In December 2019, I was desperate to inject a little Christmas spirit into my life, and so we looked at the best places to go to visit some Christmas markets. A lot of the places the internet suggested were European cities we had already visited over the past couple of years, so we decided to broaden our horizons a little and looked at the Nordic cities. As soon as we saw images of Copenhagen, we fell in love and booked a 4-night stay in the beginning of December. Here's all the antics we got up to over the festive period in the capital city of Denmark! Day OneAfter arriving at our hotel late the night before, we got up bright and early to make the most of the buffet breakfast (which was honestly one of the best I've ever experienced). We decided to head out and get our bearings before heading over to the highly-recommended Tivoli Gardens. One thing we were a little cautious about was Copenhagen's reputation for being expensive, but we discovered that there was plenty to see and do without spending a penny. We wandered around Christiansborg Palace, the royal stables and through Nyhavn, the beautiful fishing village. We found the Christmas markets at the end of the canal and made a mental note to come back in the evening. At least we'd found them without Google Maps! We stopped off at a coffee shop called Cibo Mambo for a coffee and an orange juice (that set us back about £9 for the two, which is pretty pricey) before heading over to the famous theme park. We paid £15 each for entrance tickets only on Get Your Guide - we were really only there for the lights - and were completely wowed by the beautiful park. We arrived during daylight and were told that we should stay until dark to see the lights in their full glory so we grabbed some dinner at the Italian on-site called Mazzoli's where we paid an extortionate £45 for two pizzas and two large wine glasses of pilsner. I guess you pay for the location, and we were definitely hungry at this point. Plus, it was definitely worth the wait to see the gardens lit up in their full glory. It was the most Christmassy I've felt in a long time. The atmosphere was just magical, and any trip to Copenhagen is incomplete without visiting this attraction. We decided to head back to the hotel in the evening after a day of wandering around (the place was pretty flat so it wasn't tooooo bad on the old feet) and made a quick stop at the Fisketorvet Shopping Mall, which was right next to our hotel, before retiring for the night. Day TwoWe were lucky that the December weather was pretty mild on our first full day in the city, but on the second, it was absolutely lashing it down. We had planned to take a trip to the Freetown Christiania, but were deterred by the awful weather. Instead, we took a metro trip to the National Denmark Aquarium, the second largest in Europe. We paid £19 each on Get Your Guide and enjoyed the rainy day trip watching hammerhead sharks, stroking sting rays and sticking our hands in tanks with those fish that eat the dead skin off your hands (sounds gross but it was kinda relaxing). We stopped at a restaurant called Cafe Phonix were we paid £45 for a bacon and egg burger, the best garlic flatbread with tomatoes I've ever tasted, an enormous portion of chips, a pint of tuborg and a glass of cherry juice. Again, expensive, but the food was pretty good and we were kind of expecting it. Plus, thanks to the amazing breakfast at the hotel, we didn't need lunch so we only really had to pay for dinner. We felt a little cheated out of our day by the bad weather, so we took another wander to Nyhavn in the evening and enjoyed a hot chocolate in the cutest little Christmas mugs (which were included in the price of the drinks) at the Christmas markets at a wooden stall with heaters. By the end of the day, we were hoping for better weather on our final full day in Denmark. Day ThreeOn our final full day, we decided to take a boat trip along the canals to catch a glimpse at the famous Little Mermaid statue. We paid 95 dk each (about a tenner) for a one hour tour. If you know me at all, you know I'm a bit of a geek at heart and love learning about the history of a city, so I loved the guided-tour's comments as we cruised along the canals. You get an amazing view of the Opera House, which apparently local Danes dive off into the canal each year in the summer. We also got a glimpse of the floating canal homes and the backside view of the Little Mermaid. Once back on land, we decided to get a better view of the statue and took a hop on hop off tour bus up to the statue, passing the beautiful Amalienborg Castle on the way. I'd definitely recommend the hop on hop off bus tours in any city you visit because you really do get to see the highlights and get your bearings. Plus, it's easier on your feet. The bus stopped at the Little Mermaid, allowing passengers 10 minutes to take photos. We learnt from the boat trip that the poor statue had been defiled and replaced a number of times due to vandalism, but she was still standing strong amongst the rocks of the canal. On our way back, we made a stop at the National Museum, where we paid 95 dk each (about a tenner), drawn in by the promises of a Viking exhibition, and I'm a sucker for Viking history. Besides that one small section, the museum itself was a little underwhelming for me, but the replicas of human Vikings was worth going to see. We paid 230 dk (£25) for two sandwiches, a hot chocolate and a coke at a cafe in the centre that evening, took one final stroll down the main shopping street and one last wonder around the Fisketorvet where we enjoyed a cheeky maccies (you just can't beat cheap, fast-food) before our departure the next day.
We actually skipped on the transfers in Copenhagen and used the metro system instead, which was pretty easy to use and a lot less hectic that the London Underground. All in all, I absolutely loved our time in Copenhagen, and found so much more to do in the city than just visit the Christmas markets. The city is incredibly clean and fresh, which ultimately made our experience much more pleasant. Our hotel, Copenhagen Island Hotel, was absolutely beautiful. Honestly, the standards don't even compare to the other city breaks I've been on. I will say that our hotel was about a 20 minute walk to Nyhavn and the central areas, but we didn't mind the walk. The views were incredible. I'd love to go back in the summer, wander around Christiania and explore all of the other corners of the city we didn't get to discover. In terms of cost, yes it was more expensive than some of the cheaper European cities like Krakow, Prague and Budapest, but it was definitely worth the extra money. Copenhagen is a beautiful city, and if you haven't thought to go there yet, get booking your tickets! Trust me, you won't regret it.
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