I like to think that I’m a balanced traveller. I’ll splurge on a unique experience or a beautiful hotel and then eat stale bread to recoup my losses. Or I’ll Couchsurf and then splurge on activities and excellent meals. But, unfortunately, Copenhagen is the kind of destination very few people can afford to ball out in.
I have never said “pass” to so many things in my life – whether it was a $15 pint of beer, $30 zoo entrance, or $8 latte. Seriously? $8 for a latte? Come on, Copenhagen. That being said, I did do (and eat) a lot during my long weekend in this lovely Scandinavian city. Here’s how I travelled to Copenhagen on a budget.
Accommodation
Copenhagen does have some cheaper options for accommodation, but you’re kidding yourself if you think you’re going to find a $10 dorm bed. Don’t worry though, this is probably the most significant chunk of your budget, and you don’t have to shell out a lot of money on much else.
Hostels
One of my favourite hostels I’ve ever stayed at is Globalhagen. Aside from being a very reasonable price, I loved that Globalhagen is a non-profit run by volunteers, AND they’re committed to sustainable and eco-friendly practices. If that’s not enough, the location is super central, and they have a budget-friendly bar and café in their lobby. So if you’re visiting Copenhagen on a budget, I highly recommend staying at Globalhagen.
Another hostel we looked at but didn’t end up staying this time was called Annex. This was the cheapest hostel I could find, and the location is very central as well.
Volunteer
Globalhagen hostel is completely volunteer-run, and their staff gets to stay in the beautiful hostel for free. Unfortunately, we didn’t last long enough to volunteer, but it seemed like so much fun! The team would hang out and play games in the common areas, and they had their kitchen for cooking meals. If I had stayed longer, I would have looked into volunteering at Globalhagen.
Something I have never done but would like to is participating in a Workaway. This website has a vast database of volunteer opportunities around the world. You usually have to work for 4-5 hours a day, five days a week, but room and board are almost always included. This would be an excellent way to experience Copenhagen on a budget.
Airbnb
This is almost always a cheaper option than staying in a hotel. I’ve stayed in quite a few Airbnbs during my travels, and I’ve always had great experiences.
Hotels
If you want to stay in a hotel, I recommend searching with Booking.com. They usually have the best prices, and you’re able to sort by price to find the best deals.
Transportation
Transportation is where you will recoup your losses, my friends. Copenhagen is a SUPER walkable city. We didn’t even bother with buses or the metro because everything was pretty close together.
Walking
My recommendation? Walk EVERYWHERE. The longest distance we had to walk was about a mile and a half, but there were always so many pretty streets and buildings to see along the way that we didn’t even notice the distance.
Biking
Another option is to rent a bike. We wanted to rent bikes, but it was freezing the weekend we went like face-hurting, nostril-freezing cold. I was shocked to see locals out on their bikes without hats or scarves just cruising through the streets. Those Scandinavians are crazy, man.
Public Transportation
You will have to take some form of transportation to and from the airport. Luckily the airport is roughly 20 minutes from the city centre by Metro and relatively cheap. So a one-way ticket to the city centre only set us back at 36 DK (about $5.75).
Food
The cuisine is huge in Copenhagen. There are fine-dining options all over the city, and it seems like every menu has the word organic plastered all over it. So if food is a big part of the travel experience for you, I say go for it. You’ll probably have some of the best food of your life here. The best restaurant in the world is in Copenhagen.
Cook your food
If you’re a peasant like me, the kitchen in your hostel will be your best friend when travelling to Copenhagen on a budget. Grocery stores have standard prices for food. We got all our groceries for the long weekend for about $20. Keep in mind that we eat a lot of fundamental food when travelling: pasta, rice and beans, oatmeal, etc.
Convenience stores
If you’re out and you need a quick bite to eat, you can hit up a 7/11. There are 7/11’s on pretty much every corner in the city centre. For breakfast one morning, I scored a coffee and two croissants for about $5. They also have a shocking amount of healthy and organic food at these convenience stores.
Eating out
It won’t be easy, but budget-friendly restaurants can be found in Copenhagen. Unfortunately, the only restaurant we ate at was an authentic Italian restaurant called La Fiorita. They have substantial personal pizzas starting at 50 DK ($8.50).
Other options that we saw all over town were kebab and falafel restaurants. You can find meals at these places for 35 DK, although our Danish friend told us to look for the mid-range ones to avoid food poisoning.
Nightlife
If you’re a bar-hopping kind of person, I have some bad news for you. Copenhagen is going to drain your bank account faster than you can say, “I just paid $15 for a pint of beer?”
I’m not a huge nightlife person anyway, so this category didn’t break my budget. We found a couple of ways around the crazy bar prices:
- Open carry is legal in Copenhagen. One night we grabbed a couple of beers from the supermarket and watched the sunset over the river. When you’re in Copenhagen on a budget, the world is your bar.
- Our hostel served beer, wine, and cocktails for pretty reasonable prices. There was live music during one of the nights we visited, so we just grabbed a couple of drinks from the hostel bar and enjoyed the party.
- Most bars and craft breweries offer cheaper half-pint sizes. You’re not going to get drunk, but at least you get to sample some local brews. Our favourite (and only) brewery we went to was called BRUS, and they had some seriously creative flavours of beer – beetroot IPA, anyone?
Activities
Luckily, most activities are free or reasonably priced, making it easier to travel to Copenhagen on a budget.
Many museums are free for students or anyone under 25. One of these bargain museums that was highly recommended to us is the Design Museum. But, unfortunately, it was closed on a Monday. So instead, we opted for the David Collection, a fascinating art and history museum that is entirely free to visit.
My favourite thing to do in the city is to walk around and take in the sights. So we did a little self-guided walking tour that included Nyhavn, the Little Mermaid statue, the Queen’s Palace courtyard, the royal church, and Freetown Christiana.
If you’re able to spend a few more dollars, make sure to visit the Tivoli Gardens. These gardens inspired Walt Disney to create Disney World. They’re magical, especially at night in winter with all the Christmas lights up.
