In July 2019, I finally decided to travel on a solo trip to the beautiful city of Copenhagen, Denmark. Copenhagen is known for its canals, Michelin-starred restaurants, Tivoli Gardens and for once being home to the children’s writer, Hans C Andersen (The Little Mermaid). In addition, it is actually known as being the happiest city in the world, due its shorter workdays, free education, more vacation days, and levels of personal interactions – also known as the ‘Hygge’ lifestyle.
For me, Hygge was, and ultimately is, a SmileBySparkle way of life.
While my stay in Copenhagen was short, I managed to see quite a bit, and meet some amazing people. I stayed at the Steel House Copenhagen for 2 nights, which was about a 20 minute walk from the main train station (near Tivoli). Copenhagen’s transportation system is amazing, but the city itself is entirely walkable (and bonus, it’s free to walk!).
One thing I really enjoyed about Copenhagen, was how clean and polite the city, and people were. Everyone was cool, kind, and hip. Total zen. Exactly what you would expect from a Scandinavian city.
While in Copenhagen, I visited all of the typical tourist destinations:
- Tivoli Gardens: The OG DisneyWorld
- Christiansborg Palace: STUNNING!
- The Round Tower: A round tower, with no stairs – The platform observatory provides a spectacular view of the old town
- Rosenborg Palace: Home of the Danish crown jewels
- Kastellet and the Little Mermaid Statue: Quite the walk, but worth it. Thank you, Hans Christian Andersen
- Christiania: A hippy settlement from over 40 years ago, Copenhagen’s most unique and controversial area as many accepted norms simply don’t apply. Super cool spot.
- Nyhavn: My favourite spot – I could have honestly spent hours on end here. Nyhavn was once a disreputable quarter of the city – Copenhagen’s own little Red Light District –today, it is the opposite: brightly painting gabled houses (many containing restaurant’s or cafés), aligning a charming canal – one of the most picturesque spots in all of Europe.
Although Denmark is in Scandinavia, it is not as pricey as Norway or Sweden. This pretty, laid-back city is worth the splurge. But, to be honest, apart from Tivoli, shopping, and food, it didn’t break my budget at all. If you’re into self-catering, look for supermarkets for discount groceries. This is what I usually do anyway, but with a ‘nicer’ lunch or dinner. If you convert costs, it basically works out to being the same as going to the Netherlands.
Overall, I really enjoyed my time in Copenhagen, and would definitely like to explore the rest of Denmark.
