Copenhagen Things to Do: 24 Hours in the City With My Fiance
A first-hand weekend guide to Copenhagen: Nyhavn, Danish food, Stroget shopping and the best way to spend one full day in the city.
If you are anything like us, always on the lookout for new adventures, then Copenhagen is going to be a very good trip for you. My fiance and I spent a weekend in this Danish city and fell for it immediately. From the moment we touched down, it was clear this was a place worth exploring properly. The streets are beautiful, the food is excellent, the people are relaxed, and the whole city has a quality of life to it that you feel within hours of arriving.
This is our honest 24-hour guide to Copenhagen: what we did, what we ate, what we wished we had more time for, and what you absolutely cannot miss. We are Velena Nikolova and Dragos Nistor, co-founders of Velena Lifestyle, a UK-based content and social media agency. We create travel UGC content across Europe and Copenhagen is one of our favourite city breaks.
Our Copenhagen Vlog
24 Hours in Copenhagen: What We Did, Ate and Explored
Everything We Did, in Order
A full day from morning coffee to midnight waterfront walk
Copenhagen takes its coffee seriously and so should you. The city is full of excellent independent coffee shops, every neighbourhood has several, and they are all worth stopping at. Grab a cup and a pastry before anything else. You will need the fuel.
With caffeine on board, head straight to Nyhavn. The colourful canal houses are exactly as beautiful in person as every photograph suggests. Stroll along the waterfront, take your photos, and soak up the atmosphere. If you have more time, the canal boat tours give you a different perspective of the city entirely.
Head to Torvehallerne, Copenhagen's covered food market, for lunch. The smørrebrød (open-faced rye bread sandwiches) are a must. Order a glass of snaps alongside and eat like a local. This is one of the best food experiences in the city and it is completely unpretentious.
Rent a bike. Copenhagen is one of the most cycle-friendly cities in the world and riding through the streets is genuinely one of the best ways to see it. Head towards Tivoli Gardens. Note: when we visited in March, Tivoli was closed for seasonal maintenance. We are going back. It is very much on the list.
Stroget is one of Europe's longest pedestrian shopping streets and it delivers. A mix of familiar high-street brands and genuinely interesting Danish boutiques. We loved it. Budget more time here than you think you need, and leave room in your suitcase.
For dinner, order Stjerneskud. It translates to "shooting star" and it is a proper Danish institution: fried plaice fillet on rye bread, topped with shrimp, lettuce and Limfjord caviar. Order a cold beer alongside, add a shot of snaps, and eat it properly. This is the dish Copenhagen should be known for internationally and is not talked about enough.
Copenhagen's nightlife is excellent. Cocktails at a rooftop bar, dancing at a hip club, or simply a late evening walk along the waterfront with the city lights reflecting on the water. End your night however suits you. The city looks beautiful after dark either way.
From the moment we touched down in Copenhagen, we knew we were in for something special. Velena Nikolova, Velena Lifestyle
The Postcard Comes to Life
The Nyhavn Canal District
Nyhavn is the image of Copenhagen that exists in most people's minds before they visit: the row of brightly coloured 17th-century townhouses lining the canal, the wooden sailing boats moored along the water, the people sitting outside with drinks in hand.
What surprised us was how well it holds up in person. It is not a tourist trap dressed up for photos. It is a genuinely beautiful, lived-in neighbourhood with good restaurants, good bars and a waterfront energy that is completely its own.
The canal boat tour is worth doing if you have the time. We did not on this trip. Next time it is the first thing on the list.
Copenhagen Takes Coffee Seriously
The Best Way to Start the Day
Start every day in Copenhagen with coffee. This is not optional advice, it is the correct way to approach the city. The coffee shops are everywhere, they are all good, and the pastries alongside them are genuinely excellent.
There is no specific one to recommend above others because the standard is consistently high across the city. Walk until you find one you like the look of, sit down for ten minutes, and then go and explore.
Order a wienerbrød with your coffee.
The Danish pastry you know as a "danish" is called wienerbrød here. It is substantially better in Copenhagen than anywhere else you have had it.
Eat Like a Local at Torvehallerne
The Food Market and Danish Cuisine
Torvehallerne is Copenhagen's covered food market and it is one of the best food experiences in the city. Two glass halls full of stalls selling fresh produce, cheeses, meats, pastries, coffee, smørrebrød and prepared food from a dozen cuisines.
For dinner, the dish to order is Stjerneskud: fried plaice on rye bread with shrimp, lettuce and Limfjord caviar. It is one of the finest things we ate on the whole trip. Order a cold Danish beer alongside and a shot of snaps. This is how it is meant to be eaten.
One of Europe's Longest Shopping Streets
Stroget, Boutiques and Retail Therapy
Stroget is one of the longest pedestrian shopping streets in Europe and it delivers on that promise. A mix of familiar international brands alongside Danish boutiques and independent shops that you will not find anywhere else.
We spent more time here than planned, which is a reliable sign of a good shopping street. The Danish design sensibility is everywhere: clean, considered, beautifully made. If you are going to buy something as a souvenir from Copenhagen, buy it here rather than at the tourist shops near Nyhavn.
- Scandinavian design stores: Look for Danish homeware and clothing brands you will not find back home.
- International brands: All the familiar names are here if you need them.
- Side streets off Stroget: The smaller streets branching off the main drag have the most interesting independent shops.
Copenhagen After Dark
Rooftop Bars, Nightclubs and the Waterfront
Copenhagen's nightlife has a strong reputation and it earns it. The city has rooftop bars with genuinely spectacular views, a nightclub scene that goes late, and a waterfront that is beautiful to walk at midnight when the city is lit up and quiet.
Our preference was cocktails at a rooftop bar followed by a slow walk back along the water. It is one of those evenings that stays with you. The city has a quality to it at night that is hard to describe and easy to remember.
Tivoli Gardens: The One We Missed
And Why We Are Going Back
Tivoli Gardens was closed for seasonal maintenance during our March visit. It is one of the oldest amusement parks in the world, sitting right in the heart of the city, and by all accounts it is spectacular in season.
This is the main reason we are going back. If you visit between April and October, Tivoli is open and it is very much worth including in your day. We hear the evening lights in particular are something worth seeing.
Our advice: if you are planning a Copenhagen trip, check the Tivoli season dates before you book. Missing it is not a disaster (we had a brilliant trip regardless) but experiencing it would clearly make an already excellent city even better.
Travelling for content? We create on-location travel UGC.
Destination Reels, photography stills, paid-ads creative. Fixed prices, worldwide bookings.Planning a trip and need social media content to go with it? We handle hotel and destination social media end to end.
Frequently Asked Questions
