New Year’s Eve in Copenhagen – 7 tips for relaxing days in Denmark’s capital

“And what are you doing on New Year’s Eve?” This is a question that one is often confronted with towards the end of the year. Since I personally don’t think much of organizing a “fanfare” around the turn of the year, we have always “withdrawn” abroad as a precautionary measure in recent years. The focus on northern destinations has become established; Helsinki, Edinburgh, Belfast, St. Petersburg and, last year, tranquil Torshavn in the Faroe Islands. For the start of 2020, Denmark again won the race – and we extended the conveniently located holidays to a 10-day road trip through Denmark including a New Year’s Eve pit stop in Denmark’s capital – Copenhagen.

For me, this is already the third city trip to Copenhagen. Already in 2006 – directly after graduating from high school – I visited the Danish capital as part of an Interrail trip through Sweden and Denmark (unfortunately without a blog at that time) and in 2014 we went on an office trip to Copenhagen and studied the successful model of the bicycle city for 3 days. In this respect, it was not important to visit as many sights as possible on the third visit. Rather, we wanted to stroll through the pedestrian streets of Copenhagen without any hustle and bustle and try our way through the fantastic food scene.

Worked perfectly. And so I have brought you seven tips for relaxed (New Year’s) days in Copenhagen from my recent stay.

1. Stay centrally in Copenhagen

Fans of casual boutique and design hotels will get their money’s worth in Copenhagen. In the city centre you will find some really great accommodations. After some back and forth, we decided to go to Nobis Copenhagen. In 2017, the Swedish Nobis Hospitality Group opened Nobis Copenhagen as the first foreign branch in the former Royal Danish Conservatory of Music, located right next to the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek. The more than 100-year-old construction is the first building in the city to be constructed of concrete. The innovative architectural spirit is carried on by the Nobis. With clear colours, shapes and deliberately placed Danish classics, the Nobis skilfully bridges the gap between the historic rooms and contemporary living. The decisive factor for us was the central location – the train station, town hall and Tivoli just around the corner and the extensive pedestrian zones of the city centre within walking distance. Top!

2. Stroll through Strøget early in the morning

Copenhagen is considered one of the coolest capitals in Europe and, despite growth, scores with a charm that I would otherwise only attribute to small towns. With its international appeal, Copenhagen has also become a popular city break destination and we get to feel that on New Year’s Eve. In the late afternoon, Strøget – one of the longest pedestrian streets in Europe – is bustling with activity and a queue has even formed in front of Rundetårn.

The mood early in the morning is quite different. While the soft, Nordic winter light makes the magnificent facades of the canal buildings shimmer golden, we stroll along Strøget into the old town center of Copenhagen in search of a nice café. While numerous smaller coffee shops remain closed over Christmas and New Year’s Eve, Original Coffee, located on the top floor of the Illum shopping centre in the city centre, is a safe place to go for a creamy flat white with banana bread. Another safe place to go is Atelier September, which was one of the first cafés in the city to open its doors at 9 a.m. on New Year’s morning. Here it is worthwhile to arrive at times, as the café is recommended in many guides and is accordingly well frequented.

After the coffee, we are ready for a climb to the viewing platform of Rundetårn. The special feature of the round tower, originally built as an astronomical observatory in the middle of the city centre, is its long spiral corridor, which overcomes the height difference of a good 25 metres to the viewing platform instead of a staircase. The entrance ticket can be purchased directly at the entrance. It costs DKK 25 for adults.

3. Visit the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek

If you celebrate New Year’s Eve in Copenhagen, you should inform yourself in advance about the opening hours of the museums and other attractions. While most of Copenhagen’s museums are closed on Mondays, opening hours over New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day are less uniformly regulated. The fact is, however, that most institutions remain closed on New Year’s Day. We were lucky that New Year’s Eve fell on a Tuesday and the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek grants free admission to the collection on Tuesdays. A tip that you should definitely remember. A visit to the Glyptotek is worthwhile not only if you are interested in the extensive collection of ancient sculptures, but also to marvel at the beautiful atrium filled with tropical plants. If the weather is bad, you can easily spend several hours in the café there.

4. Make a foodie stop in the Meatpacking District

To the west, adjacent to Copenhagen Central Station, is one of the city’s hippest neighborhoods at the moment; the trendy district of Vesterbro with its Meatpacking District. The district, which was originally strongly industrial, has blossomed into an Eldorado for foodies. The former slaughterhouses are now home to restaurants, cafés, bars, galleries and clubs and theoretically you could easily spend a full day here hopping from one delicacy to the next. We have reserved a table in the Kødbyens Fiskebar for lunch, knowing full well about the desirability of the seats. The restaurant, which has been awarded a Bib Gourmand, serves simple but fresh seafood dishes of top quality. For the espresso afterwards, we move two doors down to the Prolog Coffee Bar. This is also filled to the last seat – but fortunately, the freshly roasted coffee is also available “to go” here due to the lack of seating.

5. Enjoy the Blue Hour at the harbour

Shortly before sunset, we are drawn to the city center again. We walk along the Havne promenade and admire the architectural landmarks on the opposite bank of Christianshavn. On my last visit in 2014, the modern pedestrian and bicycle bridge “Inderhavnsbroen” was in the process of being completed. In the meantime, it has established itself as a firm and popular link between the centre and the new housing estates in Christianshavn.

Of course, an evening stroll through Copenhagen’s harbour facilities should not be complete without a stop at Nyhavn – the postcard motif par excellence. Not far away, you can toast the evening together in one of the best cocktail bars in the city – Ruby.

6. Taste the new Nordic cuisine

Numerous well-known Danish chefs have contributed to the international breakthrough of “new Nordic cuisine” in the last decade. At the forefront is René Redzepi, whose restaurant Noma was named the best restaurant in the world four times in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014. Friends of more upscale gourmet cuisine are spoilt for choice in Copenhagen – 15 restaurants have been awarded one or more Michelin stars.

However, if you travel to the Danish capital over the holidays, you will have to make do with a limited offer. Some gourmet restaurants, such as Geranium, Noma or Relae, remain closed over New Year’s Day. A great – and surprisingly casual alternative – is the Formula B. Here, too, the focus is on seasonal regional Danish products. And this at a very fair price. All à la carte dishes range from 150 to 200 DKK (between 20 and 30 CHF). In my opinion, an excellent address for a relaxed fine dining experience.

7. Secure a seat for a gourmet New Year’s Eve dinner

As mentioned above, some research is essential if you want to stop at one of Copenhagen’s gourmet restaurants over Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Thanks to early planning, we were able to secure two seats for the New Year’s Eve dinner in Restaurant 108 (closed). Behind this bright, also very casual restaurant in an old warehouse in Christianshavn is also Noma founder René Redzepi. The New Year’s Eve menu included 10 courses as well as a matching wine pairing with 6 wines and was designed so that the meal was ready before midnight – the price: 390 CHF per person. For me, it was an all-round successful end to the year!

And this is where Copenhagen starts the new year

At 6 p.m., the New Year’s celebrations in Denmark traditionally start with Queen Margaret’s New Year’s address. Afterwards, the Danes prefer to celebrate New Year’s Eve with friends in the alleys and squares of the city centre. Like us, many people reserve a table in a restaurant (so remember: book early!) and then make a pilgrimage to the town hall. There, you count the 12 chimes together at midnight and then toast each other with a glass of sparkling wine. It is striking that in almost all public places of the city, private individuals start fireworks themselves. In my opinion, this is not without danger and the concierge at Nobis explicitly advised us not to go to the town hall square because it was “too risky” (due to uncontrolled firecrackers). Since I’m not a pyrotechnic advocate anyway, we leave it at a nightly stroll through the city center back to our hotel and toast the New Year there – with a view of the tower clock of the town hall.

Practical tips for New Year’s Eve in Copenhagen

• In addition to the Town Hall Square, the Tivoli is also a popular place to start the new year together with friends.
• A traditional New Year’s meal in Denmark includes cod and the wreath cake “Kransekage”
• On New Year’s Day, many attractions remain closed or have reduced opening hours. For example, a day trip to Malmö or a detour to Camp Adventure in Rønnede is worthwhile.
• If you are interested in modern art, I can recommend a detour to the Arken Museum of Modern Art in the southwest of the city.
• Those interested in architecture should not miss a visit to the “Blox”. Designed by Rem Koolhaas, the harbour building houses the Danish Architecture Center, which focuses on the future structural development of Copenhagen. Anyone who travels to the city centre by car (an expensive affair) can also try out the fully automated parking boxes here.

 

My Copenhagen Top Spots at a Glance

On the following map you will find at a glance all the sights, restaurants, cafés, museums and other top spots in Copenhagen mentioned in the article.