Travel Guide
Copenhagen, Denmark
Known as being at the forefront of everything hip and cool, Copenhagen is one of my favourite cities in Europe. But while it's on the top of my travel list, I do want to share a small word of warning - if you thought cities like London or Switzerland were expensive, you'll be in for a surprise. From my experience, the nordic countries are one of the most expensive regions I've ever visited in Europe.
Despite being a part of the European Union and a Schengen country, Denmark and the city of Copenhagen use Danish Krones as their main currency (not Euros like many countries in the EU). But I wouldn't let that dissuade you. Copenhagen's bright buildings, friendly people and freshly baked goods are something so unique and almost indescribable to those who haven't visited.
So to help you feel inspired to visit and maybe even book those flights, I've listed my top places in Copenhagen to visit for coffee, food and more.
Quick Travel Facts:
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Despite being a part of the European Union, in Denmark, they don’t use Euros — Instead, they use the Danish Krone (Kr).
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In Copenhagen and the rest of Denmark they speak Danish, however all Danes are taught English in school, so it’s also widely spoken.
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Being a Scandinavian city, Copenhagen is naturally colder than other European cities. When I visited, I went in the Summer during late July, 2022 and the weather was beautiful. I was also there for the longest day of the year (they have celebrations) and the end of the school season.
However I would consider visiting in the Winter months during Jan/Feb/Mar if I had planned to also visit other Scandi countries further north to see the Northern Lights.
Where to eat + drink:
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Oh my goodness! If I had found this place earlier in my trip, I think I would have left Copenhagen about 1000x heavier because this place has the BEST bakery items ever! You’ll want to get here early to make sure you don’t miss out on their fresh cardamon buns and Portuguese tarts.
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This is a food hall/court with trucks, casual outdoor tables, self service. It’s a relaxed, vibrant environment close to the iconic Copenhagen canals.
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This is another great bakery in Copenhagen, however I must admit, I unfortunately didn’t get a chance to visit it.
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This is another cafe/bakery I unfortunately didn’t get the chance to visit. Apparently it’s in a quiet suburb and has a great vibe, plus amazing bread.
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Yep, the name says it all. A relaxed pub-like atmosphere with delicious burgers. Great for groups and the option to sit indoor or alfresco.
Best cafes:
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Situated relatively close to the city centre, ROAST Coffee is a modern, yet relaxed cafe with an on-site roastery.
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Want a little style with your coffee? This place has boujee modern interiors and great specialty coffee. The space has plenty of seating too and they also offer a selection of food and baked items.
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I’m yet to visit this cafe, but from what I can see on Google, this place has a super quirky vibe and great reviews.
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I don’t often recommend chain cafes, but this place is actually pretty good! I can only speak to the Bernikow cafe, but we enjoyed delicious coffee with latte art.
Top things to see + do:
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This is Copenhagen's iconic harbour with colourful buildings.
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Dutch Renaissance palace & gardens, including a museum housing the crown jewels, with guided tours.
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This is technically an illegal, but Government recognised commune of people (sometimes referred to as ‘hippies’) living in this suburb. It originally began in 1971 as a squatted military base. The suburb has some cool cafes and is also nice to walk around.
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This is an iconic square in the centre of Copenhagen.
Notes + Traveller’s Tips
If you’re visiting Copenhagen for the first time, these are some handy tips you may like to know. Copenhagen is an amazing city, and one of my favourites in Europe, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Copenhagen transport card - if you're not biking around Copenhagen, I suggest getting one of the city's travel cards for transport (the Rejsekort card). These are available at major stations. Unfortunately I panicked when buying mine from the machine and loaded WAYYY too many funds for my trip. So double check the conversion rate and maybe load less funds than more. What's cool is if you're in Copenhagen for a long time, you can actually get extra funds "refunded" but I didn't have time to do this. You can also download the "DOT Billetter" mobile app, however I didn’t use this when I was there so I can’t vouch for it.
Currency - In Denmark, they use Danish Krone not Euros. You'll want to triple check the conversion rates to make sure you aren’t getting ripped off, but keep in mind prices are generally pretty expensive. So a flat white coffee for $8 AUD is not unheard of.
Stay away from the e-scooters - I visited Copenhagen not long after Prague, where I had a blast using the e-scooters available to hire. So when I arrived in Denmark, I thought I'd continue the fun, but to my dismay, I used an App called Voi. Immediately my credit card was frozen and I had to spend some time contacting my bank multiple times to have it unfrozen. For some reason, this company is flagged by ING (my bank) and this also happened to my husband. So of you're wanting to scoot scoot around using an App, do so with some back up funds or other cards readily available so you can continue to enjoy your holiday.
Cycling - This city is one of the BUSIEST places to ride your bike. I'd say there are probably more bikes on the roads than there are cars and you'll notice this as soon as you arrive. So when you are a pedestrian, it's vital to watch where you're walking to avoid any accidents, because the bike paths are usually very full and bikes can appear out of nowhere.
Jaywalking - something the Scandi's love are rules, but a local friend of mine from Denmark, Cecilia, once told me that you can immediately tell when someone is from Copenhagen (versus other cities in Scandinavia) because they will often jaywalk. If you don't know what jaywalking is, it's when you cross a road and ignore pedestrian signals/lights - usually as a way to cross the road faster/for a short cut. In Australia, I don’t believe jaywalking is an offence, or at least, it's definitely not strictly enforced and it's also probably more culturally accepted as just "something you do". But when I was in Sweden, my husband was running and was yelled at by someone in their car for jaywalking as he was crossing the road. This wasn't much of a concern for him, but just something different I noticed between the Copenhagen and other Scandinavian cities.
Cost saving tip - It’s true that Copenhagen can be quite expensive, but it is definitely possible to save costs while you’re there. For example, I cooked a lot at home, limited my cafe outings to 1 coffee per day and waiting to do my clothes or gift shopping in other countries.
