eat, shop, stay: copenhagen
Edited by: Glynnis Mapp
It’s been touted The Happiest Place on Earth: filled with some of the best foodie finds, gastronomic hideaways and fashion greats—Copenhagen is a small city with a big city feel. The Danes seem to have "the good life" down to an art, from food to fashion to hospitality, it’s a city that gives you the royal treatment. Get the world-class experience with these top Scandinavian picks.
EAT
Il Dona melds seafood foundations of Copenhagen and the delicious Italian palette for a food match made in heaven. Have the stingray and let the marriage of flavors delight your surprised tongue.
Set in what is the proverbial Meatpacking District of CPH, this urban-chic resto is a seafood-lover’s dream. If you want to get the true Danish experience, have the cod: a standard Dane dish that’s made with excellent detail—delicious and delicately prepared with butter. Finish off a delicious night with an orange-infused coffee martini for dessert.
There’s a reason why it’s been awarded as the best restaurant in the world two years running (yes, in the entire world). Getting a reservation here will take some efficient planning for foodies who want to earn bragging rights for eating here. Three month wait will get you the experience of a lifetime. Plan your next vacation around it!
SHOP
It’s a store, a fashion brand, a magazine and so much more. Fashion multi-tasker brand Monki offers kooky-cool fashion to shoppers looking for stylish separates with a little edge. H&M has even created a cute kawaii-meets-fashion photo editing app Monki Me which lets you Monki-ify your photos.
His and Hers brands Butler and Loftet offer Danish-cool fashion items that are easy-to-wear and easy-to-justify. Grab trendy necklace bags, a new leather jacket made of reclaimed leather or patterned tights, any of these will instantly upgrade your wardrobe.
This brand excellently blends classic shapes like the Mary Jane, the pointed court shoe, platform peep-toe and the ballet flat without making them look too dowdy or dated. Collections are designed and conceptualized in CPH and produced in Spain and Italy using the finest materials. Don’t leave Denmark without a pair—or two!
STAY
Facing the Copenhagen canal, this Marriott is all about the grand view. Fully stocked restaurant-style bar welcomes patrons and the main lobby level and concierge staff are tirelessly on hand for where-is and how-do-I questions. A 5-minute walk to the Copenhagen Central Station which makes it a perfect spot for stopovers and flighty travellers on the go.
Looking more boutique museum than hotel, the Bella Sky Comwell is a hotel with an art-y side. With its 23 floors, 812 designer rooms and 27 conference rooms, Bella Sky Comwell is the largest hotel in Scandinavia—and one of the prettiest. Just 10 minutes outside of the CPH downtown core, an artful oasis outside of the hustle and bustle (which isn’t much).
Sometimes, size matters: International Hotel Awards voted this tiny but trendy hotel the best small hotel in Denmark in 2011. And so it is: Avenue Hotel is family friendly while having serious yuppie appeal. Feel at home, but not at home with fashionable Scandinavian furnishings. Enjoy all-organic bath and body products ensuite.
