10 Worldwide Travel
30TH JANUARY 2025
Copenhagen: this year’s must-visit winter destination
From ice swimming and sauna rituals to live jazz and world-class cuisine, here’s why winter in Copenhagen is Europe’s best-kept secret
© ABDELLAH IHADIAN
Danish people have a term — hygge — which encapsulates a feeling of winter cosiness, best experienced in the capital city of Copenhagen. As the chilly nights draw in, the Danish capital becomes the embodiment of hygge. Tink candlelit coffee shops, log-burning saunas and centu- ries-old streets decked with twin- kling lights. Denmark’s tempera- tures might drop below zero, but there’s warmth to be found every- where, from communal dining halls to intimate jazz clubs.
Embrace the cold by going ice swimming Copenhagen has some of the cleanest water in Europe. Te waterways are so unpolluted that you can swim in the harbour year-round and winter swimming has become so popular that there are eight designated winter bathing clubs across the city. La Banchina, an organic vege-
© MELLANIE GANDØ
tarian and sustainable seafood restaurant, sits right on the water- front in Holmen. Brace yourself for a chilly dip alongside the hardy locals; they’ll plunge into the Øresund, no matter the weather. Warm up after- wards in the onsite sauna, followed by a bowl of nourishing soup around the crackling firepit. Or head to Margretheholm
Harbour for a traditional Danish saunagus experience at the Butchers Heat. Inside the glass-fronted sauna, a ‘gusmaster’ will lead you through a one-hour session, which involves dousing the hot sauna coals with aromatherapy oils to create a fragrant, calming atmosphere.
© DANIEL JENSEN
Hit the slopes for urban skiing Head over to CopenHill, a 500-yard- long artificial ski slope, plonked on top of a super-futuristic power plant. Beginners can book a ski lesson with an expert instructor, while advanced skiers can test their skills on the slalom course and freestyle park. Swing by on a Friday night to watch the city’s best riders compete, followed by a bass-thumping after- party at the Skicafé. If you’d rather keep your feet on
solid ground, follow the series of tree-lined hiking trails to the Copen- Hill summit. Drink in views across the city from the Rooftop Café, best seen at sunset with a steaming glass of gløgg (mulled wine).
Enjoy communal dining and baked treats Fællesspisning (communal dining) has long been practiced across Denmark.
Traditionally,
towns hosted weekly dinners in their local halls as a way of bringing residents together. Tese communal gatherings have
become increasingly popular in Copenhagen. Absalon hosts one of the best-known fællesspisning in the city. Every evening at 6pm, crowds gather outside this former church, ready to tuck in to a heartwarming meal of chicken-tomato casserole or mushroom barley risotto. Arrive early to experience warm Danish hospitality at its best.
Alternatively, foodies shouldn’t miss Dining Week.
It’s the largest
restaurant festival in the Nordics, taking place in Copenhagen every February. For 10 days, more than 200 restaurants across the country offer world-class dishes for a frac- tion of the regular price. Must-visit restaurants include Green Miche- lin-starred Bistro Lupa and cosy brunch spot Café Oscar. Cap off your culinary adven-
tures with fastelavnsboller. Tese cream-filled cardamom buns are the ultimate winter treat — origi- nally made to celebrate Fastelavn, a Danish carnival day that hails the end of winter. On this day, chil- dren wear fancy dress and knock on neighbours’ doors while singing in exchange for sweets. Today, fastelavnsboller appear in bakeries across Denmark for the whole of February. Stop by Sankt Peders to try a traditional custard-filled bolle or Andersen Bakery for an artisan raspberry and matcha masterpiece.
Sit back and take in some winter jazz Copenhagen has a rich history of jazz, dating back to the 1950s and ’60s when many American jazz legends — including Dexter Gordon and Ben Webster — made the city their European creative home. Today, Denmark’s unique jazz
legacy is commemorated each summer at the Copenhagen Jazz Festival, but its more recent spin-off, Vinterjazz, is a three-week festival held every February with over 600 live jazz gigs across 150 venues in Denmark. Expect to hear everything from
bossa nova to poetry and jazz mash-ups. Mike Stern and Made- leine Peyroux were among the inter- national headliners last year, along- side Danish artists including Kira Skov and Jakob Bro. If you’ve only got time for one gig,
head to Jazzhus Montmatre, an inti- mate venue, which has hosted the world’s most renowned jazz artists. Enjoy a pre-show dinner at a candlelit table on Tursday, Friday and Saturday nights.
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Copenhagen Light Festival Embrace the long winter nights at the Copenhagen Light Festival. Every February, for three weeks, the city’s dark streets are illuminated with light-based art installations. Artists from all over the world are invited to exhibit their works, which bathe Copenhagen’s historic build- ings, leafy squares and glistening canals in a warm glow. Admire these glowing spectacles on a self-guided walk through the city centre. Alter- natively, book a guided canal cruise, which will take you on a 50-minute tour of the most impressive sights.
© LUKAS BUKOVEN
THE TRAVEL GUIDE DISTRIBUTED WITH
© ABDELLAH IHADIAN
© DANIEL JENSEN
visitcopenhagen.com
© DANIEL RASMUSSEN
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