Copenhagen as a Party of Three!

| by Steven Geiss

Copenhagen, Denmark.  The perfect Scandinavian paradise with something for every type of traveler, including the brand new traveler!  After several trips to its Nordic neighbors, we chose Denmark as the destination for our first international trip with our new family member.  At just 7 months old, plenty of people called us crazy for traveling with a baby, but we knew the nature of this part of the world.  Our baby was warmly welcomed by the Danes, and we were praised for visiting as a party of three.  

This post is, as always, a rundown of how we spent our week traveling the Geiss way.  It is less a post about how to travel with a baby, although you may gain a few tips as you read.  We are no experts in the “travel with a baby” realm, but we hope to be there soon!  Enjoy reading all about a full week in Copenhagen, with a baby!

71 Nyhavn Hotel

Rather than traveling around Denmark, we chose to spend the entire week in Copenhagen, eliminating the repetitive unpacking and re-packing routine from our first week abroad with our son.   So we chose a very nice boutique hotel for our stay in the most picturesque neighborhood of Copenhagen, Nyhavn.  Once a seedy strip of buildings known for its sailors and their naughty habits, “New Harbour” is now a waterfront destination lined by colorful houses, cafes, and tons of pedestrians.  71 Nyhavn Hotel was located at the very end of the harbor, making it close enough to enjoy the energy of Nyhavn but far enough to be able to escape it.

We booked an executive double deluxe view room for our week-long stay and couldn’t have been more pleased.  The view of the harbor was just as we’d imagined it, and the room was spacious enough for a crib and all of our extra baby supplies.  As it is an historic building, the decor is rustic yet modern, honoring both old European and Nordic design.  What impressed us most was the hotel staff’s willingness to aid in many ways that made traveling with an infant so much easier (milk storage, frequent requests for ice, etc.).  The hotel buffet breakfast was also incredible and included enough options that breakfast each morning for the entire week felt slightly different than the day prior. 

We spent the first afternoon and evening walking around and exploring our surroundings.  We quickly learned how to avoiding standing in bike lanes and how to push a stroller over cobblestone pathways (there are many of both in Copenhagen: bikes and cobblestone).  The weather was fair, so, as tourists do, we stopped for a snack and a drink at a cafe on Nyhavn (both less than memorable) but enjoyed the people-watching most.

One of our favorite stories from our week in Copenhagen comes from our first night in the city.  Without a plan for dinner on a Saturday evening and with an infant slowly becoming grumpier and more confused by the jet lag, we happened upon a Turkish restaurant recommended by our cab driver called Ankara.  Since they offered a buffet and could seat us immediately, we decided to give it a try.  But minutes after being seated, as luck would have it, our son started crying and made it evident that this buffet needed to become take-away.  Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a friendly Danish woman approached us with arms wide open offering to take our baby so that we could enjoy our meal in peace.  We could not believe what was happening, mainly because this type of thing does not happen back home.  But to her, and likely most of the Danes, this type of gesture was completely normal.  As we sat and enjoyed our Turkish buffet, we knew we had chosen the perfect first destination for travel with an infant. 

The Round Tower

The Round Tower, or Rundetaarn, is a must-visit site in Copenhagen, and with the sun shining, we made it our first stop on our first full day of exploring.  The Round Tower was originally constructed in 1642 as an astrological observatory but has since become one of the best places for an aerial view of Copenhagen.  It is accessed by walking up a wide, spiral ramp that was designed to push the large, heavy astrology equipment up for viewing but rumored to be for the lazy king to ride his horses to the top.  Visiting on a clear day affords great views for a sucker like me, and the ramp meant the baby could come, too!

After descending from the Tower, we stopped for the first of many times at the Espresso House, a primarily Scandinavian chain of coffee shops.  All things that go along with feeding an infant require frequent stops, and this particular shop was a good go-to for us because it was centrally located, reasonably priced (especially for Copenhagen), spacious and had clean bathrooms.  The espresso was fairly average, but their iced coffee was great.  

Copenhagen Free Walking Tour

After our pit stop we met up for the Classical Tour of Copenhagen offered by Copenhagen Free Walking Tours.  The tour met by the Bishop Absalon statue (founder of Copenhagen) on Højbro Plads and continued on through the city center, discussing mainly medieval Copenhagen, its kings, astronomers, university, palaces and some interesting facts about art and culture in the city.  The tour was very well done and professional, and I’d recommend it or one of the others offered by the company to anyone visiting Copenhagen.

Our walking tour conveniently concluded at Torvehallerne, a large food hall in a glass building right in the heart of Copenhagen.  Here, you will find everything from ready-to-order gourmet meals to stalls with fresh fruits, vegetables, meats and cheeses.  Whether looking to sample some of the city’s freshest produce or dine with small bites that represent the city’s vibrant food scene, Torvehallerne is a great option.  Our guide had recommended trying a Ribbensteg sandwich (thick skin-on pork belly that is roasted to harden the edges into “cracklings”), so we grabbed one of these decadent and filling monstrosities first.  We also ate some of the very Danish open-faced sandwiches called Smørrebrød that come in a variety of options from simple to quite fancy.  We opted for a few seafood varieties which were delicious. 

After our late lunch, we walked to Frederik’s Church, or Marmorkirken (meaning “The Marble Church”) as locals may call it.  The dome of Frederik’s Church is the largest in Scandinavia, which, along with its design plans calling for it be be built entirely of marble, was quite the financial undertaking at the time of its construction.  So costly that it sat for over 150 years without being touched until it was finally opened in 1894.  The Marble Church is worth visiting if you have time, but after visiting many of the world’s best churches, this one felt underwhelming.

Across the street from Frederik’s Church is Amalienborg, the palace complex and current residence of the Danish royal family.  We walked through the grouping of four identical buildings before walking back to our hotel to rest for a few hours and some baby play time. 

We kept dinner rather simple at Yeerro which was a good spot for a quick but rather solid gyro.  As we walked by along Nyhavn, there was a nice sunset along the canal to end the evening.  

Rosenborg Palace

Rosenborg Palace is a lovely palace located in central Copenhagen and a must-visit site for plenty of reasons.  There are many palaces and castles both within Copenhagen and nearby, but this one is both easy to access and quite unique.  The palace was built as a summer residence for King Christian IV in the early 1600’s and quickly became his favorite castle.  The architecture is striking from outside the palace and the grounds are beautifully kept and maintained.  Within the castle, there are rooms of various sizes richly decorated and adorned with Danish paintings and keepsakes.  Plus, the Crown Jewels of Denmark are kept at Rosenborg.  Visiting the palace was a great way to start our day.

After visiting the palace, we stopped for lunch at DØP, an organic hot dog stand in central Copenhagen.  With sausage options including traditional pork, beef, chicken, goat, and vegetarian, we were incredibly impressed with these hot dogs.  Emily enjoyed the pork sausage with cheese while I tried the goat version and loved it.  

One quick word about something extremely impressive about Copenhagen.  The public restroom facilities were incredible!  Not only are the facilities are staffed and cleaned frequently, they can be found in very convenient spots such as this one underground in the middle of one of the busiest public squares, Amagertorv.  

Copenhagen Canal Tour

Another must-do on any trip to Copenhagen is a canal boat tour.  Transporting plenty of tourists on a large boat with open-air panels, these tours leave every 30 minutes from several accessible canal-front locations in the city.  While it may seem like a very “touristy” thing to do, we really enjoyed the 60 minute classic tour offered by Stromma.  The guide pointed out many historical landmarks that helped orient us as newcomers to the city.  Owen also loved the cool breeze over the water and the slow-moving boat ride.  This was a great afternoon activity for us!

Now a little better adjusted to the time change, we made a reservation at Det Lille Apotek for dinner.  This restaurant was recommended to us by the guide during our walking tour and is a great place for a traditional Danish dining experience.  Det Lille Apotek has been serving food since the 1720, and the decor has not changed in over 150 years.  Emily enjoyed the starter most, the curry herring smørrebrød, and then we tried the smoked salmon and roasted duck for mains and apple cake for dessert.  

The most lovely part of this dinner was once again the Danish hospitality, particularly surrounding having an infant in the restaurant.  Our baby was welcomed as a member of our dinner party, and several staff members came by to say hi and enjoy his smile.  Having such a welcoming culture surrounding babies makes being able to enjoy a sit-down dinner so much easier. 

Day Trip to Malmö, Sweden

Following two full days in Copenhagen, we decided to leave the city by train and visit another country, Sweden.  Malmö, Sweden is just across the Øresund strait from Copenhagen and can be easily reached in 45 minutes via the Øresund train line that traverses the body of water on the Øresund Bridge.  Much of the ride, therefore, is over water and quite scenic.

The train took us to Malmö Central Station, from which we walked through the heart of the city as we explored its streets.  The city is quite large and industrialized but feels very walkable and manageable as a single-day trip.  Our ultimate destination was a shop and cafe recommended to us called AB Småland where we ate some cake and marveled at the impressive home store.  From there, we walked along the canalside cemetery to the 16th-century Malmö Castle.  As it was much smaller than other castles we’d visited and with limited time to spend in Malmö, we opted not to go inside and instead continued our walk on what had turned out to be a beautiful morning.  We went shopping through some small shops in the city center before stopping for a quick lunch.  Perhaps it was entirely our fault, but we struggled to find an appealing place to eat and ended up at a mediocre restaurant on a public square.  

Before we knew it, it was already time to walk back to the train station and head back to our home base in Copenhagen.  As we passed by the Town Hall on our way out of the city, storms were rolling in and we felt grateful for the gorgeous sun we’d had all day. 

Once we arrived back in Copenhagen, we realized that it had been a pretty eventful day in the city.  Overnight, the city’s historic stock exchange building, Børsen, had caught fire during a restoration and its iconic spire, along with most of the building’s wooden structure, had crumbled.  We had just cruised by the building on our canal tour the night prior, not realizing this was the only glimpse we’d get.  

The smell of smoke was pervasive throughout the city center, and smoke was still escaping the ashes at the time of our return from Sweden.  We learned that this building was an important symbol to the Danes because it had survived several other nearby fires and wars in the past.  The locals were devastated, and for several days we watched them weep at the sight of smoke emanating from where the Børsen once stood.  

We chose quick and simple again for dinner, this time at Dandelion Burger.  With only two burgers on the menu, this place is as simple as it gets.  Bone marrow is added to their organic beef burgers which made them insanely tasty but a bit difficult to digest.  Still, it was an easy dinner with the little one and one that we enjoyed.

We enjoyed the best sunset of the week later that evening as we returned back to Nyhavn.  

Christianshavn

We woke up on Wednesday morning and went for a walk through Christianshavn, an area of small islands just across a pedestrian (and bike!) bridge from Nyhavn where we were staying called Inderhavnsbroen.  The canals of Christianshavn are lined with houseboats of various colors, and much of the neighborhood is home to affluent Copenhageners.  The exception is Freetown Christiania, the hippie commune known for its loose adherence to law, primarily surrounding drugs.  During our time in Copenhagen, we heard several locals refer to Christiania residents as “anarchists”, so we opted not to visit. 

The morning walk through Christianshavn was quite idyllic, especially with lattes from a local coffee shop in hand.  Though as we looked across the water back to Copenhagen city center, it was tough to realize we were looking at the scaffolding that once supported the now-smoldering Børsen. 

Later in the day, we took advantage of a service offered by our hotel in order to enjoy some adult time away from the baby.  Like some other hotels in Copenhagen, 71 Nyhavn contracts with a local babysitting agency known as PVB Passing and Babysitting in order to provide babysitting services to guests for a rate of roughly $40/hour.  We were able to pre-arrange dates and times and even given the name of our babysitter prior to our arrival in Denmark.  The whole process was seamless and incredibly easy, and I’d recommend it highly for some childless time away!  And yes, we did hide an AirTag in the baby stroller just in case! 

CopenHot Outdoor Spa

It’s no secret that Emily and I enjoy a nice spa day, and since Emily was unable to fully partake during our hot baths experience in Japan, I wanted to take her somewhere that (sort of) made up for that.  CopenHot Little Siberia is an outdoor spa facility that allows guests to rent hot tubs and/or saunas by the hour.  It is located in a more industrialized part of Copenhagen, about 30 minutes away by vehicle.  And while not a fancy spa experience, CopenHot is a fun concept and a very Copenhagen take on a traditional Scandinavian pastime.  

With the exception of one other group of guests, we had the whole facility to ourselves during our stay.  I imagine the atmosphere is quite different during the evening hours when it is much more popular to visit CopenHot.  The private changing rooms were a nice luxury, and beer and other drinks could be purchased on site.  The tubs were incredibly hot!  This would have been great if it weren’t for the incredibly sunny, almost warm weather that we were not expecting.  So a lot of our time was spent on the edge of the tub.  As usual, Emily loved dipping in the cold plunge, and our rental included use of the public sauna which we tried out for a little while, too.  

I would have loved this experience more if the views and surroundings were more scenic.  CopenHill, a skislope built on top of a waste management power plant and a Copenhagen landmark, is visible in the distance.  Other than that, CopenHot is surrounded by shipping containers and gravel lots rather than the beautiful canals we were expecting.  There is also very little to do in the area, which was a bummer.  We still enjoyed the time together, though. 

We used a local rideshare app to take us back to the city center where we had a quick pizza lunch at Boathouse.  From there we could walk back to the hotel where our babysitter, Sarah, had the baby down for a peaceful nap.  What a great afternoon.

Church of Our Saviour

Later that evening we took full advantage of the good weather and walked back to Christianshavn to the Church of Our Saviour.  This baroque church is known mainly for its views of Copenhagen and the exterior spiral staircase that wraps its spire.  A 250 step indoor climb is required to get to the octagonal viewing platform, followed by another 150 outdoor steps up the spiral staircase to the very top.  The indoor steps were all wooden staircases of various sizes and shapes, often very steep and built into tight spaces.  For this reason, Emily stayed with the baby on the ground while I chased my view.  It was worth it, though, as the views of the city are phenomenal.  I made it up about ten steps but did not have the bravery to continue up the outdoor spiral, though!  Unfortunately, the inside of the church was closed to visitors when we stopped by. 

We stopped for our last meal of the day at Broens Street Food on our walk back to the hotel.  Quick stops are the easiest when traveling with a baby, and what could be better than one place with a ton of options? Here, multiple street food kitchens are combined with bars and heated outdoor seating steps away from the Inderhavnsbroen bridge.  We shared a seafood poke bowl and a gyro with a few beers.  Everything was delicious. 

The next morning, we got out a little earlier in order to beat some afternoon weather that was forecasted.  On our way to our first planned stop for the day, we dropped by to shop at another famous Danish company store, the LEGO store.  We had heard about the ability to design a LEGO figure that looked like a specific person, so we decided to make a LEGO Owen.  How’d we do?

Tivoli Gardens

Thursday was one of the days we had all been looking forward to most, a trip to Tivoli Gardens.  Opened in 1843, Tivoli is the world’s third oldest amusement park and the most-visited park in Scandinavia.  The park is known for its clean, friendly atmosphere as well as having some fun rides for both adults and children.  I was impressed that we were able to purchase park-only tickets, meaning we did not have to pay for a ticket that included rides since Owen was too young to ride nearly all of them.  But if we wanted, we could pay per ride as simply as doing so at the ride entry gate with tap-to-pay.  

Upon entering Tivoli, I somehow felt both transported back into the past and into another universe simultaneously.  There is a tangible happiness that surrounds Tivoli that can be felt even by those just walking through the grounds.  Clean is an understatement when describing the park, as it is truly immaculate, and the sound of laughter fills the air.  I honestly cannot think of another place like it, and, yes, I’ve been to Disney World. 

We had to dodge some heavy rain showers while there, but that was easy enough with the need to feed the baby and get coffee.  We rode one ride at the park, the ferris wheel, which Owen loved as seen by the huge smiles on his face.  Otherwise, we simply enjoyed ourselves as a little family of three.  

Christiansborg Palace

Next we visited Christiansborg Palace, the home of the Danish Parliament that is still used by the Danish Royal Family because of its reception rooms that are open to the public.  Since Absalon’s original castle built on these grounds in 1167, there have been a series of castles and palaces standing here since.  The ruins of these ancient castles can be seen below the palace as part of the entry ticket.  The Royal Stables had just closed for the day at the time of our arrival.

If you’re one for fancy palaces, Christiansborg is as good as it gets in Copenhagen.  The reception rooms were beautiful, and we enjoyed seeing rooms that have even recently been used for royal functions.  Our favorite room was the Great Hall because of its vividly colorful tapestries depicting the complete history of Denmark.  They are eye-catching and beautifully made, and, when hung in an antique palace hall, these modern pieces of art take on a new life. 

The babysitter, Sarah, returned for the evening so that Emily and I could enjoy a beautiful dinner date together.  Copenhagen is one of the world’s best food cities, with countless Michelin starred restaurants and even some of the world’s highest rated eateries such as Noma and Geranium.  But most of these require plans to be made months to even years in advance, and we only found out about our babysitting two weeks prior.  

First, we dropped into Balderdash, a hip cocktail bar with a simple, seasonal cocktail menu to impress.   Then, we ended up snagging a table at the city’s oldest seafood restaurant called Krogs.  Even though we were nearing the end of Copenhagen’s vegetable season and hadn’t yet entered seafood season, Krogs still served a seafood-heavy tasting menu that we loved.  I added the wine pairing which was also lovely.  Highlights included a salmon tartare, baked Norwegian scallop, and wolffish filet.  

After eating, we walked along the water and enjoyed every minute of child-free time that we had purchased.  More scaffolding had collapsed at the site of Børsen, and folks were still out watching and mourning its loss.  Of course, once again we returned home to a peacefully sleeping baby thanks to the babysitter.

Friday morning started leisurely, so much so that we missed the great breakfast provided by the hotel.  So instead, we walked to Sankt Peders Bageri.  Known for their cinnamon rolls, this is Copenhagen’s oldest bakery.  It was worth the walk and wait. 

Foods of Copenhagen Tour

We spent the rest of the day doing one of our favorite things, eating!  We were a bit unsure how the baby would do with a longer food tour, but ultimately we decided to give it a go.  I’m so happy we did because he did so well, and we obviously enjoyed it too.  We chose Foods of Copenhagen from a long list of available food tours in Copenhagen because it was recommended to us.  The tour was great, and Lisa did an excellent job showing us both traditional and modern options from the city’s food scene.  The value was great, too.  After all, I never thought I’d stop at a Michelin starred restaurant and one of Europe’s top ice cream shops on a food tour!  Foods of Copenhagen focuses mainly on private tours, but if you’re lucky enough to overlap with one of their public tours, I’d recommend doing so.  Stops included: 

Kastellet

From the get go, our final day in Copenhagen looked to be a gorgeous day.  The sun was shining and it seemed that every person in Copenhagen was out enjoying it.  After breakfast, we walked along the waterfront to Kastellet, a citadel in the shape of a pentagon that is one of Europe’s most well-preserved fortresses.  The beautiful St. Alban’s Church is located nearby and worth a visit, and the famous Little Mermaid statue is found here as well.  We were surprised to see many cherry blossom trees in peak bloom which was fitting as we had missed their peak bloom in Japan last year.  We walked along the Kastellet and across its bridges, a very enjoyable stroll on a day with nice weather.

Next we took the Harbour Bus across to have lunch at Reffen Street Food.  Not easily accessible any other way, the Harbour Bus dropped us off just around the corner and over a bridge from the popular hangout, but the times are spread out and there is frequently not enough room for all passengers looking to ride.  My advice is to arrive early and be aggressive to ensure that you have a spot. 

Reffen was a fantastic lunch spot, which was obvious by how crowded it was.  There are so many places to choose from offering just about every cuisine one can think of.  There is even a microbrewery within Reffen!  We feasted on some fried macaroni and cheese bites, duck fat cheese fries,  an Argentinian steak sandwich, and a huge plate of Indian street food.  Everything was delicious.

After eating, we did as the true locals do and went sun-sitting in the chilly Spring weather.  Throughout our entire trip, it felt as though every time the sun arrived, Copenhageners dashed outdoors to enjoy it.  It must be something about the extra dark, long winter that makes the simple sun that much sweeter.  Feeling the sun upon our faces while sitting in beach chairs along the waterfront at Reffen was a memory from this trip that I won’t soon forget. 

And just like that, our time in Copenhagen had come to an end.  Historically, we would have explored two or three different places with this week, but travel is different with a baby.  Copenhagen was the perfect place to embrace this new lesson.  We loved every ounce of our time in this city, and it will always be special to us for all the lessons it taught us and the discoveries we made.