Five days in Copenhagen
Is that enough time to spend on a visit to the capital of Denmark?
Simply put … I love Copenhagen. I expected to like Copenhagen, but during our visit in December I was smitten with the city — its architecture, charm, vibrant character, people, cuisine, and hygee (a cozy sense of well-being). I’d say that five days is enough time to get a great introduction to Copenhagen and find things you’d like to do on a future visit — more districts to explore, museums to visit, and day trips to take. It is also a perfect place to begin further adventures in other regions of Denmark. Copenhagen is also a perfect place from which to embark on adventures in other regions of Denmark.
Copenhagen, Denmark
Our trip to Copenhagen in early December was in keeping with our annual tradition of kicking off the holidays and celebrating Mr. TWS’s birthday and it was another great experience that will remain in our hearts. (See how we spent six days in Zurich last year.)
Here’s a look at some of the highlights we enjoyed during our five days in Copenhagen.
Copenhagen highlights
Copenhagen at night — lovely on a rainy evening
Nyhavn (New Harbor) waterfront district
Historic Nyhavn was established as an important commercial port in the 1670s. In fact, the city’s Danish name, København, means “Merchant’s Harbor”. Many of the existing buildings were once homes for sailors and merchants or warehouses. The charming area with colorful buildings along the canal was also the home of the famous author Hans Christian Andersen in the 1800s.
Boats on the canal in Nyhavn district
Boats, including old wooden ships, add to the maritime character of the area. Along the canal, there are many restaurants bustling with people, particularly tourists, enjoying food, drink, and the vibe. In winter, the long row of restaurants and bars with outdoor tables (sometimes called “Scandinavia’s longest outdoor bar”) have heat lamps to keep everything cozy and warm.
Canal tour
Nyhavn — canal tour boat at the dock
A great way to begin a stay in Copenhagen is to take a canal tour. We took the one hour “Classic Tour” offered by Canal Tours Copenhagen, Stromma which leaves from Ved Stranden 26. Most of the boat is covered in winter (see above), but we chose to sit outside upfront for best views. Riding the boat on the network of Copenhagen’s canals and harbor we saw alternative views of many of the important sites in central Copenhagen.
Our local guide was very informative and entertaining, pointing out interesting and important spots as well as regaling us with insider’s perspectives. We sailed through several areas on the canals, passing under quite a few bridges, some with very low headroom. Don’t worry, the guide makes sure that everyone outside stays seated with arms down when necessary!
Amalienborg Palace & Museum
Amalienborg Palace has been the home of the Danish royal family going back 150 years to Christian IX and Queen Louise. It’s interesting that Christian and Louise have been called the “in-laws of Europe” because four of their children became royals of England, Russia, Greece, as well as Denmark.
Changing of the guard at Amalienborg Palace
We arrived at noon for the daily changing of the guard and then visited the museum in one of the four palace buildings to tour the impressive collections of the interior living areas. We particularly enjoyed the weapons room and various other rooms full of period furniture and many artifacts. There’s also beautiful Russian jewelry in the Fabergé chamber of the museum.
Queen Louise’s Salon in Amalienborg Palace and Museum
Rosenborg Castle
There are several castles and palaces to visit in Copenhagen and the surrounding area. Another one we chose to visit was Rosenborg Castle, built by Christian IV in the 17th century.
Rosenborg Castle
Throughout the castle, there are many royal treasures from the past 400 years, including the Crown Jewels, royal portraits, tapestries, and coronation thrones.
The Great Hall of Rosenborg Castle
Crown of King Christian IV of Denmark 1595 – 1596 at Rosenborg Castle
Strøget shopping area
If you love to shop, you’ll want to spend time in Strøget, a pedestrianized shopping area that runs from Rådhuspladsen (City Hall Square) to Kongens Nytorv (The King’s New Square”, the largest public square in Copenhagen) and includes the streets of Frederiksberggade, Nygade, Vimmelskaftet, and Østergade. We walked through this area several times while exploring Copenhagen and on our way between the hotel and restaurants. One evening, we took a quick look inside ILLUM, the large and tastefully-decorated Danish department store. The ambiance was lively with holiday shoppers on the five floors plus a basement level and a rooftop food court. The rooftop bar was enclosed because it was winter, but during warm weather it would be fun to stop up there for a drink and enjoy the view.
ILLUM department store (right) on Østergade on a rainy late night
Tivoli Gardens
We heard that Tivoli Gardens was a must-see when visiting at Copenhagen and at Christmastime it was magical. This large park has the second oldest amusement park in the world, many pavilions for entertainment, a small boating lake, and a selection of restaurants and bars.
Tivoli Gardens
We spent about three hours walking the whole park and stopping to enjoy the sights and beautiful Christmas decorations. It was touching to see families with children enjoying the sights and also the rides. One of our favorite moments was seeing two toddlers awed with noses against the glass of windows at a tiny house displaying animated scenes of Santa reminiscent of the Macy’s Christmas windows.
Tivoli Gardens
Be sure to stop and admire the luxurious Moorish-style Nimb Hotel that is located in Tivoli Gardens.
More landmarks and museums
Copenhagen has a wealth of museums, galleries, palaces, churches and other landmarks of interest. This list just scratches the surface of the places of interest to visit.
Spiral spire of Our Saviors Church – Photo credit: Lukas Bukoven, Copenhagen Media Center
- The Church of our Savior in the Christianshavn district has a very distinctive spiral tower with an exterior staircase to the top. Weather permitting, you can take the stairs to the top for great views.
- The National Museum of Denmark includes an Arctic exhibition (world of the Inuit), history of Denmark, and a children’s museum. A few key exhibits we saw were the Doll’s Houses, Voices from the Colonies, People of the Arctic, and Visit the 1970s.
- I have to say the famous statue of The Little Mermaid was littler than I expected (about 4 ft. tall), but it was fun to get a glimpse of her from the back on a rock along the shore of the harbor during our canal boat tour. The story behind the Little Mermaid‘s commission, design, and indignities afterwards is rather interesting.
- CopenHill is a unique power plant that is also a ski slope, hiking trail, and climbing wall. We didn’t get a chance to visit, but would love to next time, to walk the trail, or even just for the novelty of it.
- Danish Architecture Center showcases the works of classic and contemporary Danish designers, covering 1000 years of Danish architecture. So it was surprising to learn that the Danish Architecture Center was designed by an architectural firm in the Netherlands!
BLOX, the Danish Architecture Center
Beyond Copenhagen on a day trip (more to come in future post)
There are many options to go further afield from Copenhagen by public train, car, or guided tour. In a future post, we’ll share information and photos about a day trip that took us by coach to Helsingør to visit Kronborg Castle, and the Swedish cities of Lund and Malmö.
Dining Options
Danish traditional food and inspired Nordic cuisine
We ate very well in Copenhagen. There is a wonderful variety of cuisine and styles — traditional Danish, international, Michelin-starred/Bib Gourmand designated, casual, vegan, and more.
Our dining experiences were some of our trip’s highlights as we got to not only got to enjoy delicious dishes, but interacted with many Danes, people from other non-U.S. countries, and observe many Christmas parties and celebrations.
Mr. TWS’s birthday eve dinner at Restaurant 1733
Recommended restaurants
I can recommend each of the restaurants below. Be sure to make reservations at the more popular restaurants as soon as you know your schedule, especially during peak season and the holidays.
Six course menu at Marv & Ben
Marv & Ben at Snaregade 4 — The name of this Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant doesn’t refer to two people, rather this Danish name translates to “Marrow & Bone”. I chose to splurge a little here to celebrate Mr. TWS’s birthday. We loved the six-course inspired Nordic cuisine menu with wine pairing (shown above). Mr. TWS had a pescatarian alternative for the raw beef and duck dishes. It was a real treat and the cuisine was matched by the great service.
Sampler of dishes at Copenhagen, Denmark restaurants: (clockwise) roast duck at Restaurant Karla, pork and shrimp dumplings at Union Kitchen, plaice at Restaurant 1733, and potato smørrebrød at Bistro Verde
Restaurant Karla at Dantes Plads 1 – Restaurant Karla serves traditional Danish fare in friendly, warm and casual atmosphere. I had the roast pork (shown above). I learned that the Danes really love gravy, not just the little portion I poured!
The Union Kitchen at Store Strandstræde 21 — There are other locations, including at the Copenhagen airport. The city center location where we dined is a lively, locals place, offering unique tapas-like shareable Danish and international dishes. We liked it here so much, we came back a second time. We also had great conversations with Danes here.
Restaurant 1733 at Nybrogade 14 — This charming, bustling restaurant offers traditional Danish fare. Mr. TWS had a whole large pan-fried plaice (a flatfish shown below) and I had Danish meatballs which are larger, flatter, and crispier than Swedish meatballs, and made with pork or pork/veal mix.
Bistro Verde at Sankt Annæ Pl. 22 – This vegan restaurant is convenient to Amalienborg Palace. We just stumbled upon it after seeing the changing of the guard and visiting the museum at the palace. It was warm and cozy with a welcoming staff. I had a delicious potato smørrebrød (Danish version of open-faced sandwiches) and Mr. TWS had pumpkin soup.
Cafe Katz at Frederiksholms Kanal 1 – where we had lunch before visiting the National Museum. It was a cozy, artsy café offering dishes from Danish to Mediterranean.
Restaurant Vita at Store Kongensgade 25 – We’d read that food and service here was uneven, but we enjoyed both. I had wiener schnitzel and Mr. TWS had the plaice. It’s a popular restaurant that locals like to frequent, particularly for special occasions. We were surrounded by very friendly Copenhagen locals having their Christmas parties. They welcomed us into sharing in their fun and holiday toasts, making it a special experience.
Feeling the holiday spirit at Restaurant Via
Visiting during Christmas holiday season
Ice rink at Kongens Nytorv with Hotel D’Angleterre decorated for the holidays
Visiting cities in Europe during late November through the end of the year is a special experience and Copenhagen has its own festive feeling. There are several Christmas markets and tasteful decorations adorn the streets, buildings, and squares. Many restaurants offer a very popular Christmas Lunch consisting of platters of fish and meat dishes to share. At Kongens Nytorv there was an ice skating track (shown above) around the King Christian V statue.
Christmas market venues we enjoyed
Christmas market at Højbro Plads near Strøget
We visited four Christmas markets — Kongens Nytorv, Nyhavn, Højbro Plads, and Tivoli Gardens (the largest of the markets). Most of the markets are small and cozy places to buy crafts and souvenirs made in Denmark, indulge in Danish sweets (such as Æbleskiver – a Danish version of a donut hole that is served with jam and powdered sugar) and other traditional Danish treats. Don’t miss a taste of Gløgg which is the Danish version of hot, spiced wine.
Tivoli Gardens at Christmastime
Santa Lucia festivities and kayak parade
If you’re lucky enough to be in Copenhagen on December 13 as we were, you can catch the annual Santa Lucia festivities and kayak parade. The parade starts at the Kayak Bar and continues along the canals through Nyhavn, Christianshavn, and Højbro Plads districts. We stood on the Nyhavn bridge to watch the festively decorated kayaks with carol-singing participants entering the canal, proceeding under the bridge and coming back. It was a highlight of the trip and a great way to wrap up our time in Copenhagen.
Santa Lucia Kayak parade
How we got around during five days in Copenhagen
As usual, we walked a lot while exploring Copenhagen. But we also took advantage of the easy-to-use public transportation system of the metro, trains, ferry (the Harbour Bus), and buses. If you enjoy using bikes as transportation, this is a city for you! We took Uber on one occasion to a restaurant due to the weather. Although it’s fast and easy to use public transportation between the airport and city center, we took a taxi so as not to carry our luggage too far.
Bikes parked on an overpass near Central Station
We felt that we got our money’s worth buying the Copenhagen Card that included unlimited use of public transportation on trains, metro, buses, and local ferry. The card also provides free admission to many attractions in the city and in surrounding areas. We especially liked the convenience of the card since there is no need to buy individual tickets at stations or online.
Where we stayed
71 Nyhavn Hotel at Nyhavn 71 — The hotel encompasses two historic former warehouse buildings at the edge of the Nyhavn Canal and the inner harbor. Our building, the older of the two (first from the right in the photo below), was once a spice warehouse. A great breakfast is included with a nice diversity of buffet items and cook-to-order omelets and pancakes. It’s also very convenient to many main sights and public transportation (including a ferry stop – as you can see in the photo).
Hotel 71 Nyhavn buildings and a “harbour bus” ferry
Stay tuned for more about what we loved about Copenhagen and beyond.
