Searching for Hygge in Copenhagen

Denmark is well known for having some of the happiest people in the world thanks to its "hyggelig" atmosphere. For those of you who are wondering, "Hygge" doesn't have a translation to English, but can simply be seen as the most comfortable thing possible. The dictionary describes Hygge as "a complete absence of anything annoying or emotionally overwhelming; taking pleasure from the presence of gentle, soothing things". Picture a cosy warm fireplace, with candles, blankets, fairy lights, good food and your favourite book...there's an example of Hygge! After my four days in Copenhagen, I can confirm: Copenhagen is full of Hygge!

After an early flight from Stansted Airport we landed in Copenhagen around 1pm and made our way to the hotel which was a short train ride away from the airport. Unlike British trains (and buses...), the Danish public transport system was efficient and cheap with a special "City Pass" for tourists which allows them to use any of the public transport unlimited for 72 hours. After leaving our bags at the hotel (which was completely pink and purple inside!) we made our way into the the city centre to explore "Strøget" which is Copenhagen's main pedestrianised shopping area. Although we weren't there to shop, it was a great way to get a feel for the city. We also visited the "Rundetarn" tower where you can climb a ramp with 7.5 turns to get excellent views of the city. We also walked to the "Rosenborg Slot" and surrounding gardens. All of which were great places to explore and get a feel for the city.

After a long day, we returned to an Italian Restaurant (Ristorante Italiano) we had seen earlier that day for something to eat. The restaurant certainly had Hygge, located in a side street off "Strøget". We sat outside in the sunshine until the sun went down, at which point there were (pink!) blankets and patio heaters to keep diners warm. We ordered a pizza to share (which was just as well as they were massive), a side salad and a creme brulée to share (again this was massive and came with fresh fruit salad and ice cream!) It was definitely our favourite restaurant throughout the trip and the best value for money! Would certainly recommend!

The next day we enjoyed breakfast in our hotel before using our City Passes to visit the "Amalienborg Palace" where the royal family live. A highlight of the day for me, was getting to see the Queen of Denmark in her car (you couldn't really see her because of the tinted windows but still pretty cool) followed by an entourage of security vans and police bikes, on her way out for the day. The atmosphere at the palace was very "chilled" compared to that at Buckingham Palace as you could quite literally sit on the Queen's front driveway! We decided to stay and watch the changing of the guards. We got there really early expecting it to be really busy with groups trying to see past the barriers, but it was really relaxed with a couple of policemen guiding people to stand behind a black line paved into the palace driveway. No high security at all (Edit: this may have changed since our visit in 2017...)

That evening we really wanted to eat along Nyhaven as we decided the atmosphere there was very "hyggelig". When walking along there earlier that day we'd seen a burger place (Barock) we fancied trying out. Compared to many other restaurants along Nyhaven it was fairly well priced, however the service was rubbish and we ended up eating inside which was not what we'd wanted on such a nice sunny day. Although the food was good, compared to our fantastic meal the night before, it was rather disappointing and I wouldn't really recommend it...

Much to my excitement, we decided to spend Wednesday in Tivoli Gardens, a theme park located right in the centre of Copenhagen! The park had everything from big thrill rides, to little carousel rides and the queues were very short! We enjoyed watching the ballet shows and enjoying the atmosphere. We had traditional danish Smørrebrød for lunch and had supper outside in a cute garden covered in tulips. At night fall the park came alive with brightly coloured lights, music, a water display and fireworks which added to its hygge! As theme parks go, it was very picturesque and really relaxing! Apparently part of Walt Disney's inspiration for Disneyland...

The food was expensive but that was to be expected.

After checking out of our hotel and leaving our luggage there, we hired bikes on the Thursday morning and had a cycle around the harbour. Copenhagen is well know for being a "cycling city" and has over 350km of bike tracks. There are many ways you can hire bikes throughout the city, however we used the "Donkey Republic" App which you can download to your phone before locating bikes close to you and unlocking them by entering payment details. Out of the many bike hire options throughout the city, including the option to hire bikes from the hotel, this was the cheapest and easiest option. The weather was beautiful and we both enjoyed exploring the harbour by bike, before returning the bikes and looking for some food before heading to the Airport in the evening.

Copenhagen is a beautiful city and it's chilled out, yet organised atmosphere, combined with Hygge and sunshine made for a very calming short break away!