72 Hours In Copenhagen

The Danish capital, Copenhagen has captured the attention of the world. After a survey on the state of global happiness the U.N World Happiness report (yes, that’s actually a thing) recognized the Danes as the country that repeatedly ranked #1 on the list of World’s Most Happiest Cities.

Happiness, they say, is a state of well-being that encompasses just living the good life, it’s something we all seek. During my brief time in the Scandic region I inevitably visited Copenhagen Denmark for 72 hours to figure out their secret to happy living.

Denmark is mostly known for its exquisite nordic cuisine and is home to one of the best restaurants in the world, the Nom. In case you’re wondering, I did not eat here, the meals are way above my budget, and besides, I’d rather spend the money jet setting to another country or two for the price of one meal.

I arrived in the mid-afternoon at Copenhagen airport and from there I boarded a train to my hotel located in the heart of the city; a ten minute walk from Tivoli Gardens. After checking in, there was an event happening in Copenhagen that I really wanted to check out, so I took a cab to the location and decided to find my way back to the hotel by walking. I figured it was the perfect opportunity to see another side of Copenhagen, the less touristy side and a more residential side. The walk was approximately 1.5 hours long, maybe 2 because I made several stops along the way and I did get back to the hotel at night. The walk was pretty easy and smooth. I did not have a map and was solely relying on memory from my cab ride and a google map that failed me since I had no cell phone service. Thankfully, after you’ve traveled a few times on your own, any fear of talking to strangers will diminish over-time. Feeling a bit unsure about the direction I was going, I stopped this sweet old lady to help me find my way back to the city. In retrospect I am so glad I did because she gave me the most scenic route back to the hotel. The evening was cool, the sun was setting and I felt light and free. I think they call that wanderlust.

My new walking route took me through the beautiful and scenic Frederikberg Gardens. I’ve never heard of this place before so it was a very pleasant and spontaneous little surprise added to my trip.

The next day I decided to walk around the city and visit some of the much talked about places. I took a cab from the hotel to a restaurant where I had a delicious brunch with my gals.

Once we ate enough, we made our way to the Gammel Street to hop on one of the boats for an hour long Canal tour.  With only 72 hours, you may not get to see many of the sites so I thought the canal tour was the perfect way to see the city while relaxing on the water. As we traveled through various canals, the boat made brief stops near some of the more iconic sights like the Opera House, the Little Mermaid, the National Bank and Stock Exchange and well as the Church of Our Savior.

After the Canal Tour I had lunch a  restaurant on the harbour before making my way to catch a free walking  tour which started at the Dragon Fountain, Town Hall Square. The tour would lasted for two and a half hours and some of the sites we walked passed included Copenhagen Town Hall, Tivoli Gardens, Danish Royal Palace, The Marble Church, picturesque Nyhavn harbour, Hans Christian Andersen, original Carlsberg Brewery and Strøget shopping mile.

As we made our way back to the hotel, I could hear the drumming sounds from what sounded like a massive street party - I later found out that it was the last day of the Annual Distortion Festival. The Festival is known to attract over 100,000 people per day.  It reminded me of an overcrowded carnival parade, except the difference is Distortion seem to be a melting pot for all different types of people and culture. I was not sure what to expect so I left my camera at the hotel that evening.

One of my favorite things about my time in Copenhagen was biking around the city. The Danes LOVE biking and cycling accounts for about 24 percent of all commuter trips. Biking is cheap and easy and probably the best way to get around the city. It was so much fun and if you ever visit this is a must do!! 

After biking for more than half the day, we ended out time in Denmark with a fun evening at the amusement park, Tivoli Gardens.