A friend of mine and I decided to take a trip to Copenhagen, Denmark last month and I figured it was worth sharing our experience for anyone who may be interested. I was lucky to have a coursemate from there who gave me a list of his recommendations which was really helpful. There are plenty more, but here is what we did.
Rosenborg Castle (£12.77)
Located in the heart of Copenhagen, this is a must see with its many royal art treasures and the Crown Jewels and Royal Regalia.
SMK – Statens Museum for Kunst (£13.93)
Also located in the heart of Copenhagen, the National Gallery of Denmark is a museum which handles Danish and foreign art dating from the 14th century to the present day. There were some fascinating works here, exhibitions of all sorts.
Christiansborg Palace (£17.41)
This beautiful palace holds the Danish Parliament Folketinget, the Supreme Court, and the Ministry of State. Parts of the castle are used by the Royal Family for various functions and events. It is stunning inside, and also really makes you feel like a peasant!
Roskilde
A cute coastal city west of Copenhagen which was incredibly windy but so beautiful. You’d need to take a regional train to get here, but it is definitely worth it. A fun place to walk around.
Freetown Christiania
The “autonomous anarchist district” in Copenhagen is known to be your stereotypical hippie town. Everything about it screams unique, and it’s worth having a walkabout (excuse the stench of weed it exudes). Each home stands out in its originality with a character of its own; much like this town itself.
Tivoli Gardens (£12.77)
This is an amusement park that’s really got something for everyone, whether it’s rides, dining or just walking around. When we were here, it was done up for winter, with little stores, ice skating, fake snow and a lot of lights. Rides were also running, but they’re not included in the ticket. It is believed that Walt Disney got his inspiration for Disneyland from visiting Tivoli!
Nyhavn
Probably one of the most famous tourist spots is this gorgeous canal. There are little cafes on the side if you’re feeling peckish. We took a 60-minute canal tour which was around £10 per person. I’d recommend it because considering canals are an integral part of the layout of the city itself, it’s a great way to see Copenhagen from a different point of view. The ride is also very smooth so don’t worry about getting seasick (and covered with heating inside for winter).
The Round Tower (£2.90)
The 17th-century tower and observatory Rundetaarn, or the round tower, is the oldest functioning observatory in Europe. To get there, you need to walk up the spiral walk, which is 268,5 meters long. It’s pretty easy to ascend and descend, and the views of Copenhagen from the very top make a good incentive to take a climb up. There’s also a church at the bottom that you can check out.
I’d recommend getting a Copenhagen card, you can order it online and pick it up from locations such as the airport or central station (see their website for more). We activated ours for 72 hours, which cost us £80. As painful as this was, it was worth it because with the attractions and transport included, we exceeded the £80. The card not only gets you into loads of appeals, but it also allows you to use their public transportation for free, even the regional ones which was so convenient. Definitely recommend it as you save a lot of time.
We cut corners on food. We stayed at Urban House which was a great hostel, right next to central station and came with a kitchen. We shared a room with four other girls which we had no issue with. The hostel was really catered for students and very clean and safe.
Weather-wise because it was winter, it was chilly (-3 degree Celsius most of the time) with the wind and rain being the biggest nuisance. The good thing is tourist crowds were small, but the weather was hard to endure at times when you’re out all day. We survived though! And we had a great time. Copenhagen is stunning, it just requires some saving up.