Six Insider Tips for Keeping Costs Low in Copenhagen
19 February, 2020
It’s
a city as well known for its sky-blue canals, stylish
locals and laid-back café culture as it is for being
gut-wrenchingly expensive. But we’ve done our research and think
the city’s priciest attractions aren’t necessarily the best way to
get a true taste of
Scandi living. Here are six ways to squeeze the most value out
of a trip to the European capital of cool.
How to keep costs low in
Copenhagen
Grab a bike
And don’t be duped into using one of those gleaming white
Bycyklen e-bikes docked in stations around the city. Not only are
they hefty, but it’s easy to unwittingly rack up extortionate costs
and the stations themselves can be tricky to find for non-locals.
Instead, rent a bicycle from Ekspres Klassisk Cykler in Norrebro.
When you’re not pedalling from A to B, carve out time to cycle the
BIG bike tour – a soaring 22km route past some of the city’s most
architecturally impressive Bjarke Ingels constructions.
Take the plunge
Copenhagen is all about swimming in outdoor baths for those
brave enough to take the plunge. They’re totally free and each
pulls a different crowd. There’s the Kastrup Sea Bath, a
wood-panelled architectural marvel just out of the city, which
reaches out into the Baltic Sea; the Fisketorvet baths (or
“Copencabana” to some); and the protected pools of Islands Brygge
whose concrete banks are beset with divers, dippers and the
hydrophobic long into the evening come summer.
Get moving
The city’s teeming with the most exquisitely clipped gardens and
redeveloped urban spaces. A lap of The Lakes in the city centre is
12km in length, while a B2B jog through the parks of Søndermarken
and Frederiksberg Gardens is a more manageable 5km. As urban
sprawls go, Copenhagen’s is delightfully contained which means it’s
possible to tick off a few major landmarks in one fell swoop by
passing through them at speed (or not, as the case may be).
Give Nyhavn a wide berth
Yes, we mean that over-Instagrammed heart of the capital where a
mosaic of primary-coloured fishing houses jostle for space in a
crowded harbour. Every purchase made at the knick-knack stalls and
restaurants here comes with an unofficial but weighty tourist tax.
To see a more radical side to the city, make your way down to the
meatpacking district where former fish factories have become
colonised by concept restaurants, galleries and cocktail bars. We
recommend swinging by V1 Gallery and Gallery Poulsen before dinner
at Warpigs Brewpub.
Shop like a local
It’s no secret that
Copenhagen is home to some of the world’s most stylish
flâneurs. If you want a slice of their wardrobes at a fraction of
the price, make sure to catch the Sunday morning
flea market in Norrebro. You won’t need to do much trawling. As
well as one-off, unlabelled pieces, Prada, Ganni and Comme des
Garçons are just some of the names you’re likely to find on the
racks of this DIY, pop-up market each week. Hit up porridge café
Grod for some healthy, all-natural fuel before getting elbows-deep
in the stylish morass.
Hit the beach
We should say, we recommend doing this only in summer – not only
is it warmer but days are longer up there in the northernmost part
of the hemisphere, meaning you can pick at a smorrebrod picnic for
dinner and still cycle back to the city before the sun sets. Amager
Beach Park is a local favourite. Set up camp among the whispering
long grass of the artificial island; those who get easily bored can
rent kayaks or paddleboards.
