2 Day Copenhagen Itinerary

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Wow, where to even start with this captivating city? To return to Europe after two+ years and explore a city I’ve never visited was satisfying in itself, but even more so that it was Copenhagen. Creating a 2 day Copenhagen itinerary was tricky, but we soaked in as much of the city as possible.

The Capital of Denmark since the 15th century, Copenhagen is rich in history, culture, and development. Part of Copenhagen’s charm is seeing its history woven into the old and new architecture as you stroll through both cobblestone and paved streets. 

Day 1: in Copenhagen

This day started off with an early wake up call to train five hours from Stockholm to Copenhagen. When we got to the hotel around lunch, we were lucky that they had the room ready! We ditched the bags, freshened up, and headed a few blocks down to our #1 point of interest: Nyhavn!

First stop: Nyhavn

Nyhavn, now recognized as the coastal strip you see online of bright buildings, restaurants, and canal cruises, was once notorious for beer, sailors, and ships. Nyhaven was constructed back in the 17th century, and has been witness to a lot of history, including the writings of inhabitant Hans Christian Anderson.

The day we got to Copenhagen was my birthday, so we actually sat at a restaurant on the strip, sipped on warm soup and espresso martinis to keep warm before continuing our exploration. I could’ve wandered in the wind for hours in this little corner of the city, but alas we headed to our next exciting stop: Strøget.

Strøget

Strøget is one of the longest pedestrian shopping streets in Europe that was converted in the 1960s. We saw all different types of shops, and even though we weren’t intending to shop, we still wanted to walk through here to see what the hype is all about. We’d actually return to this area the following day, but more on that later. Okay so through Strøget, we actually found ourselves exactly where we wanted to be, which was right around the corner from the Rosenborg Palace.

Rosenborg Palace

Rosenborg Palace, although smaller than many castles, is still absolutely spectacular. It was built back in 1606 and expanded to the structure we can see now in 1624. The castle has been open to the public since 1838, which is crazy to think about how long ago that was.

Around the property is the King’s Garden, which we saw many people enjoying the space from kids running around, tourists taking pictures, friends playing chess on a bench, lovers hand in hand, and even folks walking their dogs. Something that really stuck out to me, is how easy it was to picture what this property would’ve looked like all those years ago when the palace was constructed.

You can truly imagine carriages, ball gowns, and suits strolling through this little corner of Copenhagen and I don’t know any other words to describe this feeling, other than it just felt special to me. 

Dinner

For dinner, I had made birthday reservations for a rooftop sushi place called Sticks n Sushi! It was their Tivoli Hotel location, and they have outdoor seating available in the summer, swing seating at the bar while you wait, and an amazing menu.

We ordered the ?Dinner For Two” specials, which included so many different courses and dishes to try, from appetizers to skewers to sushi rolls. I don’t have any photos to share because I was too busy enjoying every bite, but I’d recommend this place. Even if you don’t like sushi, get a drink and go for the views.

Day 2 in Copenhagen

Kastellet Fortress and Little Mermaid Statue

Alright, so originally we planned on using public transportation, but the weather forecast completely changed and we had the prettiest day of our trip yet! We headed in the direction of the Little Mermaid statue, but first went through the Kastellet Fortress.

This star-shaped fortress is well preserved (constructed in 17th century) and you’re able to see guards on duty as you walk through. If you’re into war history, I recommend researching this place, as it’s been home to many different activities in its years. On the other side of the fortress, we headed down to Copenhagen’s infamous Little Mermaid statue.

The Little Mermaid was my favorite animated film growing up, and this was all coming full circle for me as I was in the author’s hometown, at the body of water that inspired his story of the Little Mermaid. The statue, albeit small, has many visitors each year. I’m unsure on the amount, but I can tell you she wasn’t alone when we walked up, as many onlookers were seeking a photo with the statue (myself included.)

Illum

This is the part where we headed back strøget again, and not for shopping! Here, there’s the Illum shopping center, and at the very top of the building there are several restaurants and a coffee shop. We ordered lunch and enjoyed the views from the terrace, watching the busy streets from up above.

The unique perspective from the terrace allowed us to take a minute to relax and soak up the whirlwind of the last 24+ hours. The coffee shop next door to lunch was also fantastic and provided views on the corner, seeing all the streets connect. I’d recommend making this a place for you to let your legs take a break, and take in the views!

Lunch was light to save room for our next stop, but the coffee was caffeinated so we could make our way to other parts of the city and explore. We found this local artisan shop, where I picked up my souvenir. I went with a yellow and white handcrafted mug, where I can sip on tea or coffee back home and be reminded of this trip.

I always like to get something locally made, and then post cards as well to keep in an album to recall all my travels. Our guest room has become a museum of sorts that holds proof that my travels weren’t just a dream in my head, filled with artwork from local artists, post cards, souvenirs on the book case, and more. When I’m aching for an adventure, I look around that room and feel a lot of gratitude for these memories. But anyways, It was time for my favorite experience of the whole trip: Conditori La Glace Bakery.

Conditori La Glace Bakery

Conditori La Glace Bakery. How can I even put this place into words? For starters, this pastry shop has been operating since 1870! It is the oldest bakery and arguably one of the best in Copenhagen. It has a wide array of sweets; from cakes, marzipan, macarons, and many other options. However, they’ve kept their drink menu the same as the day they opened: tea, coffee, hot cocoa.

We ordered several different treats and as we sat down in the bakery, I swear it looks the same as the day it opened! The ceilings feel a little shorter, the furniture is outdated in a charming way, and every single moment was an enjoyable experience.

Not to mention, the hot chocolate is served by first steaming milk, and then placing a whole piece of chocolate into the milk and it melts into the richest, decadent hot chocolate I’ve ever tasted. Needless to say, we over ordered on sweets and had to take a few to go.

We spent a couple more hours walking around and taking in the city, before it was time to head our train. It’s true what they say, the hygge glow was all around me and I was so sad to leave Copenhagen, but I have a feeling it’s not a forever goodbye. Besides, at least we had our sweets from La Glace for the train ride 🙂 

What is hygge? Hygge, by definition, is ?a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being.” For some, this can be a warm bath, or cozied up reading a book, having pancakes for breakfast. For others, it’s simply doing things that bring you joy and that feeling of a hug. 

Europe in general gives me the hygge feel. It’s always a time where I don’t have a to-do list, or worry about life, but I can truly partake in activities that bring me joy. Europe to me is enjoying a warm cup of coffee, in a building older than the U.S. government, hearing different languages around me and smelling fresh baked goods for sale on the counter. And then when I hear strangers around me laugh – well, laughter is the same in every language, and I instantly feel a connection and purpose wherever in the world I’m drinking that coffee. Maybe that’s why I keep coming back to this continent. Maybe it’s for the connection, the purpose, or the hygge feeling.

Tips Before you go to Copenhagen

Transportation

If you plan on flying, look at step 1 on my planning a trip post, as it talks about Google flights and how to track flights for your trip months in advance to book the best deal.

Hotel

If you’re traveling solo or even with others, the location in Copenhagen can make a difference. I recommend booking a place near Nyhavn. This puts you in a place near a subway station, walking distance to other points of interest, and more importantly you can easily get to Nyhavn at night when the hustle and bustle is no more and it’s just a peaceful, colorful corner of the city to enjoy.

Public transit

I am a huge advocate for public transportation, and Copenhagen is no different! We ended up buying two-day tickets and then didn’t have to worry about buying tickets the rest of the time. We ended up being really lucky with the weather and walked most of the time! However, with us staying near Nyhavn, it was nice to be able to train out to the Tivoli area for dinner.

Pack

Depending on the time of year, the weather will be different. Overall, pack with layers just in case it’s warmer or colder than predicted. Nyhavn was extremely windy, so it felt a little colder than the rest of the city even with a perfectly sunny day. As this was my birthday trip, I still wanted to dress ?trendy”, so I ended up buying fleece tights that were my skin color to wear under black tights and a skirt. Let me know if you want the link because they were so warm!

Cash/Card

Before Covid, most cities in Europe preferred cash. That’s really not the case anymore, as I never took out cash on this trip. Before you go, check with your bank and see if there’s a higher fee associated with using the ATM or using your card in general so you can plan accordingly. Tap to pay is also widely used in Europe, so if you don’t have this with your card yet, it may be helpful to get this feature before your trip! It’s not necessary as I don’t have the tap option on my card yet, but it would’ve made things much easier.

Misc.

I recommend carrying around a refillable water bottle. The worst thing you can do on day one is to let yourself become dehydrated and then be tired and sore the rest of your trip. I also would like to say even though we didn’t end up getting to everything on our list, the few things that we didn’t get to that I would still feel comfortable recommending are: Tivoli garden, the Botanical Garden, inside the Rosenborg Palace, Carlsberg brewery, Christiansborg Palace. For more information on planning a trip, you can check out this post that details the very beginning stages here!