How To Visit Copenhagen On A Budget

I visited Copenhagen last year, on my second trip to Scandinavia, and it was one of the most diverse and beautiful places I’ve ever been and it would be on my recommendation list to anyone who asks.

There’s no denying the fact that Copenhagen is one of the most expensive places to visit in Europe, but it is also possible to have a good time and not spend a fortune, which is what me and my travel buddy, Lily, when we visited.

Today I have rounded up a bumper-edition of where to stay, eat and visit if you are so lucky to head to Copenhagen, and believe me, you should – don’t let people put you off by saying that it is expensive, but it is 100% possible to do it on a budget.

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Stay

I thought I would start with the thing that will probably cost you the most money… your hotel. Unfortunately staying in the centre of Copenhagen isn’t cheap, but if you book in advance enough, you can take advantage of some good hotel deals, or secure yourself a cute little Air BNB.

We stayed in First Hotel TwentySeven in the Nytorv district and less than a five-minute walk to Tivoli Gardens. It took us about 20 minutes to walk to Nyhavn (the main port in Copenhagen with all the pretty colourful buildings) and the walk was lovely. It was closer to loads of bars and restaurants too and the shopping street, Strøget, which is the longest pedestrianised street in Europe.

From the airport, we took the tram to Norreport, and it was about a 15-minute walk to the hotel.

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Getting Around

Copenhagen is a big city, but it is all completely walkable. If you want to get a bit further out then the tram system is really good and goes from the airport every 6 minutes; it’s super easy to work out too – there are only two lines and they go the same way.

If you fancy renting a bike too then there are loads of places to do so, and they are everywhere. The crime rate is so low in Copenhagen that the locals don’t even chain theirs up when they leave them, which is refreshing in a capital city.

There are also loads of boat trips you can take to get to different parts of the country (and Sweden) which won’t cost you a lot and you get to see the city from a totally different view.

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Eat

Illum Rooftop

If you’re looking for somewhere a little bit fancy then Illum Rooftop is a great place to go. Situated at the top of the Illum shopping centre (and open later than the rest of the shops) you get some great views of the city from up there, and there are some lovely restaurants from seafood to Italian and gorgeous bars to celebrate something special.

Zirup

We went to Zirup on our first night in Copenhagen, and I was really impressed with the offering. They had pizzas, pasta, soups, breads, but I decided to go for Moules as I assumed they would be good as we were by the coast – and they definitely were. The meal averaged out at about £25 each which isn’t bad seen as we also got a cocktail each.

Torvehallerne

The Torvehallerne market is one of the best food markets I’ve been to in Europe, and there really is something for everyone to try from traditional Danish pastries (keep reading below for my recommendation) to the classic open sandwiches and cute little tapas bars. The market is split into two big sections (with a flower market in the middle for those insta snaps) and also has a supermarket section if you’re staying a bit longer.

Fresh Market

One of the places that I tried in the Torvehallerne market was Fresh Market, which did slightly healthier options that some of the other places. I went for a chia pudding and an almond and chocolate smoothie, both of which were delicious and balanced out the amount of sugar I had for my first breakfast. It isn’t the cheapest of places, but if that is the kind of thing you are after then it’s worth giving it a go.

Wanna Be

We visited WannaBe on our final night as they were advertising happy hour, and we were suckers for an offer by this point, and they had a lovely outside area too. We both went for a burger, which was super yummy, and needed after 2 full days of walking, and the prices were around £13 each, which isn’t terrible for somewhere deemed so expensive. The staff were super friendly here too and I’d highly recommend for a chilled evening.

Reffen

As soon as we landed in Copenhagen, our first mission was to find food, and so we started googling where to go whilst we wandered. We had been recommended a place called Paper Island, but after a bit of research we realised it had closed down in 2017, but had reopened as Reffen just a few months later. They had everything from Poke Bowls to Burritos, Hotdogs and Chips – but be warned, they don’t accept cash, so make sure you have your card with you!

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Pastries & Coffee

Emmery’s

If there is one this the Danes do right, it is pastries. We stumbled upon Emmery’s by chance when we were in the Nyhavn district, but there were a few more dotted around the city that we saw. One of the great things about this place was the decor; very true to Scandi-style, there were white-washed walls, cosy lighting and neutral-coloured seats. I went for a chai latte and a chocolate croissant, which were both amazing after a day of walking and the drink was served with a small cube of cake on the side – what more could you want? It only cost about €4 for the whole thing too.

Laura’s Bakery

Laura’s bakery was inside the Torvehallerne market and we had read about it the day before we visited. At first, the queue put us off, but it obviously meant that it was worth the wait – and it was! I went for a Danish pastry (when in Rome…) and it was amazing. I’m a big fan of having sweet things at breakfast, and they had an amazing choice, and it wasn’t too expensive either. Definitely worth a visit for breakfast and coffee.

Huset

Our hotel was just around the corned from Huset, which was in between being a cinema, bar and coffee joint. We only nipped in for takeaway caffeine one day, but the overall vibe of the place was super cool if you’re in the area and the prices ranged between £2-5 depending on what you ordered. Definitely somewhere you could spend a couple of hours soaking in the atmosphere.

Coffee Collective

Does just what it says on the tin: The perfect place for coffee lovers to get their caffeine kick and not spend over the odds. There were a couple of these chains around, but the one we went to was in Torvehallerne.

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Drink

Straedet – happy hour

One of the things I was warned about when it came to visiting Copenhagen, was the cost of alcohol. Having been to a Scandavanian country once before (Norway back in 2016) I knew that the drinks could be a little on the pricey side, opting on that trip to buy gin at the airport.

This time around though we risked it, as neither of us are big drinkers anyway, but we did find a lot of bars offering happy hours, with 241 cocktails or 2 for around €10 which isn’t bad at all. Beer was the cheapest offering on the menu, with wine a close second, so it could be worth ordering these if you are trying to watch what you spend, or bring some from the airport.

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Visit

The truth is, there is a lot to do in Copenhagen that you can spend money on, but equally, there is a lot you can do for free, or a lot less if you are on a budget.

Rundetaarn

The Rundetaarn (or Round Tower) is situated on the edge of the main shopping road in the city. Getting in costs around £6, but it is worth it for the view. You can get a bit dizzy walking around in a circle for 35m, so I would suggest reading some of the information that you pass on the way. Once at the top you can see as far as Sweden.

Rosenburg Castle

I love visiting historical buildings when abroad, but when the price tag creeps towards the £20, I find them equally as charming from the outside; and that is exactly what happened with Rosenburg Castle. We stumbled across it by chance, but it was beautiful, and the grounds were so peaceful to walk around.

Botanical Gardens

One of the things we did for free on our trip was to walk around the Botanical Gardens, which are about 5 minutes away from the Torvehallerne, and somewhere I would recommend you wander to after filling up on your pastries. The gardens had flowers of all different colours spanning the 10-hectare space, and it is a lovely place for a wander for a couple of hours. I think in Spring or Summer it would be the perfect place to have a picnic whilst living the Scandi laid-back life.

Nyhavn

The Nyhavn district is probably the most recognised district of Copenhagen, with it’s beautifully painted buildings and bustling streets. This was my favourite area, and one of my favourite memories from the whole trip was doing a boat trip around the harbour. This cost around £10, but it was worth it as we saw some of the sites that would have taken a while longer on foot.

If you just wanted to wander the streets for free though, then there are more than enough to do that round and they are some of the most beautiful I have come across in Europe.

Freetown Christiania

I had no idea there was a commune in Copenhagen until we stumbled upon it by chance, but my intruige meant that we couldn’t just walk past. It’s free to enter, and you can freely buy and smoke weed there if you so please; but even if that isn’t up your street (like me!) the whole place is incredibly interesting. There are guided tours you can go on, but we felt safe walking around by ourselves – but be careful not to take pictures!

Sunbathing

I’m hoping when you visit Copenhagen, the sun shines for you, and if it does, one of the best things to do is head to the harbour where they have laid out sunbeds for everyone to use, and take the weight off your feet from all the walking you’ve no doubt been doing.

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I hope this blog post has helped you to understand that there are budget places you can visit when you head to Copenhagen, and it doesn’t have to break the bank. Make sure you plan where to go ahead of time, and book tables if needs be, but wander the streets, take in the Scandi-atmosphere and try the local delicacies and you’ll be planning your trip back in no time.

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