Visiting Copenhagen in One of the World’s Happiest Countries

Travel notes

Nyhavn

Population recorded at publication: 1,894,521

Language: Danish

Currency: Danish krone (DKK)

Hello, here I am with our Copenhagen trip. Denmark is so often named the world's happiest country. Copenhagen welcomes you with colourful houses, historic streets, bicycles everywhere and happy, gentle people. Danish, the country's main language, is close to Norwegian and Swedish.

The pedestrian shopping street Strøget leads towards Nytorv in the city centre. Having visited Amsterdam, I expected Copenhagen to be similar, but it surprised me. Amsterdam is beautiful and distinctive too, and I liked it, but I found its bicycle traffic chaotic, walking difficult, and some cyclists not especially considerate of visitors. Copenhagen, compared with that picture in my mind, felt more orderly, refined, friendly and welcoming.

Getting between the airport and the centre was easy: about 15 minutes by Metro, and inexpensive in our experience. Our two tickets from the airport cost 72 kroner.

Places to visit and things to do in Copenhagen

Exploring Copenhagen on foot is wonderful. We walked some of the time and were delighted to discover rental electric scooters too. Scooters were left around the streets; after adding a bank card in the app, we could see their locations on a map, walk to one and scan its barcode to unlock it. One example journey of 1.9 kilometres took about 18 minutes and cost 46 kroner. It was fun, covered a lot of ground and didn't seem too expensive. We initially rented two, then learned to ride together on one. My original post even described the person behind balancing mainly on one foot; that is an account of what we did, not safe riding advice—use a separate scooter for each rider and follow local rules. We tried Voi and Lime and preferred Lime's scooters and app. Its sound feature helped locate a scooter when nearby. I really enjoyed using them in Copenhagen 🙂 You could rent bicycles too. The original post also included a video about the experience.

A 1.9-kilometre ride cost 46 kroner and took about 18 minutes.

With Voi, we often couldn't find the scooter or its battery was flat.

We found Lime's app more useful and better designed.

A Lime scooter

A Voi scooter

Now, what did we do? After checking into our hotel on day one, we headed towards the centre and came across a boat tour. If a city offers one, I really recommend it: it is a wonderful introduction. An hour cost around 60–70 kroner, I think, and the guide's English commentary was very good. We saw a lot and enjoyed it, then walked through busier parts of the city. On day two, we visited famous Tivoli. My original notes called it the world's oldest amusement park and said Walt Disney was inspired by it. There were many restaurants, important events and concerts, with paid tickets for a day, two days and other options at different prices. It appeals to all ages; my notes described it as Europe's fourth most visited amusement park. Roller coasters, musical water shows, carousels and swings were among the attractions. On day three, we were in Nyhavn, Copenhagen's touristy, lively, entertaining district of colourful houses beside the canal. I had always been curious about it from photographs. The area dates to the 1600s. With one day left, we crossed to Malmö, one of Sweden's largest cities, which I will cover separately in the next post.

Entrance to Tivoli

Strøget

Don't leave Copenhagen without exploring Strøget, its main artery. One of Europe's oldest and longest pedestrian shopping streets, it has major brands and plenty to browse. Explore the pedestrian side streets connected to it as well.

Strøget

Rundetårn—the Round Tower

Built as an astronomical observatory under Christian IV, the tower is known for its broad spiral ramp, winding seven and a half times towards a platform 34.8 metres high. You climb the sloping passage to a panoramic view over Copenhagen. It is a good way to understand the city's layout.

Rundetårn—the Round Tower

We climbed the Round Tower.

Snaregade and Magstræde

Wandering into whichever streets catch your eye is the best part of the old town, but don't miss Snaregade and Magstræde. Known as some of the oldest streets, they are photogenic, with lovely lanes and colourful houses.

Nyhavn

You know that famous postcard-like view? This is it 🙂 Don't leave without visiting Copenhagen's best-known tourist district. My notes described the little harbour as a sailors' drinking area until the 1980s, before regeneration turned it into one of the city's most fashionable places. Cafés, restaurants and pubs line the canal.

As far as I knew, number 17 was the oldest building there.

How many days for Copenhagen? I think three is enough; after that, you might become tired or feel you have had your fill 🙂 At night, you can hear live music in the pubs lining the waterfront. The old sailors' harbour became a fashionable district after redevelopment. It felt like Amsterdam concentrated into one canal, but the colourful houses added their own special charm.

The Little Mermaid

About 1.5 kilometres from Nyhavn, this little figure sits on a rock by the sea, the heroine of Hans Christian Andersen's story and a symbol of Copenhagen. The story I recorded was that Carl Jacobsen, from the brewing family, admired ballerina Ellen Price in the Royal Theatre's Little Mermaid and commissioned sculptor Edvard Eriksen. When she refused to pose nude, he used her face and his wife Eline's body as models. The statue was placed here in August 1913. My original notes also claimed this was a copy, with three copies and the original held by the sculptor's heirs. We passed it on our boat tour. To me it seemed rather overhyped, with tourists queueing for photographs, but if you are nearby, go and see it.

The Little Mermaid

Frederik's Church—the Marble Church

This Evangelical Lutheran church immediately caught my eye. I had heard there was an entrance fee, and we didn't go in. Apparently, getting married here was prestigious among Danes, and visitors could climb the dome for a view over Copenhagen.

Torvehallerne

If you enjoy covered markets, Torvehallerne is somewhere to eat and shop. I love places like this and had a wonderful time. It felt as though you could find anything you wanted.

Torvehallerne market

The famous open-faced sandwich

When to visit Copenhagen

I had heard winters were bitterly cold, while summer sunshine could be intense. If, like me, you want neither too hot nor too cold, I would choose April, May or perhaps June. We went from 18 to 21 April and had lovely weather: neither freezing nor sweltering 🙂

Is Copenhagen expensive?

Yes, genuinely. Even living in England and using pounds, we found it challenging. Accommodation and restaurant prices were noticeably high, so be prepared 🙂

What to eat in Copenhagen

We couldn't come to Denmark without trying seafood. Even though I am not its biggest fan, I like tasting traditional food in each country, so I kept wanting to try it here. Denmark's open-faced sandwiches are famous: bread topped with seafood, tasty and different. Do try them.

We tried an open-faced sandwich at a waterside restaurant in Nyhavn.

Later, we used Foursquare—the app showing restaurants and ratings—to find a place known for seafood and had dinner there. The service and staff were excellent, and the food was wonderful. It was very busy, so reserve ahead. The décor was lovely too. We tried scallops, oysters and mussels and enjoyed them very much.

Oysters & Grill

Taking it easy

After all that walking and exploring, we took breaks at a lovely pub we had also found on Foursquare. The beers, location and outdoor seating were all very good.

What to buy in Copenhagen

As always, we bought a magnet. Other souvenir ideas include a Little Mermaid figure, Royal Copenhagen porcelain and Lego. Denmark also has Flying Tiger, a chain a little like our inexpensive variety shops, but with a Danish focus on design. Its unusual products were affordable too. Be sure to have a look.

Finally, we loved Copenhagen and had a wonderful time. I hope you get the chance to visit too.

See you in my next post :)

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