Copenhagen: The City I Wish I’d Visited Sooner + 15 Essential Tips for an Unforgettable Trip
I really should have visited Copenhagen 900 years ago. But this fall, I finally went; I used my Chase Travel Card miles and spent five beautiful days in Copenhagen. Did I mention that I flew Air Canada to Copenhagen? If you can, don't fly AirCanada. It was a terrible experience, okay? Many people agreed with me even when I put it on my Instagram!I slept on the plane and wasn't too tired, so I got into my hotel, checked in, took a nice long shower, and then just started exploring the city, mainly because I was hungry. Took a half hour stroll (Copenhagen is amazingly walkable) and grabbed a bite to eat at this place called Seks, was a cardamom sourdough bun, and a chai latte and the ambience was really nice.I didn't do too much that day. I wanted to take it easy -ish, and by easy -ish, I meant like 18,000 steps. Denmark is the 25th country i’ve visited
How to get around
First, there are no Ubers. The ticket machines for city transportation were at the airport which was really convenient, so I bought my tickets there, but they are also ticket machines at the metro stations.
The tickets were NOT cheap. I bought a 5-day city pass, a pass that included visiting the suburbs outside Copenhagen, and it cost me about $120. Yes, it had me low-key almost missing Chicago because the day passes here are $5
Watch how to get around Copenhagen in this video. 
Where to stay
Because it was Copenhagen, I knew I wanted to meet people. I didn't want to isolate myself in a hotel, but I also didn't feel like I wanted to stay in a hostel. So I stayed at a capsule hotel/ hostel called CityHub. This was a perfect stay. I still got to meet people. I booked my stay on Airbnb, and So did my hotel; I loved that it was self-check-in. It was super easy. I chose the bottom bunk; in this video, you can see what it looks like. It had multiple bathrooms that took me back to the feeling of being in college because it was so easy to start random conversations with the other girls in the dressing room as well. It even had a sauna!The rooms were super cozy, people, mindful so I never had a problem with noise, there was a full stocked kitchen area fridge, a lounge, a lil movie room, a bar, a lobby, books, games, booze, and a wine dispenser!! oh they did their big one with that one! I had a 10/10 stay honestly.
15 things to know before you visit Copenhagen
Getting around Copenhagen is so easy. There are no Ubers, but you can use the transportation system. There are many options to choose from, and it's really, really, really, really easy.It will most likely rain. Okay, so I have a long ankle-length rain jacket. I got mine from Sweaty Betty, and it was terrific. It was durable, it was warm, and it had a ton of pockets. It also had a huge hood. It will most likely rain, so be prepared for that.
3. Although it's a Scandinavian country, they speak English. If you're worried about the language barrier, don't even worry about that. You're okay. Most people spoke English. Everywhere I went, people spoke English to me.4. Even though Denmark is in the EU, their currency is not the euro. It is the Krone, the Danish Krone. So when you go to the ATM, you don't expect Uuros to come out. It's going to be Krone. 5. Shit ain't cheap, okay? Food especially. You're going to be eating so good. You're going to be eating sooooooo good in Copenhagen, but be ready to drop a little bit of a bag. Things definitely weren’t average price, but it was worth it—even transportation. Transportation was not cheap. I bought a 5-day city pass, which cost me about $120.6. It's a walkable city! If you love walking, this is the place. I walked everywhere. I walked and walked and walked. I was doing 20k steps on average every day. Absolutely walkable. You're going to enjoy that too. 
7. Denmark has an existing monarchy. This means there are many palaces and castles in its capital, Copenhagen. I didn't have enough time because there's so much fantastic stuff to do in Copenhagen, but on my next trip, I'll be sure to visit all the palaces.8. There are bikes everywhere. Everywhere. Everywhere. They have their dedicated lanes on the road. So be careful and mindful of people who are on bikes. Don't walk in the bike lane. Look left and look right. Don't bump into bikers. Don't walk on the street with your head buried in your phone so deep that you don't see bikers coming. Be mindful of how things are done in their city. 
9. Tipping isn't mandatory, but if you have excellent service, do oblige and appreciate the waiter taking good care of you or the person who cooked your food.10. The people are stylish in Copenhagen. The city has its fashion week besides the big four (London, New York, Milan, and Paris), so bring your a-game; you gotta look cute in the Copenhagen streets!11. If you want your Swiss army knife, mace, pepper, or pepper spray with you, that's okay, but Copenhagen was so safe. I was walking around late at night. I wasn't afraid that no one was going to stab me or that I was going to get kidnapped i found the city to be highly safe and extremely clean, too.
12. The Danes don’t play about lateness; while being late wasn't my intention, I signed up for a cooking class that cost me almost $120 and was running late because I got on the wrong bus. The class was three hours long. I think I arrived there 27 minutes before they let me in, and there was no refund. So be on time! 13. If you're visiting Copenhagen and you feel like, “You know what, let me add another country to the list,” you can do that! Copenhagen is close to the city of Malmo, Sweden. You can hop on a train and take a day trip to Sweden.14. One thing you need to know is that Copenhagen has a lot of communal seating. So, don't be shocked if you don't always have a table to yourself. On occasion, they'll seat you at a large table, and other people there by themselves will also be at that table. And you know what? I was not mad at that at all. It was a great way to start a conversation with a stranger and get to know each other better.15. You need to validate your transportation tickets. A transport agent always gets on the bus or train to ask you to show valid tickets, and if you do not have one, the fine is quite hefty.Places to eat in Copenhagen
Seks Bakery & Cafe: excellent chai latte and interesting sourdough cardamom buns, unique decor.Apotek 47: best breakfast I had in CopenhagenBar Una: great steak and wineWild horses: really nice open space and minimalist decor, great breakfast too
Delphine: great decor, drinks, large salad, fab bar, friendly staff, requires a reservation
Fabro: Italian restaurant, really small space, so get there once it opens at three or risk standing in line for hoursAndersen Maillard: second best breakfast; you will most likely have to wait in line, but it's worth it20 grams: coolest cafe in Copenhagen!Living Room: great menu, super cozy, dimly lit with multiple communal seating areas
Here are all the things I did in Copenhagen for your inspiration.
Explore Nyhavn. This is the one neighborhood you must visit to prove you went to Copenhagen. It's a canal-side neighborhood in Copenhagen with beautiful and colorful buildings. You can also take boat rides there.
Hans Christian Anderson, the Danish author of The Little Mermaid, lived in Copenhagen and there’s a famous Little Mermaid sculpture in the city. If interested, you should head out to see The Little Mermaid. I didn't have an overwhelming feeling, but I'm like, at least I've seen it.
Another thing you should do is take in a beautiful panoramic view of Copenhagen, and you should go to the Church of our Savior. It has a spiral staircase to the top of the building, the church that gives you a beautiful view of Copenhagen. A ticket costs about $10 to get in, and because the spiral is so skinny, it can only accommodate so many people. So when you go in there, you do have to book a time slot. You will climb a lot of stairs, and they're very, very, very steep, so wear comfortable, non-slipping shoes. In the meantime, while you're killing time, you can just walk into the church and admire its beauty. Also, the church had Wi-Fi. You know one thing about the Catholics: they spare nothing on making their churches look beautiful, and it was indeed lovely. There was a stunning gold-plated pulpit and a magnificent pipe organ.
And if you're already in the neighborhood of the Church of our Savior, you must go to Freetown Christiania, which is only about 10 minutes from the church. Christiania is its independent, free city in Denmark; they do not identify as part of the EU. It's like a hippie commune, famous for the controversial lifestyle of its residents and a major tourist attraction. It’s super colorful and has many murals on the walls, too, but be careful. I did get a lot of security warnings about being careful there. If you want more information, read up here. Look here.
Another thing you can do is do a hop-on hop-off -sightseeing bus tour. I always recommend these bus tours to anyone visiting a city for the first time because it's the quickest way to see all the major sights in the city. For instance, I couldn't visit all the palaces, but at least I got to see them from the outside.The botanical gardens! When I went, it was a rainy day, and the one thing I wanted to see, The Palm House, was closed, so it was honestly a flop, but what I saw of the gardens was beautiful.
Nyboder, Copenhagen
Nyboder is yet another colorful neighborhood in Copenhagen. The houses there are all the same vintage faded mustard yellow with maroon shutters and green doors. It's a perfect backdrop for photos.You can't go to Copenhagen without going to the Design Museum of Denmark. Scandinavians are known for their unique designs, and the Design Museum was a perfect example of that. There were fascinating exhibitions going on, and I spent about two hours there and loved it. The Design Museum is perfect if you want something to do on a rainy day.
I didn't get to explore any of the palaces in the city, but I took a day trip to a town outside Copenhagen called Hillerod to see the Frederiksborg Castle. The Frederiksborg Castle is the largest in Scandinavia, and I wanted to see it. I took a day trip, hopped on a train, and arrived a little over an hour after I set out. It was straightforward to get from Copenhagen to Hillerod. Google Maps is super helpful. The castle and the grounds were stunning, and they were breathtaking. Just look at these photos and video.
And honestly, now after having been to the airport, I honestly feel like the airport's one of the best in the world because it is a testament to how the Danes are really all about that stress-free life and making life easy for you and that's exactly what being in the airport felt like. When you walk through security, which was a breeze, by the way, there are trolleys for you to haul your luggage.The airport also had updated phone chargers with the USB-C charger because most places just have that USB port, but they had USB-C outlets, which was amazing!!!There are about 900 million other things I wanted to do in Copenhagen that I did not have enough time for. I'll be going back next year; I will have a more expanded list of things to do/experience in what has become my new favorite city.I’ve made it easy for ya’ll by hyperlinking all the important spots. If you want some more juicy deets on my Copenhagen trip, click here. Until I book another flight somewhere… who knows where, follow me on Instagram and TikTok for more travel stories, tips, itineraries, and gist.xxx- Summer