Copenhagen
WHO
Our family of four went on this trip in July 2024, when Averhy was 20 and Eden was 17 years old. As a part of her undergrad program through the University of Illinois, Averhy studied abroad for 6 weeks. We took advantage of the opportunity to go pick her up at the conclusion of her summer classes, and explore a new country!
WHAT
As usual, we used three Motherlode Backpacks and Sky’s “magic backpack” as our carry-on bags, as well as an oversized purse that Allyson used as a camera bag. This allowed us to bypass the long checked-luggage lines at airports. Averhy had an additional backpack, since she had been in Europe for 6 weeks.
Remember to bring a power adapter for charging phones and other electronics.
WHEN
We took this trip the last week of July 2024, and we booked our flights about 6 months earlier, as soon as we knew Averhy’s study abroad plans. The weather was typical “Danish weather,” changing from sunny to rainy a few times, but otherwise it felt like summer!
WHERE
For this trip, we stayed at The Square Hotel in central Copenhagen. The yellow stars on the map show the locations of the sites we visited in Copenhagen.
WHY
The main reason we traveled to Denmark was to pick up Averhy, after she completed a summer term studying in Copenhagen through DIS. Since we were already in Scandinavia, we spent the second half of the week exploring the fjords in Norway!
HOW
Day 1: Rosenborg gardens & canal tour
We flew overnight from O’Hare to Philadelphia to Copenhagen on American Airlines. We arrived at 11am and, after dropping off our bags at the hotel, we began exploring while Averhy finished up her last class. We found the Round Tower and walked through the gardens around the Rosenborg castle before taking a rainy canal tour of the city. The tour guide was excellent! We met Averhy for dinner at Sporvegen - a restaurant inside an old train car - before calling it a night.
Day 2: Nyhavn
In the morning, we moved Averhy out of her student housing, then got cardamom buns for breakfast. Yum! Averhy was our tour guide for the day, showing us her favorite places in the city. First, we went to Nyhavn and took obligatory photos of the colorful canal street. It was a lovely day, so the sidewalks were crowded!
Day 2: Opera House
We walked across the Inderhavnsbroen bridge and on to the unique and beautiful Opera House. The architecture of this building is beautiful!
Day 2: Copenhill
Our next stop was the tallest structure in the city - Copenhill. This architecturally stunning waste-processing center has a year-round ski slope on top! No skiing for us this time, but we enjoyed the sweeping views of the city.
Day 2: Reffen Street Food & Christiania
We walked to Reffen street food to get some lunch. This area is built out of old shipping containers, and has a huge variety of food vendors.
Next, we went to Christiania, an area that is largely populated with hippies and used to be a center for drug culture. In the past few years, there has been a lot of improvements in safety, so now it is a popular area to walk through and see craft vendors and artists.
Day 2: Swimming at Islands Brygge
There are several places along the main canal that are designated swimming areas with lap pools and jumping platforms. It was a sunny afternoon, so we decided to try it out! Sky, Averhy, and Eden all had fun jumping off the platform into the chilly water. Dinner tonight was at Axelborg Bodega.
Day 3: Superkilen Park & Marble Cathedral
Averhy continued her role as tour guide today, and we began at an art installation she visited with her Bicycle Urbanism class. This park is in the middle of a very diverse neighborhood and attempts to incorporate elements of many cultures. Unfortunately (in our opinion) the overall effect is just confusion and disarray! Oh well! After lunch at Torvehallerne food market, we went to the beautiful Marble Cathedral.
Day 3: Rosenborg Castle
Next up: a tour of Rosenborg Castle. We have toured a lot of castles in our travels, but this one wins the award for the funniest antique… a “Trouser-Wetting Chair.” Those Rosenborgs were pranksters!
Day 3: The Bastard Cafe
After a fancy dinner at Maple, we went to the Bastard Cafe - a board game bar! They had thousands of games to choose from. A fun way to end the day!
Day 4: Amalienborg Palace
Began the day with more cardamom buns and another ride on the metro - Averhy loves the public transportation here! At the Amalienborg Palace, we learned all about King Frederik 10, who ascended to the throne at the start of this year. He seems like a great guy, and the Danish people love him!
Day 4: Tivoli Gardens
After lunch at Next Door Cafe (Averhy’s favorite), we spent the afternoon at Tivoli Gardens Amusement Park. This was one of the inspirations behind Disney World! It was HOT today (Danish weather) but we had fun going through the haunted castle, roller coasters, and the high swings (260 feet in the air!!) There was also an aquarium that offered a break from the heat, and impressive displays of sea life. A fun way to end our time in Denmark!
Bonus Day: Malmo, Sweden!
A short train ride across/through the Oresund bridge/tunnel takes you into another country: Sweden! So, after spending a few days exploring Norway, we spent our last night in Sweden before returning to the USA. We enjoyed dinner at Mello Yello in Lilla Torg square, which was hopping!
Bonus Day: Malmo, Sweden
In the morning, we walked through Slottstradgarden and found the castle windmill. Next, we walked to the coastline for a view of the Turning Torso building before taking the train back to Copenhagen for our afternoon flight home. What a great trip, and a fun conclusion to Averhy’s awesome study abroad experience!
Final Tips
Be ready for Danish Weather… it might be sunny, rainy, cold, and hot all in the same day!
Public transportation is the way to go in Copenhagen. Plus, there are people riding bikes EVERYWHERE, so look both ways and look again before stepping into the street.
We felt safe everywhere we went, and Averhy also said she felt safe throughout her study abroad experience.
What questions do you have? Let me know in the comments below!