Visit Copenhagen And Malmö in 3 Days
Is it possible to visit Copenhagen and Malmö in just three days? I think so!
In Summer 2018, my whole world got turned upside down when my ex-husband asked for a divorce. I won't go into the details of that personal story but it serves as an introduction.
Cause that's when my friend Judith said "alright, we always wanted to do a city-trip together - let's just book something now!".
I don't know if she realises it, but this was actually the best thing she could have done for me during the crisis I was going through.
We had never travelled together as we had only known each other for a few years through the orchestra I had started playing in (my ex was the conductor).
We had Scandinavia in mind and ultimately decided to visit Copenhagen as none of us had ever been to Denmark before.
And it was perfect! I can't imagine a better travel partner! We had exactly the same pace and interests. Meaning: we both wanted to alternate sightseeing and shopping (oh yes!) with the occasional coffee and food stop at the right moment.
In total, we spent two full days visiting Copenhagen and one in Malmö (Sweden). Although I always advise people to take more time, it is doable to see the highlights of both cities in just three days while still having time to shop or have a cup of coffee.
So get on reading for our itinerary to visit Copenhagen and Malmö in three days:
General information: Copenhagen
Practical stuff
We arrived in Copenhagen at night and the AirBnB was located in the Sydhavnen area of Copenhagen. Our hosts Evangelos and Athena were super friendly and had lots of good tips up their sleeves.
While Sydhavnen is a bit further from the city center, the bus connections are very easy and straightforward.
The big plus is obviously that accommodation prices are far lower. And there are very cute cafés and restaurants in that area as well.
Gotta love Scandinavian architecture
Sydhavnen house block where we stayed
How cool is that key-hanger?? It's sold out at Lego's 🙁
Even though we had an evening flight, we wanted to have a quick bite before getting ready for bed.
So we headed out to get to the city center and catch a first glimpse of this pretty cool city.
We had a few excellent tapas and the best Gløgg at Villa Vino. It was winter: Gløgg, or mulled wine, seemed appropriate. And although hot red wine with lots of sugar and fruit in it is something my guts would not normally tolerate well, this one was freshly made. Not something ready out of a box.
Best Gløgg ever at Villa Vino
Tapas plate at Villa Vino
Cozy interior at Villa Vino
Day 1 - a stroll through the city and vintage shopping
Breakfast at Ricco's Kaffebar
We started our day right with the most amazing homemade breakfast at Ricco's Kaffebar. This was a great tip from our hosts as it was right next to the block of our flat.
It's actually a chain, there are six of them spread throughout the city. But it absolutely doesn't feel like one.
What better way to start the visit of beautiful Copenhagen than freshly baked rolls and homemade spreads.
The interior was sooo comfy and everything tasted fresh and amazing. So many types of homemade bread and rolls, sweet and savory spreads, yoghurt and granola.
I could easily picture myself coming here every now and then in the morning to work or just read one of the books from their pretty cool bookshelf.
Love the Scandinavian interior at Ricco's Koffebar
Make your own breakfast
How good is this??
Starting the itinerary at Rådhuspladsen
I must admit, I've seen more charming squares than Rådhuspladsen but the weather was also pretty gloomy that day. I can imagine that it's a lot prettier in sunlight.
It is not very quiet, though, as the traffic passes right by the city hall.
That last one is a quirky 20th century mix of Danish architecture and Italian Renaissance.
You can freely visit the main hall but you'll need to book a tour to see more of it.
Rådhus Copenhagen outside...
...and inside
Vintage shopping in Larsbjørnsstraede
If you love vintage, this is THE street you have to explore: trendy boutiques with hidden gems in Larsbjørnsstraede.
One of the bigger and most popular ones is Københvn K, where I scored the cutest red-checked skirt at a very sweet price.
I wasn't sure at first if I should get it so we actually came back right before closing time at the end of the day.
And the skirt was still there, yay!
Obviously, we went inside other vintage and second-hand stores as well.
The whole area is known for this. There is some really awesome quality for a little price out there.
Københvn K - vintage shopping
Vintage paradise: Larsbjørnsstraede
Time for a coffee at The Living Room
It was actually so cold, we were freezing our butts off!
But this was the funny thing about us - we basically always felt the need for a nice hot beverage and a break from all the walking (and trying on clothes) at the same time.
Head over to Jamie's blog to read all about why it is a very good idea to visit Copenhagen in winter, despite the cold.
Anyways, we stopped at The Living Room, which is on Larsbjørnsstraede as well, and the name of that café is self-explanatory. So comfy!
Not far from here, you get to H.C. Andersen's (you know, that famous Danish writer guy) Julemarked.
Well, obviously, that's only in winter as it is a very cute Christmas Market at the Nytorv Square with fairy tale figures, crafts and Danish street-food.
Continue to Sankt Nikolaj Kirke for some art and Scandinavian chique on the way
On the way we passed by La Glace, the oldest but apparently also the best pastry shop in Copenhagen. They serve taround 16 (!) type of lagkager, cakes that are filled with sweet cream or mousse.
I wish we could have tasted them but we didn't have the courage to wait for God knows how long in the cold!
So you'll just have to check them out for yourself.
We did, however, warm-up at the Lego store - I guess that's an obligated stop when in Denmark - haha. And I just had to get a picture with Lego-Hagrid, being a huge HP-fan and all that.
Anyways, following the Knabrøstraede into the Kømpagnistraede, you get to the fancy Neo-baroque Sankt Nikolaj church where they display modern art. There are 5-6 different expositions every year.
We didn't get in but it's a nice view from outside as well.
As long as you're here, check out the chique (and expensive) stores in Amagertorv-street: The Royal Copenhagen, the official furnisher of porcelain for the Danish royal family with a museum on the top floor. And Illums Bolighus, to get that scandinavian flair into your living-room.
Me and my pal Hagrid
Sankt Nikolaj Kirke
Late lunch at Far's Dreng and afternoon-drinks at Rosie Mc Gee's
Heading farther to the north-west of the church, we were feeling a bit hungry from all the walking.
So we had a later lunch at Far's Dreng where they serve organic food, mostly vegetarian. And we finally had a typically Danish Smørrebrød topped with potatoes and chives.
Multicoloured streets
Smørrebrød with potatoes at Far's Dreng
Continuing our walk, it was already getting quite dark (we should have remembered this for the next day - you'll see why) and we wanted to have a quick drink before heading back to our place.
So we stopped by Rosie Mc Gee's, an American-style pub near city hall where you can have food (steaks and burger, tex-mex) and drinks (lots of beers!) and even stay later as it is a nightclub at well.
Beautiful Copenhagen facades
Rosie Mc Gee's pub cozy interior
Dinner on a boat at Vandvid Restaurant
When we headed out to the city in the morning, we saw that there were several houseboats anchored to the dock next ou our place. One of them was actually a restaurant which looked quite nice: the Vandvid.
So we figured: why not have dinner on a boat tonight? And booked a table.
And wow, that food was tasty! Obviously, they mostly serve fish. And blue mussels. But lots of other little dishes as well. And they do big buffet brunches from time to time.
The interior was so cozy, we were the last guests to leave the boat - oopsie!
Day 2 - Castles, Nyhavn, the Little Mermaid and the Tivoli
We loved the coziness of The Living Room so much that we went back on the second day to get a healthy breakfast with freshly pressed orange juice and some ginger shots.
King Christian IV and the Rosenborg Slot
The eccentric but very loved king Christian IV himself designed this town castle in the 17th century.
Inside you can see some very impressive Neo-baroque styled rooms and 'crazy' furniture. There's even a 'double-portrait' of Frederik IV (Christian's great-grandson - it gets complicated) and his sister Sophie: if you look at it from the left, you see Sophie. From the right, it's Frederik. Pretty modern for a painting of 1692.
And don't forget to admire the crown jewels displayed here.
If you like, you can try to have a picture with the guards but don't bother to disturb them or try to make them laugh. It's actually not well received.
Good to know: don't criticise the Danish Royals in public.
Even though monarchies might be out-dated, the Danish people love their queen Margrethe II and her relatives!
Rosenborg Slot entrance
Double portrait with Sophie
Beautiful hallway
A boat at Rosenborg Slot
Rosenborg Slot from below
Colourful Nyhavn
After a quick and well needed hot coffee at the The Coffee Factory (freshly roasted beans!), off to one of the most famous landmarks: Nyhavn, literally meaning 'New harbour'.
I guess there is not one tourist-guide that hasn't at least one picture of it and it certainly is a must-visit when in Copenhagen.
The channel along which the colourful houses line up has been dug in 1672 to connect the merchant navy and the city center.
Obviously, this place crawls with tourists in summer, everyone trying to score a spot on one of the numerous terraces.
But the locals use this area as well, buying their drinks in one of the side-streets and sitting down on the quayside.
Fairy tale writer H.C. Anderson lived in several of the houses of Nyhavn.
Charming Nyhavn
The royal residence Amalienborg Slot and Frederiks Kirke
The Royal Palace Amalienborg with the guards and their fur hats patrolling at the entrance is pretty impressive.
You can only visit one of the wings as the rest of the Rococo-buildings is occupied by the Royal Family since 1794.
If you come at noon, you can watch the change of guards.
We went in winter 2018 where a few of the rooms were occupied by an exposition of queen Margrethe's costume collection. She actually makes them every year for the end-of-the-year-festivities at the Tivoli. There were some really beautiful pieces!
They organise special exhibitions to various themes every year at the castle.
Amalienborg Slot courtyard
Queen Margrethe's costume exposition
Some of the hats and masks the queen made
Heading West, you get to Frederiks Kirke, the massive Neo-Baroque church built in the 20th century. It got nicknamed 'Marmorkirken', meaning 'the Marble Church' because of - you guessed it - the enormous quantitites of marble used in the construction.
They actually wanted to build the whole thing in marble. But it turned out that this was way too expensive, so they completed the church with lime stone instead.
The cupola is the biggest of Scandinavia and bears strong resemblance with Saint Peter's in Rome.
Frederiks Kirke or 'Marmorkirken'
Of course after all this sightseeing we got hungry again.
We wanted to taste Ida Davidsen's smørrebrød as she is known to be THE expert in Copenhagen.
Unfortunately, they were closed so we went to the almost-neighbour Taste in the same street (Store Kongensgade) for a late late lunch.
Just don't come at exactly noon as the space is really small and you'll end up eating outside.
Tasty sandwish at Taste
Good to know: during winter, the sun in Scandinavia sets pretty damn early!!
That's the thing in Scandinavia. While we were having our late lunch at around 3 pm, the sun had already called it a day.
Meaning we had to do the rest of our sightseeing in the dark...
Kastellet and the Little Mermaid
Walking over a tiny bridge, you get to an artificial fortified island, the Kastellet.
This fort has been built in the 17th century under Christian IV (the same one from Rosenborg) as the permanent seat of the Danish Army. It was supposed to protect from Swedish invaders.
Nowadays, the little red houses are still occupied by people working for the army, like painters and carpenters.
Cross the Kastellet from south to north, get over another tiny bridge and follow the Langelinie on the right.
Kastellet entrance - looks a bit like a Magritte painting, right?
The work houses inside Kastellet - or another Magritte
This is how you get to 'Den lille Havfrue': The Little Mermaid.
This is THE symbol of Denmark, a gift from beer-maker Carlsberg to the city, by sculptor Edvard Eriksen.
Although it's not big or impressive or excessively beautiful, this homage to H.C. Andersen's major figure gets a lot of attention as it has already been beheaded, disguised or besmeared several times.
Too bad you see the industry behind
Time to get back to the center for my personal highlight of our short visit of Copenhagen:
Tivoli: a magical winter-wonderland for Christmas-nerds
At least that's what is is in winter - haha.
Tivoli is a pretty old amusement park from 1843, located right next to Copenhagen's central station.
It has lots of vintage attractions, cafés and restaurants. Thousands and thousands of little lights make it look so cozy at night.
But the real magic (in my personal opinion as a Christmas-nerd) happens in winter, when the whole park is transformed into a Christmas-town with fake snow and even more lights!
Plus you get to see a music and lights show over the lake.
It's supposed to be very cute in summer as well with lots of concerts and fireworks - but maybe not in 2020...
Christmas lights everywhere
Tivoli entrance arch
Nostalgic carousel
Anyways, after strolling through that wonderland we got pretty hungry (yet again). And I'm almost ashamed to say it.. but instead of finding a cute local Danish restaurant, we decided to have dinner at the Vapiano (you know, that Italian fast-food chain) right next to the Tivoli.
Almost empty Tivoli entrance seen from the Vapiano
Lights and more lights
Slightly kitsch but still magical
Look at that magnificent weeping willow
We were just both in the mood for that and it is really tasty food! Even though the preparation time is basically under 15 min, the ingredients are fresh and everything.
To end the day, we went back to the historic center, on Nybrøgade quayside, to find out why Ruby's is considered being one of the best cocktail-bars in the world!
We totally deserved it, as we had spent the hour before helping out an older gentleman who had a bit too much to drink, fell and hit his head pretty badly on the pavement.
We called the ambulance and waited with a group of Italians kind enough to hand paper towels to stop the bleeding.
Gotta say, those Danish ambulance-men were pretty cute, we almost felt the need to faint in front of them (I didn't know Sebi back then - haha).
Anyways, the well-deserved cocktails tasted pretty good and it was a nice way to end another beautiful day of sightseeing.
Day 3 - Visiting the Swedish neighbour Malmö
We had two days of really cold and gloomy weather. But the day we went to Malmö, the sun was bright and shiny!
From Copenhagen's central station it's only a short 45 min train ride to get to neighbour Sweden. And a rather cool ride too, as you cross the Øresund on a bridge (called the 'Øresundbrug' - what a coincidence. Ha. Ha.).
Knowing that Copenhagen and Malmö are now good friends, you wouldn't say that they spent centuries making war with one another.
Malmö constantly changed leaders, alternating between the Danish and Swedish crown.
They have their own currency here, being the Swedish Krona (SEK or kr) but they do accept Danish ones as well.
Central station Malmö
Beautiful Swedish morning
Sankt Petri Kyrka and the Stortorget square
The Sankt Petri Kyrka is Malmö's cathedral built in the 12th century (at least parts of it). We didn't go inside as we had our flight that same day and just wanted to stroll through the city.
We focused on the historic part as our window was pretty short so I'll definitely recommend to spend a night here if you plan on seeing the extended version of it.
Head west to the Stortorget square, Malmö's center since the 16th century. This is where you find the Rådhuset (city hall) built originally in Dutch Renaissance-style. The cellar is supposed to be magnificent but we didn't get in.
The buildings around the square are really beautiful and I can imagine that it must be nice to enjoy the animation on a sunny summer day.
Sankt Petri Kyrka in the morning
Renaissance style Rådhuset
Stortorget square, Malmö
Medieval flair in Gamla Väster
The Gamla Väster ('Old West') is a district that still has this medieval flair through the cute old row houses in different colours.
This was more of a worker's area and several of the houses still belong to workers families having lived here for generations.
The neighbourhood got a makeover in the 1970s but they made sure to keep a bit of medieval ambience alive.
Gamla Väster street
Look at the colourful facades
Cute little streets
Walking past Malmöhus Slott and Fiskehoddorna
The Malmöhus is the oldest preserved Renaissance-castle in Scandinavia. It was a royal residence in the 16th century but served as a prison during the 18th and 19th century.
Malmöhus Slott and its moat
Nowadays, the castle hosts the Malmö Museer (art and city museum) and is open for visits every day. It's still enclosed by water and you can walk all around it to get to Fiskehoddorna.
Fiskehoddorna (try saying that three times consecutively) is the fish market that belongs to the Malmö Museer.
The name stems from the Swedish word 'hodda' which means 'hut'. The fish market is indeed surrounded by little red fisher huts.
1956 the fishing huts in the whole region around Malmö were set to be destructed. But the Malmö Museer managed to save several from different eras and they are now protected.
Fish market in Malmö
Fisher huts at Fiskehoddorna
We were obviously too late to see the market in action as every fish market tends to be over by 7 in the morning..
Have a quick stop at the Slottsmöllan right next to the gardens of the Malmöhus.
It's a mill in Dutch style from the 19th century, that came to replace a previous 17th century one that burned down.
Beautiful park around Malmöhus Slott
Picturesque Slottsmöllan
Admiring the oldest houses of Malmö: Lilla Torg
Heading back towards the historic city center, you'll get to Lilla Torg, a charming little market place.
This one is actually surrounded by some of Malmö's oldest buildings, having been established as a market place in 1592 but used long before that.
Today, Lilla Torg still shows off impressive frame houses (look at these beauties) but inside them you'll find the hippest cafés and restaurants. A successful mix!
Beautiful frame houses
Picturesque Lilla Torg
And guess what?
Arriving here it was naturally time for a coffee! Which we had at the Lilla Kafferosteriet, the 'little coffee roaster', where you can choose between various coffee beans from different countries.
They serve a breakfast-buffet called Skånske every week-end (which we unfortunately missed) and cheese- and carrot-cake every day.
Lilla Kafferosteriet
Freshly baked goods and lots of coffee beans
To end the day (and the trip at the same time), we had an early dinner in the cellar of the impressive Kocksa Huset. The restaurant, Årstiderna, serves a typically Swedish cuisine of a higher level (and price..).
Beautiful vaulted cellar
Mushroom risotto at Årstiderna
But the location alone is worth a visit! The Kocksa Huset is a 16th century palace built by Danish moneyer and later mayor Jörgen Kock.
And this was our three days visit of Copenhagen and Malmö!
We got back to Copenhagen by train as our flight for Düsseldorf left later that night.
Just enough time to admire the Scandinavian architecture-style of Copenhagen's airport and have another coffee (go figure!).
It was my first but certainly not last visit to Copenhagen or Denmark for that matter.
In fact, it made me want to explore the whole Scandinavian part of Europe!
Copenhagen airport gate
Might do a giant road-trip through Scandinavia in the nearer future! Any tips are welcome: feel free to comment or contact us 🙂
And don't forget to pin or share if you liked this short itinerary!
xx
Cyn
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