in recent years, copenhagen popularity has skyrocketed. from a mouthwatering food scene to an outbursting fashion industry - another highly anticipated edition of copenhagen fashion week just took place - the danish capital is on a league of its own.
START THE DAY OFF RIGHT
head to juno the bakery (arhusgade 48) and don’t feel discouraged by the long queue. there’s always a line of people waiting and the reason is quite obvious: not only danish pastries are amongst some of the best in the world, but juno’s deserves all the good reviews you’ll find online. at juno, all ingredients are organic and everything is freshly baked several times a day. my personal favorites? the pistachio croissant and the popular cardamom roll.
at juno the bakery
other commendable options for breakfast include lillie bakery (refshalevej 213A) or atelier september (strandvejen 134).
at atelier september
PICK A MUSEUM, THERE ARE MANY TO CHOOSE FROM
named world capital of architecture by UNESCO in 2023, it’s no surprise that the city features an impressive museum catalogue, specially when it comes to art and design. with no order of preference:
copenhagen contemporary (refshalevej 173A) - the 7,000 m2 museum occupies the former B&W welding hall and features exhibitions and art installations from contemporary international artists. located in the refshaleøen hip district, it’s a great way to explore this lively part of town, including reffen, copenhagen’s street food market.
at copenhagen contemporary
arken (Skovvej 100) - the building is an attraction itself and so are the countless sculptures and installations you’ll discover outside. to get to køge bay beach, you’ll need to take a train or a short ride from copenhagen central, but you won’t regret it. the museum houses one of europe’s most impressive collections by british artist damien hirst besides temporary exhibitions.
at arken
the louisiana museum of art (Gl. Strandvej 13) - a must-go. focused on contemporary art from 1945 to present, at louisiana museum of art you will find over 4,000 works by yves klein, roy liechtenstein, louise bourgeois, giacometti or yayoi kusama, just to name a few. but perhaps my favorite thing about this museum, besides its architecture, is the park featuring over 60 sculptures. have a sit at the louisiana cafe and just enjoy the views over the sea.
glyptotek (dantes plads 7) - right in the city center, glyptotek collection provides a delightful journey from ancient greece, egypt or rome until the 19th and 20th centuries with paintings from many danish painters as well an impressive collection of sculptures by rodin. the building architecture is a showstopper by itself and the interior garden a nice surprise to guests.
at glyptotek
GO FOR AN AFTERNOON SHOPPING SPREE
most of the stores in copenhagen won’t open until 11. after visiting a museum in the morning and grab a quick bite at the museum’s cafe, indulge on a shopping spree. here are some of my favorites shopping addresses in town:
jerome vintage (vesterbrogade 36) - I’ve visited jerome vintage a few times now and not only their selection is quite thoughtful but they also carry their own brand jerome studio. the one thing that still amazes me is the way they play with the furniture display, making each visit to the store unique.
at jerome vintage
also check vestium (sværtegade 5) for a great selection of chanel pieces, paloma vintage (valdemargade 52) and time’s up vintage (krystalgade 4).
ganni flagship store (Østergade 52) - danish brand ganni has helped redefine scandi aesthetics with its colorful and playful approach to fashion. take the opportunity to visit ganni’s flagship and embrace your inner #gannigirl.
louise roe (vognmagergade 9) - established in 2010, louise roe’s ceramics and furniture are the epitome of minimalism, elegance and timelessness. the store captures the same feeling.
a few options if you’re as interest as I am in scandi design include klassic, wenderlbo and montana, all on bredgade street.
illum (ostergade 52) - I would not usually recommend you to add a department store to your list of go-to places but illum’s selection makes it worth the visit, specially the top floor, where you’ll find all the cool interior design brands that we love.
at illum
END THE DAY ON A HIGH NOTE
as famous for the scandi design as for its cuisine, copenhagen is every foodie’s dream come true. you have probably heard about noma (refshalevej 96) before - the three michelin-starred restaurant owned by chef rené redzepi - but trust me: there are so many options to choose from, it will really depend on your vibe and mood for the day.
across the street from nyhavn colorful houses, you will find one of my absolute favorites in copenhagen: apollo bar (nyhavn 2). although the restaurant is opened from 8 AM on weekdays and 10 AM on the weekends, it’s my go-to place for either a quick lunch or a glass of wine before dinner. if possible, sit outside and don’t be surprised if you run into a danish influencer.
at apollo bar
another great option is pompette (møllegade 3) and if you’re in the mood for something more casual try poulette, their sister restaurant next door for the ultimate fried chicken sandwich. still on a casual mood: popl burger (strandgade 108) and slurp ramen joint (nansensgade 90) never disappoint - slurp’s owner also runs kōnā (bag elefanterne 15), a japanese-style eatery that I love.
at slurp ramen joint
at pompette
if italian cuisine is your thing, then bæst (guldbergsgade 29) or osteria 16 (haderslevgade 1) will do it.
at osteria 16
in a city that holds over ten michelin-starred restaurants, for the ultimate fine dining experience here are some names to remember besides noma: selma (rømersgade 20), geranium (per henrik lings allé 4) and jordnær (gentoftegade 29). keep in mind that most of these restaurants don’t accept walk-ins so a reservation is highly recommended.
cátia santos reis the world is yours but greece is mine” could be her mantra as cátia santos reis is yet to find a greek island she hasn’t fallen in love with. in the meantime, she keeps traveling the world. for CINCO editorial, the 34 year-old, will share her favorite things to do, visit and eat in every destination.
