I fell completely in love with Copenhagen. It's one of those cities that stays with you long after you leave. It's beautiful, considered and full of incredible things to discover around every corner. Here are a few of my personal favourites from my time there; the places I ate, explored, shopped and simply loved. I hope you find them as special as I did. 

PLACES TO EAT

• Host - Meaning ‘harvest’ embraces the Danish concept of Hygge with low-lit candles, plants everywhere and lots of warm wooden surfaces. They offer 2 set menus; a 3 course or 5 course. The food is seasonal and delicious but be aware, while the portions are small and they add in extra courses. While I loved the 5 course menu, it ended up being more like 7 or 8 courses. Stunning for a special occasion and very memorable. Make sure you book early as it’s hard to get in!

• Donna - An Italian restaurant set in the beautiful Hotel Bella Grande. The decor is sumptuous and feminine, all red and pink with voluptuous sculptures on walls and low lighting. We loved our dinner here, the à la carte style menu features antipasti, pasta, secondi and dolce. My favourite was the pavlova dessert, a gorgeous mound of pavlova decorated with berries and whipped cream.

• Christianshavn Boat Rental & Café - We were recommended this gorgeous local cafe on the side of a canal where locals meet to eat Smørrebrød, the open style sandwiches that Denmark is known for. It was so pretty and the food was great!

• Buka - Has a range of Danish pastries from plain cinnamon and honey ones (my favourite) to the really sweet varieties filled with dulce de leche.

PLACES TO VISIT

• Christiansborg Palace - The official residence for the Danish royal family where on one side royal events take place and the other side where parliament sits. Unlike many other royal palaces around the world, you can buy a ticket with audio and walk around the palace at your own pace. Sumptuous silk patterned walls meet modern tapestries with huge and ornate dining rooms. I loved how they have photos in most rooms to show you how the royal family use the rooms when they have events. We loved our visit!

• Nyhavn - The historic street parallel to the old canals with all of the pink, orange, yellow and blue houses. Originally designed as a commercial port, this area is now mostly houses restaurants, cafes, bars and some souvenir shops. While this is a touristy area and probably more expensive than it needs to be, it is definitely worth a visit as it’s so picturesque with its boat-lined canal and colourful buildings.

THINGS TO DO

• Bike ride - The Danes bike ride everywhere and there are bike paths all throughout the city so it’s really safe to bike ride. We hired Lime bikes (which are everywhere) to ride through the city with its gorgeous gardens, historic buildings and cobble stone streets.

• Canal Boat Tour - We jumped on a canal boat tour to see the city via the water. The tour takes you past the Royal Library, the new Opera House, the Royal residences where Mary, Fred and their kids live as well as through residential areas where locals live, eat and shop. It’s all very peaceful, green and pretty.

SHOPPING

The main shopping strip in the centre of Copenhagen is the oldest and longest shopping strip (at 1.5 kilometers) in Europe. It is filled with well-known global brands like Zara and Lululemon but it is also home to some of Denmark’s finest brands and stores. We loved HAY HOUSE which is a gorgeous historic building on this strip where the top 3 floors are filled with HAY homewares products including tablewear, travel goods, furniture and lighting. All very Danish and extra cool.

Another store worth visiting is Illum Borghous which is a homewares, gift and accessories store. I went to check out the jewellery (of course) and walked away with some gorgeous candles and plates. Lots of lovely things to buy here, dangerous!

A fashion staple in Denmark is Samsoe Samsoe. Think an ultra cool and stylish DISSH style brand with a bit more Scandi cool. Fabulous store fit outs with next level lighting.

As you wander into a Central Copenhagen, there are many cool stores full of Danish brands. One of our favourites was the very reasonably priced A.KJÆRBEDE store that sells all of their sunnies for 199 Danish Kroner which at the time translated to about $43 AUD. They have every style you could ever want in all shades and patterns. Absolutely loved!

ACCOMMODATION

We stayed at the gorgeous Hotel Kong Arthur on Nørre Søgade street. This hotel is very centrally located and also beautifully appointed in a very stylish and Danish way. While not the cheapest place to say, the highlights are the fabulous buffet breakfast and the complimentary wine or beer in their cosy lounge between 5-6 pm every night.

SOMETHING FOR THE KIDS

A visit to the Tivoli is a must if you have time. Tivoli is basically an historic theme park in the centre of the city. Filled with gorgeous garden beds of tulips and lit by fairy lights, it’s best to visit late afternoon as it turns to dusk so you can actually see everything but also enjoy the soft glow of the hanging lights which make it very picturesque. While there are lots of restaurants to eat and drink there, the real attraction are the rides. Your kids will love it, from the haunted house to the pirate ship and then to the more gentle flying style carousel. Lots for all ages here.

GETTING AROUND

The underground metro is really easy to use and there are stations everywhere. Just download the Rejsekort app and then swipe right when you’re getting on a train and swipe again when leaving the train. As it’s connected to your card, it just charges you for the time you were on the train.