travel guide: copenhagen

For years now, Copenhagen has been at the top of my “to-visit” list. The design! The architecture! The food! And it did not disappoint. We had terrible weather for almost the entire time we were there (if you can’t tell by the amount of ‘grey sky’ pictures), but the beauty of the city shone through. It’s a testament to how wonderful Copenhagen is that we managed to overlook the rain and had smiles plastered on our faces the entire time we were there. So below are more pictures than anyone would ever need, and our list of favourite meals and drinks, sites, and hot tips. Photos are a mix of iPhone and SLR.

EATS

Höst: When going to Copenhagen, even if you don’t go to Noma (we didn’t) you need to experience contemporary Nordic cuisine. One of the best meals of my life, let alone the trip. You choose between two 3-course menus  (signature or seasonal) and you get 8 full courses.

Manfreds: Imagine a vegetable focused restaurant…that also specialized in beef tartar? Get the 7 course chefs tasting menu and an order of the tartar if you eat meat. The flavours of summer brought to life with restraint and  finesse.

Atelier September: A must-do brunch stop. I loved the avocado toast on rye with grapefruit (Kyoto style) and Joe loved the classic Danish breakfast (soft boiled egg with cheese and rye). The granola with zucchini jam and matcha looked amazing.

Hot Dogs: Copenhagen is famous for their hot dogs which they top with fried onions, pickles and remoulade.

Meyers Bageri: so good we went twice, Meyers makes incredible pastries as well as whole-grain sourdough bread.  Must get: the wienerbrød, or as we know it, a Danish, and Danish braided cinnamon buns.

Torvehallerne:  a very cool food market with some very pretty produce and restaurant stalls. We ate at Hallernes Smørrebrød, a good place to have traditional Danish open faced sandwiches.

Neighborhood: I know it sounds weird to say that I had amazing pizza in Copenhagen, but it really was fantastic. The crust is extremely thin and very crisp, and they make delicious cocktails and fresh juices. I recommend the pizza with smoked salmon :).

Grød – One of the best breakfasts of the trip was at a place that specializes in porridge with delicious toppings. I had the one with dulche de leche, apples and almonds, Joe’s had vanilla apple compote, granola and skyr. Multiple locations.

Copenhagen Street Food: An amazing food market on an island in a former newspaper factory! So many options for every taste and diet. I had a super light and healthy egg wrap – it’s a wrap made from an egg crepe (gluten free) filled with stewed beans and veg. Joe went the other way and had an insane sausage with all the toppings

Coffee Collective: Really great coffee. We went to the location in Torvehallerne

Democracy Coffee: Another excellent coffee place, with delicious pastries.

SITES
Louisiana: One of our favourite places in Copenhagen wasn’t even in Copenhagen! Don’t miss a day trip to the modern art gallery Louisiana, a 30 minute train ride out of the city, right on the water. An incredible location, with a wonderful collection.

Roseborg Slot: Copenhagen’s major castle. In comparison to other castles we’ve visited, we would describe it as kind of dingy but Game of Thrones-esque. The crown jewel collection is quite cool.

Round Tower: a tower that’s almost as lovely to climb as the view is at the top. It was designed to be wide with cobblestones so the king could ride his horse to the top.

Assistens Cemetery: We stumbled upon this cemetery on a rainy evening, and it was just perfect. You can visit the graves of some famous Danes as well.

Tivoli: Yes, Copenhagen has an amazing amusement park in the middle of the city. Yes we rode rides. It’s actually extremely charming.

Botanical gardens: Copenhagen has beautiful Botanical gardens, perfect for exploring on a sunny day, or for getting some warmth in the greenhouse if you’re visiting on a cold one.

Christiania: Freetown Christiania is an autonomous community within the city of Copenhagen. In other words, it’s basically a commune within a city. We had the incredible opportunity to be given a bit of an ‘insiders tour’ by a friend, and getting to go beyond the weed-smoke filled patios that most people see to where people actually live.

Exploring the neighborhoods: Copenhagen is a city filled with great hoods. We stayed in the awesome neighborhood of Vesterbro, but we also really loved Norrebro.

GOOD TO KNOW

• If you go in the summer it gets dark really late and gets light really early (like 4/5AM!) Recommend bringing an eyemask in case your accommodations don’t have great curtains
• Beds are small in Copenhagen. Be prepared to get cozy
• Salad = anything with mayonnaise. Be warned.
• Danish fruit and veg are amazing. If you are there in the spring/summer, be sure to try some strawberries and fresh peas.
• Water is never free when dining out – so may as well go for sparkling!
• It’s expensive, yes. At a certain point you just need to enjoy yourself and stop stressing about the $7 cappuccino.