I have to admit that I was a little apprehensive about travelling to Copenhagen for a weekend break, purely because there was so much I wanted to do and I was worried that I either wouldn’t be able to fit everything in. Only I could worry about holiday (eyeroll emoji).

The amazing thing was that as soon as I landed at Copenhagen airport, the laid-back Scandi salty air ensured that I became a better version of myself, and immediately went on to have the best weekend possibly ever with one of my favourite travel buddies.

Here’s our itinerary for two nights in Copenhagen. We didn’t rush anywhere but we did manage to see nearly everything we wanted, all the while soaking up the Danish sun and good vibes (and eating a good quantity of Danish pastries of course).

Day one

After checking into our hotel which was handily right down the road from the main train station (more here), we headed straight towards the city centre, stopping for a coffee outside in a sunny little square. Diving into lots of cute home-ware shops, we meandered the streets and found the most amazing cafe tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the touristy areas, where we sampled our first rye bread of the trip. Then it was up the Round Tower for views over the city, and of course to Nyhaven where the colours of Copenhagen sit so prettily by the canal side. This was a place we couldn’t help but soak up and we spent a lot of time down here, however touristy and overcrowded it is!

In the evening we went to the beautiful Tivoli Gardens because this was a Danish must-do. Although quite expensive to get into (about £20 without the cost of the rides!), the old amusement park is completely magical – like a pristine, kitsch, Danish Disney Land – and definitely worth a visit when you’re in town. When it gets dark the the fairy lights makes it feel like you are on a Wes Anderson film set, and we were very happy to wander around without paying for rides, and to grab dinner at the Tivoli Food Hall.

Day two

On our second day we walked over 30,000 steps, insisting on getting everywhere we could by foot. After a lovely boat tour through the sunny canals of the city, we wandered over the bridge to the anarchic area of Freetown Christiania. Then it was off to the local food market across town – Torvehallerne – where the most amazing array of traditional and, non-traditional, food was on display. As a vegetarian I stuck to an ice-cream but it was definitely a good place to pick up a Smørrebrød, albeit at an expense! Next we wandered back across town again to the famous(ly underwhelming) Little Mermaid statue which we had seen from the water earlier. We had to fight through the tourists for a good picture, so I’m not sure I’d recommend unless you’re absolutely desperate to see the statue.

A long amble back to the hotel, via a coffee pit-stop and a nice rest by the water, to freshen up for dinner. We’d been recommended some cool, hip Danish restaurants to try, but in the end decided that we just wanted to be cliche tourists for the last night and have an overpriced pizza and Aperol Spritz in Nyhaven with those beautiful views again. Not exactly Danish but definitely worth it!

Day three

Another great European breakfast buffet courtesy of our hotel, and we set off to hire bikes. With dedicated bike lanes and most people choosing this method of transport, Copenhagen is a great place to cycle around. We reached our destination – Rosenborg Castle – after a nice pedal around the waterways. Rosenborg is where the Danish royalty kept their most extravagant possessions and was a great place to stay cool for an hour. There was just time to enjoy our last Danish pastry back at the Torvehallerne food market before we had to pick up our bags from the hotel and make our way back to the hotel.

Reflecting on the trip, it’s definitely one of the best weekend getaways I’ve ever had, and I can easily say that I fell completely in love with the Danish culture and way of life. I certainly wish we’d had longer to explore the city and surrounding areas. Copenhagen: I’m sure I will be back!