Fun fact: København was our first ever collection for 2W0+1NE=2!
I’m cutting straight to the chase.
Some practical information before we begin:
Download Rejsebillet to easily purchase metro, train and bus tickets.
Uber is not allowed in Copenhagen. The app works, but rides are provided by registered taxis.
The 5C bus is almost always your best bet when getting around the city, including reaching the city center from and to the airport.
Depending on where you come from, Spring could mean Winter for you (and me).
Ok, so
The City
…is at its best during Spring and early Summer.
I rarely book a trip with a specific weather goal, but there’s always a first.
Spring for Copenhagen actually means winter for an Athenian, but the energy of the city is just vibrant.
Copenhagen is perfect if you don’t like filling your days with activities and instead prefer to wander, spontaneously have a picnic by the water, enjoy great coffee, and dress as if you were at home rather than travelling.
The rhythm is chill, the days are very long and you have time to do everything. After all Copenhagen is petite.
But “big” enough to turn park scenes into impressionist paintings.
The Art (museums)
Naturally, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art is the highlight museum-wise. If you plan to visit just one, make it this one (I selected 2).
Louisiana
I’ll start with the building itself, which is a marvel of 1950’s Danish modernist architecture.
It is surrounded by nature: trees, the sea, and a lake.
I loved it because you can easily spend an entire day there. The museum is open until 22:00 on most days and is less than an hour from Copenhagen’s city centre by train.
You can arrive early and wander through the indoor exhibitions at a slow pace. Take a break for lunch at the café, with endless views of the sea and Alexander Calder’s sculptures all around you. It’s also worth mentioning that the food is genuinely good.
And save the best for last: the sculpture garden. Sit by the dock, continue your stroll through the grounds, and finish in the lake garden.
Why is it named Louisiana?
Louise, Louise and Louise
Knud W. Jensen, the founder of the museum, chose to “take over” the name of the country house that he later converted to a museum. The property had been built and named in 1855 by Alexander Brun (1814-93), who was an officer and Master of the Royal Hunt and who married three women who were all named Louise.
The Louisiana collection comprises of 4,000 works and is continually expanded. Therefore, the bulk of the collection is shown in rotating selective presentations.
But, of course they have a number of features that are almost always on view. Among the most important of these are the Giacometti Gallery, the Asger Jorn Gallery and Kusama’s installation “Gleaming Lights of the Souls”.
The installation, dating from 2008, consists of a single space, four by four meters. The walls and ceilings are covered with mirrors; the floor is a reflecting pool; and you stand in the middle of the water on a platform. Hundred lamps are hanging from the ceiling changing colours constantly. You feel like floating in space for a bit.
You only have 1’ to stand inside the room, but you enjoy it alone or with your partner.
The Sculpture Garden
La pièce de résistance for me.
Louisiana museum is the perfect interplay between architecture, nature, and art.
The obvious next museum choice would, of course, be Glyptoteket and rightfully so. As a matter of fact, I wish we had skipped Christiania and visited it instead.
But first of all, you should always leave something for your next visit. And second, my choice turned out to be perfect:
Thorvaldsens Museum
I will again start with the building itself.
From the painted murals all over its exterior, and crooked white borders framing them,
to its mind blowing interior.
Yes, you come for the museum’s collection but the architecture of the museum (unlike the perfect balance of Louisiana) certainly steals the show.
Actually, I couldn't stop looking up. The ceilings are just magnificent.
The Thorvaldsen Museum is a single-artist museum dedicated to the art of sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen and his personal collection from other artists.
The architect of the museum, Michael Gottlieb Bindesbøll, created a colourful setting for Thorvaldsen’s art. The fresco designs and patterns are deeply inspired by classical antiquity and the colours found in the excavations in the ancient cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum in Italy among other places.
Each of the 48 rooms has a unique, hand-painted ceiling, ranging from intricate patterns to figurative, detailed, and often grotesque-style designs.
The decorations were created by a team of over 40 painters, sculptors, and stucco workers, many of whom were students at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts at the time.
Sorry, I must have photographed every different ceiling.
Also! The best part of our visit was that we had the museum all to ourselves. A treasured experience.
Eating + Shopping
Your options are endless. You almost have to scrutinize them before deciding which bakery, restaurant, or café to choose. Or, you know, just play it by ear.
I had my must-visits, and for everything else we followed our mood.
My favourite by far was La Banchina. It’s an all-day spot where you can enjoy breakfast, lunch, and dinner, or simply stop by for a coffee (or a few glasses of wine), a swim, and a sauna.
That’s a reason to plan your visit, around the weather conditions.
At some point, you will inevitably end up in Nyhavn. Once you're there, you have very, very, very few options if you want to grab a coffee or a bite to eat.
My suggestion is to visit the admittedly overhyped Apollo Bar, but only for coffee or snacks. I haven't heard the best things about its dinner menu.
It is tucked away in a courtyard at the beginning of Nyhavn. "Tucked away" is slightly ironic, though, because it's almost impossible to miss. It shares the courtyard with Kunsthal Charlottenborg and the Danish National Art Library. I suggest both, while you are there.
Louise Roe Gallery Café
La Cabra for the best coffee we’ve had in Copenhagen. This particular one shares the space (or is part of) Another Aspect.
Other eating (and more) spots you should add to your list:
Osteria 16 A must! They have a fixed menu (they accommodate vegetarians) and 3 different locations with the same concept, but different menus (antipasti, antipasti+main, antipasti+fish)
Bird (uptown) bar
At Meatpacking District (highly recommend):
https://fiskebaren.dk/en/
Hija de Sanchez (Sanchez is their more proper restaurant)
Boutique Emilia (requires a reservation waaaaaay in advance and they have slots to prebook)
Bar Vitrine in the coolest neighborhood of Copenhagen
DØP - organic hotdogs
Shopping:
Happy to share my full Google Maps list. Just leave a comment or message us!
Note: I skipped Tivoli gardens. It seemed fun if you are/are with a child, but there are better things to do, in my humble opinion.
Happy traveling!
Stella