5 Days in Copenhagen

I just spent 5 wonderful days in Copenhagen and I feel like I saw absolutely everything. From museums to landmarks, boats and theme parks; overindulging in pastries and Smorresbrod wherever possible. Below are the top highlights of our trip that I would really recommend if you are to venture to this beautiful Danish Capital City.

First of all, we visited in April. Fortunately, (and completely by accident) it was the week after half-term and the Monday-Friday before bank holiday, so travelling was a doddle. We arrived at 6pm Copenhagen time and left at 11:30am on Friday, giving us three full days to explore.

The metro from the airport took about 20 minutes and was easy to navigate, taking us straight to Kongen's Nytorv or 'The King's Square', in Downtown Copenhagen.

As soon as we came out of the station, we could see the Square (which is actually much more of a circle) with the picturesque harbour decorating the background with its colours. Our accommodation, Generator Copenhagen (£394.16 for 4 nights, including mandatory 15% service charge) was a 2 minute walk away, so we swiftly dropped off our bags on the sixth floor and went straight out for a harbourside dinner as the sun set. It was a perfect way to get acquainted with the local area and fulfill our role as tourists in the most idyllic part of the city centre.

Day 1:

We left at 8:30am to find a vegan bakery we'd previously Googled. Dairy really isn't my thing so, even though I had to compromise my dietary choices and eat fish, I was all about the vegan pastries. We walked through the Rosenborg gardens on the way, admiring the trees and sculptures, then crossed busy roads full of bicycles to get to Landbageriet Bakery. I'm not even exaggerating when I say we went back nearly every day for breakfast as the pastries were not only huge and filling, but absolutely DELICIOUS.

After eating the pastries at the Kings Square, along with a coffee* we boarded a boat at the harbour for a tour of Copenhagen's Canals. There are a fair few companies that run canal tours; we chose Stromma Canal Tours who run every hour from 10-6pm. Whilst it is possible to board from two locations during the tour, I would recommend starting at Nyhavn Harbour. The second part of the tour is a bit slower so perhaps less exciting to start there. We went at 10am for their first tour of the day which was informative and gave a good perspective of the area from the water, helping us later to get our bearings.

Inspired by the tour, which showed us the Little Mermaid landmark from the sea, we set off on foot after to see her from land. Here is where I will suggest comfortable footwear, as she was much further than I had anticipated and wearing sandals on the first day was a big no. Distracting me from my brewing blisters, however, was Amalienborg Palace which we passed on the way; home of the Danish Royal Family. There is a rather ceremonious changing of the guard which we managed to see too (they march to and from Rosenborg to the palace every day between 11:30 and Midday).

To get to the Little Mermaid was a little less straight forward than I'd expected as you have to pass through Kastellet Fort gardens (which houses lots of cafes and an appealing gourmet supermarket). Had I known the gardens would be so beautiful and full of blossom, I would perhaps have spent more time there. It is worth noting that the Little Mermaid, whilst a must-see when in Copenhagen, is a lot smaller and anticlimactic than it's made out to be, so maybe more time in the gardens would make it feel like more of an activity. A lovely view all the same, though.

For the afternoon, we took a brave 40-minute walk back across town to the Glyptoteket which houses exhibitions of French and Danish Art, as well as Roman and Greek sculptures, Egyptian Mummies and a lush greenhouse in the building's domed centre. The gallery is free on Tuesdays, hence why we decided to go then and see only the permanent collections. Tickets can otherwise be bought for 115DKK (roughly £13) which also gives you access to special exhibits at the time.

For dinner, we made a reservation at Rossopomodoro which is part of the Illum shoppinng centre rooftop dining. I'd spotted a rooftop coffee shop from below which had sparked my interest. You have to go to the 4th floor of a department store to get there and reservations allow you to get a seat outside (definitely worth it, inside feels like you're part of the shop and I think is where you'd be seated as a walk in). We had Pizza (vegan options available) and Aperol Spritz as the sun went down.

*side note: Coffee in Copenhagen is £££. I bought a coffee from Espresso House, which was by far the most expensive I had the whole trip. Admittedly, I do have oat milk which they charge extra for, as we do in the UK, but this particular coffee cost me £5.33. Every coffee I had was probably over £4, but Coffee House was seemingly the most costly. Definitely worth adding a few extra coins to your coffee budget if you like accompanying your pastries!

Day 2:

After heading back to Landbageriet for more delicious pastries, we went to the Botanical Gardens. They open at 8:30am so we walked around looking at all the plants and trees, even spotting two playful red squirrels. The Palm House opens at 10am and you have to buy tickets, but if plants are your thing I would really recommend it. The plants are stunning and reach all the way up to the glass ceiling - there is even a balcony level you can climb up to see the towering trees from above. It is very warm so make sure to bring removable/light layers. There is a butterfly house attached which is rather sweet, and the tickets give you access to three attractions; The Palm House, Natural History Museum and Zoology Museum, all of which you have 48 hours to visit once activated at your first attraction (roughly £12 per ticket).

Following this, we saw the Wildlife Photography of the Year exhibit at the Natural History Museum. This is a personal favourite as I've always been a fan of these exhibits, so I felt lucky to see it as it was supposed to end in 2021. This was the only thing we wanted to see at this museum, but with the tickets there are so many more interesting things to look at if you have the time.

For lunch after the gallery, we went to MoJoe's which was one street along from where we were staying. Here, like many places, they served the traditional dish of Copenhagen - Smorrebrod. These are open sandwhiches of rye bread typically topped with meat or fish. They were delightful - we ordered two each which was a good amount and worked out better value for money.

After a bit of post-lunch shopping, we walked to the Black Diamond Library which was pointed out to us on our boat tour. As a building, this is interesting to look around as it has some funky architecture. The cafe is expensive and it felt out of our way considering where we had been for the day, so if you're thinking of going here, perhaps explore closer by attractions too. They do, however, hold exhibitions in the basement so we went to a second photography exhibit about peoples relationships with cameras and photography. As a concept, it was interesting, though a little clunky in terms of the way it was organised.

Day 3:

For our final full day in Copenhagen, I'd say this was the best organised, logically structured day. Whether we'd just got into the swing of things or had more energy, I don't know, but if you stay as central as we did this day flowed really well.

We visited Rosenborg Castle when it first opened at 11am, giving us plenty of time for a slow mooch around for breakfast beforehand. The palace is right opposite the Natural History Museum and Botanical Gardens, so it would have been possible to incorporate it earlier on in the week. The tickets were roughly £14 which was the most expensive attraction we visited, but if you are into the life of Danish Royals and intricate, showy decor, it's definitely worth it. We only realised at the box office (the website kept crashing when I tried to pre-purchase tickets), but there is an option to buy a ticket that allows access to 6 museums and castles around Copenhagen, so if you really want to get the most out of your money it might be worth doing. Additionally, if you are there to learn more about Royal Danish life in the 1600s, perhaps consider doing one of their guided tours. This is not an option we chose as we were happy just looking around, but there was little to no information to read about the artifacts on display.

After admiring the crown jewels and battle armor, we walked for 25 minutes (it is possible to get a Metro) through the tourist trap part of the city to reach Tivoli Gardens. I'd pre-bought the tickets in the UK as I figured it would be busy at such a well-known theme park. To my surprise, and most likely due to the time of year, there were no queues! The park itself was relatively quiet, other than the occasional scream coming from the rollercoasters. We didn't go on any rides (because I'm a wuss) but you can get tickets that include entertainment too. I found it perfectly pleasant just wandering around the gardens that inspired Walt Disney himself; we even stumbled across an outdoor stage performance which added to the quirky atmosphere. We had lunch in the food hall which exceeded my expectations as it was reasonably priced, vegan and tasty (and still no queues!)

On our way back through town we stopped at a square near the houses of Parliament, which is right next to Gammel Strand Metro Station, where they had rows of outdoor bars serving food and cocktails under umbrellas. We'd been there earlier in the week so thought we'd return for the last bit of sunshine before moving on to the Round Tower.

About 10 minutes walk away is the tower, built in the 17th Century as an astronomical observatory which you can climb for no more than £4.50 pp. Spiraling up and up, it gives you history about the architecture, the fire of Copenhagen as well as the stars, before reaching the top to see a vast view of the entire city. It is worth noting that in the winter months, ending in March, they do stargazing sessions in the evening.

From here, we could see every spire and attraction we'd been to from all angles; from our accommodation to the giant swing at Tivoli spinning in the distance. This was the perfect way to spend our last evening, looking over the city and reviewing just how much we had managed to see.

Recap:

So, obviously the trip was really only three full days where we packed in LOADS. We chose to walk everywhere, but it is completely possible to nip across the city on a Metro if you want to save time (and your feet).

Having two days either side for travelling helped the trip feel longer, giving us an evening to get our bearings and sink into the culture, as well as a morning to get one final pastry and a last look at the harbour.

If you like a jam-packed city break, a five-day-getaway is the perfect amount of time to see everything and this is certainly a place I would recommend. Do be sure to budget more than you think though, as it is expensive: I did have to do some last minute money moving through my online banking as we'd near enough run out on our last night. Overall, we spent about £400 each (not including accommodation) and that was mostly on food and attraction entrance fees, but if Copenhagen is on your list, the money doesn't matter.

It is totally worth it to immerse yourself in such a care-free, pastry-filled culture.