Good morning friends! Today I am sharing the first full length blog post from our 24 day European vacation this summer. Copenhagen was our first stop so it will be the first post I share. Stay tuned for more destinations including Gdansk, Warsaw, Tallinn, Helsinki and Stockholm! For today though, keep reading for ALL the details from our amazing stay in Copenhagen, Denmark at Hotel Danmark.
We arrived to the beautiful emerald green Hotel Danmark at around 8:30 in the evening. We enjoyed delicious coffees while we checked in, freshened up in our quaint and charming room and went to the rooftop bar for pre-dinner cocktails.
shop the look:
The rooftop bar was amazing and the views from it were simply spectacular! We sipped our Aperol Spritz, listened to the beautiful church bells and watched the rides and lights of Tivoli Garden in the near distance. We couple already tell Hotel Danmark was an AMAZING location!
shop the look:
Next we walked across the street for dinner at Rio Bravo. We split a bottle of wine and started with the smoked salmon that was served with a delicious mustard sauce. Next we had stegt flaesk med persillesovs (say that 5 times fast!) which is a very traditional Danish dish (its actually the national dish of Denmark) consisting of fried pork belly with boiled potatoes and a creamy parsley sauce. It was delish!
The next morning we enjoyed the complimentary breakfast buffet in the charming dining room complete with a fireplace.
Our first stop was Christiansborg Palace. Christiansborg Palace is a palace and government building in central Copenhagen. It is the seat of the Danish Parliament, the Danish Prime Minister’s office and the Supreme Court of Denmark. Also, several parts of the palace are used by the Danish monarch, including the Royal Reception Rooms, the Palace Chapel and the Royal Stables. The palace is home to the three supreme powers: the executive power, the legislative power, and the judicial power. It is the only building in the world that houses all three of a country’s branches of government. Pretty nifty, huh? The present building, the third with this name, is the last in a series of successive castles and palaces constructed on the same site since the erection of the first castle in 1167. The castle is absolutely stunning and every room is more breathtaking than the next. My personal favorite was The Queen’s library.
Next we explored the royal kitchens. Wow! For two gals who love to cook, we just couldn’t get enough! The royal kitchen boats one of Europe’s largest collections of copperware.
Next we explored the ruins under Christiansborg Palace. The biggest and oldest ruins under Christiansborg Palace are the remnants of the wall from Bishop Absalon’s Castle from the 11th century. The wall protected the Castle from pirates.
Next we visited Church of Holmen. Built in 1563, it is famous for having hosted the wedding between Margrethe II of Denmark, the current queen of Denmark, and Prince Henrik in 1967. It is also the burial site of many nobles. The ornate architecture inside the church is stunning!
We had worked up an appetite so we headed over to Nyhavn for lunch. Nyhavn, where we would end up having the majority of our meals while in Copenhagen, is a 17th-century waterfront canal and entertainment district. Lined by brightly colored 17th and early 18th century townhouse, Nyhavn creates the perfect backdrop for a charming meal.
shop the look:
shop the look:
For lunch we decided on a restaurant called Nyhavns Faergekro. I had an Aperol Spritz and Judi a beer. For lunch we split a meatball sandwich and a traditional Danish dish, smørrebrød, which is basically an open faced sandwich. We opted for the chicken curry smørrebrød and both sandwiches were very tasty!
shop the look:
After lunch we walked to Amalienborg Palace, the home of the Danish royal family. We were planning on touring the rococo palace, but the royal family was in residence and the majority of the rooms available to tour were closed.
Next we walked to Frederik’s Church. The church was built in 1894 and popularly known as The Marble Church for its rococo and marble forward architecture.
Next we walked to The Little Mermaid statue, which, if I’m honest, could be skipped if time in Copenhagen is an issue.
Our last stop before heading back to Hotel Danmark to freshen up were The Royal Stables. Wow! Those horsies are taken better care of than most children in America. It was very impressive! My favorite part of the stables were all the royal carriages on display.
We freshened up and hit the roof top bar at Hotel Danmark for happy hour. As a hotel guest you get complimentary wine!
Next we walked to Nyhavn again for dinner and drinks. We started with pre dinner Aperol Spritz (you’re going to see these happen A LOT on this trip) at Restaurant Skagen.
shop the look:
Next, we had an amazing dinner at Havfruen. If you have just 1 meal in Copenhagen make sure it is here! We began with the mussels, which were divine and then split the fish and chips served with mushy peas for our entrée. Yum! The food was absolutely amazing and the ambiance matched!
Next we went to McJoy’s Choice, an Irish pub, for drinks. They have live music every night, which is always fun!
We slept like babies in our comfy beds and enjoyed the breakfast buffet again the next morning.
Our first stop was Rosenborg Palace. If you only have time for a few things while in Copenhagen, make sure Rosenborg Palace is one of them! We walked to the stunning Renaissance castle from our hotel. The castle was originally built as a country summerhouse in 1606. The palace houses the coronation throne and treasury, which showcases the royal jewels! The Rosenborg Castle Gardens, also know as The King’s Gardens, are the country’s oldest royal gardens. Next to the palace are the barracks where the Royal Guard is garrisoned. The Royal Guards guard the castle and during our visit we saw a changing of the guards, which I always love seeing!
shop the post:
shop the post:
After exploring the beautiful palace and its amazing grounds we walked to Nyhavn again for lunch. We each had a burger at Nyhavn 17 and enjoyed the amazing waterfront views around us.
shop the post:
After lunch we went on a beautiful canal tour, which is a great and quick way to see the city. You can also purchase beers onboard which is always a good time!
shop the post:
We went back to our room to freshen up and walked to Tivoli Gardens where we planned on spending the evening and enjoying dinner as well. This was the worst experience of our entire 24 days in Europe and we left within the hour. I do not recommend wasting your time or money there.
We walked back to Nyhavn and had a delicious Italian dinner on the water at Venezia. We split a Greek salad and carbonara pasta. Both were very good!
shop the post:
We walked back to Hotel Danmark, sad it was our last night there.
I highly recommend staying at Hotel Danmark. The staff is friendly and helpful, the rooms are very clean, quaint and charming and best of all you cannot beat the location! We walked to every single place we visited, which we love doing. Oh and we can’t forget the complimentary happy hour and the amazing rooftop bar at Hotel Danmark!
Many thanks to Hotel Danmark for an amazing stay at your wonderful hotel in beautiful Copenhagen!
Kisses and Danish wishes,
