I planned a trip to Copenhagen, Berlin, and Edinburgh with my college/travel friends. Since my friends are studying for their master’s in Edinburgh, we planned to travel during their spring break. We, finally, decided to spend 48 hours in Copenhagen, four days in Berlin, and then visit their home in Edinburgh.
Since we spent 48 hours in Copenhagen, I’m sharing a guide on what to see and do in that timeframe.
Where to stay
To save money, we split a private room Airbnb in the Amagerbro area. It wasn’t the most glamorous Airbnb, however, it was in a good location, had the necessities, and was cheap.
Where to play
Freetown Christiania
Even though Christianshavn was a stop away on the metro from our Airbnb, — we, however, decided to walk. We wanted to stretch our legs, take in the scenery, and enjoy the 70° weather. Christianshavn is a neighborhood on the island of Amager, and our first stop was Freetown Christiania – an autonomous neighborhood. Many locals openly sell, and smoke, cannabis here. It was a truly interesting experience walking around and seeing a diverse range of people coming together.
Note: Christiania residents don’t like photos taken within the community, signs are around to let you know when not to.
Christianshavns Kanal
The canals were beautiful to look at and indeed picturesque. We began wandering around the canal and ended up in what seemed to be a public trampoline park. There were four trampolines built into the ground, and so we had to stop — who passes up jumping on trampolines?
Rosenborg Castle Gardens
We stumbled upon this park — which, in fact, is the oldest park in Copenhagen — while en route to Torvehallerne. Beautiful flowers were starting to bloom, and they have tree-lined avenues in the park.
Nyhavn
A canal with many food options and attractions, and the atmosphere is lively. This is also where we started our hour-boat tour. For ~$12, this boat tour takes you to famous landmarks, such as the Little Mermaid, and you learn Copenhagen’s history.
Round Tower
After Nyhavn, we visited the Round Tower to get views of the city – the entry fee is cheap (25 DKK | $3.25). It’s quite a spiral trek to the top, but there are different rooms to explore in between breaks. For example, they had an art exhibit in one of the rooms, and a library in another.
University of Copenhagen Botanical Garden
The botanical garden is free and provides a collection of plants. You can go inside the greenhouse and/or walk around outside. However, the inside was hosting a private event at the time we went. So, we walked around outside, which offered beautiful flowers, plants, and views.
Strøget
A shopping center, Strøget offers fashion stores, food, souvenir shops, and more.
Where to eat
Café Lystig
This pub was two doors down from our Airbnb and was basic, but provided: cheap drinks and good American music. The bartender offered us a free shot and snacks before his shift ended, and the patrons were friendly.
Torvehallerne
This market reminded me of the Mercado de San Miguel in Madrid due to its glass structure. Inside, you have many food options to choose from, including cheese, fresh bread, cold pasta, seafood, wine, and pastries. We went to Torvehallerne both days — on day one, two of my friends and I got fish and chips. Meanwhile, my vegan friend got a delicious platter of vegetables. On day two, we grabbed bread, cheeses, fruits, and vegetables to make a charcuterie board, with wine, for dinner. We got this unbelievably delicious cranberry cheese that tastes just like cream cheese with cranberry chunks.
Strøgb Geriet
On day two, we grabbed breakfast from this small bakery, I got a roll of bread with cheese and butter. It was so good, the bread was soft on the inside and slightly crunchy on the outside. There was also just enough butter and cheese to support the bread.
Baresso Coffee
Across the street from the bakery is this well-known coffee shop. I got a cup of coffee, and although I’m not a big coffee drinker, I actually enjoyed it.
