Scandinavia was not on the top of my list of places to travel but I’m so happy I had the chance to see Copenhagen and Stockholm as of part of my trip with grad school in May. I didn’t anticipate how much I’d love both cities.
Someone referred to Copenhagen as the “big, little city,” and that name is an accurate summary of the city. It’s not big by any means, and we ended up traveling most places by foot. But something about it also feels big because there is a lot packed into this little city.
My trip to Europe was for school so I didn’t get to see everything I wanted to in either city, but we definitely managed to explore a ton. Even with attending business meetings every day…
What you need to know about Copenhagen.
Biking is a way of life: The first thing everyone talks about when they talk about Copenhagen is the bike situation. They are EVERYWHERE. In the morning when I’d leave my hotel to get coffee I’d see no less than 10 bikers waiting at the stop light. Over 50% of the city commutes via bike, even in the winter.
All these bikes means you definitely have to be extra careful when walking or getting off a bus. Chances are there is a bike coming your way at any given time.
The city is also super walk-able. I think we only took public transportation once during the trip and that was to visit Copenhagen Business School in the outer area of the city.
Having a Copenhagen Card was helpful. Since it was a school trip the Copenhagen Card was included in part of our abroad fees. I think the total cost comes out to about $108 for a 72-hour pass. It was great to have free admission into Tivoli (more on that below) and other major attractions in the city plus unlimited rides on public transit. I’d recommend it if you’re going to be there for a few days and want to cram in a lot of action.
Scandinavia is all about the oat milk. I would not shut up about the oat milk situation in Europe during this trip. But guys, they have oat milk in Starbucks abroad!!! As a lactose intolerant lover of oat milk and over-consumer of soy, I’m hoping America gets the option soon!
What To Do in Copenhagen:
▶︎ ride one of the oldest roller coasters at Tivoli Gardens: I’m a total rollercoaster junkie so I was very excited to ride one of the oldest wooden roller coasters. There’s an employee that has to operate the breaks while on the actual ride. How can I get that job?
Tivoli is also believed to have inspired Walt Disney when he was building Disneyland.
Even if you don’t love rides, Tivoli is a magical place to walk around, especially at night when it’s all lit up. We ended up having dinner in the park one night (the italian restaurant was SO tasty) and stayed for a concert on the lawn. Admission is included with the Copenhagen Card and you pay per ride.
▶︎ take a canal cruise: The views on the hop-on, hop-off canal cruise are worth the ride alone. It literally took my breath away when we approached Nyhavn. I felt like I was in a postcard.
The canal cruise was also a great way to get around, I took it to the Design Museum and a group of people stayed on to explore Christiania, a quirky town that basically has no rules and a lot of drugs from what I’ve heard. I do wish I would have been able to experience Christiania as it sounds like a strange artists colony but I was a bit sketched out by it.
▶︎ visit the Little Mermaid. As a (sort of) red head, Ariel will always be my homegirl. In honor of Hans Christian Andersen, there is a Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen. It’s a bit of a touristy mess, but I am still happy I got to see the statue.
▶︎ explore the Design Museum. I’m not a museum person but wanted to at least see the well-known Design Museum. I wasn’t crazy about parts of it but did love the quirky furniture design and fashion on display.
▶︎ get a better view at the Round Tower. The round tower is… literally a round tower. Don’t worry, you won’t have to walk a bajillion stairs to get to the top, instead you’ll walk up a winding spiral ramp to get to the top. It’s free with your Copenhagen card.
▶︎ go shopping (or just people watch) on Strøget: I didn’t end up doing all that much shopping in Copenhagen or Stockholm, but I loved wandering Strøget, the closed off shopping street.
▶︎ get a taste of history at Christiansborg Palace. I’m not much of a history buff but I enjoyed our tour of the Christiansborg Palace. The palace is full of stunning tapestries, unique jewels and bizarre history. One of the kings like to surprise his house guests so would have a full orchestra play in the basement of the palace. When people would walk in they would have NO idea where the music was coming from because it was literally coming in through a secret door in the floor.
What to Eat:
▶︎ the Tivoli Food Hall: Copenhagen loves their food halls. I stopped by here on the first night for a quick bite and it’s a great option if you’re trying to please everyone. It reminded me of Vanderbilt Eats and other similar places in NYC.
▶︎ Skank: This place serves tasty, Danish comfort food. Because we were a large group they had us order from a prix fixe menu. I had a cabbage starter (I think they called it kale though) and their chicken wings for my meal. Everyone LOVED their meal and I’d highly recommend this place for dinner.
▶︎ the Torvehallerne food market: As I said, Copenhagen loves their food halls!
In the marketplace we went to Grod, a danish oatmeal place. The overnight oats were a bit sour for my taste, but I loved the idea of full menu of oats.
▶︎ 42Raw: On my first day in Copenhagen I punched “vegan” into Google Maps to see what was nearby. Obviously I’m not vegan, but because I’m dairy-free and don’t eat red-meat vegan is always an easy option for me. The veggie burger hit the spot.
▶︎ Big Apple: We legit stumbled upon this juice and sandwich shop when it started raining one day. It’s nothing special but a great, low-key place if you’re looking for a healthy bite. I got some tasty chicken wrap and they were great about letting me sub out cheese for hummus.
Leave a Reply