How to visit Copenhagen and do not go bankrupt

Copenhagen is a beautiful, nordic city – a total must among the places to visit in Europe. However, it’s also one of the most expensive European destinations. When I was heading to the capital of Denmark more than a week ago, I received a lot of recommendations of what to do in Copenhagen and where to go, but I hardly found information about how to… survive and do not go bankrupt. I could write just another post about my favorite spots in this city, but I thought it would me more useful to share with you my tips of how to make your stay in Copenhagen as affordable as it’s possible. 

1. Rent a bike in Copenhagen

As soon as I landed at the airport, I bought my first and my last metro ticket in Copenhagen – it was the easiest and the fastest way to get to the centre. The single ticket  costs 35 DKK, which is around 4,60 euro. Sounds like a lot, right? Once you get to the centre, you will realize that most of the citizens prefer different mode of transportation which is… bike! Copenhagen is know for its biking culture and the best city for cyclists. There is more than 390 kilometers of bike lanes all over the city and the bikes are literally everywhere. You can save on metro/bus tickets and rent your own bike. There are many different places with reasonable prices, starting from 30 DKK per hour.

2. Use happy hours for lunch

Copenhagen offers a large selection of restaurants from all over the world but unfortunately food is one of the most expensive things in the city. Despite this, there is always a plan B! Many places give you the option to use happy hours, when the prices are much lower than usual. The happy hours period changes depending on the time of the week and also keep in mind that some restaurants don’t apply this promotion on weekends. For me it was the best way to save some money on food!

3. Walk the city

If you don’t like to ride a bike or the weather forces you to opt out of this option, you can always… walk. I visited all the most emblematic places in Copenhagen on foot. The capital of Denmark is not a very big city and all the important monuments and districts are situated pretty close to each other. I was staying in Amagerbro district and it was taking me up to 25 minutes to walk from my hotel to the centre. 

4.  Make a list of museums and places with free entrance

Copengagen, like many other cities, offers free entrance to some museums on particular days of the week. Among the museums you can visit for free are for example: Carlsberg Museum on Monday and Museum of Copenhagen on Friday. The most famous district of Copenhagen – Christiana – is also totally free. If you add some parks and Christianborg Palace, you already have a plan for two days without paying any entrance. 

5. Visit the supermarkets nearby

Maybe it’s not the most glamorous advice, but I think it may help you saving a lot of money. I made a rule that I would have one good meal per day outside, the rest was in the hotel. If you want to order breakfast in the hotel, it would cost you around 12 euro per person. I preferred to spend this money on lunch and make my own breakfast with bread and some cheese from the closest grocery store. The prices in supermarkets are not very different from the ones I am used to see in Barcelona, so my wallet didn’t suffer too much.

The last but not the least…

Don’t count every cent you spend and have fun! Buy yourself some ice cream, try delicious stick waffles and bring home some souvenirs. Spend your money on things you will really enjoy, it’s a very subjective matter. For me 15 euro for 3 hours in The National Museum were definitely worth the price, much more than hotel’s breakfast for 12 euro. Making your individual list of priorities will help you stay organized and enjoy, because this is what holidays are about! Relax and fun 🙂 And remember that Danes have been called the happiest people in the world, so smile back!