Two women cycling through Copenhagen
WHERE TO SLEEP
Hotel Ottilia _(Bryggernes Plads 7) _
the effervescent Carlsberg neighborhood competes with its neighbor Vesterbro in designer shops and restaurants and in convincing young people to move to its cobblestone streets. On top of them are apartment and office blocks and, in parallel, red brick buildings that house the factory and the official store of the beer brand.
This four-star boutique hotel offers scandinavian minimalist design rooms and one of those buffet breakfasts for which it is worth delaying the exit to the streets.
Petanque courts at the Generator Hostel
Generator Hostel _(Lose weight 5-7) _
It is perhaps the most widespread chain of hostels in Europe and the one that has best adapted to the tastes and needs of the new generations, whose tight budgets are not at odds with their aesthetic concerns.
Among the particularities of this Generator is its ice bar, as crowded as its terrace with petanque court. The favorite sport of French youth and Spanish retirees has seen its popularity increase in recent years in capitals such as berlin either Copenhagen .
Nobis Hotel _(Niels Brocks Gade 1) _
The **old Danish music conservatory** was renovated in 2011 to build this design hotel that respects much of the original 1903 architecture.
Decorated with refinement and noble materials, it has 77 rooms, some with views of Tivoli Park and the Carlsberg Glyptotek museum. If the bathrooms of an establishment say more about its category than its entrance, theirs, made of marble, only speak of luxury and good taste.
The noi restaurant complete a delicious experience where they come together the best of French and Danish gastronomy.
Hotel Sanders Copenhagen _(Tordenskjoldsgade 15) _
Cozy and elegant, this boutique hotel founded by former dancer Alexander Kølpin is close to the Royal Danish Theatre, the Kunsthal Charlottenborg gallery, the Opera House and Amalienborg Palace. It has free bikes and in-room yoga and massage services.
Bright interiors and lots of greenery at the Sanders Hotel
Hotel d'Angleterre _(Kongens Nytorv 34, 1050) _
Hosted Hans Christian Andersen and welcomed Amundsen's return. This five-star hotel, which presides over one of the most important commercial areas of the city, is a historical jewel almost at the height of the Royal Palace.
With more than 95 rooms, an indoor pool, spa and a bar dedicated solely and exclusively to champagne, with more than 160 varieties, Its main attraction is the Marchal restaurant, which earned the renowned chef Andreas Bagh a Michelin star.
WHERE TO HAVE BREAKFAST
Coffee 22 _(Sortedam Dossering 21) _
One morning, a Danish girl gets up, gets on her bike and pedals to the nearest flower shop. It is not a special day, nor are they for a gift; in Copenhagen you buy flowers just because. With them in hand or in the basket, she makes a stop at the corner coffee shop where her friends are waiting.
She is cold, but also sunny and that is reason enough to stay on the terrace in the heat of a coffee, a conversation and a blanket. Hygge was precisely this: being comfortable in a charming cafeteria and a copious brunch.
Tolboden _(18-24 Nordre Toldbod)_
Let's see how we say this... The Little Mermaid disappoints. It is small and surrounded by tourists, exactly like La Gioconda, except that this sculpture has more symbolic than artistic weight.
Interior of Les Trois Cochons restaurant
For having been erected as an emblem of the city, it is worth visiting, Now, if you round off the tour with a bike ride and a stop in Tolboden for eat a hamburger at the foot of the port, your day will improve remarkably.
Les Trois Cochons _(Værnedamsvej 10, 1619) _
It is not that the Danes lack gastronomic tradition, it is that until the world began to look at them with different eyes, they (like the rest) could not take their eyes off what was happening in France. Hence many restaurants combine Nordic haute cuisine with French tradition and that, in the heart of Copenhagen, around Værnedamsve street, there is a little Paris.
Packed with bakeries, bistros and boutiques with hair accessories (rhinestone clips, pearl hairpins...), this miniature neighborhood is home to some of Instagram's favorite coffee shops, like Les Trois Cochons or its neighbor Granola.
Folkehuset Absalon _(Sønder Blvd. 73) _
In the interior of a reformed church, the large tables in this canteen are reminiscent of the great hall at Hogwarts. As in Harry Potter's school, here too you will have to share a communal table for breakfast, lunch, dinner or subsequent drinks with the other 180 people admitted to this space in the Vesterbro neighbourhood.
One of the market stalls
WHERE TO EAT
Torvehallerne Market _(Frederiksborggade 21, 1362) _
"It's not a supermarket, it's a super market," the Danes presume when referring to the stalls adjacent to the norreport station, where Danish gastronomy expresses itself honestly and you can try the smørrebrod, a toast of black bread accompanied with meat and sauce or with herring marinated with onions and capers, among other combinations.
Not far away is the post of Daughter of Sánchez, a taqueria founded by a former Noma worker who successfully went her own way, and other options to fill the stomach without pretension or buy select products.
No mom _(Refshalevej 96) _
'No' from Nordic, 'mad' from food. In Danish, of course. The Noma restaurant (without 'd') that put Copenhagen on the gastronomic map reopened last year in a new direction and with a letter divided into three seasons which has replaced Rene Redzepi at the top of The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2019 list, this time in second place.
On Saturdays at lunchtime it is usually less crowded and students can still sign up on the waiting list to enjoy the **tasting menu (335 euros)** with a 55% discount.
In the kitchen of the Relae restaurant
relay _(Jægersborggade 41) _
“Simplicity comes first, details come right after” is their motto. The most sustainable restaurant in the world is on the most Danish street in Copenhagen: Jægersborggade .
Every morning a bike delivery man travels here from the Mirabelle bakery, also owned by the chef Christian F. Puglisi. The vegetables, protagonists of his dishes, are brought from his farm, which is 45 minutes from the city; 90% of your fish and seafood are sustainable s and the two tasting menus harmonize, how could it be otherwise, with biodynamic wines.
Apollo Bar & Kantine _(Charlottenborg, Nyhavn 2) _
The second of the projects of the owner of Atelier September it is also the setting for a Zara campaign. In part because it is next to the famous colored facades of Nyhavn and, in part, because his wife is one of the most sought-after Danish models and her family is the epitome of Nordic perfection.
So is the canteen menu: A paradigm of minimalism, its pragmatic and delicious menu changes every week and offers only one dish a day.
Aammans 1921 _(Niels Hemmingsens Gade 19-21) _
If the Nørreport market offered the most affordable alternative to taste the smørrebrod, Aammans offers one of the most exclusive options both in its restaurants, its catering and its takeaway stalls they have in the city and at the airport. You can't leave without trying his toast with mushroom cream.
The Pile Allé canteens _(Pile Allé, Frederiksberg) _
In the manner of the German biergarten, these canteens of Pile Avenue, in the Frederiksberg neighbourhood, with its continuous benches and live performances, a traditional (and somewhat folkloric) alternative to enjoy a family or group meal, especially if the weather allows you to enjoy the terrace. Take a look at the menus at the entrance, cheap and abundant.
WHERE TO DRINK
tap house _(Lavendelstraede 15) _
Not suitable for the undecided. Your selection with more than 61 varieties will delight the most brewers. In the center and with happy hour . Be careful it fills up.
curfew _(Stenosgade 1) _
In this speakeasy set in the years of Prohibition , decor, bartenders and music remind us that their location was once a gangster hangout where today bartender Humberto Marques serves the best cocktails in town.
The Barking Dog _(Sankt Hans Gade 19) _
To enjoy good music and relaxed atmosphere, halfway between traditional bodegas (where smoking is still allowed) and bars with claims directly proportional to prices.
Curfew, a 'speakeasy' set in the Prohibition years
SHOPPING
Time's Up _(Krystalgade 4) _
If in the culinary world the revolution came with Redzepi, in fashion it all started with Pernille Teisbaek . The editor who raffled off the brands had a lot to do with what Paris handed over to Copenhagen as the fashion capital.
Signatures like Samsoe Samsoe, Ganni, Stine Goya, Cecilie Bahnsen or Saks Potts they made a hole in the cupboards of the connoisseurs while, at street level, the Danish girl (and the boy even more so) maintain a penchant for recycling and second-hand clothes.
Many make a pilgrimage to Time's Up, where you can find collector's items from those wonderful 70s, 80s and 90s by Yves Saint Laurent, Versace, Gucci... Legend has it that a Chanel 2.55 was once seen.
Royal Copenhagen _(Amagertorv 6) _
If you want to come back with a souvenir that doesn't require you to recalculate your luggage, let it be a box of shortbread cookies or a piece of porcelain from Royal Copenhagen. The cups They are the star gift among the Danes, who usually include tableware in company Christmas baskets.
notre-dame _(Nørregade 7) _
The cathedral of interior design and decoration in the Danish capital It is a far cry from Illum Bolighus-style department stores and closer to the independent version of chains like Søstrene Grene or Tiger.
Christiania in Copenhagen
DO NOT MISS
Assistens Cemetery _(Kapelvekh 4) _
They rest on it Hans Christian Andersen or Søren Kierkegaard and, on weekends, the children run among the graves and the older ones have picnics on waterproof blankets, portable barbecues and Kubb, a game that consists of knocking down wooden blocks.
The Free City of Christiania
A first sign announces that we are no longer in the European Union and a little further on, another prohibits taking photos (and running). Despite having a reputation for being controversial, In this partially self-managed alternative neighborhood, tourists and locals coexist in markets and cafes.
A flavor: Havtorn or sea buckthorn
Orange fruit the size of a blueberry and citrus flavor, Very common in the Nordic countries. In summer it is used in cakes, syrups and ice cream, and there organic jams from the island of Bornholm in stores like Helges Ost.
A special plant: Hyldeblomst
With the elderflower natural medicines that strengthen the immune system and syrups for soft drinks are made. A few drops of its extract, a little sparkling water, ice and a mint leaf. This is how they serve it at Groed and, after trying it, you won't want to go back to lemonade.
An artist: Poul Pava
Colorful and childish, you will see them in different stores on canvases, earthenware, plates, calendars... They also have a prominent place in the Illum Bolighus design department stores.
Hans Christian Andersen's grave at Assistens Cemetery
***** _This report was published in **number 134 of Condé Nast Traveler Magazine (December)**. Subscribe to the printed edition (11 printed issues and a digital version for €24.75, by calling 902 53 55 57 or from our website). The December issue of Condé Nast Traveler is available in its digital version to enjoy on your preferred device. _