Copenhagen is the capital of Denmark, which is known as the happiest country in the world at the time of writing. It is very far to travel from Berlin to Copenhagen (about 8 hours by train), and from Copenhagen to other European countries that I am visiting. Still, I insist on putting Copenhagen city in my itinerary because I want to celebrate my birthday at the happiest country in the world. 🙂

When I first arrived in Copenhagen, my first impression is that everything here is super expensive! I had 800DKK (€107) of cash for 4 days, but it was not enough so I have to use the credit card for sometimes.

 

Free Walking Tour in Copenhagen

I usually join the tip-based free walking tour on my first/second day of arrival, because it is a good way to get to understand the city. I asked my tour guide to recommend a good restaurant in Copenhagen for my birthday celebration.

Then, my tour guide bought me a small piece of cake!! I never expected someone will buy me a cake since I was travelling alone… so I was very touched. 🙂

 

My Birthday at Tivoli Amusement Park

I decided to visit the theme park on my birthday. I always have a special feeling for a theme park. Isn’t this a warm place making people laugh and feel love? I was also thinking about the happy moments in the past 🙂

Tried to save the minions but unsuccessful… Only got the consolation prize: 2 flowers. Perfect for my birthday Lol

Ride 4 times Ferris wheel, 2 times bumper car, and don’t know how many times other rides today XD not sure how can I do this alone hahaha

And had a delicious dinner at a beautiful restaurant… 😊 I was on a semi budget trip so haven’t had a dinner in a restaurant for a while.

 

The happiest country in the world

Denmark is the happiest country in the world is mainly because the social welfare here is very good. The gap between the rich and the poor is very small. Some high-earning people need to pay 60%+ of tax but they are doing so happily. Another important reason that the tour guide told us is that most probably they were doing the questionnaire during the summer and not in the winter. 😝

 

Nyhavn – the most scenic place in Copenhagen

Sitting on the bench here and listening to the music… Seeing colourful buildings and boats… A day is gone! I like this place!!

 

The Little Mermaid – A sad story

This is my favourite place in Copenhagen. I am not a big fan of statues (although they are everywhere in Europe), and I couldn’t understand why some statues are so famous. They are just a statue isn’t it? But this is a special one, at least for me… It looks like there is an endless story and feeling behind the statue.

It is one of the most beautiful fairytales which is also a sad story. But at least she followed her heart. She had no regret. Why must every fairytale have a happy ending? Her selflessness created the most beautiful story. The ultimate happiness in the world isn’t just about living the good life but to have a person that you could die for.

The only complaint about this place was too many tourists here (including me)! Everyone wanted to take photos with the little mermaid so it is hard for you to really enjoy seeing the statue. This has also created many money opportunities for the locals, as it seems that the little mermaid statue model is one of the best-selling souvenirs here. Actually, I would like to buy one too but it is a bit too heavy for me…

 

Money Saving Tips

Denmark is very expensive to visit, especially the food. But if you are not fussy about food, you can still find some very good deals. A normal meal in a restaurant typically cost 150 – 250 DKK (about €27). My recommendation is to eat Chinese meal. There are plenty of shops selling Chinese takeaway food for DKK35 (about €4-5) that you can select 3 dishes. Not a bad idea!

There are also many street stalls that sell the hot dog with buns. It costs around 24 – 35 DKK for a hot dog with a bun (about €4). It is probably not enough with one hot dog so most likely you will have two… By the way, I had a very delicious spicy hot dog from a small street stall… it is probably the best hot dog that I have ever had!! 😋

Book your hotel/hostel early! A normal 6-bed dorm cost about 250 DKK (€33) per night and will be around 20% cheaper if you book early. If you want a budget single room (like me – I wanted more comfortability because it was my birthday), you should book the room even earlier so you can find some deals below 500 DKK (€67) per night – normally without a private bathroom. It is really hard to find a cheap room because everything is too expensive in Copenhagen unless you don’t mind staying a bit far from the city.

I saw a Chinse gal selling her travelling photos on the street. She is only 20 years old travelling in Europe. She didn’t put any price for the photos, instead, she asked people to price the photo… Unfortunately, it was the last day of my trip and I didn’t have much DKK currency left for her. I would really like to buy one to support her because she is so brave!

 

My feeling for Copenhagen

Copenhagen is a very safe city. It is big and clean. The locals are nice and friendly and I feel comfortable here. However, I think it is not as beautiful as other parts of European countries (please don’t be mad at me, I am just expressing my feeling).

I am more into sightseeing but I couldn’t find a place here that surprises me. I quite like the Little Mermaid statue and Nyhavn – but they didn’t ‘wow’ me and it won’t take more than a day to visit them. Nevertheless, I think it is a good place to live because it is a great city with good social welfare and the happy nation (who are benefit from the strong currency)!

Related Posts:
A day trip to Malmö from Copenhagen

Previous stop: Berlin, Germany
Next stop: Krakow, Poland