Andrew and I traveled to Denmark in November 2014 for a birthday trip. Visiting Copenhagen is lovely, and it is a definite gem of Scandinavia! There are so many delicious things to eat, beautiful tourist attractions, and fun things to do in Copenhagen, right in the city’s heart.
Everyone spoke English to us in this happy European city, making it very easy to get along. Getting around is pretty easy because you can get anywhere by bike. We were there during the holidays. It was all decorated, and there were Christmas Markets everywhere. Gløgg (Scandinavian mulled wine) all day! We had such a great time. I want to share our Copenhagen itinerary to help you plan your own.
Our Digs
We stayed in an Airbnb studio apartment in Nørrebro. It was about a 30-minute walk from the city center (15min bike ride) with lots of things nearby.
Day One
After settling into our apartment, we started discovering our neighborhood. One of the famous streets in Nørrebro is Jægersborggade. The quintessential, clean pedestrian street is filled with white buildings, galleries, shops, wine bars, restaurants, and some of the most legit coffee in the world.
The Coffee Collective is known to serve the best coffee globally, so naturally, we had to try it. The brew was strong, and the shop was very homey. It feels like you walked into someone’s kitchen. Next, we grabbed some deliciousness at Meyers Bagheri. Match made in heaven. You’re welcome.
Then we took a long walk through Assistens Cemetery to burn some of those sweet, sweet calories. It’s beautiful as a cemetery and burial site for Hans Christian Andersen.
That night we had a great seafood dinner at Oysters and Grill. It was absolutely delicious and reasonably priced. After, we went to Mikkeller and Friends for some beers. This became our go-to bar for the rest of the trip.
There is a wide variety of tap beers (about 40) and ciders and wines. They also have some snacks like homemade dried sausage. It had a great chill vibe, and the bartenders were fabulous.
Day 2
Again, we started our morning with some danish and baked goods at Meyers Bageri. We grabbed breakfast here every morning after. The place smells like heaven. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
After breakfast, we walked to the city center and strolled down Strøget, one of the longest pedestrian shopping streets in Europe—buzzing with lots of people commuting, shopping and sightseeing.
In the afternoon, we took a boat ride through the canals. It was cheap, and a canal tour is a great way to see the city. You pick up the boats in København so that you can take your iconic shot of the beautiful colorful houses in picturesque Nyhavn. After our boat ride, we stopped for a beer at a super local pub, and people watched for a bit.
Next, we headed to then Christiansborg, located on the tiny island of Slotsholmen. It is the home of the Danish Parliament Folketinget, the Supreme Court, and the Ministry of State. We tried to get into Taarnet, the restaurant at the top of the palace, but sadly found out you need reservations. However, we were still able to go up to the tower and see great city views.
There are also some fun ruins under the palace. The biggest and oldest ruins under Christiansborg Palace are the remainings of the wall from Bishop Absalon’s Castle from the 11th century.
After, we got some lunch at Cocks & Cows. Great burgers
That night we went to Tivoli Gardens Amusement Park. The park opened on 15 August 1843 and is the second-oldest amusement park globally, after Dyrehavsbakken in nearby Klampenborg, also in Denmark.
There are rides, roller coasters, food shops, and other attractions. They had a Christmas market, and everything was covered in lights during the holiday season. We enjoyed wathe the picturesque winter wonderland while drinking our Irish coffees. I even saw white peacocks!
For dinner, we went to Pate Pate in the Vesterbro area. We had a bunch of small plates and a bottle of wine: relaxed atmosphere, excellent food, a little loud.
Day 3
We headed out early to The Blue Planet Aquarium. It was small to do it in about an hour and a half, but it was great. First, the architecture of the building alone is worth seeing. Once you get inside, it feels like you are in a giant fish tank. There is a 1,100,000 gallon tank holding sharks, stingrays, and some of the largest fish I have ever seen.
After, we headed to The Church of Our Savior, where you can climb to the top of the spire for sweeping views of Copenhagen. I went up halfway and felt a little claustrophobic, so Andrew went up by himself. Unfortunately, I missed out on a fantastic view of the city—Whoomp whoomp.
A few blocks away was Freetown Christiania or Christianshavn. A commune-type neighborhood regulated by the “Christiania Law of 1989”. It was a little dirty in parts, a lot sketchy in parts, but overall enjoyable. We walked through one area called Pusher Street where you can buy green, if you know what I mean.
Friendly warning: Do not take pictures here.
After a long day out and about, we wanted to have dinner close to home. So we went down the street to Antidote Vinbar. It had excellent Italian food, and our waiter was a cool guy from Sweden.
Day 4
After coffee at our local cafe, Ricco’s, we headed to Carlsberg Brewery, where we did a beer tasting tour and saw the most extensive beer bottom collection. Again, there was a lot to see and do, so we spent most of the afternoon there.
We returned to the city center to hit up some Christmas markets. We sampled homemade mulled wine and cider. During the holiday season, there are lots of cute little holiday street fairs if you’re there.
For dinner, we splurged. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get a reservation at the world-famous Noma, so we tried something off the beaten path. The owners of Mikkeller & Friends have a tasting restaurant called Ol &Brod, where they do food and beer pairings. It was pricey but a great experience. The food was exciting but delicious, and the service was phenomenal. There are only a few seats, so it’s great for a romantic date.
Day 5
We started our day with a Segway tour of Copenhagen. Yes, I said Segway tour. It was cheesy, fun, and a great way to see the city. It’s pretty cold there in November, so the two of us were on tour, which was excellent. 
Our tour guide took us to all the major sites like The Little Mermaid and The Royal Palace in Amalienborg, where we happened to catch the changing of the guard. The Queen lives at the Amalienborg Palace, and every day around noon, you can watch the changing of the guard.
From there, we headed to The Rosenborg Castle and The Kings Garden. If you are on foot, take a stroll over to The National Museum of Natural History, where they have a lovely Botanical Garden.
For dinner, we went to Gorms for some pizza. It was a charming rustic restaurant and wine bar. If we had more nights, I would have gone back.
A few blocks away was a jazz club called La Fontaine. It was pretty crowded, but we grabbed a drink at the bar, and within 30 minutes, we got a seat. People were always coming and going, so wait it out if you don’t get a seat right away. The cover was $10, and the music was great. Worth it.
Day 6
We spent the day walking around the city and doing some shopping. If you like thrift stores, there are plenty of thrift stores, but they are not what you might expect. Most of them were filled to the brim with vintage clothes from the 80s and 90s and were pricy. I didn’t buy anything, but it was fun to look around.
We went over Ravnsborggade in Nørrebro, where tons of antique shops exist. Unfortunately, all of them were closed on Sundays. Sooooooo disappointing.
Pro tip: Check what days things are open when planning your days.
So we continued with our shopping day and stumbled across this board game store in the city center. We were chatting with the clerk, and he recommended a board game bar close by. What a score!
Board Games + Drinks = Happy Place
It was in a place called Huset that held events and concerts. On the lower level was Bastard Cafe. They have every board game you can imagine. They serve some bar food, coffee, and cheap drinks. We spent hours playing Stratego. I lost most of the games, but the beer made it better.
Day 7
It was our last day, so we only had until early afternoon. So, first, we checked out Foderbrættet, a gourmet hotdog and champagne restaurant. I know it sounds strange, but it was great! We shared four different hotdogs, which were so different but so good.
If you are looking for many awesome things to do in Copenhagen, this site helped immensely when planning our trip.
