My 5-Day City Trip to Copenhagen (and Roskilde)

Reinier van der Windt

June 3, 2023

6 min read

This whole story started with my desire to visit the Baltic countries. My interest in these three countries was piqued after watching videos of Kara and Nate on YouTube. Since these countries can be quite cold most of the year, most trips to these countries begin in May. I needed a break and didn't want to wait that long, so I went looking for a place to visit in the meantime.

Being at the local office of a major travel agency, I had a look at what they have to offer. My eye fell on a city trip to Copenhagen, which had been on my bucket list for a long time. Flights with Transavia and a beautiful, brand new 4 star hotel conveniently located just outside of Copenhagen city center.

This trip had one downside. I flew from Eindhoven airport which is not really around the corner for me. Also, the flight was at 6:55 AM. The best way to get to the airport is by train. It takes 2.5 hours from my place. It goes without saying that this was not an ideal situation. It would have been a sleepless night if it hadn't been for a cheap hotel right next to the airport.

• Table of Contents
  • Day 1 - Copenhagen
  • Day 2 - Hygge Walking Tour
  • Day 3 - Tivoli and Reffen
  • Day 4 - Roskilde
  • Day 5 - The End
  • Accommodation Breakdown
  • Activities Breakdown

Day 1 - Copenhagen

I decided to book a night in this hotel. I left a day early and have never started a holiday so relaxed. Although, if I may complain, it's very easy to get to Eindhoven Central Station by train. But from there you have to take a bus to the airport. This bus reminded me that I don't like buses. Too many people with suitcases crammed into an uncomfortable bus. Anyway, when I arrived at the airport, everyone rushed to the terminal as I strolled to the hotel entrance. The next morning, I woke up at 4:45 a.m. Since I was already at the airport, I was one of the first people at the terminal. The security check took less than five minutes.

The flight lasted an hour. I arrived in Copenhagen around 8:00 in the morning. The easiest way to get into the city is to take the metro. I ordered the Copenhagen Card, which gives unlimited access to public transport in the whole Copenhagen region. I arrived at the hotel around 9am which was too early to check-in. I had planned to leave my luggage in the hotel's luggage room, but luckily the very nice receptionist already checked me in. After checking into the hotel, I went straight back to town. I left the hotel at 10:30 AM and walked to the metro station which was just around the corner. In 5 minutes I was in the middle of town. I was looking forward to seeing the Little Mermaid statue (I read the book just before this trip) so I decided to visit this statue first. Unfortunately, there were already a lot of tourists there, so I couldn't take good pictures. The sun was also behind the statue, which was also less than ideal.

I did a lot of research before going to Copenhagen. One of the things that caught my attention was Nordic Seaplanes, a company that offers tours of Copenhagen, but also offers the fastest way to travel from Copenhagen to Aarhus. While admiring the Little Mermaid, I saw one of these planes take off. I decided to take a closer look and asked if they had a seat for me in the next few hours. They did. Only had to wait 45 minutes so walked around a bit. The pilot was a super friendly Canadian with lots of seaplane experience. Just before take off the wind started picking up and I was worried the flight would be canceled or very turbulent but the pilot assured everyone that everything would be fine. The flight was amazing. Everyone was provided with noise canceling headphones as the plane was very loud. It was amazing to see Copenhagen from above. I got a good look at the layout of the city, which helped me through the rest of the trip.

After the sightseeing, I decided to have lunch. I ended up in Nyhavn, one of the most touristic places in Copenhagen. I should have checked TripAdvisor, as the restaurant wasn't great. Very unpleasant experience and the food was average.

I explored the area a bit more and discovered a street food place called Broens Gadekøkken. I recognized it from Kara and Nate's YouTube videos. Since I already had lunch, I walked past it. I saw a church tower in the distance and decided to take a look. This was the Church of our Savior. I went up the tower and was able to do it for free thanks to the Copenhagen Card, which gives you access to over 80 attractions and public transport in the whole Copenhagen area. Climbing the tower was interesting. Lots of narrow and steep wooden stairs, lots of places to bang your head. At the top you can go outside, but as the wind was still very strong, I didn't stay there long. After making my way down, I walked towards Christiansborg, which is a palace, but also the parliament building. On one side of the palace are the Royal Reception Rooms, used by the Royal Family when receiving guests. When not in use, they are open to the public.

After a long day exploring Copenhagen (and I got up at 4:45 AM) I decided to return to the hotel, have a drink at the hotel bar and have dinner at the hotel restaurant.

Day 2 - Hygge Walking Tour

The next day started with a walking tour to learn more about Danish hygge, the Danish way of life that makes Danes the happiest people in the world. It was supposed to be a small group but due to a tripadvisor mix up we ended up with a group of 15 people. The guide was a very friendly girl named Amalie. She showed us Copenhagen and explained what hygge means and why the Danes are famous for their happiness.

After the hygge tour I had lunch at Broens Gadekøkken and had a cheeseburger at Gasoline Grill. This was one of the best cheeseburgers I've ever had. After this incredible lunch, I returned to Christiansborg to see the rest of the plays I had skipped the night before. After that, I walked to Rosenborg Castle, but it was already closed.

For dinner, I looked for a restaurant in town, but it was not easy. I ended up in Nyhavn and that was a mistake. It was an average restaurant with average food.

Day 3 - Tivoli and Reffen

On the third day, I decided to visit Tivoli Gardens, one of the oldest amusement parks in the world. As it was Saturday, there were a lot of people. I didn't go in any of the attractions but had a nice walk in the park. I also visited the Round Tower which is an astronomical observatory and offers a beautiful view of the city. I had dinner at Reffen, a big street food location in Copenhagen, made from a bunch of shipping containers. There was a great atmosphere, and really good food.

Day 4 - Roskilde

By the fourth and final day, I had already seen everything on my list in Copenhagen, so I decided to leave Copenhagen for a day. Another town I wanted to visit was Roskilde, which was once the capital of Denmark and an important Viking town. In Roskilde is the Viking Ship Museum, where you can see the remains of some Viking ships. Also visited the Roskilde Museum which showed how the people of Roskilde lived in the Viking Age. In the late afternoon, after spending a few hours in Roskilde and feeling tired, I decided to return to Copenhagen. I had a few drinks at the hotel bar and decided to spend the rest of the evening at the hotel. The restaurant was closed so I ordered food from the bar. 

Day 5 - The End

The next morning it was time to go home. I got up early, left the hotel at 6:00 AM and took the metro to the airport and had a pleasant journey back home. It had been a few amazing days in Copenhagen. It is a wonderful city that I can recommend to anyone and it is now one of my favorite cities in the world. I cannot wait to go back.

Accommodation Breakdown

Activities Breakdown