48 Hours in Copenhagen

I talk a lot about Copenhagen. As many of you know, I studied abroad here in the Spring of 2018, and I’ve possibly become one of those insufferable “I studied abroad” people who can’t keep it in whenever the city comes up. At the risk of sounding just as insufferable, Copenhagen truly has so much to offer. Despite all I could say about taking the city in on a relaxed schedule, Chris and I decided to speed run it and jump on an outrageous deal for a three-day weekend trip to Copenhagen. Here’s how it went.

A method to our madness?

Whenever we told anyone about this trip (including our Swedish flight attendant), we had the same general reaction: “That sounds crazy.” And I can’t say anyone was wrong about that. In our defense, it was an opportunity we couldn’t turn down - once we had uncovered it with Chris’s scheming.

He found $400 roundtrip flights direct from Boston to Copenhagen, and our credit card benefits got us two nights at a hotel in Copenhagen with early check-in, late check-out, and upgrade benefits. (You’ll have to ask Chris for the details, even though it was apparently booked through my credit card.)

We had a three-day weekend, so we didn’t need to take time off from work. Why not just go for it?

Good morning, Copenhagen

Our trip began bright and early, or in the middle of the night if we’re going by circadian rhythm. Our flight took off from Boston at 5:30pm, and we arrived in the Danish capital around 6:00am (midnight in Boston). It was the perfect amount of time to not sleep on the flight over.

We’d been hyping ourselves up and knew exactly what we needed to do: drop our bags at the hotel and hit the ground… walking. We took the metro from Copenhagen Airport to Christianshavn, the neighborhood where our hotel was located. The metro system is so easy (and clean) and perfect for getting to and from the airport and around the city.

We mapped out a walking route through some of the city’s most iconic tourist destinations, like Nyhavn, Amalienborg Palace, Kastellet, and Rosenborg Castle. You can check out the walking route here if you’re feeling inspired or energized by this. You can also try to imagine us, two American zombies, winding our way through the city, and know this could also be done at a much more normal hour after sufficient sleep.

We rounded out the morning with a visit to Denmark’s National Gallery, a caffeine hit, and a stroll back through the King’s Garden to Christianshavn for a scheduled nap at our hotel.

Espresso was the theme of our morning... and afternoon

Day 1, still?

Two of the keys to success we learned on this 48-hour trip: power through, and plan your power naps. We allowed ourselves a 2-hour nap around 1 in the afternoon and got up feeling fresh and ready to get back out there. It really felt like a brand new day. The sun was shining, we were clean, and we felt recharged.

We took full advantage of the Danish sun and headed back into Indre By, the city center, to enjoy a beer outside on Strøget and people watch. We happened to be visiting on Easter Weekend, so shops were closed for Good Friday, but the city was buzzing with Danes and tourists enjoying the holiday, and, I’ll say again, the sunshine.

From here, we strolled along the city’s web of streets and headed to Vesterbro via Metro to try v.Lo Wine Bar, a unique take on casual sipping, and Duck and Cover, a cocktail bar that feels like the coolest friend you know’s living room. They were both hygge (check that one out) spots to start the night before we headed to Maple Casual Dining just down the street on Vesterbogade.

The food here was awesome - we tried their sea bass, steak, and mushroom risotto. We called it a night from here, but I’m sure there are braver 48-hour trippers who could outdo us with some fun Copenhagen nightlife around the Meatpacking District.

Duck and Cover

Day 2

Another sunny morning in Copenhagen! It seems hard to go wrong with breakfast in Copenhagen, but the breakfast buffet at the NH Collection in Christianshavn went crazy. All the good stuff, espresso, and a ginger shot to really get it in gear.

We took some time that morning to explore Christiansborg Palace, the former home of the Danish Royal Family and the current home of Denmark’s parliament. The ticket we bought granted us access to the palace’s elaborate staterooms, which also housed a pretty compelling art collection of their own, as well as the ruins of the original castle built on the site in medieval times. It’s cool stuff all around and definitely worth a visit.

The ticket also granted us access to the royal stables, but the wind had other ideas for the piece of paper (no longer) in Chris’s pocket, so we just watched the royal ponies run around outside for a minute.

Christiansborg Palace

On Easter Saturday, the stores were back open, and the city truly came alive in full force. We spent the day wandering around the city’s center, jumping in and out of a couple of stores, and hitting a few final tourist sights like the Round Tower and Copenhagen City Hall. I’m not the biggest shopper, but Scandi style is so effortlessly cool, and the VAT refund is a bonus.

We visited the Torvehallerne, or Glass Markets, which are a fun snapshot of the amazing culinary scene in the city. We took in the last bit of the evening sun on a walk back through town to stop in at the hotel to get ready for dinner. We decided to keep the vacation vibe going and visited Balderdash, another craft cocktail bar. From there, we headed to Ambra, a cool Italian restaurant in the Frederiksstaden neighborhood close to Amalienborg Palace.

Ambra was another hit. The food and drinks were delicious, the vibe was rocking, and it seemed like a Danish cool kids club, which felt validating for no reason. After a long dinner, we headed to Velour Cocktail Bar, founded by Michelin-starred chefs who are distilling their own spirits. These drinks were crazy good, and also crazy expensive. (But definitely worth the experience.)

I’m taking a brief moment to reflect on the number of times I’ve written “cool” in this post. Copenhagen just is cool. It’s something I can’t fully describe in writing (clearly); but the vibes, the people, the way about it? It’s just cool. Please forgive.

For nightlife, it’s choose-your-own-adventure in Copenhagen. We hit Zefside Cocktail Bar, which had a ~cool~ crowd, an awesome DJ, and a packed dance floor. There are tons of options, but we needed the high-energy to keep us going here.

You DO have to go home, and you can’t stay here.

I won’t dress it up. Sunday morning hit like a ton of bricks. We walked 10+ miles each day and never really adjusted to the time difference. We had a leisurely breakfast and made the walk to the Christianshavn metro station for a short ride to the Copenhagen Airport. From there, it was wheels up at 1pm Copenhagen time and touchdown at home around 3 in the afternoon Eastern Time. Plenty of time to get home, get unpacked, and rest up for the week ahead.

“Did you even feel like you were there?”

I can’t tell you how many times I got asked this question at work. Actually, I probably could. Maybe six. Anyway, the answer is yes. If you commit to planning, meaning all the sights you must visit, restaurants, and other must-dos, you’re perfectly equipped for a short trip to Copenhagen.

As I said, this city has tons more to offer, and this is only a glimpse into all the cool that is Copenhagen. Trust me, I’m always happy to talk about it.

Hej hej,

Colin