A Weekend In Copenhagen: 10 Things To Do In Winter

Copenhagen was one of the European cities that I had wanted to visit for years. I was always mesmerised by the vibrant houses, the Danish warmth and the cosy way of living, or known as “hygge”. For the many times, I had scheduled the Danish capital into my yearly travel plans, a trip never seemed to arise.

Just before the new year, I made a pledge to myself to not plan out the year of travels and take it each trip comes, letting fate decide where I need to be and when. January arrived with the new year blues in full swing, I needed a quick escape, just for a weekend. Between my best friend and I, we bounced back various ideas of where we could escape to but nothing took our fancy. Remember I mentioned about letting fate taking the lead? Skyscanner presented us with unmissable air tickets to Copenhagen, and just like that, I was on my way to ticking off another bucket list destination.

While searching for what we could do in Copenhagen in the winter, I didn’t find a lot of solid information on what was possible and what would be open. Going on a whim, we decided to explore ourselves and see what the city had to offer without any research but I did get a few suggestions of where to stop off and refuel from the cold.

So without a doubt, let’s kick things off!

1.Visit Nyhavn

Nyhavn is where you will realise all your dreams to visit Copenhagen have finally come true. With rows of aesthetically pleasing colourful houses and restaurants, which most of you will have recognised from many computer screensavers. Not only is it one of the most “instagrammable” locations, there are also plenty of places to refuel with great quirky coffee shops that you won’t want to miss!

2. Check out the Danish Little Mermaid

The famous Little Mermaid is one of the monuments in Copenhagen that the Danish are very proud of, supposedly. The mermaid herself has been known to have a regular makeover with various different colour and has been beheaded on an occasion or two. Don’t let that worry you, as her immortality knows no bounds and she comes back to her original state before the tourists rise.

3.Take a Canal Boat Ride

Channelling Amsterdam’s famous cycle and canal boat culture, you can’t visit Copenhagen without making a trip out into the waters that surround the city. It provides you the opportunity to see parts of the city that you often wouldn’t get to see while learning about the local history of the buzzing capital. For example, the Danish built a garbage incinerator to ensure the city moves forward in a cleaner, greener way. However, over the years the Danish got better at recycling and now have to important trash from nearby cities and country to sustain the load required. But, the building hasn’t gone to by no means – the sloping structure has allowed it to be turned into a perfectly steep ski slope for locals and tourists.

4.Climb 400 Steps of Church of Our Saviour

My favourite thing about visiting a new country is seeing it from a height. Nothing beats a beautiful panoramic view of the city from Church of Our Saviour, while you and your friends try and spot all the local monuments and landmarks you have seen. It’s all fun and games!

5.Visit the Royal Christansborg Palace

Christansborg Palace is one of the most royal palaces in Copenhagen. It is home to some of the grandest chandeliers, creative artwork and some very lucky horses. Stepping onto the grounds of the castle, it feels like a magical fairytale. When I visited, there was an escort of a double-harness horse and carriage that paraded out of the castle, around the streets of Copenhagen. Two well turned out grey horses pranced into a trot, as the carriage driver dressed in a royal ruby suit and black top hat encouraged them on. It was like being in a living fairytale, you just needed Cinderella to step out in her glass slippers.

6.Watch the guards change at Amalienborg Palace

I’m always fascinated by changing of guards, wherever in the world it may be. Their precision and their strong will power to not giggle fasinate me greatly. The guards make their way down from Rosenborg Castle down to Amalienborg Palace and the change of the guards happens at 12pm. I would recommend getting to the square ten minutes early, as it does get quite crowded as all the tourists gear up to see the procession.

7.Visit Rosenborg Castle

The Rosenborg Castle is a 400-year old Renaissance castle that is situated in one of Copenhagen’s famous parks, The King’s Garden. The majestic property was built by one of the most famous Scandinavian kings, Christian IV. Inside the castle, you can find various treasures from previous kings and queens along with the crown jewels that reside on site. It is well worth a visit!

8.Eat at the local Torvehallerene market

The Danish are into their fresh produce, which means you can find some fantastic local food markets that sell fruit, vegetables, even tulips at bargain prices. I managed to pick up one of my favourite childhood exotic fruits, star-fruit, which I haven’t managed to get my hands on for over a decade. In sheer excitement, I picked up half a dozen to take back home with me. There is more than just fruit and vegetable stalls, there is plenty of food stalls inside to grab a bite to eat.

9.Visit The Marble Church

Many people know the Fredrik’s church as the “marble church” because of its history of how it became. Denmark was a city that insisted on showing wealth and drove famous landmarks to be made out of marble. Naturally, budget constraints came into play and left the city with less budget than expected. They were unable to leave the church unfinished, so finished with limestone. However, its name indicates the mockery that it was the “marble church” that never finished.

10.Cycle your way through Copenhagen

Something that I loved about Copenhagen was how clean it was for a European capital. From reduced pollution but to cleaner streets, they sure know how to care for their city. Getting around Copenhagen is easy enough, but sometimes it is fun to do as the locals do and get involved. Their cycle culture is second to none and riding around the open spaces is enjoyable, especially when you can throw a bouquet of tulips into your basket too.