Walking through Copenhagen in 72 hours

The gorgeous capital city of Denmark is magical during Christmas time. If you are like me and love the beautiful holiday decorations and lights, Copenhagen is the city to visit during the winter. Beginning in late November and ending right after December 25th, it is Christmas markets galore.

We landed in Copenhagen late Thursday night but still wanted to venture to get some food before heading to bed. From the airport, we took a bus (36 DKK, around $5) to get to the city center. Before heading out for food, we checked in and dropped off our things at Danhostel Copenhagen. This was a prime location in my opinion and the rooms were decent. It was about $30/night which was a steal.

For dinner, we walked to the meatpacking district to try the iconic John's Hotdog Deli. This hotdog deli was originally a push-cart business that grew so popular and has become a Danish staple. It is famous for a reason. I am not a big hot dog person, but this hot dog really hit the spot. It was so delicious and the remoulade sauce is something that I don't see in the states. I ordered the Boar Mushroom sausage with mayo and remoulade sauce. For toppings, I put on pickled/fried onions, which was the "cherry" on top.

Friday

We began our day with breakfast, Smørrebrød. Smørrebrød is a traditional Scandinavian sandwich. It is open-faced and similar to avocado toast but with many more variations and delicious toppings. We went to Lillian's Smørrebrød, which was a five-minute walk from the hostel. It is a little cozy shop with delicious Smørrebrød. I ordered the two. One with smoked salmon and onions and a vegan one with avocado and a delicious spread (I'm not sure what was in it).

After our delicious breakfast, we began our adventure for the day. We made our way towards The Little Mermaid. On the way, we stopped by several landmarks and exciting places. Det kongelige Biblioteks Have was the first stop, this is a public garden and there's a library right next to it. The architecture was beautiful. Then, we stopped by our first Christmas Market, the Christmas Market at Højbro Plads. Because it was rainy, we took a break and had some hot chocolate and gløgg. Gløgg is a traditional danish drink, it is also known as mulled wine.

When the rain slowed down, we proceeded on our route towards The Little Mermaid. We walked passed through Nyhavn (we will explore this area later) and walked towards Amalienborg where we were coincidentally on-time for the changing of the guards. Amalienborg Palace is the Danish royal family's home. It was originally built in 1750. The current royal family that inhabits it is Queen Margrethe Alexandrine Porhildur Ingrid, who became Queen of Denmark in 1972.

We then walked down Larsen Pl. to get to The Little Mermaid statue. I would definitely recommend walking down this path (Landelinie promenade) because you are walking right along the water. This statue was dedicated to Hans Christian Anderson, the author of famous children's fairytales that were adapted by Disney into popular animated films. Hands Christian Anderson was born in Norway but passed away in Copenhagen. His stories are still very well known today. Some of his popular works include The Ugly Duckling and The Little Matchgirl.

After seeing the statue, we walked back up the promenade to visit Kastellet (translates to The Citadel), a preserved fortress in the shape of a pentagon. It was built in 1664 and used until the 1830s.

It is a huge landscape to cover so we only visited parts of it. This windmill is really beautiful and walking the perimeter of it was super educational, so I recommend seeing it. We were really hungry after walking all morning, so our next stop was Tovrvehallerne, a marketplace/food hall that sells local food, beverages, and desserts. It is a bit overwhelming at first, but you can peruse and pick what you want to eat. We decided to have some danish meatballs at Slagter Lund.

Torvehallerne has three huge glass buildings and you can see on the left the building we ended up eating in. It was super crowded when we went, so it was difficult to locate a place to sit down and eat. A lot of the restaurants and bars have seating but this meat stand didn't since it had a grab and go setup. The Danish meatballs (Frikadeller) were so savory and not too salty (which was easy to consume, we didn't need any complementary sides). The three pieces were filling.

We proceeded to walk through the streets of Copenhagen and came across an Italian food truck. Since my friend was hungry, he stopped by the truck and ordered Italian Street Treats. The chef that took our order shared that he was from Italy but loves selling in Copenhagen. He was super funny and cooked delicious pasta.

After devouring this Italian dish, we walked to the KONGENS NYTORV Christmas market where I finally got to try Æbleskiver. This delicious donut-like dessert is a classic Danish snack during the holidays. Its consistency is doughy but light. The powdered sugar and strawberry jam on top adds a special sweetness to it. They were so addicting I had to get more later that night.

We were Christmas market hopping so the next one on our list was the H.C. Anderson Christmas market. This one was smaller than the other ones we have visited. They sold classic Christmas trinkets and some traditional Christmas beverages/treats. We even saw a stand that sold stroopwafels (dutch dessert originated in the Netherlands).

Nightime has hit at this point and we were ready to hit the town. From a friend's suggestion, we stopped by two bars: Aloha Beach Bar and Ibiza Beach Bar. These bars are located on Gothersgade, a street that is known for its nightlife. There are many bars lined up along and each one had a different vibe to it. We could tell from the dress code and lines that people were standing in. Depending on what vibe you're looking for, you may want to do some research on a place that pertains to your occasion. Personally, the Aloha Beach Bar was more entertaining and the drinks were delicious. Aloha Beach Bar was very casual and fun. We ordered strawberry daiquiris and they did not disappoint. The setup for the bar was also very on theme with its name. Ibiza Beach Bar had a younger crowd (high school age) and fun blue light (so if you go be sure to wear white to shine).

With a few drinks in our system, it was only right for us to find some late-night grub. We crossed the Queen Louise Bridge to get to Frankie's, a pizza parlor modeled after the 1950s'. Its setup is absolutely adorable and the food is just as good. We ordered the Notorious P.I.G and Margherita pizzas. Both were fresh, savory, and mouth-watering. The crust also had the right amount of crunch. This was a great end to our busy day.

Saturday

Today we explored the other side of Copenhagen. Bright and early, we woke up and started the day by crossing the Lille Langebro bridge (photo on the left). Staying at Danhostel was a great advantage because its location allows us to have equal access to both sides of the city. Our first destination was the Church of our Saviour, a 17-minute walk from the hostel. Walking to our destination, the atmosphere was different from the day before. Today we walked through neighborhoods and saw a lot more families walking the streets attending to their daily routines. The houses and buildings were just as beautiful but in a homey way.

The Church of our Saviour was built during the mid-17th century and was built upon three times to get to the height it is today. The construction was complete in the 18th century with the spire on top. Climbing this tower gave us the most beautiful view of Copenhagen. I was in awe of the city landscape and although it was super cloudy when we went, the view was still gorgeous. I am personally afraid of heights, so it was a bit frightening to look down but it was worth it. The weather was not on our side and was super windy when we climbed this tower so it was a little scary when we were on the top near the spire. There are about 400 steps to get to the top

Christiania was next on our itinerary. Freetown Christiania is in the Christianshavn neighborhood area and is one not to miss. The artwork and set up are hippie-like and beautiful. The people that live in this area have their own rules and live completely independent of Copenhagen's government. This used to be a military base but was occupied and created into a community in 1971. It’s now known as the green light district. With restaurants, souvenir shops, and fun art, stop by to see another side of Copenhagen.

Our adventure through Freetown was super fun and after that, we decided to go to Nyhavn for some lunch and delicious churros. The street before Nyhavn 17 has a small Pizzeria called Nyhavn Pizza. When we entered, it was not crowded but people kept piling in after we were seated. This small restaurant sells a variety of food. It was filling but if your taste buds are picky, this would not be a pick for you. We ordered the Durham and carbonara pasta. My friend who lives in Copenhagen recommended not to purchase anything in this area because it will be overpriced but I couldn't resist the churros. At Rajissimo, I ordered the churros with chocolate sauce and vanilla ice. The churros were delicious and I could eat so many more.

From all the walking, we were exhausted so we went back to the hostel to take a nap. At night we circled back to Nyhavn to see its Christmas markets and of course, some more Æbleskiver. These fried little dough treats are truly needed for the holidays. We ended the night and our trip to Copenhagen by going back to the meatpacking district to say farewell to John's Hotdog Deli. My friend had to go back for seconds while I opted for some savory mac n cheese at the Warpigs, the next door restaurant. Both are great choices.

I am so glad I chose Copenhagen as my last trip abroad. My favorite part was eating Æbleskiver. at the Christmas markets. Each market has its own atmosphere and I recommend stopping by them all. As mentioned earlier, if you love the winter holidays and Christmas markets, Copenhagen is a must-see in late November- December. There are so many historic sites to see and tasty foods to eat. Let me know where your favorite place in Copenhagen is. Are there any places I missed?

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