A wintry Nordic break

Until recently I had spent no longer than 12 hours in the city of Copenhagen on the final leg of a Baltic cruise holiday back in 2011. I have always had a soft spot for all things Nordic and those 12 hours are still engrained in my memory. I can even recall my first authentic smørrebrød experience at the very lovely Skt Annae (which is still going by the way!)

Our base for this return visit was the Hotel Skt Petri, a perfectly located design hotel in the Latin Quarter, formally a department store dating back to the 1930’s. Rooms are modern yet peppered with 60’s retro touches like the Flos Snoopy desk lamp in bedrooms and Platner furniture in the lobby. The hotel is proud to offer many sustainable initiatives such as using food waste for biogas, key-cards made of wood instead of plastic, the use of 100% offshore wind power, only MSC certified fish served in their restaurants, unwanted furniture donated to charity and the participation in the “Too Good to Go” campaign where food leftover from breakfast services is redistributed to locals at a small fee.

From April – September, the hotel arranges pizza nights from their alfresco cooking station in the courtyard terrace (a rare find in the city!)

The city is flat, so easy to get around by foot (we notched up over 60,000 steps in our 3 days!) and bike rental is readily available at most hotels, including the Skt Petri. To travel from and to the airport, the most efficient and cost-effective method is the metro – costing DKK36 (roughly £4) and taking just under 20 minutes.

Experiencing a traditional smørrebrød lunch is a foodie must in the city (with or without a glass of schnaps to wash it down with!) We went for a restaurant with a more modern twist and bagged the last table in Selma – a sweet, homely restaurant named after the owner’s daughter. The pork cheek and mackerel options were delicious and if you love fresh truffle, then you’ve come to the right place! We typically stopped short of dessert in order to try a different bakery each day. You can’t go wrong with an Emmerys or Lagkagehuset (Ole & Steen as we know it over here) as they’re practically on every corner. However, we delved a little deeper and our absolute favourite was Umiddelbar, located off a quiet side street leading to the Nyhavn waterfront. (That’s how we stumbled across another great ‘find’, Nebbiolo wine bar just next door.) Great Italian wines by the glass, delicious antipasti platters and a lowlit, romantic ambience. The Danes like to eat out and often it’s a formal affair of 3+ courses. As many restaurants have a small number of covers, it’s important to prebook tables to avoid disappointment. If you’re looking for more informal food options though, then head to Torvehallerne food market (80+ vendors in one space) or Tivoli food hall and if you need a burger fix (i.e. like my husband!) then Jagger was excellent, founded by former Michelin chef, Rasmus Oubæk.

Copenhagen is absolutely jam-packed with things to do and see; visit royal palaces & gardens, spend some kroner shopping along Strøget, join a canal tour, cycle the Harbour Ring and absorb yourself in to coffee culture. However if you’re willing to travel further afield, why not take the train to Malmo in Sweden (40 minutes) or the metro out to Amager Strandpark (30 minutes) to enjoy 5 kilometres of sandy beach.

Denmark continues to be ranked as one of the happiest countries in the world. I can see why!