Copenhagen, Denmark
a future gimlet traveler destination
Old town (Nyhavn) Copenhagen
We plan to spend at least 9 nights during our first visit to Scandinavia, divided up between Stockholm, Sweden and Copenhagen, Denmark. It will definitely be a late-spring or summer trip for the best weather and the longest (like super long) midsummer days. Flying between them takes about an hour non-stop, vs train at 5 hours +, or driving at 6 hours — which is why you won’t see a driving or train itinerary for this trip! There’s a chance that while we’re in Scandinavia, we’d also venture north to see the fjords in Norway and the uplands in Sweden, but that feels like a separate (much longer) trip once you factor in all the travel time. So, expect to find a separate itinerary (likely based out of Oslo, capital of Norway) in the future.
All of the hotels/sights/restaurants/bars/shops mentioned in the post below, and many others, are pinned in the city map at bottom, with links where applicable.
Exterior of The Nimb Hotel, facing Tivoli Gardens.
Hotels: The Sanders, a boutique hotel smack in the middle of town with handsome Danish modern design and a sweet bar (Tata Cocktail Bar) would probably be our first choice, though The Nimb is a close second. The Nimb (aside from the elaborate and fanciful Moorish-style facade that faces onto Tivoli Park) is subtly modern, and luxurious - with a lounge/bar that’s set in a former ballroom, two restaurants, a rooftop pool and sundeck (rare in this part of the world!) and a location, as mentioned, that is adjacent to Tivoli Park (your booking provides free admission to the park). The Nobis Copenhagen and the Villa Copenhagen (a larger, but thoughtfully designed property) are also appealing.
Copenhagen’s dramatic Opera House
Sights: The colorful Nyhavn (Old Port); Christianborg Palace; Designmuseum Denmark located in a former hospital with a pretty garden in its midst (Ed. Note: this museum is closed for renovation till 2022); The Royal Danish Theatre for a tour of the Old Stage; the strikingly modern Copenhagen Opera House, which has a steel cantilevered roof the size of three football fields reaching out over the water; and of course, festive and famous Tivoli Park, if amusement parks are your thing. If we have an extra day or two and its mid-summer, we might check out Bornholm Island. It offers sunny weather, cute shops and a laid-back summer lifestyle, though it requires an hourlong drive (or train) back into southern Sweden and then a 90-minute fast ferry to get to the island.
Almanak Restaurant’s indoor dining room
Restaurants: In Copenhagen, Michelin stars are almost “ti cent for et dusin” (look it up!), however, as we’ve said before, that sort of precious haute cuisine is not usually our thing. If, though, “matchstick strips of mahogany clam, decorated with seaweed fronds and salt-preserved unripe gooseberries and black currant buds in a bath of mussel juice and oil from black currant wood” sounds appealing to you, you’ll be in luck — if you can get a coveted reservation at the world-famous Noma (now reopened in a new location in meticulously designed farmhouse-modern digs). Instead, we’ll be visiting Almanak, an elegant and contemporary Dutch brasserie that’s located on the waterfront; Restaurant Barr, a less formal restaurant in the former Noma space, which updates northern European cuisine; Pastis, an upscale and classic French bistro (along with its popular sister restaurants Fishmarket (French Seafood) and Cantina (Italian)); Fiskebaren for fresh fish in a rustic-modern-industrial-chic space; and the laid-back Union Kitchen for meat-/chicken-/veggie-balls in about a dozen varieties, along with pasta and other options (like their “Kitchen Chicken and Waffles”). For something a little more formal but not too precious (i.e. there are several menu options for the picky Gimlet Traveler), we like the look of Silo, which is on the 17th floor of a modern building overlooking the water with handsome danish decor and a cocktail bar one floor down. If the pizza mood strikes us, then we’ll check out either Baest (which makes its own burrata and charcuterie in-house and uses mostly organic and local ingredients) or Mother (more casual, equally fresh ingredients, and people line up outside as they don’t take reservations).
Duck & Cover Cocktail Bar
Bars: Ruby is in an old townhouse that has served as both a book press and a bank (there’s no sign outside, so know the address!); Duck and Cover looks like a moody, mid-century cocktail den (which we love); Sister bars 1656 and 1105, are both dark and intimate, located in the edgy meatpacking district; Nimb Hotel Bar is set in an old ballroom under the original crystal chandeliers; Tata cocktail Bar at the Hotel Sanders has a quiet vintage-modern feel, with a fireplace; popular Lidkoeb has multiple floors of drinking amidst Scandi design with a dedicated whiskey bar on the top floor; and Union Local Cocktail Bar is affiliated with Union Kitchen restaurant (listed in Restaurants above) and is just up the block from their restaurant.
The minimalist interior of the Dansk Made for Rooms shop
Shopping: One of the originals of Danish design, Dansk, is based here and has its own shop (Dansk Made for Rooms), as do Scandinavian home design classics Normann Copenhagen and Hay House; we like the look of Dora, run by a mother and daughter, where you can find modern design knick-knacks, some vintage stuff, and possibly a unique souvenir. There are two neat gallery-shops that offer affordable numbered prints of contemporary artworks by Danish artists and illustrators: Limited Works and Paper Collective. Tortus is a producer of fine hand-made ceramics in the heart of the city and you can take a two-day potters workshop if you have the time (and the inclination). And if you like fancy porcelain, stop in at the flagship store of famous Royal Copenhagen (purveyor to her majesty the Queen of Denmark!). Of the two large department stores in Copenhagen, Illums Bolighus (which also has a royal warrant of appointment to the Queen) is the higher-end one, carrying mostly top-end Danish brands, while Magasin is the larger, more mainstream department store.
Below is a city map of hotels, restaurants, bars, shopping and sights found during our research, including those mentioned above. We may not visit all of them during our future trip, but all are at least of interest to us. Click on the icon at top left of the map to view the legend. Or you can click on the full-screen icon at top right to expand, which will also bring up the legend. Map is best viewed on a computer, and pinned locations will include live links where applicable.
