Good to know about Copenhagen

Traditional Danish dishes: 

Smørrebrød: open-faced sandwiches are typically served on rugbrød (rye bread), which is a type of bread packed with different seeds, grains and cracked rye. There’s so many different kinds of Smørrebrød but the most popular are shrimp & eggs, potatoes, liver pate with bacon, pickled herring, smoked salmon and beef tatar (my favourite). 

Flæskesteg / flæskestegs sandwich: Danish version of roast pork and is always served on christmas. It’s rare to find flæskesteg on the menu in restaurants but it’s common to get as a part of a burger (called flæskestegs sandwich). 

Stegt flæsk med persillesovs: Roast pork with parsley sauce and potatoes (the national dish) 

Frikadeller: Danish meatballs are served both for lunch and dinner. Traditionally, the meatballs consist of equal calf and pork, flour, milk, eggs, onions and spices, but today there are countless versions of the Danish classic, which is also a popular smørrebrød topping. 

Fiskefrikadeller: Fish Meatballs (or fish cake) are mostly made from Cod and best served with remoulade and fries. 

Tarteletter: danish tartlets are a mix of chicken and white asparagus served inside a pastry cup.

Fun facts:

• Copenhagen in danish is “København” and in short called KBH. 

• In mid-june the sun sets around 10pm. 

• Copenhagen is pretty much cash-less, so there’s no need to withdraw danish cash. All shops, restaurants and attractions accept card (but NOT American express). 

• Denmark has a system where you can return used plastic bottles and aluminum cans for money (called “pant”). Most supermarkets have return 

  machines where you can use your returns as store credit (or donate the money). If you don’t want to carry the bottle/can around, most public trashcans have a “pocket” where you can place it, and then someone else will pick it up and return it. 

Unwritten rules of Copenhagen

🛶 If you rent a boat, don’t enter the small canals in the Copenhagen harbor!! You’ll get caught in the crossfire between tour boats, private boats and narrow areas. It’s dangerous for you but also super annoying for everyone else.

🚴🏻‍♀️If you rent a bike, always stay on the right side of the lane and NEVER stop in the middle of a road. Use your hands to signal if you’re going to the right, left og stopping (palm up).

🚶🏻‍♀️Don’t walk in the bike lane: just why? It’s called a B I K E lane. There’s separate paths for pedestrians and cyclists. Stepping into the bike lane is basically the equivalent of stepping out into the road.

🎟️ Always buy tickets for public transportation (it’s a hefty fine of €100 - and the controllers don’t care that you are a turist).

🌿Follow the rules of Christiania! Please do your research about the area before going. 

🚮Never litter! Use the garbage cans ALWAYS! And do your best to use the correct bins where it’s indicated (if you buy bottles with “pant” don’t throw them out, but place them in the cup-holders next to the trashcans). 

⏰ Don’t be late: it’s seen as impolite and disrespectful. If you have booked a time slot or a guided tour - they will start on time!

🥐Don’t order a “danish” when in a bakery. In Denmark it’s not called that - what you are looking for is called weinerbrød. But the names of each pastry is displayed in most bakeries.

🤿 Only swim within the marked areas in the harbour. All of the Copenhagen harbour is clean enough to swim in, but there’s been made designated areas to swim to avoid accidents, as there's a lot of boat traffic. It's free to use the areas, but remember your own bathing suit and towel.

Phrases to know:

Hello: "Hej" (pronounced "hi") 

Goodbye: "Farvel" (formal) or "Hej hej" (informal) 

Thank you: "Tak" (pronounced "tack") 

Yes: "Ja" (pronounced "ja") 

No: "Nej" (pronounced "nei") 

Excuse me: "Undskyld" (pronounced "un‐school”) 

Cheers: "Skål" (pronounced “skol”)