Copenhagen was an absolute pleasure to walk through but would have been even better if I biked. I had been in Copenhagen for about twelve hours when I stopped there overnight on my way to Greenland. On my way back I had about thirty six hours in the city. I stayed in a one room AirBnB next to the airport the first time and opted for a hotel in downtown Copenhagen on my way back.
Bikes as far as the eye can see.
The SKT. Petri was a short walk from the Nørreport metro stop. The metro stop is where I first realized there was a major love for bicycling.
I left at 9 pm from Kangerlussuaq and arrived at 5 am in the city and was at the hotel by 7 am on a Saturday. The streets were being cleaned from what I assume was a normal Friday night and I felt as though I could still smell the alcohol in the air. I changed as fast as I could back into my sandals after getting off the plane. The boots were incredibly painful to walk in because they rubbed against my Achilles.
A general idea of what I managed to walk over three hours with broken feet so take that into account when planning your trip!
I was a sleep deprived bearded man in socks and sandals with a 65 liter pack on his back and a travel camera bag strapped to my chest, walking down the street in the crisp morning air. I had arrived before the concierge was manning the door at the SKT Petri which is probably how they let me in. The SKT Petri is a 5 star hotel and it definitely felt that way as I took the escalator to the front desk.
The front desk staff was absolutely amazing letting me check in eight hours early. I showered and took a two hour nap before finding the breakfast which was filling to the max. The one thing that still sticks out to me is the coffee fountains. They had touchscreen fountains that would just fill your cup with any coffee drink that existed. So after several espressos I set off into the city.
Look at all those people!
I made it to Strøget. A 1.1 km long pedestrian shopping street. On a busy Saturday you could feel the energy but I was starting to get claustrophobic at times. I wandered off the main street and eventually found my way to Nyhavn. This is where all of the famous beautifully colored buildings are! If you do not like crowds then planning a limited time in Nyhavn is probably what you want to do. It was the most crowded part of the city that I saw. You can avoid most of it by walking on the opposite side of the houses and you get a better look at everything that way too.
I stopped at Ofelia Plads which was recommended by the staff at breakfast. It is a giant area of docks and board walk where people sun bathe and swim. I relaxed here for awhile before continuing down the water front to the infamous mermaid. I have to tell you that it is incredibly underwhelming and if you spend all day walking in the hot sun just to see it you will feel like an idiot. I, however, am a professional idiot so I was not to be deterred by such a long walk or the beating sun. The heat was maybe 80 degrees Fahrenheit but I had just spent at least twelve days in a place where the average was just above freezing. Needless to say I was sweating like a pig.
I made it back to the hotel where the front desk recommended Torvehallerne, a fresh food market near Nørreport. There was a huge variety of booth restaurants as well as specialty shops. I settled on a lemon grass Bánh mì from a small Vietnamese booth.
Eventually I made my way back to the hotel to take another nap and utilize the steam bath and sauna! There is nothing like sitting in a steam bath and drying up and sweating in a sauna after an extremely long day. I was closing in on 33 hours with a 2 hour nap but I knew this was the only time to see the nightlife in Copenhagen so I got dressed again and went for a stroll down the entirety of Strøget this time. Listening to the street performers and stopping for a Belgian waffle was a relaxing way to end my day. I got a bag of ice from the bartender and iced my feet for the next and last day of the trip.
The next morning I ate my fill at the hotels continental breakfast again and set out this time for the Botanical Garden. This was probably my favorite part of the city. There is a butterfly garden in the front of the building and after paying a small fee I walked through it marveling at all the different species. I probably spent 30 minutes sweating in that stupid hot green house trying to get a photo before I just sat and watched the little guys flutter around.
Upstairs is a huge botanical garden with plant species from all over the globe. Almost all of the labels tell you where they are from and there are very few people in this part of the garden for some reason. So go and enjoy its serenity for awhile.
Copenhagen is a beautiful city and I can’t wait to return and possibly visit even more regions of Denmark. The people were more than welcoming and the food was delicious. If you have the opportunity to spend a weekend or more here you owe it to your self to stay!