Notes and tips from 48 hours in Copenhagen

BY ONEIKA RAYMOND

More detailed posts and photos are coming but I thought I’d share an overview of what we got up to on our weekend in Copenhagen.

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+Getting there

We got round trip tickets (London-Copenhagen-London) for $140 USD each on Norwegian Air. Amazing deal! From the airport, take the metro into the city if possible since taxis are very expensive (heck, everything is expensive in Copenhagen!).  We arrived late Friday night (after the metro had already stopped running) and  had to take a taxi to our hotel. It was $26 USD for a 10 minute ride. No bueno!

+Getting around

We mostly used our own two feet; Copenhagen is a very walkable city if the weather is good. We used the metro to get to and from our hotel and it was very quick, efficient, and convenient. Prices vary according to the zones in which your journeys begin and end, but we paid about 24 DKK a ride ($4.30 USD).  A day ticket cost 75 DKK ($13.50 USD).

+See and do

Do a walking tour. We were lazy on this trip. We didn’t go to any museums, even though Copenhagen is known as a design capital. On both days, we did a massive self-guided walking tour around the city (there are plenty of walking tours you can book and pay for if you’re not comfortable doing it on your own!).  Amongst other things, we checked out Rosenborg Castle, the Little Mermaid (which I found underwhelming, to be honest), the Amalienborg Palace.

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Do a canal tour. If you have glorious weather, like we did, do a canal tour.  There are three or four boat companies at the water in Nyhaven and, as far as we could see, they offer the same hour-long tour more or less.  They vary in price but we chose the cheapest one, which was 40 DKK, about $7 USD.

Visit Nyhaven.  It’s busy, it’s happening. There are tons of restaurants along the water, street performers, nice architecture.  It’s the Copenhagen you see on postcards.  So pretty!

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Visit Christianshavn. This “free state” situated in the eastern part of Copenhagen is no holds barred: graffiti and ramshackle properties with alternative-looking people reign — and the smell of marijuana hangs heavy in the air.  You’re not allowed to take any pictures there, but the sights will be indelibly etched in your mind anyway. It was definitely an eye-opening experience!

 

+Eat

Lagkagehuset. Yummy bakery that we went to 4 times in 2 days (I guess we really liked it?).  It’s pricey: for breakfast the first morning we paid $15 USD for five pastries. Worth it though.

Have a poelser at a random stand.  Hot dogs, known as poelser, are a big deal in Denmark.  They are sold on nearly every street corner in Copenhagen’s centre for about $5 USD per dog and bun. Have one (or two, like Liebling).

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Mother.  We met up for dinner with my blogger friend American Black Chick in Europe at this pizza place. Great food, cool vibe.  Expect to pay about $20 USD for a pizza.

Ravelinen. We had lunch Sunday afternoon at this restaurant specializing in Danish food.  Have the herring! The lunch menu has offerings between 70 to 100 DKK ($12 – 18 USD). Plates are petite (i.e. not much food) but tasty, although the fact we had to pay 10 DKK ($1.80 USD) for a glass of TAP water left a bad taste in my mouth.

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+Sleep

Cabinn Metro. Here’s a tip — BOOK EARLY.  In midst of all my other trips, I forgot to book accommodation for Copenhagen until two weeks before the trip, a huge no-no when travelling in Europe during high season.  The little that was left over was either way too expensive or poor value for money.  However, I ended up finding the Cabinn Metro, which, while very basic, turned out to be fabulous and great value.  We paid $115 USD (625 DKK) a night for what was a tiny room a 15-minute metro ride from the centre, BUT the room was extremely clean and commute was seamless. I’d totally stay there again.

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+What we didn’t do but wished we did

Rent bikes. Everywhere around us people were on bicycles.  By the time I realized it was something I really wanted to do, it was too late to find a place to rent them. Next time!

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+ The takeaway

We were only there a short time but we LOVED Copenhagen.  I’ll elaborate in future posts, but for lack of a better description at the moment, it’s just a gorgeous place.  However, it is expensive (though we found it way cheaper than Norway), so expect to blow your budget!

Have you ever been to Copenhagen or Denmark?  If not, is it on your bucket list?

SHARING IS CARING

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