A weekend in Copenhagen

Earlier this month I went to Copenhagen for a concert, but I gave myself enough time before and after to explore the city.

I had never been to a concert in another country so it was a great experience for me. The artists themselves are from Denmark so obviously speak Danish. I had no idea what they were saying between songs, so I did what I sometimes do when I'm in a foreign country and not quite sure what to do, I copied everyone else. Every time they laughed, I laughed; each time they clapped, so did I. Lucky for me, they sing in English so I was able to sing (and dance) along. The concert was amazing and my experience was great so it's something I would definitely do again. Phlake is the name of the duo I went to see, they have such a cool sound so check them out!

Christiansborg Palace

Outside of the concert I had about two and a half days to explore the city and I made sure I did as much as possible. Copenhagen has a lot to offer and is easy to navigate making it a great destination for solo travellers (and groups alike). I stayed at The Savoy Hotel (it's sounds a lot snazzier than it is). It's in a great location, three buses stop right outside the hotel and it's about eight minutes walk from Copenhagen Central Station and Tivoli Gardens. Sadly, I wasn't able to visit Tivoli Gardens as it was closed that weekend (literally closed the weekend before I came and opened the after I left, just my luck). But if you're in Copenhagen make it your mission to visit as I heard it's absolutely magical. I'll be back for that!

Other than accommodation and weather (it was cold!), whenever I travel to another country one of the first things I think about is transportation. How am I going to get from the airport to my accommodation? How am I going to get around to sight-see? Of all the places I've travelled I'd say that Copenhagen had the easiest answer to these questions. The Copenhagen Card allows you to travel around Copenhagen and visit 86 attractions and museums at no extra cost. On public transport, all you have to do is show the card and that's it! With the attractions, just tell them you have a card they'll scan it and... that's it! It's so convenient and great value for money. I bought one that lasted for 72 hours (Friday afternoon to Monday morning) which cost me £82/€93 BARGAIN!

However long you have in Copenhagen, make sure you take an hour out of that time to go on a canal tour. I joined the Canal Tours Copenhagen trip which gave me a guided tour of all the main attractions Copenhagen has to offer (also available is the Netto Boats tour). Some interesting sights I passed were The Old Stock Exchange, Christianshavn, Our Saviours Church, The Black Diamond and the Little Mermaid.

As I didn't have a lot of time, I decided not to make the trip all the way to see The Little Mermaid, but I was able to get this picture from the canal tour.

As I'm sure you know, Copenhagen is one of the best cities for cycling. I'm not very confident riding on the road and it was way too cold for me so I didn't cycle on this occasion but I think I'd give it a try next time I visit. If you visit, make sure you look out for bicycles even more so than vehicles. I've never seen so many bikes on the road in my life. Whether you walk or cycle, just put aside some time to take in what Copenhagen has to offer. Even with the great public transport, I found myself walking to a lot of places which was a great way to discover what the city had to offer.

Despite the cold, one of the things that made it easy to walk around Copenhagen was how beautiful it is. Not only was it clean, but the buildings are so dreamy. I found myself stopping to take pictures of building after building.
Before I set foot in the city, there was a collection of buildings that I always associated with Copenhagen, so of course once there I had to visit. Nyhavn is one of the most iconic places in Copenhagen. Right on the canal, Nyhavn is great place to stop for music, chilled vibes and great food.

Visiting museums/galleries/exhibitions is a big part of my travelling experience. I truly enjoy taking a huge chunk out of my day getting lost in a humongous building. I know this isn't everyone's cup of tea so I usually tend to do these by myself. Copenhagen has a lot of  museums to choose from, I managed to visit four while I was there - The National Museum of Denmark, Amalienborg Palace Museum, Design Museum Danmark and SMK - The National Gallery of Denmark.

The great thing about Copenhagen is that a lot of the main attractions were close to each other. So as soon as I came out of Amalienborg Palace Museum there was The Marble Church.

My favourite museums were The National Gallery of Denmark...

And The Design Museum

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I bloody love gardens. Whatever country I go to, if they have some kind of garden best believe I'm going to it. Copenhagen has quite a few gardens and I managed to visit three on my trip. I went to Frederiksberg Gardens which is one of the largest and most attractive greenspaces in Copenhagen. I also went to Copenhagen Botanical Garden and The King's Garden - also known as Rosenborg Castle Gardens.

Copenhagen Botanical Garden

The King's Garden

Autumn in Copenhagen ain't so bad, is it?

There are a lot of things I didn't get to do so at some point I would love to go back and experience them. I think if I had one more day that would have been perfect. Have you been to Copenhagen before? xo