Copenhagen
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Do's:
- Wander around the autonomous hippie town within Copenhagen - Freetown Christiania.
- Have a seat along the picturesque harbour of Nyhavn.
- Grab some cheap street food at the Copenhagen Street Food warehouse on Paper Island (Papirøen)
Don't:
- Go out of your way to see the Little Mermaid statue. Unless it's on your bucket list, it's pretty anticlimactic.
- Plan on getting some quality grocery shopping done as the supermarkets are barely average. However, this is the cheapest option food wise.
Two days in Copenhagen was just enough to get a feel for this coastal Danish city. Not only is the city small enough to see in one day, but everything you should check out is in close proximity to each other.
A friend and I stayed at a cute Airbnb in Islands Brygge, a suburb just outside of the city center. As we planned our day of sight seeing, we had heard about an artsy neighbourhood in the middle of Copenhagen called Freetown Christiania. For some background on the town: it was an old military barrack turned hippie commune where the new inhabitants developed their own set of society rules, free of influence from the Danish government. Of course we had to check it out!
As soon as you walk through one of the 'entrances' of Christiania, you'll feel as though you've left Copenhagen. You trade in the traditional architecture for a more alternative and open minded community. There are cool markets amongst the vibrant scenery, along with several art galleries, music venues and cafes. The area is carefree and car-free. I suppose I should mention one other draw to this mini town: the cannabis shops.
After a walk around Chrisitania and the nearby park, we were in search for the 'colourful houses' of Copenhagen. You know, the ones you see in any googled photo of Copenhagen? (We probably should have researched what it was called) For some reason, not a single human knew where we could find such a place. We even began to think this place didn't even exist! Finally, some beautiful soul led us in the direction of Nyhavn. Bingo!
We began 'island hopping,' as we crossed a series of bridges to get into the city. Along our way, we passed a huge warehouse home to the Copenhagen Street Food market. I would definitely recommend checking out this food venue and maybe even eating all of your main meals here, as the grocery stores in Copenhagen are grim and the food at this market hall is fairly priced (for Denmark).
Fifteen minutes later and we stumbled upon the little harbour of Nyhavn. You can't miss it once you're there. This tiny canal is lined with cute townhouses each one more colourful than the next. The abundance of restaurants and old wooden sail boats make Nyhavn a spectacular place to sit and eat. As this area is a main tourist attraction in Copenhagen, keep in mind that the food is overpriced.
Conquering our lists of 'must-sees', we made our way back to Island Brygges, passing through the city center. I must say, there are some impressive spires and clock towers!
Now to our hood: By day, Island Brygges seems to be a quiet ghost town. Yet, at night, the town became alive. And when I say the town, I mean the bars. There are a few waterfront bars to choose from, providing an excellent view of downtown Copenhagen. Especially from the inside where you'll probably want to be on a typical chilly night!
All in all, Copenhagen was a fun place to explore! If you're in Scandinavia, definitely make Copenhagen a pit stop on your journey!
