Copenhagen is expensive, which I won't pretend otherwise. It's also the city that gave the world New Nordic cuisine, has the best cycling infrastructure in Europe, and manages to be simultaneously ancient and genuinely forward-thinking in how it's been designed. I went in May, which I'd recommend — the harbor's warm enough for swimming, and the light at that time of year is something else. These are the five things I'd tell anyone before they go.
Nyhavn at golden hour — the postcard is accurate, for once
Nyhavn, the 17th-century harbor canal lined with brightly colored townhouses, is the most photographed spot in Copenhagen and actually as beautiful as the photographs suggest. At golden hour — around 8pm in summer — the light on the canal is doing something special, the outdoor tables are full, and the whole thing looks like a painting that got too real. Have a beer at one of the canal bars rather than an expensive restaurant — the experience is in the setting. Hans Christian Andersen lived at numbers 18, 20, and 67 at various points in his life; the plaques are easy to find.
The restaurants around Noma's former space in Christianshavn
Noma, which closed its Christianshavn location in 2024, trained a generation of chefs who've spread through Copenhagen's restaurant world. The neighborhood around the former space on Refshalevej has its own momentum now: Empirical Spirits distillery, Broens Gadekøkken, a cluster of serious restaurants all walkable from each other. The wider Copenhagen food scene — Bæst for pizza, Høst for New Nordic, Relæ for vegetable-forward tasting menus — is among the most consistent in Europe. Book ahead, expect to spend, accept that this is part of what Copenhagen is.
Louisiana Museum of Modern Art — best museum setting in Europe
Louisiana, 35 kilometers north of Copenhagen by train, is a museum of modern and contemporary art in a series of connected pavilions above the Øresund strait. The collection — Giacometti, Picasso, Henry Moore, Calder — is strong. But the setting is the real thing: sculptures in the garden above the water, the Swedish coast across the sound, pavilions designed by Jørgen Bo and Vilhelm Wohlert with a restraint that's aged better than almost anything I can think of. I've been to most of the major art museums in Europe. Louisiana has the best relationship between building, landscape, and art of any of them.
Torvehallerne market — the best Danish food in one building
Torvehallerne, the covered market at Israels Plads, has the best concentration of Danish food in one building: smørrebrød at Hallernes Smørrebrød, pastries at Meyers Bageri, fresh seafood at several fishmongers — enough to eat for three meals without leaving. Open seven days, and genuinely local — you're shopping next to Copenhageners doing their weekly grocery run. Go late morning for the best selection. Go hungry.
Rent a bicycle and ride to Frederiksberg — the city on its own terms
Copenhagen's cycling infrastructure is the finest in the world — dedicated lanes on every major road, cycle-priority traffic signals, and a culture where cycling is the default transport for residents of all ages. Renting a bicycle and riding from the city center to Frederiksberg Gardens, the royal park adjacent to the zoo, takes 25 minutes and gives you the clearest possible sense of how the city actually functions. On a Tuesday morning in May, the Frederiksberg Gardens are full of Danes picnicking, swimming in the canal, and moving at a pace that makes the rest of Northern Europe feel urgent. This is the experience that explains the happiness rankings.
Copenhagen is worth the cost if you come with the right expectations. It's not a budget destination; it's a design and food destination that happens to be built on an extremely livable, bicycle-friendly city. Go in May or June. Stay in Vesterbro or Nørrebro, not near the Tivoli. Budget for three proper meals a day and don't apologize for it.
Written by
Eric
Co-founder of Memorable Travel & Adventures. Eric has personally traveled to over 50 countries across six continents. He plans trips to all of them.
