I adore Copenhagen. The people are some of the nicest you will meet, the food is gorgeous and diverse, and the culture is simply unmatched in the world.
Nites
Hands down, the Hotel Skt Annae (https://hotelsktannae.com/) is my favourite hotel in Copenhagen. The rooms are gorgeous – and the halls rather narrow but this is a converted row house – and the breakfast (not included but worth the additional price) was amble and out of this world. The hotel is very close to the Kongens Nytorv square in the heart of the city, subway stations, and the requisite shopping.
Another boutique hotel in the same area as the Skt Annae is 71 Nyhavn Hotel (https://www.71nyhavnhotel.dk/), gorgeously situated at the end of the “dock” with stunning views toward Christianshavn island.
If the Skt Annae is too small and quaint, or you just need a chain hotel, the Hotel NH Collection Copenhagen is probably calling your name.
Bites
If I only had one night in Copenhagen, I would book a table at Bistro Lupa (https://www.bistrolupa.dk/home) as soon as I could. A vegan restaurant through and through, the tasting menu is inventive and gives you a sense of Spanish cooking, without trying to replicate traditional meet dishes. Not inexpensive in the least, but if you can do it, the accompanying tasting menu is sheer perfection.
And to be honest, I’d never have just one night in Copenhagen, just so that I could return to Urten Restaurant (https://www.urtenvegan.dk/), a short walk from Kongens Nytorv square, down a pedestrian shop in the funky neighborhood of Copenhagen. Urten isn’t super fancy in décor, but the staff are amazing and the food was truly outstanding. I took two non-vegans and they still talk about the experience to this day.
POPL Restaurant (https://poplburger.com/), near the innnerhavensbroen, the footbridge to the Christianshavn island, is an outstanding restaurant with anything but your average burger (including two stunning vegetarian options, one of which was lions mane, if they have it). The restaurant is always packed, and reservations are highly advised as it’s considered one of the more affordable – but still expensive – places to dine in Copenhagen
Sites
I spent half a day strolling around the streets of Christianshavn, as well as it’s water ways on a glorious early Fall day. I didn’t have a destination in mind, I just wanted to see where people live and what their culture entails, and I would do it again.
The Kongens Nytorv square is where people meet and, for the few benches available, people watch. As luck would have it, I met friends from the States who happened to be traveling in Copenhagen at the same time and we did as the locals: we found a bench, and chatted for an hour before heading off for a coffee.
And, yes, every guide book will tall you that you should visit Tivoli Gardens and the Little Mermaid, and you must: it may be touristy but both are so memorable and worth the effort.