Things to Do in Copenhagen
When I first set foot in Copenhagen Airport, it seemed a bit confusing. Thankfully, we managed to get around quite easily afterward. Of course, having a centrally located hotel contributed greatly to this. We were generally satisfied with Cabinn City, which was both central and reasonably priced.
On the first day, we passed by Tivoli, Copenhagen’s famous amusement park, and wondered if we should go in, but then decided in the following days that it wasn’t worth the money. Perhaps it would be more meaningful to visit during the Christmas market, but since it didn’t get dark in the summer, it didn’t seem worth it if we couldn’t properly see the lights. Moreover, enjoying the restaurants inside didn’t seem feasible at Danish prices.
So, we started our exploration with places near our hotel on the first day. Of course, I recorded a lot of streets with colorful houses, but as we kept walking, I realized it wasn’t necessary to keep track; almost every street was like this. Our tour began at the City Hall, which you can enter for free. I couldn’t help but compare it to Stockholm. Despite being in the same region, the two cities are so different… The City Hall is one of these differences; where is the grandeur of Stockholm’s City Hall? It’s not just the City Hall; in Stockholm, the people’s beauty and attractiveness were also quite striking, while here, the blonde-brunette population is more ordinary; in other words, our eyes didn’t feast as much as they did in Stockholm 🙂 Also, in Stockholm, the fathers taking care of their children stood out so much that, although we saw many families with children in Copenhagen, the father factor didn’t seem as prominent.
After the City Hall, we entered a famous church (Church of Our Lady), which, of course, was also far from grand. Was the philosophy of minimalism present even in old times? Even though other churches looked more magnificent from the outside, you couldn’t find the same grandeur inside. On our way to the Church of Our Lady, we passed through a square called Grabrodretorv. We liked this square with its cafes, so I noted it down.
Right next to the Church of Our Lady, we came across Copenhagen University. I think I have a weakness for universities. I couldn’t resist going in; thankfully, entry to universities in Europe is allowed. Universities somehow give me a sense of peace and security. I also feel at home in universities with old buildings and courtyards. Maybe one day, I’ll work in a place like this; who knows 🙂 After taking some sweet photos in the university’s courtyard, we headed towards the famous blue house.
The famous blue house is near the church, on Larslejs Street. We had to go to the door and pose for a “welcome to my new home” photo, but after seeing more beautiful houses, I didn’t understand why this blue house became so famous. For example, the green house in the photo is definitely much nicer in my opinion, but it probably didn’t become famous because of its door. The streets around here are colorful, not just because of the houses but also because of the cafes underneath them. Especially the streets next to St. Peter’s Church (Sankt Peders Street and Teglgard) are among the best in this sense. I made a mental note to come back here for a coffee. We ended up passing by these streets often. After tasting the cinnamon buns at Sankt Peder’s Bakery, we realized that people could come here just for that many times over. They have different varieties every day; the taste we had on the first day wasn’t found in a different variety the next day. You can try different varieties to find the one that suits your palate. If you follow the scent when you enter the street, you won’t miss this bakery 🙂
Next up is King’s Garden. Parks are my favorite places. Everyone is on the grass again… There’s also water running through it, so I’m perfectly happy. I’m tired but content. Rosenborg Castle is also majestic in its own way. There’s even a changing of the guard in front of it sometimes. It’s not hard to see that the young soldiers are trying to do this in a cool way; I think they want to look good on Instagram videos 🙂
Opposite the exit of Rosenborg Castle in King’s Garden is the entrance to the Botanical Garden. Of course, we couldn’t leave without entering, and it’s free. At least the park part is; we leave the other part for later but don’t feel the need to pay to enter, as we’ve seen so many botanical gardens lately. A friend who went into the paid section took nice photos in the butterfly area; I might be a bit envious 🙂
After all this walking, we were, of course, very hungry. We threw ourselves into “Homemate Torvehallerne,” where street food can be found. You’d think it’s cheap when you hear street food, but it’s not. No matter which stand we approached, the situation didn’t change much, but there was a lot of variety. We chose fish & chips at Fiskerikajen, yes it was expensive, but we were satisfied. But then again, is anything cheap in Copenhagen?
We planned our return route along the shore of Sortedams Lake. Walking along Oster Sogade and watching the villas across the lake was pleasant. Ducks, geese, and a peaceful walk ended our day nicely.
The next morning, we grabbed our breakfast croissants from the train station and set off for the Copenhagen Canal for our coffee. Where are Germany’s croissants… The train station isn’t that big either, just so you know. Walking along the canal was very enjoyable, and we were lucky to have such nice weather. We didn’t expect this weather after Germany. We sat at the outdoor tables at the café in the “Black Diamond” library, which is located in this area. The library restrooms are convenient, the coffee isn’t great, but the ambiance is nice. If you have things to do, or if you want to read a book, come here; spend a peaceful and pleasant day. After getting up from the café, we saw children jumping on drums by the canal and started jumping too. Returning to childhood is always good; don’t forget to open the door sometimes to let your inner child out 🙂
Walking, we arrived at Nyhavn, the most famous place in Copenhagen. Although the colorful houses look quite nice, like in every tourist area, the cafes and restaurants under the houses slightly overshadow the beauty. But thankfully, Copenhagen isn’t overrun by tourists like Venice or Amsterdam, so you can still enjoy the tourist spots.
Since we were at Nyhavn, we also checked out the boat tours. When the price difference between the tourist hop-on-hop-off boat tours and Netto was double, we decided on Netto and added the boat tour to our schedule for the next day. Tickets aren’t purchased in advance; you can get them 10-15 minutes before the tour.
If you continue past Nyhavn, you’ll reach the iconic Little Mermaid statue, but the walk is a bit long. As everyone has mentioned, the Little Mermaid doesn’t have much charm, but it’s still crowded with tourists. By the way, you can see these places on the boat tour as well. We took a few photos and quickly moved away from the crowd, walked along the greenery by the castle, took a break, and then set off towards the other side of Sortedams Lake.
On the other shore of the lake, walking along Sortedam Dossering, our first stop was Odinsgade Street, where the mural of the girl holding a balloon is located. Since the mural that stuck with me the most was the girl holding a balloon, I thought it was worth going to this street. The murals at BaNanna Park, which we visited later, didn’t have the same impact, but seeing children playing safely in a park without their parents was a bit bittersweet. Thinking about children being kidnapped even while their parents are sitting nearby in our country makes being in a place like this feel almost like a utopia.
How many points do we get for not finding that striped road that everyone takes pictures on at Superkilen? 🙂 Oh well, everyone has a picture there anyway, so we don’t need one. In the middle of Superkilen, there’s a heart sculpture that expresses peace in many different languages, known as the Heart of Copenhagen.
Descending from Superkilen, we were in Norrebro. There are quite a few nice streets here, Jaegersborggade being one of them, a street with cafes and boutiques. The handmade ice cream we had at Ro Chokolade café here was also quite successful. The end of this street takes us to Assistens Cemetery. Hans Christian Andersen’s grave is also here. This place is quite peaceful, more like a park where you can spend pleasant time than a cemetery. Despite following the signs, we couldn’t find Andersen’s grave; maybe you’ll be luckier. But we didn’t mind because we had an ice cream treat at Jaegersborggade, which I think was well-deserved 🙂
After leaving the cemetery, we walked along Peblinge Dossering, experiencing the other side of the river, but we found the opposite side of the lake to be more beautiful. After all this walking, of course, we were hungry. Our next stop was the Meatpacking District, where it’s said you can find Copenhagen’s street food. Instead of street food, however, we mostly found restaurants and were drawn to “Mother,” a restaurant that tempted us with the smell of wood-fired pizza. Besides the slow service, we had no other issues, although it might be challenging to find a spot to sit outside.
After dinner, we went to another street with colorful houses, Magstræde, to walk off our meal. This street and the surrounding area are quite charming, both for the houses and the cafés/restaurants. From there, we returned to the canal, which was much more lively under the evening lights than it had been in the morning. We exercised, took photos of the canoes, and marveled at the technological marvel of the bridges that split and rejoin, ending our day on a pleasant note.
Hello to a new day, another sunny day in Copenhagen! Luck is on our side when it comes to the weather. A wonderful boat tour at Nyhavn awaits us. Since it’s early in the day, it’s not too crowded. With our guide’s English commentary, we toured all the canals of Copenhagen from top to bottom and learned some new things.
Our next stop is Christianshavn, a place we’ve heard many different things about. Since we walked there, we got to see many parts of it. There’s no sense of insecurity, so you can go there without worry. Yes, there are many police officers patrolling the area, but we didn’t encounter any troublesome situations. Walking along the canal, often referred to as the Amsterdam Canal due to its resemblance to Amsterdam, is also enjoyable. It might be a bit difficult to realize at first that you’ve entered an autonomous area, but the “No Photography Allowed” signs and certain smells make it clearer. To be honest, I wasn’t very impressed with this area. The places we hung out in Berlin felt more hippie; here, it seemed to consist mainly of freely consumed weed and some wall paintings that I didn’t find very impressive. We thought about sitting at 108 Café, located at the pedestrian-only Inderhavnsbroen bridge, to enjoy some coffee, but the disappointing coffee felt more like a waste of money than a pleasure. Right next to the café, however, is what I believe to be the true spot for street food. Here, you can find a variety of treats like hot dogs, hamburgers, and ice cream.
On our way back, we return to King’s Garden and the Botanical Garden. At the Botanical Garden, there’s a lot of activity, with different stages set up in every corner and music playing, but unfortunately, it’s all preparation for a paid event. Still, we enjoy our time with the sound tests.
On our last day, we go to our usual bakery to get some food and then sit at a café called Pisseranden on Teglgrad for coffee. The café’s coffee is a bit more expensive compared to other coffees we’ve had in Copenhagen. After one last canal walk, we conclude our trip and head to Copenhagen’s souvenir-filled airport.
Our 4 days in Copenhagen went so wonderfully that by the end of the trip, I was just hoping we’d return without any mishaps. But then we ended up forgetting my camera on the plane, which had all the photos from my last two months of travels. I was really upset that I hadn’t backed them up. Oh well, next time I’ll think twice before being lazy about backing things up.Apart from the lost camera, it was another trip filled with beautiful memories.
