Copenhagen

Getting There

The easiest way to get to Copenhagen is by flying directly into its airport (CPH). The airport is rather larger and accessible to the city. Upon arrival, there is a very easy metro you can catch to get to the central city area. There are red ticket machines to purchase a ticket to your destination right in the airport and also near the departure platform of the metro. During the day, the metro runs very frequently and is the best way to reach the airport as it only takes about 10 – 30 minutes, depending on your end destination.

I would highly recommend using the metro rather than trying to get a taxi. A taxi will cost over $50 and typically takes just as long as the trip by metro.

Getting Around

Copenhagen is a beautiful, but small city, making it easy to get around. You can easily walk or cycle most places, and otherwise use Copenhagen’s metro or bus system. For a weekend visit, consider downloading the Donkey (orange) phone app or Lime Bike app to allow for point to point bike rentals. The Donkey rentals are orange city bikes without a motor. These are all over the city and are great to use to travel around the city quickly. Lime bikes are another great option, but of course come with a motor.

For those who are going to be spending a longer period of time in Copenhagen, but not officially moving, look into renting bikes for a longer period of time.

Bike Rentals

• ABC Bicycles 
• Copenhagen Bicycles 

Bike Accessories

Consider getting a basket, helmet, and lights for your bike. A basket is helpful when you are out grocery shopping or running errands. You need lights for your bike if you are biking at night or else you can get fined. Make sure to ask at the store as technically every bike should have them included when rented. Also you will need a bike lock, whether it be a tire lock, a cable lock or both.

Public Transit

Public transportation is another great way to get around, but can get expensive quickly. Consider getting either the Copenhagen card (which gives unlimited transportation and access to most tourist places) or a multi-day public transportation pass. It is much cheaper and easier than buying a ticket for each ride. Keep in mind that riding public transit is based on the honor system. More often than not, your ticket will not be checked. However, when the attendants do come around to validate tickets, if you do not have one then you will face a large fine.

Within the city, the public transit includes the metro, bus and trains. The metro is the easiest and fastest to get throughout the city. The busses are another good option but are slower as they have to wait in traffic. The train is only used if you are going further distances or outside the city center. The stations are also not as easily accessible from common locations as the metro.

The ticket prices are based off of what zones you are traveling in. The city center includes Zone 1 and 2, and the airport is Zone 4. Any day pass that gives you access to Zones 1 through 4 will cover you through the airport and main city areas. Check DOT for updated information with Zone maps.

Accommodations

To stay in the central area, look for accommodations either near Nyhavn, the Round Tower, or the City Hall. These are all fairy centrally located places that will allow you to get around easily. If you’re ready to lean into commuting by bike, you can look outside the city center more for places to stay. A few nice ares include Vesterbro, Amagerbro and Christianshavn. Vesterbro has some nice places to go out for meals and a bit further outside the city center, while Amagerbro and Christianshavn are both quite accessible to the city center.

Currency

Denmark is not on the Euro and is instead on the Danish Krone. It is not the easiest exchange rate. Most places do take credit cards if you do not want to bother taking much cash out. Note that Denmark, like the other Scandinavian countries, is known for being quite expensive so be ready to have a pricier trip.

Weather

Copenhagen is beautiful, but it does rain a lot. In fact, it rains about 200 days of the year and is never all that warm. Remember to pack your raincoat to prepare for the occasional rain shower. The weather is rather mild, so does not get too hot in the summer or too cold in the winter. As Denmark is further north, it benefits from extended daylight hours in the summer making the summer season the prime time to visit. Winter will be long hours of darkness so not as nice a time to visit!

Duration

It is a small city that can easily be visited in a weekend, but if you want to immerse yourself in the Danish culture, you can stay longer to enjoy the daily life. There’s an abundance of cafes and restaurants to try, and is also a favorite location for fashion and styler lovers.

Danish Food and Traditions

Smorrebrod – open faced sandwich with a piece of rye bread and different toppings including meat, cheese, and vegetables

Tebrikes – poppy seed pastry

Curried Herring – fish in curry

Flodeboller – Danish dessert that consists of chocolate covered marshmallow with a graham cracker base 

Hygge – closest translation is “cozy” and is about an atmosphere and experience where people relax and spend time together