I’m the kind of person who looks at flights almost every day as a hobby, so obviously I had to check out the Black Friday sales on Skyscanner. I found cheap flights to Paris from Glasgow for January and then even cheaper ones from Paris to Copenhagen. So I stayed for a few days in Paris and then flew to Copenhagen for another 4 nights.
I also made a short video of my trip on Youtube.
For the first two nights I couchsurfed at an apartment about 30 minutes walk from the city centre. I had an Italian host who was super nice and gave me a lot of information on the surrounding area. He even made some incredible risotto for me when I arrived. For anyone who doesn’t know what Couchsurfing is, it’s a website where you can find local hosts in the destination and you can stay with them for free. The purpose is to meet like minded travellers and learn about different cultures (and of course save money too).
As I mentioned the apartment wasn’t right in the city centre but that gave me the opportunity to explore a not-so-touristy neighborhood on my way into the centre. The neighborhood was called Nørrebro and it was full of small local businesses such as charming fashion boutiques, zero-waste shops, cute little cafes and bakeries, and also the Assistens cemetery where fairytale writer Hans Christian Andersen was buried. If you’re in the area, I would definitely recommend cutting though here as it’s beautiful and you may also meet some furry friends...I was pleasantly surprised to see the cute red squirrels running around. I absolutely loved this neighborhood as I got to see all the locals going for walks and chatting over breakfast on the outdoor seating of all the independent Danish shops.
I then found a Lidl (not exactly Danish but in my budget and had a lot of Danish products) and got some Danish pastries and some fruit for breakfast.
Thirty minutes past so fast while walking as there was so much to see and I arrived in the centre. By that time I had already decided that Copenhagen is one of my favourite cities in Europe. I walked by The Lakes which are three rectangular lakes with paths all around them. I was super lucky with the weather as the sun was out and the sky was clear. It was still very cold but I was dressed up warm so it didn't really bother me, especially while walking.
One of the first things I did was go up the Round Tower which cost 20 DKK (2.70 EUR) entry. Once I got in, I walked up the spiral walk and got to the top where I was greeted by breathtaking views of the entire city.
After the tower, I just spent the day strolling through the city and admiring the architecture. There’s so much to do in this city but one the main things is literally just to walk around. The buildings and streets are stunning and the roads are so quiet as most of the locals cycle instead of drive. Another thing I noticed was how clean everything was with no rubbish on the streets which made my walk even more pleasant.
And of course I bought some more pastries while walking which cost me 15 DKK each (around 2 EUR).
I also stopped by the Black Diamond which is a building of the Royal Danish Library on the waterfront. I went upstairs and admired the architecture from the inside too. I then enjoyed the sunset on the waterfront.
In the evening, I went to a restaurant called Riz Raz which had an all-you-can-eat vegetarian buffet for 99DKK (13 EUR). It had so many different dishes, from spinach lasagna to 5 different hummus flavours to salads, pasta and falafels. I must have eaten at least 4 full dishes! This was my only time going to a proper restaurant while I was in Copenhagen as I was on a tight budget but it was definitely worth it. I was super happy I got to find so many vegetarian options in one place.
The next morning I spent a couple hours at my host’s house interviewing him for my university dissertation documentary about solo travel and the possible impacts on confidence (I'll leave the link here if you want to give it a watch). After that, I said goodbye, took my backpack and walked to the city centre.
For the other two nights I stayed at the Generator Hostel which cost me 15 euros a night and it was right in the city centre a few minutes walk from Nyhavn. It was really nice and clean and the staff were super polite and friendly, but the only thing I didn't like, was that it didn’t have a kitchen or a kettle in the building. Since I’m always on a budget when traveling I usually book hostels that have a kitchen or at least a kettle, that way I can have one of my meals there like oatmeal in the morning or something quick at night. It did have a really nice looking restaurant and bar open to the public but I didn’t go as I didn’t want to spend any money. But apart from that the hostel was really nice, and it even had an ice bar which I got a discount and a free drink cause I was staying there. However you can still visit it even if you’re not a hostel guest.
Once I checked into the hostel, I went for a walk to Nyhavn and the surrounding area, and took some photos. I also went to the National Museum of Denmark which cost 55 DKK (7 EUR).
I then walked to Freetown Christiania which is a small community at a former military base in the area of Christianshavn. It’s an autonomous neighborhood about 15 minutes walk from Nyhavn. It’s famous for cannabis trade and therefore you can’t take photos in certain streets of it as there are stalls selling it which is illegal in the rest of Denmark. However, it has beautiful and colourful murals and wall art which you can photograph if you want. I really enjoyed strolling through there and as long as you follow the local’s rules and signage no one will bother you. Please be careful though and remember that cannabis is illegal in Denmark.
Later that night I walked around the centre as it was all lit up and the street lights were reflecting off the water in the canals. I then went to the ice bar for a bit, had dinner (a salad and bread from Lidl) and went to bed.
When it came to food, the first two days I ate at my host and then after I went to supermarkets and bought some sandwich stuff and fruit, and of course went to bakeries and ate loads of cinnamon rolls and pastries. And like I mentioned earlier, ate at the vegetarian buffet once.
The next day, my last full day, I took the train to Helsingor which is a port city 45 minutes away from Copenghagen. I bought the 24-hour pass which cost 160 DKK (21 EUR) as it worked out cheaper than two singles ones and that also took me to the airport the next day (this ticket covers zones 1-99)
I spent a couple hours exploring Helsingor.
From there I took the ferry to Helsingborg, a city in Sweden which was only about 20 minutes away on the ferry. The ticket cost me 60 DKK return (8 EUR).
I was so lucky with the weather again, the sun was shining and it was just perfect for walking around. Once i arrived to Helsingborg, I walked up some little streets and up some stairs and got to Kärnan Tower. From there I got a good view of the city.
From there I walked to Fredriksdal Open-Air museum which was 30 minutes walk from the Kärnan Tower. Entry was free. Because it was winter, there wasn’t much to see at the botanical gardens but the historic buildings were interesting and there were loads of cute animals such as goats, pigs and horses.
I went back to the centre and spent the rest of the day walking around. I stopped at the harbour and had a decaf iced coffee and enjoyed the sunset. Then took the ferry back to Helsingor, hopped on the train and got back to my hostel.
The next morning I only had time to pop into the shop to buy some breakfast and then made my way to the airport where I was going to fly to Gdansk to meet my mum for a few days and then fly back to Scotland together.
Copenhagen was one of my favourite cities in Europe and I would definitely recommend visiting. A lot of people seem to think it’s an expensive destination but if you get cheap flights (around 10-20 EUR) and book a cheap hostel (or couchsurf) then that’s the biggest expense out of the way.
Hope you enjoyed this blog and found it helpful. Check out my instagram for more travel content. I post daily stories and photos @marisa.vogiatzi
If you have any questions, just comment down below and I’ll answer ASAP.
-Marisa
