For my short 3-day visit to Copenhagen, Denmark, let’s talk “hygge.” The famous Danish word, which embraces personal relationships as well as experiments in welcoming architecture, design and cuisine, never came up specifically – but I recognized it everywhere.
While often translated as “coziness” or “happiness,” hygge’s meaning is much bigger than that and shows throughout in a pleasant, friendly society where sociability is natural and connections among friends and family are frequent. Scandinavians are direct and often firm, rarely rude or abrupt, but polite and respectful, including in response to dumb tourist questions, which I appreciated!
Following my visit to Oslo, Norway, I planned my own three-day adventure in Copenhagen on the way back to the US while flying SAS Airlines. I’d not encountered Copenhagen solo before, and I didn’t have any personal connections. Ahead of time, though, I decided to concentrate on three priorities – Danish experimentation in architecture, design and food (traditional and New Nordic cuisine) – and find “hygge” in practice. To make Denmark especially welcoming, English is the default language.
Getting Situated in Copenhagen
Selecting the right hotel is always tricky, but solid research is key. About three months ahead of my trip, comparing various lists, I chose the Villa Copenhagen, a Preferred Hotel in the renovated Central Post & Telegraph Main Office (1912). It’s a charming blend of old Europe and contemporary Copenhagen, with wonderful service and beautiful appointments, and it’s well situated directly across the street from the Central Train Station and from Tivoli Gardens. I took the 20-minute train from the airport – it was so easy!
A vibrant world city, Copenhagen is relatively compact, by my calculations similar to Boston/Cambridge or San Francisco, and you can easily walk a mile before realizing it. The city has been reimagined in the past few decades, with fewer cars, more bikes; it’s stylist yet sustainable.
When you’re planning your 3-day trip, Central Copenhagen is easily divided into north and south for the daily agendas. With my hotel conveniently located in the southern half, I could walk everywhere. Beyond that, the rest of the city is easily accessible, some of it on islands and peninsulas connected by canals and bridges. Public transport is modern, ample and inexpensive by train, bus, metrorail and sight-seeing boat tours on the canals. Most museums are closed on Mondays.
I trekked 4-6 miles a day on the city streets and sidewalks, a mixture of cobblestones, pavers and contemporary asphalt, and through several museums. Smart, well-cushioned shoes (Teva sandals or OnCloud sneakers for me) are vital. The terrain is flat, the streets old Europe and modern urban, with winding passages through alleys, multi-lane roads with bike lanes, plentiful public benches and many, many parks.
Centuries-old, lavish Rococo castles mix with experimental architecture and provocative exploration into livable cities of the future. Google and Apple map apps were indispensable, along with the hotel-supplied paper map. Danes encourage biking for health and environmental sustainability and it’s important to know that bikes rule!
The other travel component that rules for me is dining, as Copenhagen is a “foodie” capital, widely recognized as a world gastronomic city, with more than 40 Michelin-starred restaurants. In Copenhagen, they take pride in their cuisine.
My goal was to eat in exemplary establishments for “New Nordic cuisine,” which over the past two decades has spawned a culinary evolution, transforming ages-old methods of cooking with new techniques, fresh seasonal ingredients from the countryside, sustainably sourced and sometimes foraged and found in venues across a range of styles, from popular foodhalls to elegant fine-dining. In busy Copenhagen in the summer especially, that means making dinner reservations, some of which I couldn’t get even two days in advance. (If you have a favored restaurant, especially during the summer travel high-season, consider booking before you arrive.)
On my first evening in the city, after a long day of travel, I was fortunate to get a seat at a restaurant of choice, the Nimb Brasserie, upscale and contemporary but not “New Nordic” per se; it was recommended and booked by the hotel concierge across the street at Nimb Hotel, a boutique hotel resembling a white and gold Moorish palace at the entrance to Tivoli Gardens. Given its location and style, the brasserie was understandably pricier than I was able to find with more time to search on subsequent days, and the service outstanding. I enjoyed an excellent dinner centered on brill meuniere (flounder family) topped by seasonal greens.
Day 1 of 3 Days in Copenhagen
It’s a Sunday, the start of my 3-days in Copenhagen, so I started with the nearby Danish Architecture Center (DAC), then walked another mile-plus to the Design Museum Danmark. When walking between the two, I flirted with – then passed through as quickly as possible – the tourist center of Nyhaven and its colorful 17th century homes on a canal. The area was positively jammed with tourists and suddenly a canal tour was no longer appealing.
(A common topic among Europeans this summer has been “overtourism” – the cities and sights are mobbed, hopefully for the last post-pandemic surge before normalizing again. As a result, some cities are taking measures to limit the throngs of visitors from all continents. I can see why, frankly. I’m so glad I didn’t choose a hotel in the very busy city core near Nyhaven. After years as a Womantraveler, I’ve become less judgmental, especially in these politically extremist and multi-cultural times, but at the same time more discerning and choosy about what I like and am willing to put up with.)
- Danish Architecture Museum: In the DAC, I studied exhibits demonstrating thrilling urban architecture and experiments to find harmony and improve conditions between buildings and their urban context. Designated as the World Capital of Architecture in 2023-2025 by UNESCO and the International Union of Architectures, Copenhagen has lessons for all. DAC is situated in the BLOX development, a former brewery and car park, now with homes, playgrounds and the museum and explores leading Danish and international architects and Danish architecture and urban design.
As DAC explains: “Even though the city is small in an international context, Copenhagen has a significant influence with its unique architecture and a city life that highly values the quality of everyday life. Copenhagen is vibrant and easy to live in. The water is never far away, and neither is the countryside. And many places in and around the city can be reached by bike or on foot. Denmark’s capital inspires the world around it with innovative projects that focus on people – so it’s with good reason that the world looks to Copenhagen for new ideas for the architecture of the future.”
I was enthralled by the museum’s presentations on innovative thinking and examples of how architectures craft physical “microclimates” around buildings, improve connections inside and outside and democratize city landscapes. Their ideas, seen in world cities like Berlin and Sydney, have created spaces that make you feel at home, make room for children in parks and playgrounds in dense cities and breathe new life into old “unloved” buildings.
- Designmuseum Danmark: Since my first apartment after college in Virginia, I have loved Danish Modern Design, illustrated in the “Dansk” tableware I first bought. Its hallmarks are clean, simple lines; minimalism and functionalism – in clothing, interiors and furniture design. (As a result of this trip, I’m seriously tempted to swap out my current flatware for the enduring Dansk, which still exists as a brand under another company and is made in Vietnam).
The newly renovated Danish Design Museum, now in a 18th century rococo hospital complex, Denmark’s largest and most comprehensive study of Danish and international design. Formed as a square around a lovely central park, you’ll pass through success exhibits highlighting “then, now and the future” in Danish design concepts. There seemed always to be a futuristic, innovative component even to the historical examples.
Innovators in Danish Modern furniture (from the 1920s to the 1970s) were Kaare Klint, the father of Danish Modern, and Arne Jacobsen, who created the iconic “egg” chair. This rebellion in clean lines against the overstuffed Victorian home has many examples. The “Danish Chair” shown in the “chair tunnel” alone is worth the price of admission. I also spent extra time in exhibits on the history of table setting (porcelain, etc.), textile patterns, Danish silver and philosophical explorations of the future and products or systems in response (with such topics as robots, caregiving and medicine distribution and interpersonal relationships as denser populations live closer together).
Like many museums I encountered in Norway and Denmark, Designmuseum Danmark has a robust virtual presence, so you can read more deeply, for example about Danish Modern, before or afterwards.
- Dinner: My search for “hygge” in food really began at Vaekst, part of the Cofoco group specializing in New Nordic cuisine. It’s located in the old Latin Quarter with a décor centered around a greenhouse that extends up two floors. My small table in the lower level was comfy and my server part American. I chose the 3-course menu and loved the orchestration; the table held no utensils at first except a bread plate with a butter knife, then arrived the spoon for the first course cold soup (scallops, green scallops and mussel broth) and a main course of cod garnished with local cabbage, mashed potatoes and small local shrimps. The raspberry sorbet dessert had a seafoam base and was topped with a delicate meringue cracker. The price in Danish kroner equaled about $122 for the menu plus wine.
Copenhagen on Day 2
For Day 2, I focused on art, design and history. While Central Copenhagen has at least three castles (Christiansborg, Amalienborg and Rosenborg), I settled on the latter, which was open on a Monday unlike traditional museums.
- Rosenborg Castle: What a fantastic treat! A royal residence from the early 17th century to around 1710, the Rosenborg has been a museum since 1838. Its first two floors are structured as a decorative and educational chronological journey through the royal lineage until the early 20th century and houses the royal Treasury, including royal crowns and crown jewels. Clearly the monarchy in these years lived lavishly!
The crown jewels consist of four sets of jewelry mounted with pearls, rubies, emeralds, rose-cut diamonds and brilliant-cut diamonds; they may be worn only by the sitting Queen and only in Denmark. They do not belong to an individual but always to “the Crown.”
The expansive walled gardens of roses and open spaces around the castle were delicious for a pause before my scheduled lunch and afternoon shopping destinations.
- Lunch: Palaegade (one Michelin star) is a cozy, classic restaurant with professional service that specializes in traditional Danish smorrebrod (open faced sandwiches) beautifully crafted and interpreted with modern ingredients at lunch. To ensure that experience, I booked several weeks ahead although it appeared that walk-ins were accommodated on this particular Monday. (Note dinner offers seasonal classical and contemporary European dishes.) The staff recommends two smorrebrod selections per person, but be warned, these sandwiches are piled high with delectable ingredients that rest on a thin slice of dense, nutty Danish rye. When I am traveling solo or with friends, there is nothing like a long lunch, and I lingered for two hours without being rushed. My choices (based on the recommendation of a Norwegian friend) were fried filet of witch flounder (about $23 US) and a second course of Chanterelles á la créme on toast with red currant and herbs (about $29 US), plus dry white wine. I was happily stuffed and ready for shopping!
- Georg Jensen and Royal Copenhagen: Nearby and not to be missed were the original locations for two world-renowned brands – Georg Jensen silver and Royal Copenhagen porcelain, which sit side by side on a walking street (stroget) in central Copenhagen. I’ve collected Georg Jensen for years since my favorite aunt gave me several pairs of earrings and broches from her world travels and I desired to add a new piece. Of course, I could have bought online or in New York but going to the source was important to me. I learned that the traditional jewelry designs, which I own, are no longer available, while recent designs are created by craftsmen/women under the brand from far-reaching places such as the US. Happily there are a couple of “bridge” designs that harmonize with the old style, and I’ve added a new necklace and earrings to my collection.
Royal Copenhagen, too, is an international brand but seeing the beautiful themed displays was exciting. Studying them in person, I made a note of what to order when I’m back home.
The composite of today’s adventures was very “hygge!”
Art, Food and Hygge on Day 3 in Copenhagen
Already wishing I had planned one more day beyond my 3-days in Copenhagen, so that I could venture out into the region, I regrouped around my list of to-dos for my final full day in the city. With the extra day, I would have ventured north out of the city on the train for the day either to writer Karen Blixen’s childhood home and museum in Rungstedlund (the Out of Africa author is also known as Isak Dinesen) or the Louisiana Contemporary Art Museum in Humlebaek, or both, but it was raining and I decided to stay local for my final full day in Copenhagen.
Before leaving the hotel, I splurged for a to-die-for breakfast treat from Rug Bakery, the coffee shop in the Villa Copenhagen featuring Prolog, one of the top roasters in a city full of competitive coffeehouses with very “hygge” atmospheres for hanging out. In a menu of temptations, the French toast topped with peach compote and whipped butter was my choice – and what a tasty reward that brought (and no need for lunch)!
- Glyptoteket Museum: Fortunately only a couple of blocks away, across from Tivoli, stood the Glyptoteket Museum, founded by Carlsberg Brewery magnate and art collector Carl Jacobsen in the late 1890s. It’s a massive endeavor in architectural styles as well, from turn-of-the-century Renaissance/Baroque ideals to extensions in Neoclassism/Romanticism and in modern glassed-in building with a roof terrace and views across the rooftops of the city. The Glyptotek features Jacobsen’s personal investment in contemporary French and Danish artists, sculpture and the ancient Mediterranean. While the museum is Scandinavian’s leading antiquities museum, I focused on the outstanding collection of Danish sculpture and painting from the 19th to early 20th centuries and French art in 1800-1830.
Here I saw up close one of Degas’ breathtaking ballerinas in bronze (“Little Fourteen Year Old Dancer,” 1881), of which there are at least 25 versions worldwide. She recently gained a new tutu from the conservators at the Glyptotek because the original was completely deteriorated. The video of how this restoration was accomplished to recreate her tulle skirt was intriguing in its educational detail.
- Dinner: I chose another restaurant in the Cofoco group, this one the original Cofoco, partially it was a 20-30 minute walk past Tivoli on the way to the Vesterbro and Meatpacking Districts, former red-light and manufacturing districts that are now ultra cool in a funky Lower East Side vibe. (It was hard to find on a small side street – my Google map app was very confused! But I loved, once again, that it was walkable.) Their 5-course menu (about $66 US plus wine) had some resemblance to their sister restaurant Vaekst but with different ingredients and presentations. My courses consisted of: (starter) cured haddock – like a haddock sashimi – with ramson capers, kohlrabi and herbs; (next) a creamy mussel broth with small chunks of scallops, celery and pickled gooseberries, decorated with beaded parsley oil; (interlude) a “waffle” piled with chanterelles, black trumpet mushrooms, pickled beech mushrooms and chives; (main course) stuffed cockerel (small hen) with fried corn, king trumpet mushrooms, tarragon and a chicken sauce; and (dessert) a sweet-tart raspberry ice cream with Danish strawberries, elderflower syrup and white chocolate cremeux. You can see why I frequented the Cofoco group!
The other outstanding part of their concept, and perhaps other Copenhagen restaurants, is that when you book, you are allowed 2 hours for dining, an easy and cozy “hygge” pace.
Going Solo in Copenhagen – Making the Most of Your Visit
For a Womantraveler going solo or for others traveling together, Copenhagen is an easily manageable, very “hygge” and super-fun experience. Here are my tips for getting the best of the city for whatever time you spend there in the summer:
- Stay hydrated – touring in general and especially walking require that. I always carried water.
- Power up – relying on GPS for directions on my iPhone burns up battery power quickly.
- Prepare for rain – in Denmark, it rains a lot.
- Select small plate dishes for a “smorgasbord” variety of flavors, tastes and ingredients. Sustainable farming and “green eating” are part of the New Nordic ethos.
- Take mobility needs into account when setting your itinerary – Scandinavians are hearty and physically active; they walk or bike much more than Americans on the average. While there are elevators in public facilities, such as train stations, restaurants, historic castles and modern museums may have only steps. Stairs do not always have railings, are often curvy and can be well-worn with uneven surfaces. Cobblestone and paver streets and sidewalks surfaces aren’t easy to navigate – and can make dragging or rolling luggage difficult. Inquire with hotel concierges and museum guides for best results if you need accommodations.
- Leave some of your schedule to serendipity – my time was limited and I am a “planner,” but having more flexibility in the final day was a gift for unexpected discoveries. For example, I’ve seen many many paintings by French Impressionists in many many museums, but the Glyptotek held some gems I’d never seen, and it was bliss.
