The majestic capital of Denmark is Copenhagen. A port city that is second to none. Read on to find out what I experienced and why I visited Copenhagen in the first place.
Table of Contents
Why Copenhagen
After working in the energy sector in Austria for 13 months, it was time for me to swap my engineer's chair for my backpack. This time, the plan was to head north, but after seeing the shocking price of the next flight ticket, I decided to make a short stopover in Copenhagen. My first destination was the Faroe Islands, but after finding out that the cheapest flight ticket would have cost over €650, I quickly changed my route.
Therefore, I booked a cheap flight to Copenhagen for around €150 and from there a flight to the Faroe Islands costs around €225. Since I'm already landing in Copenhagen, I might as well take a look at this gem. I didn't get through the three days on €275, but for this price I was able to purchase accommodation and the valuable Copenhagen Card erwerben.
Copenhagen Card
Copenhagen is trying its best to build a bridge between the old and the modern, which is why it has introduced the digital Copenhagen Card. There are two versions: the Discover Card (€133 for 72 hours) and the Hop Card (€134 for 72 hours). With the Hop Card, you can ride any Hop On/Off bus for free and visit 40 attractions at no extra cost. With the Discover Card, you can visit 80 attractions for free and use all public transportation in zone 1- 99 free of charge. You don't need to buy a separate ticket for public transportation; your QR code is available directly in the app. Depending on the attraction, you can either go through the turnstile directly with your QR code or you have to pick up a free ticket at the ticket office beforehand.
The Discover Card was an ideal basis for my short exposé in Copenhagen. I really did use the €133 and I probably would have spent around €250 without the card.
Accomodations
I landed in Copenhagen at 8:45 a.m. and of course used the day to explore the city. I stayed at Steelhouse Copenhagenfor three nights. Since I booked at the last minute, I had to pay €137. The location is okay, as are the facilities. Unfortunately, this hostel is part of the Arp-Hansen Hotel Group, which means you have to pay extra for every service. In New Zealand I never had to pay a cent for luggage storage, but here you are asked to pay DKK 75 (approx. €10 as of August 2025) for 24 hours. In their defense, the luggage storage areas are proper lockers. Apparently, it's unusual in Copenhagen to leave your luggage in your room. Nevertheless, after checking in, I left my luggage in my room, as I did in New Zealand and nothing happened. I could understand the luggage fee, but I didn't quite understand why you have to pay to use the kitchen in a HOSTEL. I go to a hostel so I can use the kitchen, otherwise I would have gone to a hotel. It's only 25 DKK (€3.33 as of August), but this access fee is still outrageous. Once again, we are in a hostel; in New Zealand, I paid exactly nothing for the kitchen...
Be that as it may, my first impression of the Steelhouse has already been tarnished. However, the rooms were clean and you also have a private bathroom and toilet, which you only share with the other guests in your room. You sleep in bunks, but a curtain for the opening is too much to ask for...
Of course, I also had problems with the other guests for the first time. Apparently, the male guests were in Copenhagen to party. I don't want to forbid anyone from doing that, but there are probably much cheaper countries to get drunk – alcohol is expensive in the north. Unfortunately, these guests did not all behave in a desirable manner. As example, they didn't prepare their sleeping stuff until shortly before going to sleep. What's more, you can have great conversations at 3 a.m. and lastly you have to take a shower before going to bed. Added to this is the fact that a comfortable side effect of alcohol is that you are more likely to start snoring at night.
So, the 3 nights were comfortable plus... You can have bad luck with your room in any hostel, but the extra fees and the 3 experts left a very bad impression. For €137, I expected more. If I visit Copenhagen again, I will probably avoid Steelhouse Copenhagen...
My experience
First day
Well, enough about the accommodation, let's get down to business. As already mentioned, I landed in Copenhagen with the weather conditions changing at 8:45 a.m. This meant I wanted to drop off my luggage as quickly as possible and use the day to explore. This time my EU passport was a disadvantage, as the line at the security check was very long and having only two gates open was not ideal. After this long ordeal, I stood around a bit lost at the airport. Since I had the Copenhagen Discover Card, I wanted to take public transportation to my accommodation. What can I say, a little more research at home would have been helpful. Therefore, I didn't take the train, but the metro instead. Of course, I got off one stop too early and quickly lost my sense of direction...
This allowed me to discover streets that are probably only used by locals. Anyway, after this failed route guidance, I somehow arrived at my accommodation. Now I only must carry around 2 kg so the expedition could begin. Still wandering around a bit, I took a short boat tour (free with the Discover Card, short DC). Then I continued walking through the city without a plan. After a tour in Amalienborg, I checked into my room and then ventured into a supermarket.
I always calculated food prices by dividing them by 7.5 and thanks to this quick euro conversion, I wasn't too shocked by the prices – about 20-30% higher. Nevertheless, I was cost-optimized and my trips to the supermarket were significantly longer than usual. Afterwards the weather was no longer so changeable.
Am Abend um die goldene Stunde herum, bin ich mit den Öffis zu Amalienborg gefahren und von dort aus habe ich die Sehenswürdigkeiten rund um die Promenade fotografiert. Zu dieser Stunde ist auch die kleine Meerjungfrau nicht mehr von Menschenmassen umringt. >27k Schritte später, bin ich so gegen 21:30 Uhr im Zimmer angekommen und hatte dieses für mich alleine.
Second day
On the next unstable weather morning, I really made the most of the DC. I took public transport to Hillerød and after a short walk I was standing in front of Frederiksborg. The residence of Christian IV, unfortunately parts of the facade are being renovated. That’s why I couldn't see it in all its glory. Thanks to the DC, I was able to visit the exhibition again free of charge. If you're there, you should definitely visit the Baroque Garden.
Around lunchtime, I took public transportation to Helsingør to explore the setting of Hamlet. Shakespeare found inspiration for his famous Hamlet – To be, or not to be – in Kronborg. Free admission again with the DC and a cool complex. There are several floors to explore. The historic ruins of Kronborg are not to be missed. Of course, Hamlet is honored and you walk through the history of the past. If you only have time for one of these magnificent buildings, I would prefer Kronborg. Nevertheless, be sure to see both.
But there is still one activity left to do: the famous Tivoli Gardens in the dark. Admission was free with the DC, but you must pay extra for the rides! If you have the opportunity, be sure to visit just before dark. It's a magnificent atmosphere when all the lights start to shine. There aren't that many rides in the Tivoli Gardens; the focus is more on restaurants and food. So don't expect anything like the Wiener Würstl Prater. Nevertheless, there are plenty of opportunities to get an adrenaline rush. And that’s how my favorite day comes to an end. At 10:30 p.m., I'm still alone in my room.
Third day
After walking over 33k steps yesterday, I didn't want to walk too much on my last day of exploration. In glorious weather, I strolled through the palace gardens and then headed to Denmark's treasure chamber – Rosenborg.
It opens at 9 a.m. and if you haven't booked tickets in advance, it's best to be there at that time, because you are assigned a time slot. Naturally, I was unaware of this and at around 10 a.m. my time slot was 11:50 a.m.
At the beginning you walk through the upper floors and learn a little about culture and history. After that, you gain access to the treasure chamber in the basement. Various relics (wine, model ships made of ivory, sabers, etc.) are presented there. Then you move on to the crown jewels. Here you can see the crown of Frederik IV and the reigning royal couple. There are also various pieces of jewelry and Sophie Magdalene's necklace and coronet.
I ended the afternoon with a tour of Copenhagen Zoo (free with the DC).
Conclusion & Expenses
I had three wonderful days in Copenhagen. You could easily spend seven days there. With the Copenhagen Discover Card, you could probably even spend two weeks if you really want to enjoy everything it has to offer.
Here are my expenses. Information provided without guarantee.
Total cost: €475 including flight.
As always, you can view more pictures in the gallery.
