Copenhagen Chronicles

After having travelled across Scandinavia, starting from Helsinki, in Finland, it was time to explore our final, and most eagerly awaited, destination, Copenhagen. Given all that the city has to offer, we were glad to have spent the most time here. It was just our kind of city, offering cycling, walking, green spaces and importantly, fantastic food. What more could we ask for? We bought the 4-day City Pass Small, which gives access to all the means of public transport in Zones 1-4 as well as the return trip by train from the city to the airport, if one is travelling light (not really a Mantri thing 😉).

We checked into the charming Coco Hotel just for a night, since we needed to book this last minute. I’m glad we got to experience it. Very cute, cosy boutique hotel and highly recommended if looking for affordable accommodation in this expensive city. Our first day was spent walking by the Christianshavn canal and getting a glimpse of the colourful, slightly notorious, lawless Freetown Christiania. Its’ Pusher Street is famous for its open trade of cannabis, which is illegal in Denmark. 

We headed there after lunch at Popl Burger, started by a core team of Noma (voted as the World’s Best Restaurant for several years) veterans. Little wonder then that the burger was the best we have EVER had and it’s going to be tough to beat!

The beer accompaniment was delicious too. With appetites sated, and a quick exploration of Freetown Christiania, we thought we would climb the bell tower of the Church of Our Saviour, which also happened to be in the neighbourhood. However, it was prohibited on the day, given the gusty wind conditions which rendered the climb dangerous. So, we decided to do the canal tour of Copenhagen, offered by Stromma, instead. A great way to see the city from the water and a must-do. This was followed by a stroll around Nyhavn, with its colourful houses, lively restaurants and narrow side streets.

The next day, we headed to Amalienborg Palace and walked to the statue of the Little Mermaid – the Statue of Liberty of Copenhagen of sorts. 

On the return, we walked through the beautiful Langelinie Park and past Kastellet, a 17th century fortress, back to the palace just in time for the Changing of the Guard at noon. The guards march from the Rosenborg Castle to reach Amalienborg by noon. A fun fact is that the bearskin hats worn by the royal guard, each weigh about 6 kgs and cost 50,000 Danish kroner! 

Following that, the beautiful Frederiksberg Church or The Marble Church, as it is more commonly known, for its rococo architecture, is a must-visit. Exquisite interiors! It has the largest church dome in Scandinavia with a span of 31m, resting on 12 columns, with the inspiration suspected to be St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

Lunch at Aaman’s deli to taste the renowned smorrebrod, beckoned thereafter and it did not disappoint. The Netflix program ‘Somebody Feed Phil’, was the inspiration for some of our dining choices in the city, and most hit the spot. 

We decided to explore just one palace / castle from the inside and Rosenborg Castle was the obvious choice. It is reportedly one of the most well-preserved Renaissance castles in the world, with some of the rooms almost completely as they were when the castle was built in the early 1600’s. The castle was built by King Christian IV between 1606 and 1624. We were awestruck by the artefacts made of ivory and amber, dating from 1585 to 1850.

The crown jewels were spectacular too, as were the tapestries that adorned the walls. Well worth a visit. We decided to grab an early bite at the highly recommended Torvehallerne Food Hall before heading back to the hotel. The tacos and margarita from Hija de Sanchez were the highlight for me.

One can’t leave Copenhagen without trying one’s hand at a bit of biking, so we did so on two occasions. The first was before our visit to the Rosenborg Castle, around Ostre Anlaeg park and the second time, was in Faelledparken, the only park where one is allowed to bike within the park. For those interested in doing so, download the app ‘Donkey Republic’ and set up an account ahead. It is super easy to rent and return bikes on the app. The parks that were scattered all over the city really endeared us to the city. The lovely weather and cute fauna – ducks, geese and swans with their young – made for memorable moments. If one has time, Frederiksberg Park is really pretty and we are glad that we visited.

The following morning, we finally did get to climb the bell tower of the Church of Our Saviour and the views from the top made the gruelling climb worth it. Another must-do when in the city. Not having had enough of climbing 😊, we headed to climb the Round Tower observatory and popped into the adjoining Trinitatis Church. 

Of course, Tivoli Gardens is not to be missed and after resting at the hotel, we headed there in the evening. Lots of rides, performances, beautiful flora and the nightly illumination show at the end make for a lovely evening. Gasoline Grill burgers within the park and Letz Sushi at the Tivoli Food Hall sated our appetites while we were at it. 

Reffen street food is also not to be missed and an experience in itself. It is the largest street food venue in the Nordics – 6000 sq.m. in area and over 50 stalls, offering food from all over the world! We chose to go on a Friday for the ‘Beer and Blues’ fest. The Argentinian Fuego street food, Gosht – Kurdish street food and pulled pork tacos from Tacos Pastor were our favourites. 

So having ticked off all the must-dos on our list, the last day was spent walking down the popular Stroget street in town to pick up a few souvenirs. Finally, it was time to head back to Singapore and we were really sad to leave this beautiful region, though felt blessed to have been able to visit. Signing off till the next adventure…