24 Hours In Copenhagen: What To See & Do In The Winter

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This post will share how to spend 24 hours in Copenhagen.

After my first few experiences travelling in the winter, I can categorically say that it is one of my favourite seasons to travel.

Flights are cheaper, hostels are mostly empty, and there are few crowds.

I remember being the only person on the second day in a dorm room of six in Bath last year.

It was everything and then some.

Since then, I’ve tried to muster the courage to travel when it is cold, even when it feels inconvenient.

Trust me, leaving the comfort of your warm home to the unknown, especially during the winter, is quite frankly highly inconvenient.

Even though you have to be smart about your destinations, it can be done.

Speaking of being smart about winter destinations, visiting Copenhagen this time of the year tops my list of unwise travel decisions this year.

In my defence, I underestimated how incredibly cold Scandinavia would be at this time of the year.

I should have stuck to my original plan of visiting in the Summer.

Thankfully, it was a short trip, and even though I had a terrible experience, I made my first Balkan friend.

So, a win is a win.

The only good thing about this trip was combining two countries in 48 hours.

I could visit Copenhagen in Denmark and Malmo in Sweden despite barely having less than seven hours of daylight.

I’ll share my thoughts on Malmo in another post.

Let’s get into how I spent 24 hours in Copenhagen.

24 Hours In Copenhagen: What To See & Do In The Winter

Here’s How To Spend 24 Hours In Copenhagen On A Budget

Copenhagen is the coastal capital of Denmark, one of the four Scandinavian countries in Northern Europe.

Coming from the North of England, I think I know a thing or two about living in the North, but Copenhagen took me entirely by surprise.

It was the next level and exciting introduction to Scandinavia.

Before visiting, I had a level of expectation based on the popular stereotypes of the Scandis.

I honestly did not expect the city to surpass all my expectations.

To put it in words, I had a terrible experience.

In hindsight, I preferred Malmo in Sweden but didn’t stay long enough to form an in-depth opinion.

But being based in Copenhagen meant I had a level of interaction with people, and it wasn’t great, to be honest.

They were the coldest and unfriendly people I’ve ever come across.

It wasn’t until my fellow dorm mate, who had lived in Copenhagen for three years, explained that the stereotypical cold Danish hospitality was most likely because of the weather.

After experiencing the brutal weather, I understood where she was coming from.

As a result, I haven’t entirely written off the rest of the Nordic countries despite having a terrible first experience.

I still want to visit Norway, Finland and Iceland.

Flights

Cost: £47.98/€56.01 – return

I had a few days of annual leave I needed to use up before the end of the year, so I gladly booked three days off at the beginning of the week.

Trust me; there’s nothing sweeter than going on a trip on a Monday morning.

The airport is a lot quieter, and the flights are half-full. I took a 7:30 am flight to start the day early and explore it before it darkened at 3:30 pm.

The flight was under 90 minutes, one of the quickest I’ve been on recently, and I landed directly at Copenhagen Airport, ready to be blown away by Scandinavian culture.

Airport Transfer

Cost £4.17/€4.87/DKK 36 – one way

I’ve said it before, and I’ll repeat it.

I have a special place for airports with trains and metro stations.

It just makes airport transfer so much quicker and more convenient.

Thankfully, my hostel was about twenty minutes away.

So I just took the train to Copenhagen Central Station and finished with a seven-minute walk.

Accommodation

Cost: £38/€44.36/ DKK 330 – two nights

While searching for hostels on Booking.com, I realised many options were at the next level.

It is what we hostel connoisseurs describe as luxury/boutique hostels.

I’ve stayed in many hostels this year and know how to differentiate from them.

The hostels in Copenhagen went all out, so I was super hyped.

I was expecting a great time only for the staff member to give me an attitude whilst checking me. By now, I can tell when Hostel staff are genuinely lovely, but the ones at Steel House Copenhagen are not.

That immediately ruined my day.

Aside from the hostel being generally excellent and ticking all the right boxes, I realised that many faults stuck out to me instead.

Like how I had to pay per hour instead of a flat fee for luggage storage, how the rooms were only cleaned every FOUR DAYS instead of daily, and how the room was cramped and not functional.

You could tell it is not designed for long extended stays.

Possibly the most considerable ick is how they charge for everything, including a glass of water.

Honestly, I do not recommend it.

Transportation

I always like researching the best way to move around when visiting a new city.

The bigger and more progressive cities usually have transportation apps, which I install and uninstall at the end of my trip.

It’s so much more convenient than conversing with a bus driver.

I try to limit communication as much as possible, especially when I don’t speak the language, so apps such as Google Maps, Translate, Trainline, and local transportation apps are convenient.

Copenhagen wasn’t any different.

Even though I initially struggled to get the Danish translations, I eventually figured it out and bought my tickets in-app.

The city is quite walkable, so I didn’t need to buy any more tickets except to and from the airport.

So, try to walk as much as possible to save money.

Meals & Shopping

I don’t know if you’re aware, but Denmark is crazy expensive for no reason.

I honestly don’t understand why it is costly.

I felt like it was not justified until I realised that they have a different currency.

After some research, I learnt that Denmark has a very high cost of living.

Things are generally expensive as they are highly taxed.

They have one of the highest tax rates in the world.

Plus, they have high salaries, which is only great if you live there.

If you don’t, it gets costly, especially if you’re coming with a weak currency.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t visit Denmark on a budget because you can.

You need to restrict your spending on essentials.

For meals, take advantage of supermarkets and cheap fast food.

If your hotel or hostel offers discounted meals, I suggest you also accept that.

Avoid shopping around popular attractions as they tend to be overpriced, which is the last thing you need in Copenhagen.

You’ll be fine if you can sort out your meals.

You should not spend too long in Copenhagen unless you have the budget.

Attractions

If you only spend 24 hours in Copenhagen and the temperatures are mild enough, I suggest you jump on the Hop On Hop Off Sightseeing Bus.

It’s the only way to see all the attractions in a limited time.

I wanted to jump on one of them as I did in Cordoba, Spain, but it was too cold, and there was no way I could take nice pictures through the bus’s windows.

So I had to walk around.

Thankfully, many attractions were within walking distance, so it wasn’t too bad.

But I had to squeeze in as many as possible before it darkened.

Here are some of the must-see attractions in Copenhagen:

Tivoli Gardens: 19th-century amusement park, the third oldest in the world.
Rosenborg Castle: 17th-century Dutch renaissance style palace and royal museum.
Nyhavn: Iconic 17th-century waterfront with stunning colourful townhouses.
Amalienborg: The winter residence of the Danish royal family.
The Round Tower: This 17th-century tower was built as an astronomical observatory and is now a viewpoint. It is also attached to a church, chapel and academic library.
Frederik’s Church: A church with stunning Rocco architecture.
Designmuseum Denmark: A museum dedicated to international Danish design and crafts.
Freedom Museum: Interesting exhibits on the Danish WWII resistance.
The Little Mermaid: Iconic statue based on the 1837 fairytale.
National Museum of Denmark: The largest cultural museum showcasing the history of Danish culture.
Botanical Garden: The extensive botanical garden of the University of Copenhagen and the Natural History Museum of Denmark.
Copenhagen Opera House: The national opera house of Copenhagen, one of the most modern and expensive in the world.
Guinness World Records Museum: An exciting museum exhibiting world records in sports, science and architecture.