Day trip to Malmo ticked off; I arrived back at the Sleep in Heaven Hostel in time for happy hour. While 2 beers didn’t seem like a good idea on paper due to the little amount of food and sleep I had. It was just what I needed after a day which began at home in Brighton, followed by an early flight to Copenhagen and spending the majority of the day in Malmo.

The bar area was packed. The majority of people here were locals who apparently like to come to the Hostel for happy hour rather than go drinking elsewhere.

I met 2 people from Copenhagen, Carl and Olivia. They knew one of the Hostel staff, Astrid, who was Carl’s girlfriend. Olivia is studying at Bath University and was back home visiting. Carl had just started University and was going on a trip with Astrid to the Highlands of Scotland.

Having had little time to research on things to do in Copenhagen, this was this was the perfect opportunity to pick their brains.

Like myself Olivia considers herself to be a bit of a burger connoisseur and told me the best places to eat burgers in Copenhagen. This was music to my ears and I had enough places to choose from to fill me (no pun intended) for the duration of my stay.

Carl hadn’t eaten and asked me if I’d like to try one of the recommended places, Grillen. I hadn’t eaten much apart from a sandwich in Malmo so this was a definite yes! Grillen wasn’t too far from the Hostel and it was on the way back to where Carl lives which was ideal.

What I liked about Grillen was the option to have my burger medium rare, not to mention how good it was. I knew I could trust Olivia’s advice after taking the first bite out of the burger.

The milkshakes were pretty good as well. I’d never tried a milkshake mixed with Ben and Jerry’s ice cream but there’s a first or everything, and what better flavour to start with than a chocolate fudge brownie milkshake? Even if it was very filling. At this point I couldn’t think of many better ways to end a day like that!

After a quick breakfast, I went exploring before meeting at Copenhagen City Hall for a free walking tour. Our tour guide was an English woman, Beth, who had studied in Copenhagen and decided to move permanently.

I couldn’t blame Beth when she spoke about her experience since making her stay permanent. Someone working at a coffee shop can make anything between $15 – $20 an hour, and working 37 – 40 hours a week is considered full time. No wonder Denmark is known as the happiest country in the world!

Even though Beth wasn’t from Copenhagen you could feel her enthusiasm when she spoke about each place she took us to. She clearly enjoys living here and fair play to her for learning what she needed to learn to be able to take people on the tours.

It’s can’t be easy for a native to learn the history and back story of the places and landmarks from their area. Imagine how much time and effort a foreigner has to put in learning the language as well, even if the majority of Danish people speak English.

After the ending the tour at Amalienborg, which is the home of the Danish Royal Family, it was off to see The Little Mermaid. No not the Disney film, the statue by the waterside at the Langelinie promenade.

It’s at these kinds of landmarks which for me are the best places to go people watching if you’re into that. There was a huge queue. I have no idea what the obsession was for a photo of a statue, which until 20 minutes ago I’d never heard of, but clearly one of the most people spots for tourists.

I sat by the harbour for a while to chill and was entertined by the photo obsessed tourists hugging the statue. The Langelinie promenade looks like a nice secluded area if you want to avoid the bust of the big crowds.

On the way back I stopped off at Rosenborg Castle. By the time I arrived the Castle was closed, but even then you can walk around and chill in Denmark’s oldest royal garden. This is one of the nicest gardens I’ve seen and even if Rosenborg Castle is closed, you’ll see lots of people roaming around the gardens.

I sat in a secluded part of the gardens for an hour watching the sunset, which was a beautiful setting, before going to the front of the Castle.

There was a cultural festival going on around various locations as well as the streets of Copenhagen, including Rosenborg Castle, specifically the front of the castle. Unless you bought a ticket from a local shop you weren’t allowed to enter.

From what I gathered this particular part of the festival was celebrating the military and had tanks on display. I wasn’t particularly interested in sticking around especially seeing the queues for tickets.

I didn’t know about the festival until the end of the walking tour. I didn’t have a chance to look into what was on around the festival. From what I understood there were different events going on around Copenhagen. I’m sure I could’ve found something I liked, but it’s not like it’ll be my only trip to Copenhagen so this is something to save to next time.

I went for a bite at Gasoline Grill; this was another one of Olivia’s recommended places for a burger. If you’re someone that likes searching for places to eat and recommendations, you’ll find Gasoline Grill on some recommended international listings.

There’s a reason Gasoline Grill is Copenhagen’s most hyped burger joint. What I like about it is the simple menu; nothing over the top and the food backs up the hype. You’ll find several Gasoline Grills in Copenhagen, including one in a former gas station. You’ll find Gasoline Grill open from 11am until they’re sold out.

If you’re a regular reader of my blogs and haven’t figured it out by now, the way to my heart is through my stomach!

I got up bright and early and head to Freetown Christiania. Situated in the Christianshavn area, Christiania is home to between 800 – 1000 residents. Christiania is known to be an anti capitalist alternative neighbourhood that has its own rules and regulations and is completely independent from the Danish Government.

It was Carl who told me about Christiana. Of all the tips he gave me about Copenhagen, he really encouraged me to put Christiania on top of the list. When I asked him more about Christiania he said it was a unique place that I had to see for myself. It was clear that even if he sat all night telling me about it, he couldn’t do it justice.

Having arrived early where nothing would’ve been open, I went on a scenic nature walk through the forest next to the main parts of Christiania. Around the walk you’ll see the majority of houses built by the residents themselves, and a nice view of the lake.

I went back through Christiania on to the popular Pusher Street and as I start taking photos I hear multiple people shouting “NO PHOTOS!”

There is a no photos rule as Christiania is renowned for their cannabis stalls on Pusher Street, also known as the Green Light District. Cannabis is illegal in Denmark although it is well known that Christianians continue to sell it.

You’re allowed to take photos of the graffiti art, the well known artistic indoor skate park Wonderland, and anything else as long as you ask permission. Christianians don’t like photos of them being taken, having their stalls being pictured or even being in the background. They don’t want to be seen nor have their livelihoods put on social media which is understandable. The cannabis market is a major income sources for Christiania.

It was in one of the food kiosks on Pusher Street that I would try my first flæskesteg. This is a roast pork roll with pickles, red cabbage and mayonnaise. I had mine without pickles as I hate them and although I don’t like red cabbage, I was persuaded to have a little bit just to add some flavour and keep it as authentic as possible on the promise that I wouldn’t really notice it.

Despite the inclusion of the braised red cabbage it was a really good sandwich, and to be fair I didn’t really taste much of it. Once you eat your first one, you’ll realise why flæskesteg is one of the more popular things to eat amongst locals and tourists.

At lunchtime there seemed to be a big rush among the locals to hide. Moments later there was a police raid, they knew it was coming. I spoke to one of the locals who told me everyday there’s a police raid. Around 1 or 2 hours after Christianians are back on their stalls selling cannabis. It’s essentially an everyday routine.

It’s a waste of police time and resources to continuously raid Christiania for something that isn’t going to stop. People in Christiania aren’t put off by police raids. By the looks of it they’re able to pre-empt when they’re going to be raided allowing them to avoid trouble. I understand the police have a job to do, even if it seems they don’t want to be doing the same operation because it won’t change anything.

I’m convinced if cannabis is legalised it reduces a lot of problems, crime rates go down and police resources can be directed elsewhere, not to mention the benefits of cannabis. I haven’t personally looked into what the situation or views are as far as Denmark’s Government is concerned so it’s hard to say.

Once the people of Christiania realise you’re not trying to piss them off by doing things you shouldn’t, they’re really cool, friendly and happy to sit with you over a beer and chat about their background, history or anything in general. They love life in their local community, and don’t really care for anything else. What I especially love about Christianians is they don’t care what outsiders think of their lifestyle. What you see is what you get and I think society can learn a lot about their authenticity.

While the police were too busy going around Christiania, I thought it would be a good time to go to Reffen Market. This is a street food market located on Copenhagen’s industrial Refshaleøen and replaced the popular Paper Island Street Food Market.

Paper Island closed in 2017 and was demolished to make way for redevelopment for residential and public space. While it’s unfortunate that I, along with many others won’t get to see Paper Island, Reffen Market had a good vibe about it. From what locals said it feels similar to Paper Island making it a credible replacement.

There was so much variety on offer, from local Danish food to international food. I loved the secluded location of the market as well which is out of the way of the central hotspots. If you struggle to find somewhere to sit in the market, there’s space in front of the harbour. Outside of the market you’ll find the other warehouses are converted to shops, coffee places etc.

Here all of the stalls have to follow the “Reduce and Reuse” policy which consists of using compostable food service, reduce food waste, use organic, free-range and local ingredients wherever possible. They also have to sort their waste so it can be reused as much as possible.

It was in Reffen Market where I tried my first smørrebrød. For those of you wondering, smørrebrød is an open sandwich which usually consists of buttered rye bread, a dense dark brown bread, cold cuts of meat or fish with another topping which could be anything from cheese to boiled egg, spreads, shrimp or salmon.

I chose the one that would have spread, shrimp and eggs. I loved it so much that anytime I eat smørrebrød, this would be my go to open sandwich. This seemed to be one of the more popular choices along with salmon and avocado. Whilst I love salmon, I find avocado disgusting and there was no way I was having that!

Smørrebrød is ideal for breakfast, and also good for those of you who need something on the go while you’re on your way to work or on a lunch break.

After going back to explore Christiania, I went to Christiansborg Palace. The Palace houses the Prime Minister’s office, where it is also the seat of the Danish Parliament and the Supreme Court.

You can go up the viewing tower for free. The best view you’ll get is facing the islet of Slotsholmen. This is a small island in the harbour of Copenhagen and is part of Copenhagen’s inner city.

You can do a tour of the other rooms of the Palace or get a combined ticket if going up the viewing tower isn’t enough for you. You’ll need to bear in mind the viewing tower stays open later than the other parts of the Palace so if you want to see everything make sure you plan to get here with enough time to see it all.

By this point I walked about 15 miles and my feet were killing me. Well I say my feet, my left foot. I don’t know why my left instead of my right but I guess that’s better than both feet hurting. If you’ve been out and about with me, you’ll know that walking fast is normal for me, and doing that in flip flops probably didn’t do much to help my cause.

You’re probably smart enough to realise without me needing to say this through experience, if you’re going to walk long distances, wear comfortable footwear instead of flip flops or it’s not going to end well.

After wondering round Christiansborg Palace and islet of Slotsholmen, I made my way very slowly to another observatory tower, the Rundetaarn, or Round Tower if you’re not familiar with the Danish language.

The best thing about Round Tower apart from the view at the top, is going up and down a spiral ramp instead of steps, apart from a couple of flights of stairs to get to the viewing platform. You’ll spend about 10 minutes going up a spiral ramp, which let’s be honest is so much better than steps.

In my opinion you get a better view of Copenhagen here than you do from Christiansborg Palace, because you’re outside in the open with nothing obscuring your view. Being in the centre of Copenhagen, Round Tower is a lot busier than the Palace, it closes earlier in case you’re looking to visit both in the same day.

Leaving after Round Tower closed I went to Sporvejen Byens Burger Bar. Before you wonder, yes this is the another one of Olivia’s suggestions. After 5pm if you order a burger, it’ll come with chips whereas in most places here you have to order both separately.

It’s not big inside Sporvejen Byens Burger Bar. The best way to describe it is cosy. The burgers were big and taste good. I wouldn’t put them above Gasoline Grill or Grillen but don’t let that put you off coming here. Gasoline Grill and Grillen were really good. I took my time in Sporvejen so I could rest my foot. By the end of the day I must have covered nearly 20 miles in flip flops.

After learning the errors of my way from the previous day, I laced up some comfortable footwear and head to Torvehallerne Market. A popular food market that attracts over 115,000 people each week Torvehallerne has 60 stalls in 2 indoor markets as well as fruit and veg stalls, and more stalls outside with enough street food to cater for everyone.

If you’re looking for Smørrebrød in Copenhagen, the locals will direct you to Hallernes Smørrebrød which you’ll find in Torvehallerne Market. For some reason this is a popular place to eat Smørrebrød, whether or not you think it’s better than anywhere else is down to personal preference. I personally couldn’t tell the difference.

It would be here that I would try another one of Denmark’s traditional favourites, frikadeller. These are Danish pork meatballs which you eat with your hands instead of using cutlery. Of all the Danish food I tried, this was my favourite and it surprisingly fills you up.

I don’t think you can make comparisons between Torvehallerne Market and Reffen Market. Reffen is livelier and has more international food options. It would be a case of what sort of vibe you fancy as you’ll find good food at both markets. Just bear in mind that Reffin Market closes during the winter.

Now if you’re going to Copenhagen, you can’t forget to go to Visit Carlsberg in Vesterbro to do a tour of Carlsberg’s first brewery. You can get a free shuttle bus to and from Visit Carlsberg near Copenhagen Central Station.

The self guided historical tours run from 1pm, 2pm and 3pm, and beer tasting from 12pm, 2pm and 4pm. If you go beer tasting during the 4pm time slots you will miss the last free shuttle bus. But fear not, the metro station isn’t too far away.

Here you’ll find a lot of history on beer and the evolution of Carlsberg. If you’re into your history, this is something you’ll love. In the summer there’s a free horse carriage ride included in your ticket. The best part was enjoying a nice cold beer in the courtyard under the sun.

On the first night when I was chatting to Astrid, Olivia and Carl, Astrid said if you love ice cream, Munchies is the place to go to. Being someone who always has time for ice cream I was going to make time to visit Munchies and see if it was worth the hype.

Munchies serves ice cream in a bubble waffle served as a cone. You pick an ice cream flavour and add toppings to it. I can’t remember what I had but it involved a lot of chocolate, ice cream, kit kat, chocolate sauce. There was probably chocolate chip and cookie dough in there somewhere. I never had anything like it before, it was magnificent!

You can find Munchies 5 minutes from Christiania. You can say it’s well placed location wise for someone that may fancy some of Christiania’s finest herbs, followed by Munchies’ finest ice cream waffle cones to satisfy the munchies (pun intended).

I spent most of the afternoon and evening at Copenhagen’s colourful waterfront canal, Nyhavn. Since arriving here I’ve been on the move and not had the chance to stop and reflect. This is the perfect place to do that.

There was a good spot on top of an old disused boat opposite the colourful buildings which was barely occupied. It was peaceful and a good spot to take photos and chat with other travellers while watching the sunset. It was the perfect way to end the trip.

After checking out in the morning I had a long wait until my flight. I went to Torvehallerne for breakfast with Izzy, an Australian living in England. She was in the same situation of checking out with a long wait till her flight, the only difference was she was continuing travelling while I went heading back home.

The only time I struggled to make a decision was here, do I have a Smørrebrød or order frikadeller for breakfast. If it’s the last thing I’m eating in Copenhagen, I may as well make it something authentic. Instead of deciding between one or the other, I ordered both, problem solved! It can be as simple as that.

After breakfast, we continued on until we reached Nyhavn. Izzy continued on towards Christiania while I decided to stick around Nyhavn for the rest of the morning, before going for a wonder around Vesterbro and finishing off with a tour of Copenhagen’s City Hall.

On the day you’re catching a flight that might seem a lot of ground to cover on paper. Despite thinking that I might end up a bit tight for time to get to the Airport to catch my flight home, I got back to the Hostel to collect my bags with plenty of time to spare.

Apart from being a really cool, hip place with a lot to do, you should come to Copenhagen for the positive vibe. People here are friendly and happy which is refreshing when you compare it to a place like London. While people will tell you Copenhagen is an expensive place, it’s no more or less expensive than London or New York.

I would like to thank Lisa Eriksson, a Swedish lady I met in the Amalfi Coast for all her advice on what to do in Copenhagen, and Malmo. All the help contributes to making travelling a positive experience. Never be afraid to ask anyone for their tips and advice when you’re traveling, regardless of whether they’re a native of that place or not.