Copenhagen Travel Guide
The capital of Denmark, Copenhagen, enchants with its historic streets, colorful houses, and high standard of living, making it the city of the world’s happiest people. We planned a weekend trip to Copenhagen in January, a city we’ve long wanted to visit.
Copenhagen Travel Guide: Transportation
Our flight landed at Copenhagen Airport around 02:00 in the morning. First, at the airport, we purchased a Travel Pass ticket for 5 Euros per person, which could be used on metro, buses, and trains. Then we took the metro to reach our accommodation. Despite the cold weather, we explored the city by walking as much as possible.
Copenhagen Travel Guide: Accommodation
Copenhagen is one of the most expensive cities in terms of living costs in Europe. Therefore, for accommodation in this pricey city, we rented a room in the house of a Danish family via Airbnb. You can find the link to our accommodation here.
If you want to check hotel options in the city, you can find them here. Since our accommodation was very close to the Nuuks Plads metro station, we had no trouble with transportation. I would recommend opting for accommodation that is conveniently within walking distance of a metro station.
Copenhagen Travel Guide: When to Go?
The best time to visit Copenhagen is said to be from March to August. However, we were there not during the supposedly best time but right in the middle of winter. 🙂 As a person who gets very cold easily, I can say that the weather was not as bad as I feared.
In the winter months, the sun sets very early in Nordic countries. In Copenhagen, the sunset time was around 16:30. Actually, the disadvantage of going in winter, in my opinion, is not the cold but rather the early darkness.
Copenhagen Travel Guide: Internet
If you want to avoid any internet inconveniences while exploring, you can purchase an e-sim from Airalo here. When making your first e-sim purchase on Airalo, use the code IAMONT3974 to receive a $3 discount. 🙂
Copenhagen Travel Guide: Places to Visit
Since we had limited time to see this beautiful city in sunlight, we woke up early in the mornings. Bundled up warmly, we hit the streets with the excitement of exploring a new city. Our accommodation was in a location where we could walk to the city center despite the cold weather.
Nyhavn
First, we arrived at the Nyhavn area. This is one of the city’s most colorful and iconic spots. Nyhavn used to be a very busy port where ships from all over the world arrived. Now, this area is filled with restaurants and cafes. Despite it being winter and the weather being cold, this area was lively. Undoubtedly, it is even more vibrant and lively in good weather during the summer.
Amalienborg Palace
After Nyhavn, we walked to Amalienborg Palace. This palace was built in the 17th century right in the center of the city and consists of four identical buildings. This palace, where the royal family lives, is guarded by royal guards. We found the uniforms of the guards very similar to the uniforms of the British guards. Part of the palace is used as a museum and is open to visitors.
However, we preferred to see the outdoor places before it gets dark instead of museum. In the courtyard of the palace stands the statue of Frederik V. Apparently, this statue cost more than the total of the four buildings in the area.
Frederik’s Church
Right across from the palace is Frederik’s Church, also known as the Marble Church. The Marble Church is the church with the highest dome in the Scandinavian region. Both the interior and exterior are quite impressive.
Afterwards, we warmed up with a cup of coffee and a croissant each from a market (7-Eleven) on our way. We paid 6 Euros per person for coffee and croissant.
After warming up with coffee, we walked to St. Alban’s Church. This Gothic-style church, located next to dry branches and the frozen river, looked like something out of a movie scene. Here, there is also the Gefion Fountain, which tells a mythological legend. Due to the cold weather, both the fountain’s water and the large river next to the building were frozen.
The Little Mermaid
The iconic Little Mermaid, which has become one of the symbols of Copenhagen, was actually a smaller sculpture than we expected. This iconic Little Mermaid, which comes to mind when Copenhagen is mentioned, is a character from the stories of Hans Christian Andersen, a famous Danish author.
Tivoli Gardens
On our second day, we woke up early again and went out to explore. One of the places I was most curious about, Tivoli Gardens, was closed while we were there. Tivoli Gardens is a large amusement park located in the city center, operating since 1843. It is the world’s second oldest and still operating park. The park is open from April to September. If you want to get more detailed information and check ticket prices, you can find it here.
Carlsberg Brewery
By taking a bus from the city center, we reached Carlsberg Brewery. Due to various barriers around the factory due to road and environmental works, it was a bit difficult to reach. However, when we arrived, it welcomed us with its castle-like building. Here you can see how Carlsberg beer is made from start to finish and shop at the gift store if you wish.
We really liked this gift package in the store. 🙂
Freetown Christiania
After the factory, our target was Freetown Christiania. Christiania is an autonomous area within Copenhagen, home to about 1000 people. Free City has its own flag and rules.
First, when we entered the area, a sign with the three basic rules of the region caught our attention. 1- Have fun, 2- No photography, 3- No running. Smoking and selling hashish are allowed in Christiania. People make their purchases from the stalls as they wish. Frankly, while we were wandering in the area, we took photos inconspicuously and there was no problem. However, if you take photos of people, especially the stalls, it may be a problem.
This region, which has its own flag, national anthem, and rules, of course, had its own beer. We went to one of the bars in the Free City and tried the Christiania beer, which we cannot drink anywhere else in the world. We liked the taste and brought the bottle as a souvenir.
Strøget Street
With the darkening of the sky, we arrived at the famous shopping street, Strøget. We strolled in these brightly lit streets and blended into the crowd. If you are looking for a souvenir, you can find many options here. We bought a box of the famous Danish Cookies alongside small items like magnets & pins. There were very nice things at Flying Tigers on the same street. But I’m warning you from the beginning because you might lose yourself there. 🙂
Copenhagen Travel Guide: Activities
In Copenhagen, you can explore the city with a guided tour, take a boat tour if the weather is pleasant, and visit museums. You can check out these and many other activities here and, if you wish, purchase your tickets online.
Copenhagen Travel Guide: Dining & Food and Drink
Copenhagen is the city with the most Michelin-starred restaurants among the Nordic countries. Reservations at the most famous one, Noma, are made almost a year in advance. Apart from these renowned restaurants, you can find a variety of places to eat in Copenhagen. The city’s bakeries are truly outstanding, with their sourdough bread and legendary desserts. If you happen to be around, I recommend taking a look at their bakeries.
As I mentioned earlier about its expensiveness, dining out in Copenhagen can be quite costly. We usually opted to shop from a nearby supermarket and had our meals at home.
Copenhagen Travel Guide: Notes & Recommendations & Closing
- I pinned the places to visit and restaurants on Google Maps in order. If you save the map below, you can easily reach the locations even without internet.
- Credit cards are widely accepted almost everywhere in Copenhagen. Even in public restrooms you make payments with your card. So, you don’t necessarily need to carry a lot of cash.
- Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our time in Copenhagen. It’s a place that must be visited for its people, history, and a blend of both modern and Gothic atmospheres. Looking forward to revisiting when the weather is pleasant!
- You can find more about my experiences in other European cities here.
