Getting To Know Scandinavia: København, Danmark
Welcome back to the blog, and I hope you all started very good into this new year. A new year means changes, and just in time, I was able to finish the series about the road trip through the US. If you were wondering what would follow after this series, don’t worry, there are lots of travels I haven’t written about yet. This blog posts won’t be published in any specific order, and therefore I’ll start with one of my favourite travels of the year: Copenhagen.
Copenhagen is the capital of Denmark and has been on my list for quite a while. I’ve been in love with Scandinavia ever since I visited Sweden earlier in 2019, and for years I was saving pictures of colourful houses in Copenhagen. Rather spontaneous I booked the flight and then I was off travelling the city on my own. Copenhagen is easily explored by foot, there’s an excellent metro system, and there are lots of electro scooters found on every corner. As I’ve already been talking about colourful houses, why not start right away with the most iconic spot in Copenhagen:
Nyhavn
If you’ve ever seen a picture of Copenhagen, I’m pretty sure it’s one of Nyhavn. This is the main district of the city, and it is filled with boats, bars, restaurants and tourists. On both sides of the harbour, Nyhavn actually means ‘new harbour’, you’ll find brightly coloured houses. The famous Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen, who wrote lots of children’s books, actually used to live in Nyhavn.
Nyhavn is the heart and soul of Copenhagen, and there’s nothing more Danish than heading to a restaurant there, ordering some Dansk Frikadeller and just enjoy yourself. I came back to this place various times a day, just because I loved the atmosphere so much. Of course, it is not a cheap area to dine, but let’s be honest, Scandinavia is not cheap in general. So why not enjoy your time properly while you’re already there?
Christiansborg Palace & Amalienborg Palace
When visiting a country with a royal family, it is only obvious to visit the place when in the capital. But in Copenhagen, you have the choice. You can visit Christiansborg Palace or Amalienborg Palace. I did some research, and while Amalienborg Palace is way prettier from the outside, I learned that Christiansborg might be more interesting to me. That’s why I opted for this one. Of course, I can’t compare the interior, but I am sure I made a great choice.
Christiansborg Palace is so pretty on the inside, and I loved how I was able to explore the building on my own and without being watched by someone. You can actually take a look at the throne, and some of the art I saw was breathtaking. I suggest you use an audio guide to hear all about the history of the place while visiting, otherwise you’d miss out on some fascinating stories.
Kastellet
After Nyhavn, this was my favourite place in the city. Kastellet is one of Europe’s best-preserved fortresses and is formed just like a pentagon. Still today, it is used for military activity, and so I was able to watch some recruits head to work, but it is also used as a public park and a historic site. What makes this place so pretty, are undoubtedly the colourful houses. Nearly every single building is coloured in red, some single ones were yellow. A highlight to me was surely the windmill. I don’t know if there is anything more Danish than a windmill and despite the rain, I was walking around the park and the whole fortress for hours. You don’t have to be a history lover to acknowledge how pretty this place is!
Botanisk Have
This is Copenhagen’s botanical garden. When the rain started pouring, I was looking for some more indoor activities, and more by accident than on plan I found the Botanisk Have. Even though I’m not a huge fan of these kinds of places, I gave it a shot, and I was actually surprised. What made this place special was, that there are actually some stairs so you can head to the top of the Palm Huset, the palm house, and take a look at all the flora from above.
Another great spot was the butterfly house, which is filled with those beautiful animals. There are so many, you actually have to pay attention to not leave the house with one of them sitting on you, or step on them by accident. Also, this place offers a great student discount, even though it is not that pricey in general.
Frederiks Kirke (Marmorkirken)
Do you know St. Paul’s Cathedral in London? Well, then this building might look familiar. At least that’s the comparison I immediately thought of when seeing the first picture of this church. Some people call it Frederik’s Church, others Marble Church because of its exterior. One thing I think everyone agrees on: this church is incredibly beautiful.
It is actually quite hidden as it’s just in between some streets. Still, you’ll walk past it if you head from Nyhavn to Kastellet or Amalienborg Palace. Suddenly it is around the corner, and it is so huge, you wonder how you did not see it earlier.
Vor Frelsers Kirke (Church Of Our Savior)
I’m sure you’ve seen great pictures of Copenhagen from above and have wondered how people were able to get these shots. Well, most of them are taken from the top of the Church Of Our Savior. This baroque church is located at Christianshavn and world-famous. While I would have loved to take a look at the city from above, the weather, and more importantly, the queue (!!!) was not on my side. It was rainy during my whole stay, and I wanted to head up the spire as soon as the sky cleared, but obviously, I wasn’t the only one with this idea. Also, keep in mind that most of the stairs, yes, you have to climb the tower by foot, are on the outside, so good weather is crucial.
Torverhallerne
As you might have noticed, the weather is not always good up north. It is cold, and it is rainy, and from time to time, you’ll get so wet, you don’t want to spend any more time outdoors. My personal suggestion for times like this is Torverhallerne. This is a huge market hall filled with restaurants, farmers selling flowers, produce, local goods or international dishes. I spent a few hours there, not only because of the weather, but also, because you lose track of time while wandering around the corners of the hall. It is easily reached by metro, as there’s a stop just around the corner, and I had some amazing Italian pasta, which was actually al dente and prepared by an Italian. Also, lots of these food stalls offer student discounts, which is a huge perk considering the prices in Scandinavia!
Den Lille Havfrue & Gefion Fountain
These two tourist highlights are located just next to each other. Den Lille Havfrue is the Danish name for the statue of the Little Mermaid that is based on a story of the Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen. While it looks quite unimpressive, it is actually around 1,2 metres tall and THE tourist hotspot. People are actually waiting in line to get a picture with the statue that resembles a mermaid becoming human.
Just a few metres from the statue, you can find the Gefion Fountain. It is one of the largest fountains of Copenhagen and just next to the harbour front, and also just metres from Kastellet. The fountain features various figures of animals.
F222
If you are looking for a rather unusual experience, head to Nordic Seaplanes. Here, you can take a look at a German warship called Baden-Württemberg, and even more crazy is: you can actually walk around it for free. I’ve never been a huge fan of boats, but exploring the different decks, taking a look at all the technical gear on board and realizing how tough life on board has to be, was definitely something unusual. The crew is actually on board, and you can ask them all kind of questions. I know this might not be for everyone, but if you want to experience something new, this definitely makes for a good story.
One final personal suggestion, if you can, try to squeeze in a day or two in Malmö, Sweden. This city is just a few minutes by car or train from Copenhagen and would be a great addition to travelling Copenhagen, sadly, I didn’t have enough time to visit this city as well. If you are curious about Sweden’s capital and my first trip to Scandinavia, I linked the blog posts about that below.
