Two Days in Copenhagen
Are two days enough to visit the beautiful city of Copenhagen? Of course, it’s not enough! Unfortunately, we must stay in Copenhagen only for 2 days or we will be left out on our cruise to Norway.
It’s September and we arrived at around 11 in the morning at Copenhagen Airport. Heavy rain greeted us at the airport giving us a gloomy welcome. Wet weather could easily spoil and ruin travels, especially if you love walking around places. For two days, our stay in Copenhagen was rainy weather, but the good thing was the crowd gets to be smaller than usual. Some of the planned places we wanted to visit were canceled. Such cruel timing!
This is my first time visiting Scandinavia. I only heard stories, seen youtube videos and photos of this country and it’s easy to fall in love with Copenhagen. The landscape, the people, the amazing castles, the multi-colored buildings, and the popular mermaid on Instagram are among reasons that made us love to experience this amazing city. That’s what makes Denmark indeed one of the happiest and Copenhagen one of the top 10 liveable cities in the world. As with this year’s findings, United Nation’s World Happiness Report ranks Denmark the top 2 (behind Finland) for 2019 and has been consistent at the top three for seven consecutive years.
Although all the places I’ve been have no cost at all (except for the entrance at Kronborg Palace), Copenhagen or the Scandinavian region is certainly not considered a budget destination. For the most part, travelers only spend a few days in Copenhagen before the high costs of Scandinavia force them to move on.
These are a few of the amazing places I visited in Copenhagen and hoping to travel back again to Denmark. Quite sure some people might say, why not go to the “not-so-common” places in Copenhagen? Well, even if it is the most visited and crowded spot, there’s always this feeling of still wanting and needing to be there and experience it. And I’m good with that. Nonetheless, touristy or not, here are the places that I love about Copenhagen.
Kronborg Palace
This renaissance castle is one of the most admired castles and landmarks in Northern Europe and it is included in UNESCO’s World Heritage Site list in the year 2000. It’s amazing how huge it is and I just love this palace. A must-visit place in Copenhagen because of the style and architecture and it’s a strength as a fortress. The top view of the castle and its perimeter is best viewed by drones, but unfortunately, they won’t allow drones roving around the castle.
The Kronberg Palace is a 45-minute train distance from the central. The ticket can be purchased at Kronborg or online. We went there September so the ticket is priced at 95 DKK (June to August is priced at 145 DKK).
Location: Helsingør, north of Copenhagen.
Nyhavn Harbour
The architectural style of the colorful building along the Nyhavn canal is one of the most popular Denmark attractions and the most Instagrammed spot. The colorful building overlooking the canal are as iconic together with the Little Mermaid Statue, to which the fairytale writer Hans Andersen lived in one of these buildings. Also, it’s amazing how strict they are in preserving the structure and integrity of the houses. No renovation or changing of the facade of the buildings, unless approved by the authority.
This authentic 17th-century style building houses mostly restaurants, bars, cafes, and souvenir shops.
Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen
Overrated attraction “The Little Mermaid” may have become, the sculpture by Danish Edvard Eriksen that is perched on a small rock is a major travel spot and a symbol to Copenhagen. It was a tribute to Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, who wrote the popular fairy tale “Thumbelina” and “The Emperor’s New Clothes”. As iconic as the Liberty of New York or the Mannekin Pis in Brussels, the statue is “small” in size (1.25 meters) and it’s made up of bronze. Sadly, the statue is a replica because the original was subjected to vandalism and political protest.
As expected, the flocks of visitors around the world are there to take pictures – be creative and find ways to capture a perfect Instagram photo. The sculpture is about a 10-minute walk from Nyhavn at the seaside and it’s near the cruise liners and is totally free to visit.
Location: Langelinie Pier, Copenhagen.
Gefion Fountain and St. Alban’s Church
The St. Alban Church and the Gefion fountain are both located behind the Royal Pavilions and at the end of Churchill Park close to the center of Copenhagen. Metro and bus are all within a short walking distance and it’s open daily for visitors.
Also known as “The English Church”, St. Alban’s church is the only Anglican Church in Denmark. The 18th-century Victorian Gothic revival church is dedicated to St. Alban, the first martyr of Great Britain.
Just a few steps from the church is the largest monument in Copenhagen – The Gefion Fountain. Inspired from myths and legends, the sculpture on the fountain is Norse goddess Gefjon and 4 oxen. According to myths, the goddess turned his 4 sons to oxen in order to plow the land (Copenhagen) given by Swedish King Gylfi before sunrise. Luckily the rain stopped for a few minutes giving us time for photo ops. Also, toss a coin for a stroke of good luck because the fountain is used as a wishing well. It wouldn’t kill you if you try.
How to get there: Click Here
The Royal Danish Theater Old Stage
Located in the heart of Copenhagen, the Royal Danish Theater is one architectural treasure in Denmark. Although I didn’t get the chance to see the insides, the facade of the building stands out from the rest. This house used to be the venue for opera, orchestra, and other musical concerts. Today, it primarily serves the Royal Danish Ballet.
Location: Kongens Nytorv 9 1050 København K, Denmark
Tickets: Official Tickets and Guided Tours. Click here.
Amalienborg Palace
The Amalienborg Palace is the official residence of the Danish Royal Family. It has four mansions/palace arranged around an octagonal courtyard with the statue of King Frederick V in the middle. Two out of the four palaces are open to the public: one for official function and a museum. Unfortunately, I didn’t go to visit the museum. It has a DKK105.00 fee or you can use your Copenhagen Card for free admission.
Fredensborg Palace
Heading north up of Copenhagen is the Danish Royal Family’s spring and autumn residence. Almost an hour travel from Copenhagen, the palace has one of the largest historical gardens. There are lots of beautiful slots (palace in Danish) in Denmark.
Our beautiful walk in the palace garden is ruined by heavy and continuous rain. It was chaos, the rain lasts for about half an hour and the garden has no shade to shelter (only trees). After a few photos, we left the vicinity. A perfect way to ruin our morning.
The Fredensborg Palace is open to the public only in July and through guided tours and it has an admission fee (DKK 90/40.00 children). On the other hand, The Palace Garden is open to the public without an entrance fee.
Thank You!
