Home of the Great Danes. Copenhagen is one of the prettiest places to stay. It is a great place to visit for first time travelers as well as seasoned travelers! The city itself has a great history, and includes many unique landmarks. Copenhagen not only has a nice history, but it stays modern without the flashy look. Traveling through the city was easy to navigate; one pamphlet sized map and you’re ready to go. Here are some great reasons why you should plan your next visit to Copenhagen!
P.S. here are some excellent resources to help you prepare your travels to Denmark!
DK Eyewitness Travel Guide Denmark
Top 10 Copenhagen (DK Eyewitness Travel Guide)
Europe by Eurail 2018: Touring Europe by Train
Rick Steves Snapshot Copenhagen & the Best of Denmark
#1 Cleanliness
Copenhagen was the cleanest cities I’ve ever been to. From the moment I stepped off the train I knew it was going to be a clean place. Walking through the train station I noticed that the custodians took their time with their job and put in the effort to actually keep the place clean. Not only did they change the trash cans before they were erupting and overflowing with trash, but they sprayed the bins down and sanitized them too. This to me was something that stood out. Walking throughout the city it became aware to me that I saw probably 3 cigarette buts on the ground the entire time I was there. For a large populated city, that is amazing. Another stunning quality was the scent when Rain and I walked outside the tourist areas and detoured through some of the residential neighborhoods. If you had to guess, knowing that it is a port city on the ocean you would probably assume a fish-like scent. In fact, it smelled like fresh laundry in the air! At first I thought it was a nice coincidence while we were walking through the neighborhood. About 3 hours later we stopped and found a food truck that is a local hot spot and grabbed some lunch. While eating Rain and I both realized that the smell of fresh laundry was still in the air. So, from my experience this city is pretty clean.
#2 Cost
Traveling can get expensive especially when most people have a tight budget. Looking at the currency exchange you can find out that it actually isn’t an expensive country, compared to the rest of Europe using the Euro. At the time of this post the currency exchange rate is $1.00 USD = 6.58 Danish Krone. That means the expenses might look high at first, but once you break down the math it comes out to a reasonable number. Food in Denmark, depending on what you eat can be super inexpensive too. We made use of our time there exploring local/cultural food options. When we found out about the food truck area we made out with two good lunches for just over 100 Krones. Scary huh, well that turned out to be about $15 dollars. In total our day there cost $65 dollars, that includes all our meals, a souvenir, and storing our backpacking bags in a locker at the train station.
#3 Hospitality
I wouldn’t say I walked around the city inviting strangers to full on conversations, but each and every individual that Rain and I talked to during our stay were very polite. From the hosts of our AirBnB, to ordering food at the food trucks, to the people walking passed you. Everyone had a smile on their face and seemed to be in a delightful mood. During our stay at the AirBnB, we had a fantastic host. It was a young couple in a newer apartment complex that offered a spare bedroom. The hosts were very helpful with anything we needed and offered to give us additional tips on getting around in the city. Not to mention, during our walk from the commuter train to the apartment complex that was just outside the city, everything remained clean. On our first morning in the city, we went out for breakfast to a small bakery shop. The owner of the shop greeted us as we walked in and was super helpful in our selection. After all, who would turn down a Danish Danish right? For those who didn’t find that joke funny, we had breakfast pastries.
#4 Language
Prior to traveling to Europe I had Googled a few phrases in Danish, after about 22 seconds I came to the realization that I will never be able speak this language. Not to worry though, after some additional research I read how Denmark uses English quite frequently. Although the street signs are in Danish (some English too) they speak very fluent English. I also heard how it was a proud aspect of being a Dane. They value their ability to speak English to a high caliber and that only made it easier for us. So if you have a fear of not being able to communicate over there, they speak English very well.
#5 Nyhavn Street
This is the picture perfect location for all those traveling to Denmark. It is the location where all the sailboats are docked up and displayed along the bright and colorful buildings. A nice walk down the street allows you to admire the beauty of the street with plenty of food options and souvenir stores. There is one bridge that crosses the canal and from that point you can take stunning photos from. A quick pan with a video camera or a lovely photo with the beautiful colors can capture the great memories you had in the city.
#6 Population
The current population as of 2018 comes out to be around 1.22 million people for the city of Copenhagen. At first, that sounds like a lot of people in a single city, but you don’t have to worry about it being too crowded. All of the sidewalks have plenty of space for everyone to pass by one another. The city is easy to get around on foot; a cab or renting a car is not necessary. The only busy place would be the train station, due to a large influx of people going in and out. Photo opportunities are also easy to execute because everyone has plenty of space from one another.
#7 Food
Like I mentioned previously, the cost is not very high in this city, nor the country for that matter. This makes getting food much easier for those on a tighter budget. Not only is the cost delightful, but the food itself it much worth the visit. Especially when you examine your options and try what the locals eat regularly. I would recommend trying the pastries and street hot dogs. As both of those are cultural delights to foreigners!
newheretravel.com 