Countries: Denmark, Sweden
Cities: Copenhagen, Himmerland, Skørping, Borre, Møns Klint, Malmo (Sweden)
Highlights: Copenhagen Cooking & Food Festival, Roskilde Viking Museum, Rebild National Forest, Dark Sky, Møns Klint’s Cliffs
Scandinavia has quickly become one of the most popular destinations in Europe. Traveling to Denmark provides cooler temperatures in the heat of the summer, offers the promise of an exciting city life, a beautiful coastline, and good food and wine. But, if you’re short on time, is it worth it to visit in just one week? As someone who has done it, absolutely!
Although we visited in the summer months, many of the suggested activities are available all year round, except for the Copenhagen Food Festival in August. We ate, drank, and biked our way through Copenhagen, captained our own Viking ship, hiked through the purple heather fields and troll forest of North Jutland, ate Swedish meatballs in Sweden, and viewed the best constellations on the island of Møns. You will find in this post the most epic one week itinerary through Copenhagen, North Jutland, Møns Klint, and a bonus stop in Sweden! Happy travels!
Language
The Danes speak Danish, of course! However, everyone we met spoke English very well.
Currency
Danish Crowns (DKK) – Approximately 1 DKK = 0.15 cents USD (July 2024). I recommend having a credit card (without foreign transaction fees, if possible) for your primary method of payment. I used the United Mileage Plus Credit Card for all of my international travels. We didn’t find the need to get any Danish Crowns while traveling through Denmark.
Getting Around Copenhagen and Where to Stay
After tracking flights using Google Flights, we bought our direct flights from Newark International Airport to Copenhagen Airport, Kastrup during August 2023 on Scandinavian Airlines. We soon realized that we would be flying into Copenhagen during their annual Cooking & Food Festival! More on that later…We had an overnight flight and landed the next morning. This gave us time to adjust to the time zone, while enjoying a relaxing day of exploring, enjoying our AirBNB, and having coffee and the BEST pastries!
After searching various hotels and AirBNBs, we landed on a beautiful, loft apartment, which we booked for 6 nights. We spent approximately $800 USD for the week. The apartment had two floors, a beautiful rooftop patio, fully stocked kitchen, and quiet sleeping quarters. Something that really surprised us with our research in most of Copenhagen was the lack of bathroom/shower space in most places. Most accommodations have very, very tiny (compared to American standards) bathrooms and showers. This particular apartment, which seemed to be the norm, had a toilet, sink, and a shower curtain that you pulled over the toilet while you showered with a handheld shower head. It was very bizarre, but we got used to it.
The location of our AirBNB was great, as the bus stop was located a short walk away. We could rent bikes for the day to take around the city, as well. When looking at various neighborhoods to stay in, make sure you research what is nearby and prioritize what is important to you.
Keep in mind, most locals get around by bus or bike! Copenhagen has been awarded the most bikeable city in the world, so don’t be afraid to get on a bike and you will fit right in with the locals. We didn’t find biking to be difficult by any means, but locals do go very fast, so keep to the right if you don’t feel like keeping up with their speed!
Copenhagen Card
I recommend getting the Copenhagen Card if you plan on doing a bunch of touristy activities and traveling on the metro and/or buses. My favorite feature was the inclusion of public transportation in the card. The Copenhagen Card is the official city card in the form of an app that grants access to over 80 attractions. The app is incredibly easy to use! Make sure to check out the attractions open on the days you are there, so you are sure to make it to everything on your list! Also, make sure to only activate it once you’re ready to use it because it’s timed for 24, 48, 72, etc hours based on your purchase.
Copenhagen Cooking & Food Festival
Every August, Copenhagen hosts one of the biggest food festivals – YUM!! You have over 100 experiences from which to choose. The program, which includes iconic long table dinners, tastings, workshops, show kitchens, food markets, and so much more, is announced about a month before the festival and then you can start buying tickets. Check out the program here:
Copenhagen Cooking & Food Festival.
We chose two experiences during our week-long stay in Copenhagen. We took part in the California Seafood Boil and the Mamma Daal Punjabi Dinner, both were incredible experiences! The California Seafood Boil featured communal dining at long, communal tables at Kayak Bar in the heart of Copenhagen.
Included in our ticket was a welcome drink “Kayak Spritz”, an all you can dinner, which included crabs, chorizos, sweet potatoes, corn and prawns with various mayonnaises, lemon, bread and butter. Everyone was given a bib and then it’s all about getting on board without worry! We ate without cutlery, so dirty hands were to be expected. Along with the great conversations with travelers and locals, we also enjoyed all you can drink house wines, draft beer, lemonade, and a selection of non-alcoholic wines and beers. The setting at Kayak Bar is also second to none! The waterfront venue creates the perfect backdrop with palm trees and floating pontoons close to the kayaking water.
The Mamma Daal Punjabi Dinner was a unique, home dining experience. We took the bus from the center of Copenhagen to a small, quaint neighborhood outside of the city. We gathered with 8 other guests (10 guests in total) in the home of a Punjabi “Mamma” who prepared the most delish Indian and Pakistani inspired meals. We watched as Mamma put final touches on the meals, learned about their culture, told family stories, and ate, and ate! They were so kind and let us leave with some leftovers. Now, you can experience their home dining all year round, just visit their website here: https://www.mamasdaal.dk/
Suggested Weeklong Itinerary
Day 1: Copenhagen City Orientation
The best way to orient yourself with the city is by getting your bearings of the city through a canal boat tour, renting a bike and exploring like a local, or grabbing a hop-on-hop-off bus. After viewing the city from a tour, you can then later decide what you would like to see more of during your stay! Remember to check your Copenhagen Card to see what is included. You can do almost everything for “free” after purchasing and activating your card.
Suggested first day activities:
- Breakfast, coffee, pastries, Danish smørrebrød – you have a plethora of options around the city!
- Canal boat tour *included in Copenhagen Card
- Hop-on-hop-off bus tour *included in Copenhagen Card
- Explore Nyhavn neighborhood & Stroget (longest pedestrian shopping street)
- Eat at the large, outdoor market – The Bridge Street Kitchen “Broens Gadekokken”
- The Little Mermaid Statue
- Need to freshen up? You can swim just about anywhere in Copenhagen. Bring your suits and jump into any water!
Nyhavn & Stroget
Exploring Iconic Nyhavn & Stroget is a MUST in Copenhagen! Stoget is known as the longest pedestrian shopping street in Copenhagen and leads you to the iconic canal views at the port of Nyhavn. This area is Instagram famous for the colorful buildings, boats, and restaurants that sit on the waterfront. Make sure you walk on both sides of the canal, as every viewpoint offers a different picture worth taking!
The Little Mermaid Statue
Take your pictures in front of The Little Mermaid sculpture that was inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s famous fairy tale. It’s made of bronze and granite and sits in the water at Langelinie Pier.
For dinner, we had a ticket to Kayak Bar’s Seafood Boil as part of the Copenhagen Cooking & Food Festival. Amazing food, drinks, people, and views!
Day 2: Christiansborg Palace, The Round Tower, Danish National Symphony
Christiansborg Palace, Royal Rooms & Ruins
Christiansborg Palace was once home to kings and queens and now houses the Danish Parliament, the Supreme Court, and the Ministry of State. You can visit the state rooms and walk in the footsteps of royalty. The Royal Reception Rooms at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen are used by the Queen for official occasions. It isn’t necessary to reserve a time, but the palace opens in the morning and would recommend going first thing to avoid the afternoon crowds. Admission is during opening hours, provided that the royal family is not using the premises for official occasions.
You can also visit the ruins under Christiansborg Palace. When the present Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen was constructed, the National Museum took care to excavate and protect the ruins of the Palace’s oldest predecessors, Bishop Absalon’s Castle of 1167 and Copenhagen Castle that replaced it.
The Round Tower
The Round Tower is a 7th-century tower, one of the many architectural projects of Christian IV of Denmark. It was built as an astronomical observatory and is known for its equestrian staircase, a 7.5-turn helical corridor leading to the platform at the top. It has one of the best views over Copenhagen! Keep an eye out for the astronomy dial at the top.
Danish National Symphony
As a music teacher and professional musician, I had to get tickets to see the Danish National Symphony. The orchestra performed music from famous film scores! The symphony hall is gorgeous and you can treat yourself to drinks before the show or during intermission.
Day 3: Day Trip to Roskilde & Viking Ship Museum, and Sweden
The Viking Ship Museum exhibits the five 1000-year-old original ship finds from the Viking Age (the Skuldelev Ships) as well as a fleet of sailing reconstructions. Several of these reconstructions and other Nordic boats are also available to sail in. You can also meet the craftsmen who keep up the traditions of the old maritime trades, and you can try your hand with axes, ropes and many other activities.
Sailing trips on Roskilde Fjord! I highly recommend taking part in one of the most unique sailing trips aboard a viking ship! I was able to captain my own ship with other tourists and we learned how to sail aboard an actual reconstructed Viking ship.
You can set sail on the Roskilde Fjord every day in the summer season. Timeslots are posted and updated daily on their website. Please note, you buy your sailing ticket as an addition to your Copenhagen Card!
For dinner, we decided to take a train to Malmo, Sweden, which is just about a 40-45 minute train ride. We meandered around a small, cobblestone town square where we enjoyed an array of beverages at local pubs.
We found a traditional Swedish Meatball dinner right in the town square. We highly recommend taking this brief trip into Sweden – you can cross another country off your list!
Day 4: Tivoli, Freetown Christiana, Church of Our Savior, Botanical Gardens
Tivoli Gardens & Amusement Park
Considered “one of the happiest places on earth”, Tivoli Gardens and Amusement Park dates back to 1843. Walt Disney came to Tivoli for his inspiration of Disneyland! Plan to spend at least 4 hours here if you intend on eating and enjoying the amusement park rides. Copenhagen Card covers ONE visit per card, however, you can re-enter tivoli on the SAME DAY if you get a re-entry stamp from the main entrance. If you wish to go on a ride you will need to get individual Ride Tickets or an Unlimited Ride Ticket.
Freetown Christiania
Spend some time strolling around Freetown Christiania which is known as a commune where there is open trade of cannabis, which is illegal in Denmark, as well as artistic shops to peruse. Stop here to cross paths with hippies, buy and smoke cannabis if you so choose!
Church of Our Savior
Our Saviour’s is one of Denmark’s most famous churches. Ever since the serpentine spire was inaugurated in 1752, it has been a popular pastime to climb the 400 steps to the top! I highly recommend booking your visit in advance so you can climb to the top. Entrance to the church is free. Book your visit here and choose Copenhagen Card if you have one.
Botanical Gardens
The Botanical Garden is part of the Natural History Museum of Denmark, which is situated in the corner of the garden. The beautiful Botanical Garden is a green oasis in the heart of Copenhagen and home to Denmark’s largest collection of plants from all over the world, including species that are extinct in the wild. Here you can go explore among rare cacti and cycads from the age of the dinosaurs!
Day 5: North Jutland, Rebild National Park (Rold Skov “Troll Forest” & Purple Heather Fields), Møns Klint’s Dark Sky
Today, we set out to visit parts of Denmark most tourists never get to see! If you’re looking for a quiet getaway from the hustle and bustle of city life, we recommend renting a car and exploring what else Denmark has to offer! We rented a car from the city center and embarked on a very long road trip to North Jutland (4+ hour drive) to hike in the Rebild National Park to view the winding trees of the Troll Forest and beautiful purple haze from the Heather Fields!
From there, we drove south for almost 5 hours!! We ended up on the small island of Møns to view the darkest sky! Visit this website to learn more about the Dark Sky at Møns.
North Jutland – Rebild National Park & Purple Heather Fields
North Jutland in Northern Denmark is one of Denmark’s best kept secrets! It’s a picturesque region with beautiful landscapes, hiking trails, purple heather fields, and friendly locals. If you visit in the summer, I highly recommend scheduling a trip to the national park. The purple heather-covered hills are one of the most beautiful nature hikes I have ever encountered!
Troll Forest (Rold Skov)
Next to Rebild Bakker is Rold Skov where you’ll find the troll forest. Just park the car at the entrance and walk for about 7 minutes. You’ll start noticing the crooked trees and you’ll know you’ve arrived!
Møns Klint’s Dark Sky
There are quite a few options of where to stay on the small island of Møns, but we opted for a “glamping” experience in a cozy big tent found through AirBNB in Borre.
We had a great viewing spot of the stars and constellations with no light pollution at all! Again, visit this website to learn more about the Dark Sky at Møns.
Day 6: Møns Klint’s Cliffs
Mons Klint is perhaps the biggest reason why people travel to the small island of Møn in Denmark. Møns Klint is on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites within a natural area making it a MUST SEE destination in Denmark. Can you even believe how blue this water is?!
Next to the cliffs, you will find the GeoCenter at Møns Klint. This is a great place to visit to get information on the cliffs and hiking trail maps. If you love to walk or hike in nature, you will love the many walking paths at Møns Klint. In fact, there are 7 main walking routes that you can take throughout Klinteskoven. We only spent one day at Møns Klint, so we were not able to experience all the paths. But, we loved what we did explore and see and even had to hike through the water since part of our path was covered!
After our brief, but scenic visit to Møn Klint, we made our trek home to Copenhagen. It’s about a two hour drive from this southern point back to the city center.
Day 7: Goodbye Copenhagen!
We started our morning with a stroll through Nyhavn searching for pastries and coffee at a local cafe.
If you haven’t tried a Kanelsnegle (Denmark’s cinnamon bun) yet, this is your sign to get one NOW!
We hope you enjoyed this ultimate adventure guide through Denmark! Happy travels!
