Week no. 25 / Copenhagen guide

A little late to post (and I also skipped the previous week due to frantically trying to wrap up a bunch of projects before leaving for our month-long travels in Scandinavia), but here's last week in review. It's my day-by-day guide to Copenhagen, where I spent five days before heading to Stockholm on Sunday. I'll have my first week's impressions of Stockholm for you this Friday!

no. 1 / We immediately rented bikes as everyone says it's the best way to see the city. There's almost a bike shop on every corner and we stayed at an Airbnb right around the corner from Fri Bikeshop (multiple locations). Rentals were a very reasonable 200 kr. ($31) for three full days. I would highly recommend renting bikes, as the bike lane system is unlike any other city I have seen. They even have an impressive elevated cycling route, Cykelslangen.

We ate brunch at Mad & Kaffe, a lovely, cozy café where we had our first smørrebrød, the Danish open sandwich. So tasty.

We then rode to Glyptoteket, a museum that has free admission on Tuesday. The building is gorgeous and I fell in love with all the marble, terrazzo, and art-deco inspired mosaic floors. I'm not usually wild about classical sculptures, but the collection is impressive and displayed quite uniquely.

We then stopped by the trendy former meat-packing district and had a beer outside at Warpigs, a Mikkeller (famous Copenhagen brewery) and Three Floyds collaboration. This whole area, Kødbyen, is worth checking out.

no. 2 / Started the morning at GRØD, in Nørrebro, for breakfast porridge. Try the berry chia special--so good and surprisingly filling. We went to the location on Jægersborggade, which ended up being my favorite street in all of Copenhagen as it is full of cafes, restaurants, and shops. I found an incredible print shop, Vanishing Point, run by the artist, and got a small print with a delightful story attached to it.

From Jægersborggade street, we rode toward the city through the Assistens Cemetery, which is worth stopping and walking around. It's a gorgeous park that serves as the resting places of famous Danes such as Hans Christian Andersen and Søren Kierkegaard.

We then headed to Hay House, a famous Danish design company. We also stopped into Cinnober, a lovely little book and stationery shop where I picked up some washi tape and a sketchbook. From there, we walked up the Rundetaarn (photo above), that has sweeping views of the city from above. We then ate a picnic lunch at the nearby Botanical Garden, that has an impressive Palm House conversatory that was unfortunately closed.

We ended the afternoon hanging out on the banks of waterfront at a pop-up street food market (just around the corner from Barr), sitting on folding chairs and taking in the boat traffic. Just perfect.

no. 3 / The Louisiana Modern Art Museum lived up to every expectation. It's absolutely worth the trip out of the city. While we missed the Picasso Ceramics exhibit, we did see exhibitions on Gabrielle Münter, Ed Ruscha, and two curations from the Louisiana's collection. The grounds are stunning and the gift shop is phenomenal as well. I wish we had spent more time here.

We actually cycled there which I had read would only take two hours from Copenhagen, but it ended up taking us longer because we got a bit lost. Luckily there are bike trails basically the entire way. If you're feeling adventurous, go for it but do your research first. It's easy to take train back into the city.

no. 4 / I started the morning with brunch at Granola, a French-inspired café on Værnedamsvej in Vesterbro and proceeded to walk around and explore the area. There are a couple great little shops across the street, Shop Dora and Playtype. Nearby street, Istedgade, is full of great shops and cafés. Off this street, I had a delicious gelato at Siciliansk Is. I ended the afternoon with a beer outside at Mikkeller bar.

no. 5 / On our final day, we walked around the oldest part of Copenhagen near Sankt Peders Stræde. We then headed toward The David Collection, a private collection housed in the building once inhabited by the museum's founder that has a vast amount of Islamic art. You could spend days here and still not be able to see and read everything. Definitely worth a visit if you have time (plus it's free).

We ate lunch at the central market Torvehallerne, which has dozens of stalls with every kind of food imaginable. We went for delicious salads and sandwiches from Smag. Stilleben, across the street, is a great boutique with lots of home goods, especially art prints.

We then headed back to Nørrebro to check out Limited Works, another print shop found on Blågårdsgade, another great street. We ended the evening at Nørrebro Bryghus, another craft brewery on the cozy street of Ravnsborggade.

In sum,

Cafés / Markets

Copenhagen Street Food (near Barr)

Bars / Breweries