A weekend in Copenhagen |

The weekend after Mel and I spent a weekend in Prague, I was lucky enough to spend a weekend in Copenhagen with Nick and Ryan.

Copenhagen has been on my travel wish list ever since Mel went, and told me how beautiful it is.

So I was finally lucky enough to explore this gorgeous city with the family.

After a short plane ride, and Ryan having a play in his travel cot, we were ready to get out and explore Copenhagen’s attractions.

Here’s a rundown of what we saw and ate.

What to see

City Hall Square
City Hall Square is the gateway to Strøget Street, and Strøget Street leads to most of the attractions mentioned throughout this post.

City Hall Square is a nice way to start your Copenhagen adventure, as the City Hall and Scandic Palace Hotel are very attractive buildings to view.

If you’re feeling energetic, you may want to climb City Hall’s 105.6 metre high tower, where there are 300 steps leading to gorgeous views of the city centre.

Address:
Rådhuspladsen, 1550 København V

Strøget Street
Directly opposite City Hall Square is Strøget Street. Strøget Street is 1.1 kilometres long and is filled with budget to high-end stores, as well as gorgeous buildings and other attractions.

We made sure we explored all the streets that led off it, as they led to many of the attractions listed below.

Address:
Frederiksberggade, 1459 København K

The Round Tower
Just off Strøget Street is The Round Tower; you can’t miss it due to its round shape.

The Round Tower is 36 metres tall, and to get to the viewing platform at the top you have to walk up a spiral path that’s 268.5 metres long. Be prepared to get dizzy.

Along the spiral path there are a few little doorways. One led to a library, and another to a glass floor, which you can stand on to view the Tower’s core.

Once you reach the viewing platform, there are fantastic views of the entire city, views different to those from The Tower at Christianborg Palace.

Entry to The Round Tower was £3 per adult (Ryan was free), and the workout you get from walking up the spiral path makes eating hotdogs totally justifiable.

Address:
Købmagergade 52A, 1150 København K

Amalienborg Palace and Marble Church
Amalienborg Palace is where Denmark’s royal family resides. There are four palaces, a courtyard, and a statue of Frederik V, the founder of Amalienborg Palace and Frederiksstaden.

I also heard that there are passages under the palaces that the Royal family use to get to each other’s palaces. So if true, I kept wondering if they were walking under us.

Here we saw the Changing of the Guard, which happens daily. Ryan loves the Changing of the Guard in Windsor, so he was equally impressed with this one. Be sure to get there a little early for a good spot, as it fills up fast.

At the end of the courtyard is Marble Church, which is easily distinguishable by its copper green dome. It’s free to enter and so, so pretty inside.

Address:
Amalienborg, 1257 København K

Christiansborg Palace
There’s a lot to see at Christiansborg Palace, but we went straight to The Tower for a free view of the city.

The views are different to those of The Round Tower, so by doing both we gained a great idea of what the entire city looked like.

Address:
Christiansborg, 1218 København K

Nyhavn
Visiting Nyhavn was the reason why I wanted to go to Copenhagen; it looked amazing in the photos Mel showed me.

And whilst it was amazingly pretty, it wasn’t as interesting as I anticipated, and there were so many other attractions, as mentioned throughout this post, that made Copenhagen worth the visit alone.

There are a lot of restaurants in Nyhavn, and the colourful buildings are stunning, it’s also the site that’s most associated with Copenhagen.

Address:
Nyhavn 1-71, 1051 København K

Kastellet
Kastellet is an old army headquarters; the buildings inside it are still used as military barracks and offices.

As well as its military usage, Kastellet is a green sanctuary with lakes, ponds, playgrounds, a church and even a windmill.

There were many active people walking and running around the grounds and I’m so glad we took a stroll around here. But as a word of warning, don’t walk on the grass or a soldier will tell you off.

Address:
Gl. Hovedvagt, Kastellet 1, 2100 København

The Little Mermaid
When researching what to see in Copenhagen, The Little Mermaid was mentioned a lot. Mel told me that it’s very overrated and not worth the visit, however, it was only an 8-minute walk from Kastellet, so we made the effort to form our own opinion on it.

I’m really glad that we saw The Little Mermaid, it was a different kind of attraction, and I felt like I would have regretted not seeing it when I had the opportunity to do so.

Address:
Langelinie, 2100 København Ø

Freetown Christiana
Freetown Christiana was really appealing to me due to its mysterious nature. It’s a community within Copenhagen of approximately 1,000 residents, with it’s own rules that were set without the Danish government.

The area has a lot of art galleries, trinket shops, organic eateries, and parks. But only residents can give you a tour, tours by commercial companies are not allowed and photos are not permitted.

It was definitely interesting to take a walk around, and there is a certain smell in the air. I would have loved to talk to a local to find out more about this intriguing place.

These photos were taken outside the entrance and exit.

Address:
Prinsessegade,1422 København K

University of Copenhagen Botanical Gardens
Nick and I love a Botanical Garden, and we visited this one as an escape from the hustle and bustle of the main city area (even though the park is centrally located near the city).

On our walk we found ourselves surrounded by statues, lakes, greenery, glasshouses, and fresh air.

I wish we had more time to explore this beautiful place as there are plants from different areas of the world grouped together, and there’s even a butterfly house.

Address:
Gothersgade 128, 1353 København K

Food to try

Torvehallerne
If you love food then you absolutely must come here. It’s a 9-minute walk from the Botanical Gardens, and it’s a foodie’s paradise.

I didn’t know where to look. There were two buildings full of food including chocolate, burgers, fish, curries, cakes, salads, you name it, it was here!

We came here on two occasions, and on both I ate cake. This is actually where I ate the best cake I think I’ve ever had – a Crème Snegl. It was pastry covered in crunchy chocolate and filled with thick custard. I can still remember what it tastes like.

The second occasion I chose a cake from the same bakery where I bought the Crème Snegl from. It was a berry cake, and whilst it was good, it had nothing on the Crème Snegl.

I need to find some Crème Snegl in the UK stat!!

We also had some meatballs and they were so juicy and delicious.

Address:
Frederiksborggade 21, 1362 København

Tivoli Food Hall
This was walking distance from our hotel and was full of choices like pizza, burgers, sushi, and other meals designed to be eaten onsite.

We had pizza, chips, and beer – a winning combination.

Address:
Bernstorffsgade 3, 1577 København,

Hot dogs
Going to Copenhagen and not having a hot dog, is like going to Belgium and not eating chocolate. It just shouldn’t be done!

Ryan and I had a couple of hot dogs whilst in Copenhagen, both with mustard, tomato sauce, and crispy onions – so good!!

Final thoughts
I loved Copenhagen. It was easy to walk anywhere that you needed to get to, which of course allowed me to eat many, many cakes.

Copenhagen is beautiful, clean, has a lot of different foods, and the people are so friendly.

One day a man gave Ryan a coin to buy a hot dog because he was crying in his pram! I definitely recommend you come here if you have a spare weekend, and are looking for somewhere that has great food, plenty of museums, and gorgeous buildings.