The Rooms

We stayed in a junior suite, in the depths of winter (February 2022) when cosy nights and warmth were a priority. The room was absolutely beautiful, but it was the finishing touches that made it feel special. The bath was completely luxurious, the shower huge, but the little package with face masks and pamper kits really elevated it. So when I got back from a day of sightseeing, I could put a face mask on, get in to the bath with a glass of wine, read my book and then moisturise to feel all lovely and rested before bed. Perfect.

The lounge area was big, with a comfy sofa and a nice big table and chairs, and the working fireplace was a beautiful final touch. You can call reception to come and light it any time, and then have a drink in front of it – the ultimate cosy touch on a cold winter’s night.

The mini bar was great, really well stocked with everything from complimentary water to nice bottles of wine, or a selection of soft drinks, and there was even a personal whiskey and gin selection, complete with lime if you wanted to make a night out of it. You can even buy any item of furniture you can see in the rooms, so if you particularly liked a chair or a bed – you can take it home with you (well, have it shipped, I doubt a four-poster would fit in the overhead lockers!)

I honestly couldn’t fault the room, it was worth every penny. It felt like a home away from home and a beautiful place to completely rest and switch off.

The Architecture and Location

Just wow. The hotel looks like something out of a film – and definitely not typically Danish. Located in the centre of the world famous Tivoli Gardens, the hotel was built in the 1900s inspired by Moorish styles. The hotel is also covered in lights, making it look completely fairytale like in the evening and at night.

Whilst I visited in winter meaning Tivoli Gardens were closed, normally the hotel price includes free tickets to the amusement park with it’s wonderful wooden rollercoasters and traditional fairground attractions. To have a fairground on your doorstep really is a unique feature of any hotel.

Food and Drink

As we visited in the winter the rooftop bar wasn’t open – but it really didn’t matter. The main bar is a beautiful space, with lots of comfy couches, a luxurious bar area, a grand piano and a huge fireplace. The bar serves afternoon tea and drinks all day, and its fairytale themed cocktail menu was really something special. Sitting by the fire with a wonderful cocktail chatting to my husband was just such a perfect way to spend the evening.

We also really rated the in-house restaurant, Nimb Brasserie, eating all of our breakfasts there and one dinner. The breakfasts were incredible – a well stocked buffet (including champagne, don’t mind if I do!) of yoghurts, pastries, meats, juices and fruit was a great selection in itself, but there was also a menu which served everything from avocado open sandwiches to perfect poached eggs and porridge. The dinner we ate was also brilliant, with the steak cooked to perfection and the gnocchi also so tasty. All round deliciousness.

The Spa

Another elevating factor of this hotel is its spa, which is just an incredible space. Not only can you book individual treatments, but also packages to really unwind. I went for a package which included 30 minutes in a traditional hammam, a 90 minute full body massage and then refreshments in the relaxation lounge. The whole experience was heavenly and again such a wonderful way to switch off and completely relax, especially as it was snowing outside.

The Staff

The staff at Nimb are absolutely wonderful. I met Maria, the hotel Director, by chance at reception and we went outside together and she kindly took a photo of me in front of the hotel. She took such an interest in why we had come to stay (I’ve written a lot about my issues of 2021 and won’t bore you all with the details again, but this was a ‘present to myself’ kind of stay), and she was so kind. She was clearly so passionate about the hotel and what it could do for guests and it felt like the hotel and its guests really mattered to her.

The reception staff were also wonderful, with Frederik taking the time to text me when our room was ready so we didn’t have to wait around, and our bags already being in the room waiting for us when it was. We loved the breakfast staff (shout out to the lady originally from The Philippines who ripped her trousers jumping over a hedge trying to find the bench from Notting Hill, only to discover the film isn’t real and the bench doesn’t really exist!), and the bar staff (thank you to the lovely lady who gave us free tea when I wasn’t feeling very well).

My only very small criticism was that when we went for dinner I left my bag under the table. When I came back to get it, the money had gone from the bag. Now, it wasn’t a lot of money, only around £30 and I also couldn’t say if it was a hotel guest, staff, or member of the public that took it – or even for sure that I didn’t lose it somewhere in the hour between paying for cocktails at the bar and heading down to the restaurant for dinner. But either way, it was the only one non-hygge experience of our stay.

This hotel is special. It’s a destination in and of itself. I could easily have spent all 4 of our days in Denmark in the hotel eating, drinking, resting and catching up on life. After a terrible 2021, it was the most perfect getaway, and I left with a feeling I’ve never had about a hotel before – that I really wanted to go back, to stay again for the experience of staying, the experience of feeling all hygge.

Thanks so much for reading – I hope my post does some justice to this wonderful place and I hope you might be inspired to pay Nimb a visit if you ever find yourself in Copenhagen. Thanks for reading, stay safe and happy travelling!

We started the day in The Viking Ship Museum, arriving for opening at 10am.

As the heart of the Viking Empire in Denmark, Roskilde was home to many Viking settlements and ships. It also meant it was a prime location for attacks, and to try to deter them, the Roskilde Vikings placed old ships along the sea routes in to their settlement to act as barricades. Hundreds of years later, in the 1960s, some of these ships were found at the bottom of the sea off the coast of Roskilde.

Incredibly, parts from 5 different Viking ships were found, known as the Skuldelev Ships (named after the area in which they were discovered), dating back to the 1000s. The ships were used for different purposes – two being cargo vessels, two being warships of different sizes and one being a fishing boat. Interestingly, only 2 originate from Denmark itself, with another 2 from Western Norway and one from Dublin, Ireland.

All 5 ships have been painstakingly reconstructed and are now displayed in the museum at Roskilde. Also at the museum are a number of exhibits including alongside each boat explaining what it was used for and its stats. There is also an exhibition on the excavations themselves and how the boats were brought up from the sea-bed and restored.

There is then also a really interesting exhibit on the Viking period as a whole, including the areas they reached (as far away as Turkey and Canada!), their gods, the extent of their raids, their customs and traditions and their eventual decline. My favourite part though was The Lewis Chessmen. The rest of the set can be found in The British Museum (post coming soon) so it was great to find some more originals.

The museum lies right on the water front, and in addition to the museum there is an area where traditional Viking crafts are undertaken, and visitors can take part in them too. Also during the summer months, a reconstructed Viking ship (made from methodology and materials of the time, not a modern tourist trap) sails daily, enabling you to take to the water on a traditional vessel.

We spent the whole morning at The Viking Ship Museum, and it was so interesting to learn more about a period of history I knew little about before my visit to Denmark.

Aftre lunch, we walked from The Viking ship Museum in to Roskilde town, which is about 15 minutes up hill. We explored the lovely town and were taken by its bright yellow buildings and colours. We particularly liked Roskilde Palace, Roskilde Museum and the town’s Market Square.

After a stroll and some lunch, we then headed to the famous Roskilde Cathedral and WOW am I glad to have been inside. Having known nothing about it before my visit I was completely taken aback by its incredible interior. A UNESCO world heritage site, this is the most important Cathedral in Denmark, being home to the burial sites of all previous Kings and Queens of the country. It’s spectacular, and easy to spend at least an hour inside.

All of Denmark’s Kings have been called either Christian or Frederik, and you can pay tribute to them all – dating from to Christian I in the 1400s to Frederik IX in 1972. The current Queen’s plot is already identified and designed (she is 72 this year and celebrates her 50th year as Queen), and there is an exhibition on Royal Burials. The beautiful burial chambers and frescos around the church are really stunning, and there is also a small museum on the first floor of the Cathedral to learn a bit more about its history.

After all that exploring, we headed back to Copenhagen. Just please don’t make the mistake we did – we managed to miss our train meaning we had to get a taxi back. Prices are extortionate in Denmark so it ended up costing us £90 to get back!!!!!!!!!! Whilst the cost of the journey stung more than a little bit, and left a bitter taste on the day, the experience of visiting Roskilde was one that will stay with me and is really worthwhile doing. Just be sure to get the train and don’t even consider getting taxis anywhere in Denmark!

What do you think of this amazing place? Would you want to visit? Thanks so much for reading, stay safe and happy travelling!

Visiting in winter means that quite a few of Copenhagen’s main attractions, like Tivoli Gardens, are closed. However, it also means there are far, far less people and you can virtually walk around crowd free everywhere. It does mean the weather is more likely than not to be grim, but it also means those astronomical prices aren’t quite so high and good deals can be found on hotels.

Visiting major cities in winter also means experiencing a bit more of local life rather than just feeling like a cog in the mass tourist wheel. And whilst it’s guaranteed you won’t get much sun in Copenhagen in winter, it’s still a beautiful time to see the city with lovely early morning light, cosy fires in restaurants, emptier hotels and no waiting lines. And of course, there’s still plenty to do!

You can do everything on this list in 2-2.5 days depending on how long you want in the museums, and putting it together makes for a perfect long weekend winter stay in the Danish capital. If you have longer, then maybe also think about visiting Roskilde, home to Viking ships and Danish Kings – post HERE.

Contents

1. Contents
2. Nyhavn
3. Christiansborg Palace
4. Climb the Christiansborg Tower
5. Gammel Strand and Hojbro Plads
6. National Museum of Denmark
7. Changing of the Guard at Amalienborg Palace
8. Marble Church
9. The Little Mermaid
10. Kastellet Fortress
11. Danish Resistance Museum
12. Rosenborg Palace
13. River boat trip
14. Cocktails at Nimb
15. Sample traditional Danish food
16. Town Hall & The Shopping Area

Nyhavn

Nyhavn, or New Harbour, is one of the most famous areas of Copenhagen and a must see on a visit to the city. Built in the 1600s, it’s full of incredible houses all beautifully preserved and colourful. The famous author Hans Christian Andersen even lived in one during the 1800s. Today it’s a great spot to stroll around, and you can also catch boat cruises along the Nyhavn front. It’s great to visit in the winter as you may get the harbour frozen over with ice, and invariably the restaurants are quiet and the walkways not heaving with people. Just wear a coat and a hat.

Christiansborg Palace

Christiansborg is one of the most famous Danish palaces. Originally built in the 1700s, the current version was built in the early 1900s. It is the seat of the Danish Parliament, the Prime Minister’s Office and the Supreme Court. Several parts of the palace are also used by the Danish Queen (Margrethe, who is 72 and celebrates 50 years as Queen in 2022), including the Royal Reception Rooms, the Palace Chapel and the Royal Stables.

Seeing the Palace is a perfect winter stop because the Royal Reception Rooms are indoors, and you can have them literally all to yourself which is incredibly special. We arrived at 2pm, and were the only people visiting.

Climb the Christiansborg Tower

Now this one’s a bit of a chilly one. The tower you see through the entrance gates to Christiansborg is open to climb. It’s also completely free, and there is a restaurant up there. So if you want to do something special on your visit, you could have lunch up the tower – or you could just climb up to get the beautiful views out over Copenhagen – just wrap up, it’s windy up there in the winter (but also deserted so great for the photos).

Gammel Strand and Hojbro Plads

Another lovely area of the city is Gammel Strand and Hojbro Plads, right outside Christiansborg Palace. It’s another outdoor one here though, as Gammel Strand (literally ‘Old Beach’) and Hojbro Plads (‘High Bridge Place’) are two architectural beauties. We walked around taking it all in, and then popped in to Nikolaj Kunstahl, a contemporary art exhibition in an old church, to warm up. We also ate lunch along Gammel Strand at a tasty burger and cocktail place called Cocks & Cows…..the cocktails definitely helped with the cold!

National Museum of Denmark

It’s time to warm up with something indoors again. The National Museum of Denmark is incredible, and if you’re a museum geek like me then you could easily spend the entire day in there. We had to limit ourselves to 3 hours but it wasn’t enough.

Inside, they have a whole exhibition on The Vikings, including Roskilde 6, one of the largest Viking ships ever found. They also have the whole history of Denmark documented through boards and objects from Pre-History to 2000. This includes the shift from Viking to Medieval times and conversion to Christianity, Renaissance, explorations to Iceland, Greenland, Antarctica and further afield, formation of the Monarchy and Kingdom of Denmark, including Norway, the many battles with Sweden, the colonies established overseas from India (who knew!) to the Danish West Indies and Denmark’s role in the slave trade, all the way through to industrialisation, the World Wars, the Cold War and the modern day. I mean…..like I say, could have spent all day in there.

Changing of the Guard at Amalienborg Palace

Amalienborg sits in the heart of Copenhagen, and is where you can visit the seat of Europe’s oldest Monarchy to go behind the scenes in a real royal Palace. This Palace is made up of 4 individual Palaces in a circle, and they are the homes of the Royal Family. When the Queen is in residence a Danish flag flies over her Palace.

And guess what? This is her winter residence, so she’s there for a winter visit. And this comes with some benefits. The main one is that every day at 12pm the Guards change in a ceremony, and when the Queen is in residence this comes complete with a band playing. You don’t get that in the summer! Plus, there’s not many people there to see it so it’s a great spectacle and even better if you can warm your hands up enough to get them out and take some photos!

The second benefit is you might even see her – as we did, along with some paparazzi. I haven’t seen my own beloved Queenie here in England, but I have seen the Danish Queen. Another bonus of a winter visit!

Marble Church

After the cold of the Changing of the Guard, it’s time to warm up again by nipping up the road and in to the spectacular Marble church, which was built in the 1700s and actually forms part of the Amalienborg complex. It’s free to enter and the ceiling is a must see (plus, there are lots of heaters).

The Little Mermaid

Another famous landmark to be seen when visiting Copenhagen is the Little Mermaid, a statue built to commemorate the fairytale by Hans Christen Andersen (and made world famous by Disney). It was ordered designed by a man who fell in love with a Ballerina he wanted to impress and base the statue’s face on her. However, she wouldn’t post naked for the top half so he had to use his wife as the model for that bit – I can only imagine she wasn’t too impressed.

Kastellet Fortress

The Little Mermaid is on the outskirts of The Kastellet Fortress. This is the coldest of the items on the winter list, but while you’re there you may as well visit it and the next stop is a warm one. The Kastellet Fortress is one of the best preserved fortresses in Europe, and is still used as a military base today. You can walk around and through it, and inside the Fortress walls are some lovely things to see – including a park, bright colourful military houses, 2 small museums (closed in winter) and even a windmill!

Danish Resistance Museum

Let’s warm up inside again with some history. During WW2, Denmark was occupied by the Nazis. This museum tells the story of how the Danish government took an approach of tolerance to Nazi occupation, but how over time actions of resistance began occurring until liberation in 1945. I always find it interesting how many countries were taken over by the Nazis (France, Hungary, The Netherlands, Denmark etc), and how quickly Nazism spread across Europe. Many saw Nazi Germany as undefeatable and didn’t have the power to stop them so allowed them in to their countries – I think it makes me even more proud to be British and part of the country that said no, absolutely not. I know Winston Churchill now has his critics and many are seeking for him to be ‘cancelled’, but as the Prime Minister who quite literally protected Western Europe from today being Nazi, I think his accomplishments well outweigh some of his now outdated views.

Rosenborg Palace

Rosenborg Palace is an old Royal Palace, originally built as a summer house. The Royal family no longer reside here, but it is home to Denmark’s treasury, and so the Crown Jewels of Denmark. It’s also situated in a lovely garden. Even in winter, this Palace was busy and the most people we had seen for all of our trip, so I dread to think how heaving it can get in summer. But at least it was warm and beautiful.

River boat trip

A nice way to see a bit more of Copenhagen is to take a boat trip. There is one downside to visiting in the winter and doing a boat trip – you’re basically guaranteed a high tide which means the boat won’t wiggle through all the city centre. The benefit – the boat will be almost empty, and with global warming, even in summer there is a high tide about 3 days out of 7 now. Also if you’re visiting in February as we did, the light festival is on so you can see some lovely illuminations on an evening cruise.

We chose to cruise with Stromma and our guide was brilliant – we learnt a lot about Denmark; from the Queen to the tradition of skinny dipping to the history of buildings and areas.

Cocktails at Nimb

One of the attractions that is closed over winter is Tivoli Gardens, one of the most established amusement parks in Europe, home to lovely wooden rides and traditional games. Within Tivoli is a gorgeous hotel called Nimb, which during the summer months is busy and full of tourists. But In the winter you can have it all to yourselves. We chose to stay at Nimb (taking advantage of those winter discounts) and you can read my full review of the hotel HERE.

If you don’t want to stay at the hotel though, it’s still worth visiting as it’s so beautiful and the cocktails are a Fairytale themed menu of delciousness – I had the Snow Queen. The bar is beautiful and the perfect place to curl up next to the fire with a drink or afternoon tea. There is also an on-site spa which offers incredible treatments including traditional hammam treatments and massages – another wonderful option for the winter.

Sample traditional Danish food

One of the absolute pleasures of visiting Copenhagen in winter is to have restaurant tables without time limits, without being cramped in, getting to talk to the staff alongside roaring fires and wonderful plates of delicious food. The food is a highlight of any winter trip to the city, and whilst you must sample some traditional Danish food at spots like Karla’s or Amalie or Sankt Annae, the whole food scene in Copenhagen is wonderful, with every cuisine imaginable on offer. We also particularly enjoyed Cocks & Cows, Sticks & Sushi and Nimb Brasserie to add some variety.

Town Hall & The Shopping Area

Copenhagen City Hall is the headquarters of the Copenhagen City Council as well as the Lord Mayor. The building is situated on City Hall Square in central Copenhagen, and is beautiful to admire….even in the rain!

Also just on from the Town Hall is the main shopping area in Copenhagen, which you can reach by walking up Stroget street. Here you can visit The Lego Store, which is a must when in Denmark as it’s the home of Lego. Also along the streets are some lovely independent shops, as well as The Church of the Holy Spirit, which again is nice to pop in to, especially when it’s raining!

So what do you think of Copenhagen? Would you like to visit, and do you like the sound of a cosy winter time stay there? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below and as always, stay safe and happy travelling!