After an overnight flight on SAS Airlines from Chicago to Copenhagen, Denmark, it was time to check out the city. My final destination was the Baltics. I had a flight to Tallinn, Estonia leaving in ten hours. My goal was to take a train into downtown Copenhagen, explore the city for awhile and return for my flight out.
Nyhavn District
Arriving in Copenhagen, Denmark
It was comforting to know that if my onward flight was canceled that Airhelp had my back with flight cancellation compensation. If that were to happen, it would be good research to check out the city in case I ended up with an unintended longer stay.
Related: Schönbrunn Palace Garden walk in Vienna
Navigating Denmark’s train from the airport to the train station
Navigating the public transportation system into the city was not too difficult. I soon found a train kiosk with English instructions and booked a ticket downtown for about $5. I arrived into the train station and proceeded to look for a coffee shop and breakfast. It was November, so temperatures were pretty chilly, so I wanted to make sure to find some warmth.
The inside of Copenhagen, Denmark train station.
The first beautiful sight from Copenhagen was the train station itself. Copenhagen Central Train station was a beautiful structure both inside and out. There were many shops inside
The outside of the Copenhagen Central Train Station.
Nyhavn District was the first stop
I researched a few places to check out in Copenhagen. Number one was the Nyhavn District. This is a 17th century waterfront district with colorful houses and historic wooden ships. From the pictures I saw, it had a very similar vibe to Amsterdam. It lived up to its billing and proved to be a really cool place to take some GoPro photographs.
Nyhavn District Copenhagen
Walking around downtown Copenhagen
My next destination was to just walk around the cobblestone streets of the capital. One highlight was City Hall Square, which had an ice skating rink and a great view of the surrounding buildings. I grabbed a warm glass of Scandinavian Glögg to keep me warm as I perused the capital city streets.
Downtown Copenhagen.
The Rundetaarn or the Round Tower
Being a history teacher from the United States, whenever I go to Europe, one of the first things I want to see is something old. The Rundetaarn, or the Round Tower fit the bill as this structure dates from 1642. It is Europe’s oldest functioning observation building.
Sunset from the Round Tower in Copenhagen.
As soon as you enter, you walk up a spiral ramp, which winds 7.5 times around the tower, only interrupted by a ticket booth where you pay $10 to continue up to the top. The payment was well worth it as the observation tower provided 360 degree views of the city. I happened to be up there during sunset, so it was a gorgeous view.
Return to Copenhagen Airport
I soon returned to the train station and back to the airport for my onward flight to Estonia. It was my first time in Denmark, but Copenhagen really impressed me, so I definitely would love to come back to explore more of this Scandinavian country.
Adventure on!
