Copenhagen is pretty much Scandinavia in microcosm: tall merchants’ houses built on water; tall, good-looking people who seem generally happy with their lot; a cheeky, semi-serious rivalry with their Scandi neighbors; expensive. Here’s how I got a handle on the city in a few days, with some suggestions for other things to do besides.
When to visit Copenhagen
The best time to visit Copenhagen is the summer months. Spring and fall can be unpredictable weather-wise, and winter is cold and wet, with short days and chilly winds. Visit in summer and you’ll have the best chance of fine weather, but it’ll also be relatively packed with tourists, of course. April and May might be the best mix of weather versus crowds, but don’t forget your umbrella!
What to see and do in the center of Copenhagen
The city revolves around a few elements: the pedestrianized shopping street of Strøget, the waterfront at Gammel Strand opposite the Christiansborg Palace, and the beautiful (and much-touristed) Nyhavn that backs onto the royal palace of Amalienborg. There are, of course, many other things to see walking west towards Tivoli and north to the Round Tower, but in the very center, this is what you’ll probably see first.
Strøget
Strøget is a good place in Copenhagen to get your initial bearings — Getty Images
This long street leads all the way from the Rådhuspladsen (City Hall Square) to the huge ornamental square at Kongens Nytorv, and is a good way to get your initial bearings. It’s full of designer stores and coffee places as well as the classic smattering of Irish pubs and souvenir shops. Once you’ve had your fill of tripping over gawking tourists, however, it’s best to peel off down one of the many side streets that lead to the waterfront, north towards the university, or perhaps down Lille Kirkestræde to the Nikolaj Arts Center, housed in a former church and with a lovely little café attached.
Gammel Strand
The changing of the guard at Amalienborg was David’s highlight of a questionable free walking tour — Getty Images A useful Metro stop can be found here, as can a slew of elegant brick buildings that were clearly either warehouses or workshops used by the fishing industry; now restaurants and bars opening onto a pleasant waterfront plaza. It was here that I also joined a walking tour of the city, and now I’m going to digress slightly, for a bit of a rant. I registered to go on the “Politically Incorrect Free Walking Tour”. This was mainly because it seemed to be one of the only ones available, which was odd, and was very wary of its claim of “[a] focus on facts, entertainment, and politically incorrect humor”. To me, someone declaring themselves “politically incorrect” on purpose is the same as people who claim that they “just say things as I see them” — it’s an excuse for people with no actual sense of humor to get away with bullying those they see as weaker. However, it seemed to have been running for a long time, so maybe it was just a provocative title. Well, it was dreadful. Our guide, Sebastian, had a script he stuck to rigidly that mainly consisted of him sh*tting on Copenhagen from a great height, lambasting us for being tourists, and a selection of “jokes” delivered with such bad timing that almost none of them landed, and those that did were met with awkward semi-laughter and a lot of staring at the floor. The highlight was watching the changing of the guard at the Amalienborg palace. Okay, it’s not the most spectacular thing you’ll ever see, but it was perfectly pleasant, and, if you’re not from a European country, possibly not something you’d have seen before. It was accompanied by a running commentary on how this must be “the crappiest, most disappointing thing you’ve ever seen, right guys? Guys?!” I learned nothing of note throughout the 90 minutes, except that when a man who can’t read a room asks for the equivalent of $30 per person at the end of his tour, you walk away. Avoid, avoid, avoid.
Nyhavn
During the tour, I’d started chatting to a fellow solo traveler, an Australian chap by the name of Alec. We were both utterly unimpressed with the whole thing, and despite Sebastian’s dire warnings of “don’t go to X, Y and Z — they’re only for f*cking tourists”, we decided we were f*cking tourists and went to them. 
If there’s one must-visit spot in Copenhagen, it’s Nyhavn — David Szmidt Anyway, Nyhavn was one of those spots and it’s absolutely lovely. Yes, it’s busy; yes, it’s a bit of a tourist trap, but it’s also very pretty and you’d be a fool to miss it. It’s a stretch of canal backed by fine 17th-century townhouses, all in different colors and sizes, but that come together to make an area at least as lovely as its equivalent in, say, Amsterdam. From here you can take a canal trip, grab something to drink or, as I did, get yourself a hot dog from one of the carts. Hot dogs hold a special place in the Danish psyche, I discovered, as they’re the great food leveler. From politician to street cleaner, everyone loves a hot dog, and the assembly and elements of the perfect hot dog is a matter of strong opinion. Anyway, mine was huge, piping hot, had a sweet, tangy mustard and was absolutely delicious. 
The waterside view past The Little Mermaid — David Szmidt Head northeast and through the Kastellet gardens and you’ll eventually come across The Little Mermaid statue. This is, admittedly, a bit underwhelming, but you get good views across to a more modern side of the city, namely the art galleries and the opera house in Holmen.
Out of the center: Vesterbro, Nørrebro, and Freetown Christiania
It’s easy to walk around Copenhagen, and these three areas will give you a different vibe to the very center of the city. They’re all a maximum of around 30 to 45 minutes’ walk away from Gammel Strand, or easily accessible on the Metro.
Vesterbro
This was the area I was staying in, the old meatpacking district southwest of Copenhagen ’s main railway station. It’s now an artsy, studenty part of the city centered around the large square at Enghave Plads. The square and surrounding streets are packed with funky little bars and pubs, restaurants, bakeries and brunch places, as well as late-night kebab places, coffee shops, and bodegas. On arrival, I initially headed to Stempel which looked friendly and was (burgers, salads, fish and chips — good pub staples done well), but soon the bar tab came and I was hit with the one, immutable truth of traveling in this part of the world: the cost. We’ll be dealing with budget later, but it was at this point that I vowed to just pay what things cost without converting it in my head. You can’t constantly compare prices — you’ll just make yourself sad. Pay what it costs and deal with it later. (Admittedly this might seem a reckless strategy, but as long as you’re not eating out for every meal and just allow yourself the odd luxury, it worked for me.) Oh, also, get a drink from the simply-named Enghave Plads 9 . It’s a takeaway pub, so if the night is warm, you can get a craft beer, organic cider or wine, or lemonade in a to-go cup and just sit out on the square. There’s a belting bakery next door for breakfast, too, called — simply — Brød . Lovely.
Nørrebro
Copenhagen’s most culturally diverse neighborhood, this is the place to come for world food, vintage clothing , second-hand books and records, dive bars, and street art. As of 2017, it’s estimated that one in six residents of Nørrobro held a non-Danish passport, and in 2021 a Time Out poll voted it the “world’s coolest neighborhood” . Wow. And it is cool. You’d like to live there — I certainly would. It’s got a touch more edge than Vesterbro, but never feels uneasy. It’s simply very, very lively and there’s always something going on. There’s not a time I wouldn’t like to descend the narrow staircase from my apartment to spend the evening sitting in a pub garden with a book, or meeting friends for ramen, tacos, sliders or shawarma. It’s also the final resting place of a number of notable Danes in the Assistens Cemetery. The huge burial ground is also, oddly, used as somewhere to walk, cycle or even picnic — it’s a big green space in the center of Nørrobro after all — and celebrates life as much as it mourns death. Pay your respects to Hans Christian Andersen, Søren Kierkegaard and Niels Bohr among others, before heading out again north to Superkilen to see modern Denmark in all its youthful, confident prime.
Freetown Christiania
Christianshavns Kanal — David Szmidt
On a curved island southeast of the city center is the semi-mythical Freetown Christiania. It’s best approached by walking over the Knippelsbro bridge, turning left, and following the very pretty Christianshavns Kanal (for a taste of what living in Copenhagen could be like if you had all the money). Then, drop by the curious Vor Frelsers Kirke, a 17th-century church with spiral stairs going up the outside of its spire. 
This neighborhood can be described as some kind of enchanting hippy village — Getty Images Christiania itself is a former military base that became a squat in the 1970s and likes to think it’s as anarchic a commune as ever it was. It’s not, of course, and the area now attracts over half a million visitors a year. It still operates as a sort of pseudo-anarchist democracy, with residents’ groups liaising with the city of Copenhagen over what they can do differently, and isn’t quite as comic-book as you’d think. Indeed, in the 1990s, there were territorial battles between rival biker gangs, and later, gang wars over who ran the cannabis trade (legal only in Christiania and nowhere else in Denmark) resulted in a fatal shooting in 2005, a grenade attack in 2009, and the shooting of a police offer in 2016, the latter marking the end the cannabis stalls on Pusher Street. There now exists an uneasy semi-truce between the dealers, the locals and the police. You can still buy cannabis there — and believe me, you will be offered it — but there’s also a couple of microbreweries, a vegan café, a skate park, some nice green space, and a bunch of street food stalls. I was there the weekend of a Denmark-Northern Ireland football match and the atmosphere at Café Woodstock (what else?!) was sunny and relaxed, with both sets of fans mixing and drinking with the suntanned local hippies who had clearly been there for years. It’s an odd place, but one that’s very much worth a few hours of your time.
What’s a typical budget for Copenhagen?
As mentioned, Copenhagen is pretty pricey, as are other Scandinavian countries. However, if you’re smart, it doesn’t have to be bank-breaking. There are a lot of free sights and things to do, as we’ve seen, and budget food options once you get out of the very center. With that in mind, here’s an average guide. Local currency: Danish krone; €1 = 7.45 kr. Coffee: €6 0.5l local beer: €9.40 Lunch: €20 Dinner in a mid-range restaurant: €30 — €45 per person Hostel for one night: €45 3-star hotel for one night: €130 — €180 with breakfast
DAILY BUDGET (excluding accommodation): €120 — €150
Hostel-wise, I’d just like to throw in a shout-out to Next House . Alec, mentioned above, was staying there and we spent a whole evening hanging out in their rooftop garden having two-for-one mojitos and earwigging on other peoples’ conversations.
That’s how to do Copenhagen in a few days
Friendly people, a pleasant city, good food and a welcoming atmosphere were my closing thoughts on Copenhagen. It doesn’t do anything spectacularly differently, but it does almost everything very well. I came away feeling satisfied. Life was good.
@kiwi.com Replying to @VR 🙊🇬🇧 With the remaining 785€ you could buy around 250 typical yummy danish pastries 🥮 #cheaptravel #cheapflights #travelfulltime #funtravel ♬ Aesthetic - Megacreate
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