Many people seek a spot of winter sun to ease themselves out of the January blues, but we opted for something a little more chilled: a city break to the Danish capital Copenhagen. Although the temperatures would barely break zero, the hygge vibe, varied and wholesome cuisine and the steady flow of beer and cocktails kept us nicely warmed for most of the three-day trip. The fact that it was a short hop from Stansted (just 1hr 45min) and that the city would be free of the summer crowds also added appeal.

So, was Denmark’s cosmopolitan capital worth braving the cold for? Absolutely.

Copenhagen’s Sights and Attractions

We’ll get to the varied cuisine – and even more varied cocktails – soon enough. But first, let’s run through some of the key sights to take in during a short break in Copenhagen.

Water-way to See the City

One of the best ways to get your bearings in this water-rich city is to take a barge trip through the canals and harbour. There are regular tours throughout the day that can be picked up at the jetties of Nyhavn (which means ‘New Harbour’ despite it having been constructed in the 17th century). The whole Nyhavn area is lined with brightly coloured buildings from the 17^th and 18^th centuries, most of which are now bars and restaurants, though many have some historical significance.

You have two options for guided boat tours:

1. Stromma Canal Tours Copenhagen, located at the very end of the Inner Harbour, near the Mindeankeret (Memorial Anchor).

2. Nettobådene, located a little further up on the south bank (the other side to the restaurants and bars).

While Stromma Canal Tours are the original boat tour company who’ve been going for more than a century, we opted for Nettobådene, which was less than half the price and was far less busy (and also seemed to take in an almost identical route). At this time of year, there was no need to book ahead – we just wandered up to the canal-side kiosk and grabbed tickets for the next tour. We learned all kinds of facts and figures about the many interesting buildings and areas covered on the tour, with plenty of landmarks pointed out (such as Hans Christian Andersen’s home, the most expensive apartments in the city, and a garbage incinerator that’s been utilised as a dry ski slope!).

Museums Galore

There are so many museums and galleries in Copenhagen that even the hardiest sightseers could only scratch the surface during a short break in the city. We opted to visit the largest of them all, the National Museum of Denmark. It contains interesting exhibitions from throughout history and around the globe, but by far the most interesting was the audio-visual exhibition about the Viking Völva (which means ‘staff bearer’ and refers to female sorceresses who possessed magical powers during the Old Norse times).

For those who appreciate Danish style and design, the Designmuseum Danmark could be for you. There were lots of interesting ceramics and lots and lots of chairs.

Other museum/gallery options in the city include:

• The War Museum – Fairly self-explanatory.
• Museum of Medicine – All kinds of medical contraptions from throughout the ages.
• Museum of Danish Resistance – charting how the Danish resistance made things tricky for the Germans in WWII.
• The Home of Carlsberg – Tours of the brewery with tastings (there are loads nicer beers in the city though, see below!).
• Den Blå Planet – Located near the airport, this giant aquarium houses all kinds of marine wildlife.

There are always cultural events going on in Copenhagen and when we were there the city was hosting their Vinterjazz Festival, with loads of free or great-value performances at venues around the city.

Eating and Drinking… and a bit more Drinking!

Copenhagen has long enjoyed a reputation for culinary brilliance, helped in no small part by Noma, the now-closed triple-Michelin-starred restaurant that was regarded as the best in the world for a number of years. And there are still plenty of high-end eating options in the city, including the fantastic vegan option, Ark. But we opted for something a little more modest (though still more than satisfying). On the Nyhavn harbourfront, we plumped for Nyhavn 41 (partly because it had heaters outside!). Built in 1698, this former compassmaker’s house offered a decent range of Smørrebrøds (traditional Danish open sandwiches) and pasta.

There are hundreds of interesting bars in the city, including a prohibition-style speakeasy called Curfew (which needs pre-booking). Not the cheapest drinks in the world, but not tooo much more than London prices. It had a very relaxed atmosphere and the bar staff certainly knew what they were doing. We also enjoyed Strøm – complete with shuffleboard and an old Pac-Man arcade game. And if you like gin, the Two Socks bar on the edge of the Meatpacking District has over 300 varieties as well as some tasty bar snacks.

Hotel: Pays to Book Direct

There are so many hotel booking sites around that it’s easy to forget that sometimes the best option is simply to book with your preferred hotel through their website. We did this with the Absalon Hotel, which is located conveniently between the main train station and the Meatpacking District (more of which later). The hotel is named after the 12^th century Bishop of Roskilde who played a big role in turning Copenhagen into a centre of Scandinavian trade. But more importantly, the friendly front-desk staff gave us a free bar voucher worth around £11 simply because we had booked direct, rather than through Hotels.com or similar. Not only that, they upgraded our room.

The fun didn’t stop there, however. The Absalon Hotel has a novel way of encouraging guests to only get their rooms serviced when they actually need it. Their ‘Concept Green’ deal means that for every day guests choose not to get their room cleaned, they receive a 100 DKK (around £11) voucher to be used in the bar, 50% off cycle hire for the day, or a posh mini shampoo. Obviously, we opted for the bar voucher!

Final Thoughts on Copenhagen

We left Denmark’s capital wishing we had booked at least another three nights as we felt as though we’d barely scratched the surface of this fun, culturally rich capital. And this friendly, beautiful capital has so much to offer that we’ll certainly return… though maybe when it’s a few degrees warmer.