Michael On The Move: Exploring Denmark

Hi guys, I hope you’re all having a great summer and have been travelling lots. I certainly have! I also hope you enjoyed reading about Sweden!

I’m writing this edition from my apartment in Stellenbosch, overlooking some lovely mountains and surrounded by hundreds of wineries. 

Unfortunately for me, my summer has ended and I am already back at uni.

However, if you’re still looking for somewhere to visit during the final few weeks of summer, perhaps I can persuade you to choose this destination.

For this edition, I decided to stick with the Scandinavian theme and pick a country that I actually visited just days apart from Sweden. This country is known for inventing Lego and for the famous storyteller Hans Christian Andersen. Speaking from personal experience, like Sweden, it also has very decent cinnamon rolls. Of course, I am talking about Denmark!

It is a colourful, green space filled with art and music every day

I was debating which part of Denmark to write about for quite a while. Eager readers of my work will already know I wrote an article on Skagen in June 2025, so writing about it again was out of the question. Instead, I’ve decided to focus on Copenhagen, the capital, inspired by my friend who has just returned from a holiday there with his girlfriend. 

One of the most interesting experiences you can have anywhere in Europe can be found in Copenhagen, and that is a visit to Freetown Christiania. It is an autonomous neighbourhood in Copenhagen and operates by its own set of rules. There are several rules visitors have to follow, such as not taking any photos, and not running! It is a colourful, green space filled with art and music every day. It is definitely worth taking a few hours of your day to come explore this unique Freetown. 

Going off on a slight side note, I didn’t realise until recently, but I actually own an FC Christiania football shirt. The design is really cool, featuring images of architecture from around the area, while on the back near the collar it reads “You’ll never smoke alone”. I don’t know whether it was intentional or not, but maybe it’s a reference to Liverpool’s “You’ll Never Walk Alone”. Anyway, I thought that might be a cool side note for some of the football fans out there.

These take you along Copenhagen’s canals and allow you to see many of the city’s attractions from the water

After exploring Christiania and maybe even picking up a football shirt from their club shop, another top attraction I’d recommend is a canal cruise. These take you along Copenhagen’s canals and allow you to see many of the city’s attractions from the water. Looking back at the photos I took on my cruise, I saw The Little Mermaid statue, which I personally found a little underwhelming and probably wouldn’t make a specific trip to see, the National Opera House, one of the coolest buildings I saw on the cruise, and so much more.

As well as this, the people who organise the cruise also conveniently run the Hop-On Hop-Off buses, so you can buy a combo ticket that includes both the cruise and the bus, making transport while travelling around the city very easy. I also found that if you’re touring more than one place in Scandinavia, the same companies run buses across many of the destinations. They even offer a ticket that covers all their buses across multiple destinations for 11 days!

And for dessert, of course, one must try the cinnamon buns

A final thing I feel I have to recommend is a visit to the Carlsberg Factory. For fans of beer and history, this is a must. Not only do you get to learn about the history of the Carlsberg brand, but you can also enjoy beer tasting, a cellar tour, and a brewery tour. 

Once you’re done here, you can try some classic Danish food nearby. Why not have some smørrebrød, bread topped with ingredients such as pickled herring or roast beef and a creamy remoulade sauce? Or, if you fancy something a bit closer to home, maybe try a fishcake or some meatballs. And for dessert, of course, one must try the cinnamon buns!

As I bring this edition to a close, I really hope you’ve enjoyed reading about Copenhagen and will consider it as one of your next holiday destinations. I thought it was one of the prettiest places I’ve visited in Europe, and hopefully, when you visit too, you’ll agree!

Until next time…