WHY GO: For the beauty - the buildings, the atmos' and the people.
FOR HOW LONG: Long weekend/Forever
WHAT'S MY BUDGET: Depending on what you want to do... but really take as much Danish Krone you can get your hands on! (Not Norwegian...) Drinking and eating isn't too cheap.
WHERE TO STAY: It doesn't really matter - Urban House is near the nightlife, or somewhere near to Paper Island
GETTING AROUND: Cycle everywhere. The Borris Bike equivalents all have GPS, and it's not hilly, so no excuses. You can set up an account to hire one on the bikes themselves.
LANGUAGE: Everyone speaks English, nothing to worry about. I was once approached and asked for directions... soooo I'm an official Scandi now.
I feel like this post could come across as a tad arrogant, but you know what, you're gonna have to bear with me.
Along with two friends of mine, I've often heard good things about Copenhagen. So, as I usually do in my spare time, I had a wee Skyscanner browse and managed to find weekend flights... in September... for £29 each... Return. WHAT? Without much hesitation, we booked the flights there and then. We looked up hostel options and thought Urban House looked perfect for us; good sized dorms, ace reviews, location, bike rental, happy hour. The dream.
The three of us haven't known each other very long, we've never been away together and we have different interests. But that all said we still managed to get everything we wanted into one trip. A break from monotonous work. Culture. Dancing. Bike rides. Sightseeing. Lazy morning lay in. Drinkers. Sunshine ( Miraculously!) and best of all, all for cheap monies.
So this is where I sound pretty arrogant, because below is what I think, could be, the perfect way to spend a weekend in Copenhagan.
DAY ONE: Friday.
Even with an early start, we didn't get to our hostel until mid afternoon, (three cheers for Ryanair. 😐 ) As you can imagine, we were pretty knocked out. But let that defeat us we did not. When you've only got a weekend, you can't let that sort of issue get in the way. So we went to explore the Meatpacking District. Due to the spontaneity of the trip, none of us had done any real research on the city, but some friends said it was definitely a place to check out. (Ahem, thanks Zoe and Swalts.) We got some street food on the way and found the BEST bar, Bollyfood. Wooden pallets and pretty cushions galore. It became apparent very quickly that it's true... scandinavian countries are pricey; especially when it comes to drinking. Their happy hour still featured a £60 bottle of wine, but ever the optimists, it did mean the cocktails were the best value, so obviously it would have been rude not too take advantage of this! Bollyfood was the type of place where time just flies. It's cosy, perfect for people watching and gossiping.
When the wind picked up, we wondered what would be the next best thing to do? Dancing! We got a recommendation from the friendly bar staff, and went to Bakken. This. Place. Was. Amazing. There's a slight chance I could be slightly bias because I was so happy here, but if you like your house music, and clubs that are a bit small and grimey, put this on top of your list. NOW.
DAY TWO: Saturday.
Day one and two blur here a tad, and the next day started in a slightly fragile state. It's important to remember when you're on holiday with others, that it's not just your holiday. It's everyone's and everyone should get to do what they want. One of us set for a guided walking tour. One was set on a lie in. I was set on something in the middle. I had a slow start, and then set off for a walk around the city. It's a small city, so it's easy to wander around, find some beautiful sites, and start to understand the lay of the land. I spent the morning walking around to the canal, Amalienborg, Christiansborg Palace, The Marble Church, and lots more pretty places. I definitely recommend just getting up and out and walking, there's so much to see. Saying that, if you're interested in the history of the city, and knowing what these beautiful buildings are all about, it's worth doing a free walking tour. Ffi did the one that is run by Sandeman's and goes from Urban House or Dragon Fountain, (Town Hall Square) at 10, 11 or 2. They are in branded red T's, and you should allow three hours to be shown the city by the pros. IF you're interested in these, it's worth checking them out in advance as they run a few different options, like an "alternative city tour", so you can pick the ones that best suits you. The other great thing about these tours, is that you can get some great recommendations of places to visit afterwards, from people in the know, so take advantage and make sure to ask questions!
We spent the afternoon in the Christianshavn district. This is an awesome place, and could be top of my favs list.
First we went to have a look at the Church of Saviour Christ; which was already architecturally really intriguing. But what we didn't realise is that you can actually climb the tower and for under a fiver. It's actually one of my favourite things that we did in this city, and I really recommend it. BUT take note, it's not for the faint hearted. There's 400 steps of narrow circular stairways, and rickety ladders that you'll have to pass with people coming down. Don't say I didn't warn you... but it's worth it. The only thing I would say is when you're out in the air at the top, take it all in. I wouldn't necessarily bother queuing to get to the very, very, top point. SPOILER ALERT. At the very top the stairs just narrow down to erm, well nothing... which is always funny when you realise you've been queuing for it.
We also chilled around Christiana. If you've been to Nimbin in Australia, it's pretty much the same deal, but still so surreal being in Europe. It's a controversial, unauthorised settlement, where the weed trade used to be ignored by the police, but since 2004, they try to manage it. It was an awesome place to wander around, but I've read that since we went that there's been more evacuations and police presence... so hopefully it hasn't changed too much...
Our other favourite chilling spot which shouldn't be missed is Paper Island. Well, it goes by a few names, but we settled on Paper Island. It's in the heart of the harbour and is stuffed with art and different street food vendors. I confess I spent most time in the street food area, and came to the conclusion that "Marrakech" looked and smelled the most devine. As you walk in the hall (underneath the disco-cow on the ceiling), it's to your right, go there and get in that queue, you won't regret it. Then get yourself a picnic bench outside if it's nice and watch the sun go down. Dreamy.
DAY THREE: Sunday.
None of us had the luxury of being able to take Monday off work, but as we really wanted to have a whole weekend away, we went a bit rebellious and booked our return flight for first thing Monday morning. I know, ouch.
Sunday was a beautiful day. We hired bikes from Urban House and made the most of them all day. First stop: Laura's bakery. We asked a local for a pastry recommendation and this is what was suggested - and although I didn't go to too many, I can fairly confidently say this is top notch. I don't even know what we ordered but they were big, with chocolate, vanilla and cinnamon. I mean look at the picture, it speaks for itself. Nom Nom.
From there we went on a cycling mission to find the mermaid. I have been told many times that it's "underwhelming", but you know, "when in Rome(/Copenhagen.)" As the mermaid is so underwhelming, it's not the easiest to find, but this definitely worked out in our favour as we found a glorious bar on a boat, Kontiki Bar, it had a really nice rosè wine, so the afternoon was pretty much sorted.
I personally think it's worth making your way to the mermaid if you get the chance, mainly just to make your own opinion of it, and pretend your Aerial.
After a beautiful day cycling, and aware that we had a horrendously early start, we spent the evening in Tivoli Gardens. Again this was another, "not sure what it is, but it is a Copenhagen attraction" place. I'm so glad we managed to go. My only regret here was that we didn't go earlier. Tivoli gardens isn't open all year round and we managed to catch it on it's last night of the season. I couldn't believe how beautiful and surreal the whole place was. Definitely worth the 120DK (It's a little cheaper for weekdays, but more for ride tickets). We were GUTTED we weren't early enough for the rides which were closed due to a firework display, but all in all it was an unforgettable end to an truly awesome trip.
DAY FOUR: Monday
I HATE to end on a low, but Monday started with a 3:45 am alarm. Transport links back to the airport were so easy, even through blurred eyes. (We made the most of the make-up counters at duty free.) If you can brace going to work after a flight then I would recommend it*. The grossly long dragging of the Monday was so worth it.
*please don't do this if you're a surgeon or something important!
All in all, I'm pretty smug about the success of our city break. If you can think of a better way to do it, or something we missed out on doing... well, you should stop kidding yourself, because you're lying.
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