Sunday Close enough to Nyhaven, Hotel Sanders, a retro townhouse hotel with a homey vibe and impeccable design, is the perfect place to stay.
Hotel Sanders
After dropping your bags off, walk or bike to the old industrial island of Refshaleøen, once home to the pioneering shipyard, B&W. It is now a vibrant cultural hub, boasting a wealth of restaurants, creative spots, startups and cultural experiences, and is the home of Noma, La Bachina, Reffen (Copenhagen’s street food market) and The Alchemist set to open in the summer of 2019. Grab breakfast at Lille, a bohemian bakery that serves up a large selection of artisanal, nutritious, and organic breads and pastries. Fermentation is central to the Danish culinary identity and it is seen in everything from their breads to their cheeses. So don’t miss out on their warm sourdough bread with a side of butter, cheese and jam, or their famed veggie or sausage roll.
Lille Bakery
Visit Copenhagen Contemporary, located in B&W’s old welding centre. It’s Scandinavia’s largest exhibition venue for contemporary art. The scale is impressive and the art even more so. Check out Claudia Comte’s “I Have Grown Taller from Standing with Trees” an interactive installation that calls attention to climate change, and the destruction caused by deforestation. The grid is a symbol of the subterranean network of microorganisms that allows trees to communicate with one another, and the distorted lines highlight the large scale disturbance of forest ecosystems. She raises awareness of the Earth’s fragility, and inspires us to reconnect with our environment and reestablish a local involvement in our forests.
Copenhagen Contemporary
Cycle back to Copenhagen and head to the hip neighbourhood of Nørrebro where you’ll find Christian Puglisi’s Italian restaurant Baest serving up one of the best pizzas you will ever have. You can watch the pizza masters at work, carefully crafting the perfect crust made from local flours, and topping it with creamy mozzarella made from local organic milks, and exceptional produce. Each pizza is given out one at a time per table as it is meant to be shared, and gives the chefs time to perfect the next one you order. Expect a mouthwatering experience.
Baest
On Sundays, most shops are closed, so instead plan a trip to the Louisiana Museum, a modern art museum located on the north coast of Sjaelland. After touring the different exhibitions with a pit stop at Yayoi Kusama’s permanently installed Infinity Room, stroll through their sculpture garden and finally sit by the Calder sculpture with a coffee in hand, and take in the breathtaking view of the Øresund Sound.
You might have read about Geist – a must try if it’s your first time in Copenhagen. Their inventive cuisine is worth the wait but here’s a pro tip for you: book your table an hour before your actual desired eating time, as you’ll be asked to wait at the bar while they ‘get your table ready’. Don’t expect to be taken care of properly, this way you won’t be surprised when it doesn’t happen.
Geist
Monday As you leave the hotel, experience the Monday morning rush in the heart of the city, where there are bikes zooming everywhere. Head to the quiet residential area of Frederiksberg and grab breakfast at Bowl Market. Order a heartwarming bowl of porridge, or a refreshing açai bowl to get ready for the day ahead.
Bowl Market
Another scrumptious option for breakfast in Frederiksberg is Hart Bageri, a divine bakery founded by Richard Hart, the former head baker at Tartine in San Fransisco, and backed by René Redzepi, where you’ll find sensational sourdough loaves, rye bread and tebirkes, an assortment of pastries, sandwiches, cakes, and cookies. The smell of bread, pastry and coffee envelops the space, and intensifies every bite you take into that richly flavoured, golden brown crust.
Hart Bageri
After a quick stop at the Copenhagen-based label, Ganni, a few minutes away, make your way back to Nørrebro. Sip on a delicious oat milk cappuccino from Andersen and Maillard, also known for their Instagram worthy chocolate swirl croissant, while visiting the cool shops of Elmegade street, like Acne Archive, //stokkel, and Grocery ApS.
Andersen & Maillard
Then, visit Jægersborggade, one of Copenhagen’s trendiest streets with art galleries, organic produce shops, ceramic designers, wine bars, coffee shops and restaurants. To get there, walk through Denmark’s best know cemetery Assistens, a green oasis that is the final resting place of famous Danes like Little Mermaid’s writer Hans Christian Andersen, philosopher Søren Kierkegaard and physicist Niels Bohr.
Assistens Cemetery
Have lunch at Manfreds, another one of Christian Puglisi’s establishments, a cozy eatery that takes pride in working with the finest organic Danish produce from the Farm of Ideas at Svanholm. Puglisi started the farm out of his desire to heighten the quality of the food in the kitchens of Manfreds, Mirabelle, Relae and Baest, and allowing the chefs to be part of the entire journey from sowing the seeds to serving the most delectable dishes. Don’t miss out on their cucumber salad – it was simply out of this world! And although their menu is veggie-focused, they are famous for the steak tartare.
Manfreds
Wander down Jægersborggade and browse the different shops like Tricotage and Vanishing Point, art galleries, cafés or watch caramel being made at Karamelleriet. Every boutique on the block is worth a peek! The highlight of the trip was the industrial-style seafood restaurant, Fiskebaren, in the meatpacking district of Copenhagen. Fiskebaren is all about fresh, healthy, and delicious seafood. Definitely start off with a selection of oysters and then no matter what you choose on the menu you’re in for a treat! Every dish we ordered was sensational.
Fiskebaren
Tuesday Café Atelier September is one of my favourite spots for breakfast in Copenhagen. They make an avocado toast on dark rye that is to die for, and also offer other quirky options like yogurt granola with zucchini jam, granola & matcha or a traditional poppy seed and remonce Danish pastry. The space is inviting, breezy and simple, and is full of the hygge spirit. The shelves are lined with ceramics vases, wine bottles, coffee table books and jars of fermented foods.
Café Atelier September
Spend the morning in the area visiting hip stores like Holly Gollighty, Storm, Wood Wood, Norse Projects and ceramic design shops like Tortus and MK Studio.
Just before leaving to the airport, have lunch at Apollo Bar, located in the art gallery Charlottenborg right off the Nyhaven, which offers small seasonal dishes like steamed globe artichoke, a refreshing sea bass ceviche in a gooseberry dressing, sourdough bread & butter and more, and end with one last oat milk cappuccino before making your way back home!
Apollo Bar
