I knew very little about the city besides the gorgeous pictures of the Nyahn that flood my timeline from time to time. I added it to my bucket list a while back and never really thought about it much until now. Copenhagen was one of the cheaper options for my travel dates and since it was on the bucket list it was a no brainer to plan a long weekend trip. It was a very cold and rainy October weekend which was a bit unexpected this time of the year. If you are planning a trip between October and April, pack appropriately. Make sure to include an umbrella; a jumper and scarf and whatever else you need for a winter like weather. Make sure to have some cash on hand as there were a few places that did not accept cards - the currency in Denmark in Krones, so plan accordingly. If you are coming from the states or the UK, the currency translation works in your favor.

Now to the fun parts….

Time off work. Copengahen is a great weekend option if you are based in the UK / Europe. The flight time is just under two hours from London. However, I wanted to also do a day trip to Malmo, Sweden on this trip so I planned my trip over a long weekend by taking PTO/annual leave of Monday. My flight left London late afternoon on Friday and returned to London on Monday evening. In winter, Copenhagen is an hour ahead of London so that worked well in my favor on the return.

Getting here. I flew Ryan air from London Stansted - their flight price was one of the reasons I chose Copenhagen. I hear Norwegian air also has direct flights for very reasonable prices but plan to fly out of Gatwick airport.

Getting around. Once I arrived, I got a train ticket from the arrival hall to central station and from there pretty much explored on foot the rest of the time except for when I ventured to Kasselts. I found the transportation easy to navigate; If you coming from the states, have some cash on hand as the machines at train stations don’t accept credit cards that require a signature. When I was heading to Malmo (see day trip section below); I took a train from the central station. There is a ticket office where you can use your American credit card to purchase tickets. There is no Uber in Copenhagen but the cabs seem to run fine. I did not need to use it during my stay.

Where to Stay. I recommend staying close to the Old Latin quarter. It is centrally located and I was able to walk to just about everywhere on my list. I stayed at the Ascot hotel which was excellent; just off the main square; a short five minutes walk to Tivoli; less than 10 minutes from Tivoli food hall and less than 10 minutes from the Copenhagen central station. Hotel SP 34 was also highly recommended. I hear the amenities include free wine at night. I stopped by to scope it out for my next trip and really loved the artistic vibe of the hotel. See for yourself.

Where to Eat. I had the best meal of my life (yet) in Copenhagen at a restaurant called Vaest (more on that later). You know how I feel about food culture - food is a huge part of my travel experience and Copenhagen delivered at every stop. I really wanted to dine at Noma the famed Michelin star restaurant but I was visiting during their six-week close. I was Initially disappointed but I found other restaurants that I think more than made up for it (and for half the price). Two of my favorites were Vaest and Host - both are owned by the same the Company and both serve the best meals. I recommend making reservations ahead of your trip. I chose the set three-course menu at Vaest and it cost less than $70 (including the tip and wine) and while you pay for three course - you get a whole lot more than what you pay for and the service was excellent. I arrived on a very rainy Friday evening and did not want a long trek for dinner so I ended up at a restaurant by the hotel - Avenue Bistro and Vin Bar. It is a great place to have a late drink; it has a relaxed setting and they have an excellent menu. I had the Cockerel (rooster) with beetroot, apples and burnt onions - it was excellent.

The city has a few food markets/halls - I visited two of them - the Tivoli food hall and Torvehallerne. If you don’t want to bother with restaurants and reservations, these two are great options with a variety of food options. I highly recommend the Smorgasbord from Hallernes which has stalls at both Tivoli food hall and Torvehallerne. The Torvehallerne is located in Norreport and filled with everything from coffee stalls to taco and Smorgasbord stalls. I recommend the Hija de Sanchez tacos; hot chocolate at coffee collective and fishcakes at Vi love fisk. For brunch, I found several options in my research, I dined at the Union cafe by the Nyhan - the shakshuka was excellent. You cannot leave Copenhagen without trying the pastries; I particularly enjoyed the offerings at Sct. Peders Bageri; however, Andersen & Maillard and Lagkageguset were highly recommended.

Where to Shop. I am not one to shop while traveling but I needed dresses for upcoming weddings and found some great deals at Magasin which is a Danish department store with all offering for men; women and kids. There are lots of great shops in Nyhahn neighborhood - if you have got time, you should take a stroll around the area and stop by some of the shops. Other shops to visit if you come across them - Illum; Hay design store; Ganni store and Norse project.

Where to Explore. Obviously, you have got to visit Nyhavn because it is a quintessential part of the city and while it is packed with tourist, I will still recommend a visit even if it is just for the photo op. The area around the Nyhavn is lined with shops and restaurants so I recommend a stroll around. A short walk from the Nyhavn is the Kunsthal Charlottenborg house and museum which is home to one of the largest contemporary art collection in Europe. The courtyard of the museum is currently home to the solar egg - an outdoor sauna. It moves around so check out their website for current location and reservations. I really enjoyed visiting Tivoli - an amusement park and garden. I should mention it was the weekend before Halloween so there was a Halloween theme happening at the park.

A bit outside the city center is the little mermaid statue; I debated visiting this because it was a bit out of the way, but little mermaid was the first Disney movie I watched and it brings back memories of spending time with friends and family - I wanted to see this statue because of its link to the movie. For activities that are more central - I recommend the Rosenberg castle which is one of two castles in the city; however, it is the only one open to the public and it has a lovely garden which would be a relaxing spot for an afternoon panic or just a rest for exploring.

The Orsted park is another spot I recommend, it reminded of central park and has several historic monuments around the park. I enjoyed visiting the Rudertaarn observatory - a very unique structure with some excellent views of the city. I took a trip outside the city center to the harbor area and Kastellet. Kastellet is one of the best preserved fortresses in Northern Europe and is a lovely area to have a stroll around; if you are in the area, you should also explore the harbor area. From here, I recommend making the 1/2 hour trek back to city center so you don’t miss the Geflon fountain and Frederik's Church (aka Marble church). Located between the harbor and city center is the Amalienborg Palace. This is home to the royal family and if you plan your itinerary correctly you can observe the changing of the guards which occurs daily at 12 PM.

A lot of blogs and articles recommenda exploring the meatpacking district; visit the Design Museum and the Louisiana museum - the latter was a bit out of the way and with the weather putting a damper on the schedule the former had to be scrapped from the itinerary. However, If I were to visit again - I will definitely have both on the itinerary.

Day Trip Options. You know how I like to stretch a trip. If I am traveling for just a weekend (i.e two nights) then I focus on the city I am visiting and don’t venture out in most cases. However, if my trip is over a long weekend, then nine out of ten times, I am planning a day trip. There were many options from Copenhagen, including Aarhus; and Malmo in Sweden. I chose Malmo because it gave me a chance to visit another Country but also because I had recently discovered this city and heard only good things about it. The train ride was just under an hour and it cost less than 20 (Danish equivalent). You can read all about my time in Malmo - here.