Copenhagen (without breaking the bank)
Can the Scandi delights of Denmark's first city really be relished while sticking to a sensible budget? Where there's a will, there's a way.
City break folklore would have us believe that Copenhagen is a) one of the coolest cities in the world, but b) so perilously expensive that it might leave you crying into your cardamom buns.
Such tales of financial woe have certainly been enough to bump Copenhagen down our family “to visit” list a few times. But when a speculative multi-destination Ryanair flight search threw out sub £40 return flights (including reserved seats but only small bags), it felt like it was time to find out for ourselves what the city had to offer - and at what cost.
Ultimately, over our five days there we found it to be pretty much on par with pricing in Paris, Venice and London. We kept costs low-ish while not feeling we were missing out, by sticking to a few small, possibly obvious, rules:
Only do the things you really want to do.
On city breaks it’s very easy to get caught up in visiting every single castle, gallery and sight on offer. For Copenhagen we decided to aim for one to two attractions or activities we really cared about a day, accepting we couldn’t do it all (often a hard concept for me to get my head around and not something we rigidly stuck to). The same went for neighbourhoods and bakeries… sadly, there’s only so many you actually *need* to visit.
Book self-catering accommodation
While I will attempt to not fall into extolling the virtues of Airbnb too much, staying in a real apartment in a real neighbourhood that people actually live in, with access to normal supermarkets and a kitchen is a total winner when it comes to not overspending on boring things (and coffee).
Pack snacks
Finding you (or worse, your children) are over-hungry when you are in a popular tourist spot can cost you big time - and it rarely results in finding anywhere actually good to eat. A friend who lived in Copenhagen had warned us to pack a picnic for Tivoli, while another advised against trying to buy ice creams (or anything) in the old harbour. It was sage advice and while we weren’t necessarily always packing a full picnic, we were careful to carry water and snacks with us to make sure we never felt forced to buy food or drinks that felt overpriced. Failing that level of organisation, 7 Elevens seem to be on literally every corner.
Plan ahead
While my brand of obsessive sleepless research is arguably a little overboard, there are major savings to be had if you are able to do some groundwork and plan ahead, before you are there in the thick of it. For example, our planning revealed Tivoli fees are much cheaper in the week than at weekends and one of the canal boat tours charges three times more than the other for practically the same experience.
City Guide
Due to a combination of rule one (only doing the things we really wanted to) and the fact that Copenhagen is way bigger than we realised, we failed to visit entire charming-looking districts and many recommended food places. But we still packed plenty in.
The Copenhagen Card (from £50 per adult for 24 hours) is a great option if you just want to hit the sights hard for a day or two, but we didn’t get one this time as the duration of our stay meant we could spread things out a little.
Here’s some of our Copenhagen highlights (a more detailed guide of where to eat, stay and shop is available for paid subscribers below - signup to see it and all paid posts):
Nyhavn & Indre By (Inner City)
Copenhagen’s historic downtown is home to some of the city’s most iconic restaurants, best shopping opportunities and picturesque harbour.
On day one we decided to hop on the cheapest 60 minute boat tour available (£7 per adult at Netto Boats) in Nyhavn to get our bearings from the water and tick off a few sights (it covers the historic canals, Little Mermaid statue and more). As we weaved through the waterways we learned about some of the city’s many towers and spires, resolving to climb the one we decided was the prettiest (Vor Frelse Kirke’s stunning baroque spiral spire, known as Stairway to Heaven, tickets £8 per adult) and the one we’d heard most about, The Round Tower (accessed not via steps, but by a wide, constant slope, said to be designed so that the king could ride his horses to the top, tickets £4.50 per adult). As it was a beautiful afternoon and sunset we decided to climb both before they closed at 7pm (so much for doing one thing a day, but it was great fun).
We were wise enough to leave visiting Indre By’s other biggest hitting attractions to other days. Tivoli Gardens proved to be more than just a theme park, with charming planting and ample benches from which we watched the kids get good use out of their £48 unlimited ride armbands (we adults opted to just pay the entry fee of £16 with the option to pay £6 per ride where tempted).
The area’s other major must-visit sight, Rosenborg Castle (tickets £16 per adult), a lavish palace that’s home to the Danish crown jewels, is accessible from other central sights on foot and very well laid out (making it pleasingly quick to visit if that’s your aim).
Within this walkable central district you’ll also find many of the city’s most iconic restaurants, including the gastronomic mecca that is Noma (soon closing and not for anyone on a budget, or for us with a child that only eats chips in tow), Popl, the more budget-friendly burger joint baby of Noma (which we loved and was much more our scene as they sell chips alongside magical spicy fjord shrimp) and three of Copenhagen’s most celebrated open-sandwich (smørrebrød) places (we opted for the charmingly old school Det Lille Opetek after a recommendation and weren’t disappointed).
Nørrebro
We stayed on the border of Nørrebro and Frederiksberg and having explored the former a little on our first night, we generally found it hard to drag ourselves away. It’s a vast, diverse, collection of mini neighbourhoods, from the super cool bars, bakeries, pop-ups and eateries huddled around its north western corner, where a huge flyover marks its edge and provides cover for open air bars and markets, to the bustling vintage shops and delis to the very south, where it is bordered by one of Copenhagen’s deceptively river-like lakes. With the calm, green oasis of Assistens Cemetery in the middle, next to Jægersborggade, an adorably chic shopping street lined with tempting indies.
Our love of Nørrebro meant that neighbouring Frederiksberg with its many incredible sights and equally cool Vesterbro hardly got a look in during our trip (along with Østerbro, which we only entered to eat at the amazing Juno the Bakery). But there’s always a next time (and paid subscribers can see all of the excellent places we were recommended but failed to visit on my bespoke Copenhagen Google Map linked below).
The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art (tickets £16 per adult, children free)
The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art was one of the most recommended things to do from friends, so we dutifully hopped on the train from Copenhagen’s central station north along the coast (about 30 minutes). Other than a confusing exchange with a ticket inspector (we’d managed to buy the wrong ticket) it was a lovely adventure, but maybe a little ambitious in the half day we had allocated. While the museum interior and works are breathtaking, my favourite part was the outdoor sculpture park and coastline beyond. The restaurant looked excellent too.
Malmo (trains tickets £12 per adult)
We couldn’t resist the urge to cross “the bridge” over to Sweden, ticking another country off our collective list. The journey from Copenhagen Central to Malmo takes just 35 minutes and while strolling around Malmo’s historic centre before heading to the Saluhall food hall for meatballs (for the meat eaters) doesn’t really do Sweden the justice it deserves, it was still a fun jaunt. If it had been warmer and we’d had longer I would have loved to have visited the historic outdoor swimming baths on the beach just on the western outskirts of the city.
In terms of realistic itineraries I think if you stick to the central Copenhagen districts you can achieve a lot in 2 - 3 days, while you need 3 - 5 if you want to explore further afield by train.
Now, for the important business of where exactly to stay, eat and shop…
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