s on.
Relæ and Manfreds, both on this street, come very highly recommended.
Strøget – an area good for a mix of high street/ exclusive/ design brands. Apparently exploring the side streets here is a must also.
Frama –
To Do –
The Danish Design Centre – a smaller, more manageable sized gallery with interesting exhibitions and some collections of classic Danish design.
The National Museum – amazing Viking artifacts and also vintage toys, amongst other things.
The Botanical Gardens – In the centre of the city, most famous for it’s historical glasshouses. Entry to the gardens is free and about £5 to visit the Palm House.
The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art – so, apparently, if you’re just going to do one museum in Copenhagen this is the one to do. A train ride of of the city and real feast for all the senses.
Tivoli – an old, beautiful garden + amusement park from 1843. There is sometimes live music on the lawn, depending on when you visit.
The Little Mermaid – Langelinie Promenade. A bronze statue, by Edvard Eriksen.
Kongens Have –
Also – Søerne, Fælledparken, Assistens Kirkegård.
Christiania –
Copenhagen’s alternative neighbourhood. Christiania is a mix of homemade houses, workshops, art galleries, music venues, cheap and organic eateries, and beautiful nature. It is still a society within a society.
VisitCopenhagen
Nyhavn – historic waterfront area of Copenhagen, with the iconic brightly coloured houses.
The Round Tower –
Sofiebadet – Authentic Copenhagen Bathhouse.
Getting around –
Bike is king – There is a bike scheme called CityBike – electric, motor assisted bikes with GPS that has all the landmarks pre-programmed. Do a bit of reading up on bike road rules before hand though, apparently this blog is helpful.
Public Transport – from the airport you can buy a 72 hour City Pass, which includes airport travel, for 200 kr.
Upgrading to the Copenhagen Card is apparently a good idea if you plan on visiting Tivoli, the Aquarium and 2-3 or more museums. It is about 300 kr more than the City Pass, but incs entry to Tivoli, Aquarium and most of the museums + other attractions, so can work out well.
》a great tip I’ve been told is that the Water Busses are included in the City Passes and are like a mini boat tour of the city, but at a cheaper than a purpose booked tour.
Nightlife –
Torvehallerne, as mentioned before, it’s the old Meat Packing District, with lots of nice bars and restaurants, with the odd seedy place intermingled (apparently it’s a it of a Red Light District).
Dupong – Griffenfeldsgade and Rantzausgade district – Table Tennis Bar. My Mum will be all over this, she’s an absolute Table Tennis demon!
Fiskebaron – Flæsketorvet.
Mother – For great Pizza…
La Banchina – “We focus on vegetables and everything the sea can provide, thirst quenching natural wines and a chance to exhale by the water.”
Extras –
‘Snegls’ are a must try (a type of Danish Pastry) and Laura’s Bakery in Torvehallerne are the best – or so I’m told.
Mikkeller & Friends Beer – the best, apparently. The Danes love beer, but it can seem ££ to us when bought in a pub.
Aebleflæsk – one of the most traditional Danish dishes, cured or salted pork belly, fried with apple, sugar, and thyme. Often served on Rye bread and you should accompany it with snaps or beer.
Toms Skildpadde – one of Denmark’s most popular chocolates, a turtle shape, filled with rum, cream and caramel.
Goboats – for a different way to explore and see the city.
Copenhagen is only about 35 minutes, by train, from the Swedish city of Malmö, there are approximately 71 trains a day, so in theory, if you had a spare day you could pop over and do 2 Scandinavian Countries easily. I’m torn as to whether we will do this, time is limited, but it’s very tempting!
It is worth noting that almost all Museums/ Galleries are closed on Mondays.
Well, I am definitely in the mood for a mini Danish adventure now, an absolutely huge thank you to all my lovely Instagram followers, for your ideas, tips and recommendations. I’m sure this selection doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface and the reality is we only have 2.5 days and I don’t want to exhaust myself, so we will wander around, with a few of these places in the back of our minds and see what happens. I think mostly it will be cafes and pastries, which I am more than happy with.
I hope you find this guide helpful, I’d love to hear what you think.
The big question is, how on earth am I going to cope with just hand luggage allowance?!?!
A special thank you to Catherine Caton and Emma Thomas, for your wonderfully jam packed emails.
Copenhagen looks and sounds like an amazing place to explore, would love to visit one day 😀
I’m so excited!!