Travel

Denmark's the spot - city break in Copenhagen

The Little Mermaid - one of the city's most famous landmarks. Photo: Getty

THEY say no matter where you go, you’ll meet someone from Ireland.

Copenhagen was no different – in fact, a woman from Ballyfermot, Co. Dublin, served me my breakfast. And, of course, the lamb I had for dinner came from Ireland too.

Little discoveries like this make you at ease with the city at once – but it is the intrinsic Danish-ness of Copenhagen that made me fall in love with the city.

Somehow, Copenhagen manages to remind you of cities across Europe but maintain its own identity.

Several times while wandering the streets, it felt just like strolling down Grafton Street in Dublin on a spring evening. Then, you compare this to the colourful waterfront area of Nyhavn, which looks like a postcard from Amsterdam.

No matter where you go, though, Copenhagen makes a lasting impression – and you slip into the Danish ways very quickly.

The Danes have perfectly fluent English – but, ever the amateur linguist – I decided to learn a couple of basic phrases in their native tongue before heading over.

They are extremely friendly as it is but I think this small gesture made them even warmer towards us for our trip.

The Little Mermaid - one of the city's most famous landmarks. Photo: Getty

Flying into the city in itself is a treat. You come in over the north coast of Denmark, and see the sprawling city below you, while noting the bridge to Malmo, Sweden, is a stone’s throw from the city centre.

Once you land, it’s just a 13 minute train journey to Copenhagen central station and you’ll hop off right outside the famed Tivoli Gardens, which was our first stop.

Entrance costs 99DKR (£9.50) but this will not include any expenses inside. It’s hard to sum up succinctly what to expect from Tivoli – it’s a combination of a theme park, a concert venue, gardens, pubs and restaurants. It’s certainly worth the visit and you’ll spend a happy couple of hours wandering around.

That evening we went to Restaurant Krebesgaarden for dinner – one of the more interesting dining experiences I’ve had. Nestled in the backstreet of Studiestræde, the restaurant doubles as an art gallery.

The paintings on offer change about once a month – with the menu changing to reflect this. It was a Mediterranean theme for our visit.

For mains, I had an absolutely delicious lamb dish, with sweet potato puree, while my friend had an equally tasty bacalao - a cod dish – which, of course I had to try.

For dessert, we chose a crème caramel and homemade chocolate selection, a nice light way to finish the meal.

Mats, the Norwegian co-owner of Krebesgaarden is extremely welcoming and you certainly won’t go without service – the staff go out of their way to make sure you are have a pleasant meal.

After dinner, we strolled towards Nyhavn via Christiansborg Palace. Formerly a royal residence, this impressive building is now home to the Danish parliament and has a great viewing tower from which you get an enviable view of Copenhagen for free.

The Tivoli Gardens by day. Photo: James Mulhall

It is quite near Nyhavn – the city’s beautiful waterfront area and my favourite part of Copenhagen.

Brightly coloured buildings line the canal and you won’t find a better area to go for a coffee or a pint. Sitting outside with a Carlsberg watching the boats was one of the highlights of the trip for me. And, of course, you couldn’t go there without boarding a boat yourself.

The canal tour is very reasonably priced, at 80DKR (about £7.50) and lasts an hour. You’ll sail out of Nyhavn and into the bay, taking in the Royal Opera House, the Little Mermaid and unique parts of the city you would never see otherwise, as you head back onto the canal.

Amalienborg Palace is also well worth a visit. The square is framed by four identical palatial mansions, the winter residence of the Danish royals. The guards wouldn’t look out of place at Buckingham Palace – they wear the same tall furry hats that Britain’s royal have on their doorstep.

If you’re lucky, you’ll catch an impromptu changing of the guard like we did. It’s a surreal and bemusing experience to see these guards march out into the square (which is open to traffic) as they alleviate their colleagues from their posts.

For our accommodation, we chose the Anderson Boutique Hotel, which is about a five minute walk from the central train station.

A modern and bright hotel, this place is the perfect location for a stay in the capital of Denmark.

The staff are friendly and the breakfast is great – a selection of teas and coffees, Danish pastries, cereal and more.

Like any Irishman, I made a beeline for the tea after one too many Carlsberg the night before (when in Denmark, do as the Danes do after all).

Confused by the large selection, I hovered momentarily, just in case I ended up with an herbal tea. This was when Sandra from Ballyfermot came over and asked where I was from.

When she heard I was Irish, she said: “Right, well you need the teabags in the black tin so.”

It turned out she has been living in Denmark since the age of 18 – but still regularly goes back to her native Dublin.

In all, the Copenhagen break was a breath of fresh air – a clean, friendly city where you instantly feel at home. Two days went by in a blink of an eye but we left Denmark with plans already forming in our heads to return.