When is a great time of year to visit Denmark? You might not think of January for this northern European country, known for its wind. But, Denmark is on the expensive side as far as European countries go, so when we saw great flight prices to Copenhagen for MLK holiday weekend, we decided to lean into the cold. We visited both Denmark and Sweden by adding a one-day trip to Lund and Malmö in southern Sweden.
Denmark
Danish culture is known for its hygge (pronounced hugh-ga), a quality of coziness and comfort that gives a feeling of contentment. Indeed, the locals in Copenhagen are very nice, polite, friendly, and they speak perfect English.
The city is peaceful, even with wide boulevards full of cars and bikes. The bikes have their own very organized bike lanes and follow traffic signals. This is a lovely city for pedestrians.
There is not a lot of daylight this far north in January, but we enjoyed seeing candles all day on every café table, and in so many windows. This is a tradition in Denmark that goes back to the Vikings, to show that visitors are welcome.
We learned about the history of the Danish monarchy through the centuries by touring around Rosenborg Castle, a very beautiful castle with spires and towers. The self-guided tour takes about an hour, including seeing the Crown Jewels in the dimly lit cellars. We timed our tour so that we could then watch the Changing of the Guard. It’s quite a display of a military march, with the band playing whenever the Queen is in residence. They started at 11.30 from Rosenborg Castle and wound their way through the city to end at Amalienborg Palace at noon.
Copenhagen offers Castles, Palaces, Cathedrals, Museums, and more. The Little Mermaid statue sits in the harbor, near a star-shaped Fortress from the 17th century. The Fortress is free to walk around, and includes a moat, fountains, and a beautifully preserved windmill. Another must-see is the famous Nyhavn neighborhood with its colorful homes, a picture-perfect area. As a bonus we found McJoy’s Scottish Pub in this neighborhood, along with other fun café restaurants.
Besides the good food and Guinness pour at the Scottish Pub, we also tried some traditional Danish foods. We ate a variety of danishes, including what we made in our cooking class, The Art of Baking Danish Pastry. At Hyttefadet, housed in a building from 1734, we ate an amazing Herring Sampling Plate. The marinated, spiced, and curry herrings were flavorful, thick, meaty pieces of fish. This is so delicious, we highly recommend trying it! No wonder the Danish are so happy.
Sweden
We pushed the ‘easy button’ and booked a day trip by tour bus to Sweden through Trip Advisor. The tour drove us north up the beautiful coast of Denmark. Our first stop was in the beautiful seaside city of Elsinore to see Kronborg Castle, where Shakespeare based Hamlet. A 15-minute ferry ride across the Øresund, a strait connecting the Baltic and North Seas, brought us to Sweden.
With a stop at both Lund and Malmö, both University cities, the day went quickly. The weather turned cold and rainy, January days turn to night early, and many shops were closed by 16.00. A longer time with one stop may have been better to more fully experience one place. You can create your own day trip to Sweden with a train from Copenhagen to Lund or Malmö. We liked Lund better, it is small and quaint, with lots of little shops and restaurants. And, we had a great lunch at the John Bull Pub there.
Copenhagen is a peaceful city with beautiful architecture and lots to see, right on the picturesque sea. Even though we did have some very cold temperatures, rain, and wind, overall it was not as cold as we expected.
If you are in Copenhagen, wondering what the current temperature is, you can reference the large thermometer at the Old Town Square. This is Celsius, and the locals kept telling us how surprisingly warm it was.😂 (4 Celsius = 39 Fahrenheit.)
We had a wonderful time, and we didn’t run into crowds at any of the sights. But we can see that Denmark and Sweden would be even lovelier countries to visit in warmer weather, with a bit more daylight.
Skål!
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