One of the perks of flying abroad for a wedding is sneaking in a few excursions before heading home. At first we were overwhelmed with choosing our next destination, but the more we talked about visiting Copenhagen it became clear this had to be our next stop. I was eager to stroll down Nyhavn and gaze up at the multi-colored buildings, eat my fill in pastries, and soak in the local hygge culture. Therefore, while it was hard to say our farewells to family in Scotland, we were excited to arrive in Copenhagen and begin our next adventure.

After freshening up in our hotel, the first item on our agenda was to take the train into the city center and visit Nyhavn. The moment we turned the corner and the canal came into view my jaw dropped! I couldn’t believe my surroundings were real. It all looked like it was right out of a dream! Once I composed myself we boarded a little canal boat for an early morning tour of the city. After we winded through the waterways of the city we hurried over to Amalienborg Palace to catch the changing of the guard.

By this time Ian and I were famished and food was the number one priority. Luckily, little hot dog vendors are dotted across the city and it was easy to find a stall to grab lunch. I was told we had to try the roasted dog with “all the toppings” so that’s exactly what we did. Now that we avoided a hangery situation, we decided to walk along the waterfront on the way to the Little Mermaid statue. The statue is a big tourist attraction so it was flooded with people. I didn’t have the drive to fit through the crowd to snag a photo – but Ian didn’t mind!

Little Mermaid? Check! Next on the agenda was heading into town to get a beautiful view of the city. I heard you could go up the tower at Christiansborg Palace for free and that was an opportunity I didn’t want to pass up! A short bus ride later we were standing outside the palace and made our way up the tower. The view didn’t disappoint and we even stumbled across a charming garden on our way out.

Following our stroll in the garden we went in search of pastries. I heard great things about Holms Bageri so we made our way over there. Little did I know, the bakery is in the middle of the famous pedestrian shopping district on Strøget Street. Therefore, I had no other choice but follow Ian into the Lego store after we enjoyed our pastry. 

One might think that was enough sight-seeing for day one, but we knew our time was limited in the city! So instead of heading back to the hotel to rest our feet we continued on to visit Tivoli Gardens, the second-oldest operating amusement park in the world. I’m not a huge fan of rides, but Tivoli drew me in with it’s charming gardens and buildings. The second we walked through the gates I was greeted with the Peacock Theater which was hosting a ballet performance. Down a twinkle light covered path sat the stunning Hotel Nimb and I was instantly in awe. We could have spent hours soaking in the beauty of this park, but after a ride on the Rutschebanen rollercoaster we were ready to get a good night’s sleep.

Our last day in Copenhagen started bright and early. We wanted to beat the crowds and walk to the top of the Rundetaarn for another gorgeous view of the city. Being close to Rosenborg Palace we decided to wander around the King’s Garden before grabbing lunch at the Torvehallerne food market.

Next on our list was to take the train over to Carlsberg brewery for a tour. Ian found the history of the brewery fascinating and enjoyed trying the local brews in the beer garden while I was more excited about the stable of horses on the property. Following the brewery tour we wandered over to Vestre Cemetery to take in the sprawling grounds and tree-covered lanes.

Our time in Copenhagen was coming to an end and we couldn’t think of a better place to spend the evening than Nyhavn. It was bittersweet as we left this view behind and headed back to the hotel to pack. As we walked back to the train station I kept turning around to get one last glimpse of all the beautiful buildings, but eventually I had to leave it all behind as we prepared for the last leg of our journey – Paris!