The Modern Marvels Of A European Classic Copenhagen Travel Tips

Being newfound retirees, my wife Laurie and I decided to embark on our dream vacation: a Baltic cruise. We realized we could stretch out our trip as long as we desired and wanted to avoid any travel hassles getting to the ship, so we decided to spend a few days where our cruise began, Copenhagen, Denmark. It turned out to be the perfect way to kick off our celebratory trip, for Copenhagen is a diverse and dynamic city, a uniquely beautiful modern marvel.

On our first day we took advantage of one of Copenhagen’s most unique amenities: city bicycles, available for 20-kroners (about $3.50) at one of 110 bike-parking stations. A bicycle tour turned out to be the perfect way to explore this city’s most famous landmarks including the Little Mermaid statue, a monument to writer Hans Christian Andersen, one of Copenhagen’s most prominent figures; the Tivoli Gardens, a vast complex of restaurants, theatres and an amusement park that is Copenhagen’s most popular attraction; and the Stroget, Copenhagen’s pedestrian-only shopping street offering everything from trinket shops to Denmark’s exclusive department store, Magasin, where Laurie was in her element.

Architectural marvels are all around you in this city, mixing in beautiful harmony with the elegance of the classics. The Copenhagen Opera House strikes an imposing glass and concrete silhouette across the water from the i8th century Amalienborg Palace. Architect Arne Jacobsen, creator of the “Danish modern” aesthetic, has two masterpieces in Copenhagen: the Danmarks Nationalbank and the Radisson SAS Royal Hotel, with exteriors of clean lines and interiors of swooping furniture and sweeping staircases. Denmark’s most famous architect, Jorn Utzon (who designed the Sydney Opera House) designed the Paustian Furniture Store which is grand with its criss-crossing columns and vaulted ceilings. It’s easy to forget you’re in a furniture store and not a museum! On the waterfront is the Royal Library’s Black Diamond, a trapezoidal glass building that beautifully reflects the water below. And spanning across the deep blue Oresund Strait is Oresund Bridge, Europe’s longest at 25,732 feet, which joins the metropolitan areas of Copenhagen and Malmo, Sweden.

Many European cities are known for their café culture, but Copenhagen’s is a unique experience all its own, and there are a handful of standouts with which we fell in love. The simply titled Bistro, located in a gorgeous railroad station, serves authentic Danish cuisine, while Café Norden, with its Art Nouveau interior and incredible harbor views, has the best pastries Laurie and I have ever tasted! Our favorite café, however, was Københavner Cafeén. Located off the Stroget, its real charm comes from the proprietors’ penchant for pranks: in the middle of a warm summer day, Santa Claus dropped by to greet us and the other diners with a hearty “Hallo!”

Copenhagen also has a vibrant and diverse nightlife. When our travel expert heard we were jazz fans, she insisted we visit the Copenhagen Jazz House. Opened in 1990, Copenhagen Jazz House is one of Europe’s most renowned jazz clubs. The crowd was a vibrant cross-section and we never felt out of place and even made a few friends.

The Jazz House was a perfect way to cap off our time in Copenhagen, and as we made our way back to our hotel to rest up for our cruise the next day, we knew that this was a city to which we would certainly one day return.