Copenhagen

Hygge is the Danish concept of being cozy and is all the rage during wintertime. My first trip to Scandinavia was during a bitter cold February 2017. It had snowed heavily in the days before we arrived so the city looked gorgeous but also dangerously icy in some parts . Luckily I had come prepared in my Timbs and hoped to enjoy some hygge too.

We stayed in the lovely Meininger Hotel which is a 5 minutes walk from Copenhagen Central Station. The hotel has a cool vibe and a delicious buffet breakfast daily (easily won us over). The hotel was also really near Tivoli Gardens which is a huge amusement park. Sadly it isn’t open in winter outside of Christmas time but can be enjoyed from April.

During our few days in the city, we mixed in cultural sights with some aimless ambling too:

National Museum – Nationalmuseet. It takes you on a journey through Danish history. They also have displays of objects and artefacts from around the world.

University of Copenhagen botanical garden– I can imagine that they are beautiful but it was hard to see much underneath the snow!  Free to stroll around in.

Nyhavn – the infamous colourful buildings by the canals. There are many restaurants and bars here with tourist prices attached but just strolling along gives you a taste of its beauty too.

Christiana – This is definitely one of the coolest spots in the city. It’s an edgy, hippie neighbourhood with its own community, rules and interesting history. We were told that pictures weren’t allowed inside so we didn’t chance it. So check it out to discover their secrets..!

Rundetaarn – you get a perfect bird’s eye view of Copenhagen from this tower. Entry is only 25DK which also includes the cute church inside.

The Little Mermaid – this bronze statue is located at Langelinie promenade. She was inspired by a Danish fairytale, not the Disney character! Unfortunately she hasn’t been treated too well in the past (defaced many times and beheaded twice). However she is currently sitting pretty and whole on the rocks.

The rest of our time was spent just strolling around to get a feel for the vibes.

Food in Denmark is delicious and varied. We had visited during Copenhagen Dining week which happens every year with select restaurants serving a special set menu. A few of my dining favourites include:

Karlas – where I had the classic Danish smørrebrød for lunch. This is a sandwich made up of rye bread and fillings such as cheese, cold cut meats or fish.

Bror – Very elegant looking restaurant which decent prices. We shared an array of snacks from the starter list but you can also have a multiple course fixed meal.
Poon chai Thai – this restaurant was very close to our hotel. It had the most beaut decor of all the places we ate in. I highly recommend the garlic spicy ribs below!

Osaka sushi – an all you can eat sushi restaurant which was also close to our hotel (we had picked a great location to stay!)
Cofoco – this was one of the restaurants which were taking part in the Dining Week menus. For a fixed price of 225DK we enjoyed 4 interesting courses (plus more for alcohol). And yep it was a short distance away from our hotel!

We had an incredible couple of nights out in Copenhagen which were full of surprises. One night was spent in Club Mambo which had a salsa room AND a hidden afrobeats room which was very popular! Our other night was at RubADub   for reggae on a Sunday!

I absolutely loved Copenhagen and found every Danish person we met to be so friendly (and tall and good looking of course). Our trip was short but sweet and I would love to visit again when it’s warmer, especially to experience Tivoli Gardens and Nyhavn again.

Have you ever been to Denmark or enjoyed some hygge? Let me know!

 

J Xo