Eat Early
Options, options, options! If you’re an early riser with a big appetite, start the food fest at Apollo bar where they serve up a delicious wild blueberry compote toast, and sublime banana bread. Atelier September is where the trendy crowd go for smashed avocado toast. Increasingly common are small pop-up breakfast bars and restaurants within shops, with Louise Roe and Apotek 57 both being great examples offering small menus for breakfast and light lunch. If you’re planning on roaming the city and want something mobile, or don’t want to hang around too long, then you’ll want to make a beeline for a Danish bakery. Vikings might be Denmark’s most successful export, but Danish pastries have also colonised and conquered much of the western world. Andersen Maillard’s coffee shop at Nørrebrogade 62 and bakery at Antwerpengade 10 are both outstanding, while Collective Bakery, Alice Coffee, Lille Bakery and Democratic Coffee are all excellent shouts. The gold medal for Danish deliciousness, however, goes to Juno, a little out of the way, but well worth a walk for the cinnamon and cardamom buns. Serious coffee heads will want to get their fix at Prolog, or Italo Coffee where the food is also divine. For lunch, Copenhagen locals often opt for “smørrebrød” aka Danish open sandwiches. The best traditional places for smørrebrød are Restaurant Schønnemann and Sankt Annae, while more contemporary eateries include Møntergade or Aamanns (the latter has a couple different locations across the city).
Eat Late
Once you’ve limbered up with a taste of the city’s extensive daytime offering, Copenhagen’s dinner scene is another smörgåsbordof culinary quality, no matter what the level of dining you’re after. At the expensive end of the spectrum, the city boasts some of most ground-breaking Michelin-starred restaurants and high-quality eateries in Europe, and we would recommend booking a table at Restaurant Barr, Pluto, Geranium, or Popl. Less taxing on your bank balance is Gorilla, an oldie but a goodie that serves up a mix of different food (the 10-course tasting menu we had when we were last there was divine). Sushi-heads and sashimi sleuths would do well to investigate the brilliant Jah Izakaya on Vesterbro and its sister restaurant Posh Jah in the old city, both of which serve up classic Japanese fare with aplomb. If you’re in the mood for a crowd-pleasing classic, then Baest is a top sourdough pizza place, where they make their own mozzarella, plus there’s a great brewery across the street for drinks before/after called BRUS. Fabro Pasta is arguably the best pasta joint in the city and is extremely reasonable price-wise.
Drink
I thought the Brits liked a drink but last summer I spent a day with three generations of a Danish family and boy could they put it away! So it goes without saying that Copenhagen is not short of great watering holes. Mikkeller is perhaps the most-loved Danish brewer and you can find its beers pretty much everywhere. Last year it took over a traditional Danish inn – now Mikkeller Færgekroen – in the Tivoli amusement park, which is well worth the experience. Likewise, oenophiles will be spoilt for choice when it comes to stunning bars: Ruby is a famous old speakeasy which has an excellent cocktail menu, while Ved Stranden 10 is a really cute wine bar housed in a historic tea shop on the banks of the Holmens Kanal. TATA cocktail bar at the Sanders Hotel is where Copenhagen’s lushies go to drink fine wine and champagne in an intimate Art Deco setting. Bibendum on Nansensgade is a serious wine bar with a stunning selection of bottles, a romantic place to come for pre-dinner drinks, while Bar Poldo is another fantastic independent that serves up incredibly good small plates alongside its handpicked wine menu. Finally, for the natty crowd, local favourite Pompette is a must (and when you’ve stopped being sophisticated, Poulette next door does delectable fried chicken burgers).
Shop
Copenhagen has a vast number of amazing independents that have carved a global niche for themselves, not least the likes of Ganni, Saks Potts, and Stine Goya for women, while men have brands such as Wood Wood, Rains, Samsøe Samsøe and Hello Sunflower. If you want to shop for everything under one luxurious roof, then Copenhagen has two vast emporiums of fashion and style: Magasin is Denmark’s equivalent of Selfridges, while Illum is more like its Harrods. Bring your passport because when you show it as a foreigner you can sometimes get discounts, and don’t forget that you can get up to 20 per cent VAT back at the airport, depending on your spend (more info here).
For design, there is an embarrassment of riches, beginning with Illums Bolighus, a stunning emporium for everything you could ever want in your home. Hay is a boutique housed in a historic building overlooking the Strøget district and is full of cool contemporary Danish design and mid-century-inspired furniture and accessories. Keramiker on Jægersborggade is the brainchild of ceramicist Inge Vincents who makes beautifully delicate vases, cups and bowls. A trip to Copenhagen wouldn’t be the same without a trip to the Lego store on Strøget – just don’t go in barefoot.
Stay
Copenhagen has no shortage of amazing hotels, from legacy grand dames to design-led new kids on the block. For top quality luxury, the Sanders Hotel is on a pedestal. Situated in the historic centre just behind the Nyhavn canal, it’s a stone’s throw from the royal residences of Amalienborg Palace, the Old Stage of the Royal Theatre, Christiansborg Palace and the Royal Danish Opera. With stunning Danish design throughout, it even has a private mahogany speed boat from 1964 so that guests can have a coastal tour of the city.
Villa Copenhagen arrived on the scene in 2020, and is housed in the iconic former Central Post & Telegraph Head Office which dates back to 1912. Blending architectural heritage with a contemporary and vibrant setting, you’re likely to find Copenhagen’s coolest CEOs having tête-à-têtes over breakfast in the Executive Lounge, but the biggest draw is the sustainably heated 25m rooftop pool. Other notables to mention are Hotel SP34 near Tivoli, which has good Hoxton vibes about it; Copenhagen Radhuspladsen hotel is in a great location, eccentric design, and good value; the Coco Hotel is a four-star sustainable boutique hotel in Vesterbro, with rooms that are the perfect balance of cute and charming; and The Darling, a guesthouse and homage to Danish design and contemporary art. It has two residences, the new “Classic” facing Strøget, and the inaugural “Grand” nearby in the Old Town, both immaculate inside.
Do
Copenhagen is a city best explored on two wheels (it has earned the World Economic Forum’s accolade of “world’s most bike-friendly city”, with 675,000 bicycles and just 120,000 cars in Copenhagen), especially in the summer months. Around 700,000 bikers come through Copenhagen every day, so join the peloton! With an obligatory selfie at the Little Mermaid statue chalked off, head over to the colourful harbour of Nyhavn, which is picture perfect and has loads of great bars and restaurants. If you have children with you, there’s no escaping Tivoli Gardens, the city’s 175-year-old amusement park. You’ll actually love it when you get there, not only for the rides but also some excellent food and drink (the aforementioned Mikkeller bar). Speaking of which, you must check out Torvehallerne, a fancy indoor food market situated right next to Nørreport St, selling local and organic delicacies.
There is no shortage of excellent museums and galleries for those interested in art. Ny Carlsberg Glyptoteket has a wonderful collection of 19th-century Danish art as well as a huge collection of French Impressionist pieces (over 40 by Gauguin, 35 sculptures by Rodin and the complete series of Degas bronzes). The big kahuna is the SMK (Statens Museum for Kunst) which houses everything from European classics of the Renaissance to the diversity of modern and contemporary art and, of course, plenty of Danish antiquity. Exhausted by things in frames? Head over to the Designmuseum Danmark, which is packed full of inspiration for interior lovers – just don’t sit on anything.
If you’re feeling a little intrepid then we would heartily suggest some day trips out of the city to soak up the stunning Danish countryside. In the summer, take a car or train and head to the Danish Riviera, otherwise known as the strip of North Zealand coast where you can picnic on stunning white sand beaches and dunes. Towns such as Tisvildeleje and the idyllic fishing village of Gilleleje seem suspended in time.
