New Years' Eve in Copenhagen
29 DECEMBER 2018 - 03 JANUARY 2019
DAY 1
Zurich - Copenhagen - Odense
I do not know if you have noticed, but flights to Copenhagen, from anywhere in Europe, are always incredibly expensive, all year round, without exception. We had been tickled by the idea of visiting Copenhagen for a few years now, and when we were looking at the options for flights to European capitals to give us an idea of where to spend New Year's Eve, we noticed an unusual drop in prices for the capital city of Denmark. You can't say they were particularly cheap, but compared to the average flight prices during the holidays, it seemed to us a great deal.
We land in Copenhagen, but instead of moving to the city we take a train to Odense, where we decided to spend a day visiting the fairytale hometown of the writer Hans C. Andersen. We arrive at dusk in this town, and take possession of our accommodation booked through Airbnb. The city center is small and we are close enough to move on foot. We walk among the cobbled streets flanked by colorful houses, and we browse in the shops of the center, almost deserted already at 18:00. Everything closes very soon, and we can do nothing but walk in the cold deserted alleys of the center, before going to dinner in a delicious former industrial shed, which today hosts numerous kiosks that serve street food and ethnic meals. We listen to some music, taste different dishes and go to sleep not too late, as the city is not particularly lively in the evening.
STREET FOOD: Storms Pakhus - Odense Street Food
DAY 2
Odense - Copenhagen
Today we visit the historic districts of Odense, the fairytale neighborhood between Bangs Boder and Overstraede streets, where the cobbled streets are lined with beautiful 19th century buildings with large red roofs and tidy pastel-coloured facades, the park that runs alongside the cathedral, and the industrial districts around the Brandts Klaedefabrik, an old clothing factory that has now been converted to house art spaces, design shops and restaurants. It's very cold, and we're forced to hide away from time to time in some café, for breakfast or a snack and to regain sensitivity to our fingers.
CAFE: Den Lille Smalle | PASTRY SHOP: Lagkagehuset
At 13:30 we take a train back to Copenhagen, in time for a walk before it gets dark early. We arrive at the station, after a very pleasant train journey that crosses pastures, small towns, and bridges that connect the islands. We leave our luggage in the hotel, very central, behind the station, overlooking the town hall square, and next to the Tivoli Gardens.
We leave for a walk of a few hours in the main street of the city, Vestergade, to enjoy the festive atmosphere of the shops before the closing for the holidays. We browse interior design stores and clothing stores. There are plenty of fashionable, cutting-edge shops, and even if you're not going to shop, it's a great pastime to immerse yourself in the local culture. After a long search for dinner, being the restaurants almost all booked, or definitely out of reach for our pockets, we decide to go to dinner in a restaurant that serves the famous New Nordic cuisine, at prices more affordable than a Michelin-starred restaurant, although still decidedly high.
DINNER: Geist | HOTEL: CitizenM Copenhagen
DAY 3
Copenhagen
We stroll through the centre of the city, pushing past the port of Nyhavn, and taking advantage of the last morning when shops and other businesses are still open to make some purchases, such as Danish cookbooks and designer home accessories.
We mostly wander through the streets of the city centre, taking advantage of the lively atmosphere and planning to visit the most popular places and outlying areas of the city the following day, when most people will be intent on regaining energy after the evening of festivities.
In the late afternoon we go back to the hotel to warm up and get ready for the evening. We decide to spend a few hours in Tivoli Gardens, extraordinarily open for the holidays and enriched by Christmas markets. We walk among the kiosks selling sweets and hot drinks, and the multitude of people who crowd the park, without finding the courage to climb the roller coaster with the polar temperature.
Waiting for midnight to watch the fireworks, we are rejected by restaurants and cafes who close at 23 to organize the show and we are forced to wait 1 hour in the cold. The fireworks display lasts half an hour, and although very impressive, it would require you to be equipped with a blanket to wait in the cold so long, without getting sick as it happened to me. The park closes after the show.
We conclude the evening at the rooftop bar of our hotel where we see an incredible and long show of amateur fireworks that illuminate the whole city.
DAY 4
Copenaghen
New Year's Day is a wonderful opportunity to visit the cities in absolute peace. We wander the streets around the Christiansborg Palace, continue towards the Københavns Havn canal, where we find the Det Kongelige Bibliotek and a number of other contemporary architectures. We visit the island of Christianshavn and the unusual free city of Christiania, returning to the centre via the modern Inderhavnsbroen bridge to Nyhavn, right in time for sunset.
Even today we need a break to warm up before going out to dinner and a few stops for a hot tea during the day.
DINNER: Huks Fluks
DAY 5
Copenaghen - Zurich
Last day in Copenhagen and we decide to wake up before dawn, with some reluctance, to go and see the port of Nyhavn in the early morning light. I won't be able to describe the biting cold during the wait, while the beautiful colored houses of the port were illuminated by the first rays of the sun. And I still don't know if the beautiful photos of the deserted port were worth the risk of frostbite! We have cheered up ourselves with a Michelin-starred breakfast, in the heat, to melt the icy legs.
We walk a long way to Vesterbro, where we spend part of the day. We go back to the centre, make a picturesque visit to the Øksnehallen in the dark and go back to the hotel to pack our bags before going out for dinner. We leave the hotel very early in the morning, before sunrise, and fly back to Zurich ready for the working day.
BREAKFAST: The Corner @ 108 | LUNCH: Mad & Kaffe | DINNER: The Olive kitchen & bar
This content is NOT SPONSORED, but based on my genuine personal experience. Spontaneous opinions, positive and negative, shareable or not, that I hope will help to live better travel experiences. My advice is a guide to lead you through world explorations, but the real journey, you build it
