Issue 16. * November 23rd, 2022 |
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Can you hear that? It's coming closer and closer. Is it...? Yes, it is... It's jingling bells. That tells us that we should make a proper Christmas issue of Copenhagen Unfolded - and here it is. |
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We all know what Christmas is about. We don't have to fill in anybody on that subject, but we do want to offer our perspective on what makes Christmas in Copenhagen unique, whether it is a grand Santa Lucia Kayak Parade in the Copenhagen canal, the multitude of craft Christmas beers or the special Christmas delicacies you'll find in the restaurants of Copenhagen. |
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- Hot and cosy or cold and refreshing?
- Traditional Danish Lunch
- A city of Christmas beers
- Meet a Copenhagener - Gustavo Cordes
- Great ideas for homemade gifts or vintage shopping
- Copenhagen Fairytale Castles
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So let's go, it's all waiting for you, all those great Christmas experiences. |
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HOT AND COSY OR COLD AND REFRESHING? |
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Christmas time is perfect for ice swimming - a Scandinavian classic, where you plunge into freezing-cold water. Maybe it's not completely icy in the month of December, but it's certainly still cold and good for both your body and mind. You can check out our ice swimming guide, where you can see which places have a sauna to jump into after the plunge. |
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If you know for a fact that swimming in freezing cold water is not your thing, then why not try something on the complete opposite end of the scale? Like soaking in a warm and relaxing spa, while it's cold and raining outside. Copenhagen really has some fantastic spa's, like Aire Ancient baths with its roman atmosphere underneath Carlsberg Byen. So check out our Spa and wellness guide. |
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Foto: Marc Skafte-Vaabengaard |
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Lastly, it wouldn't be Christmas without a good old-fashioned ice rink. Broens ice rink at The Bridge street kitchen is perfect if you want to combine ice skating with some great food or hot chocolate. |
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Christmas time is the high season of traditional danish food and nothing is more traditional than the danish lunch, you've probably already heard about it; it's Smørrebrød. The open-faced sandwich with all kinds of toppings is a stable on any danish lunch table. |
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But where to get it? That's the question. Copenhagen is not short of excellent smørrebrød restaurants. Like Aamanns who make Michelin recommended smørrebrød. You can also try one of the classic places like the 150-year-old Christianhavns Ferry Café. |
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Be sure to try the pickled herring, no matter where you decide to eat, and wash it all down with some danish schnaps and locally brewed beer. |
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A CITY OF CHRISTMAS BEERS |
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Christmas beer is very much what it sounds like, and around Christmas time a really popular drink among the Danes. We even have a special day called J-Day that marks when Tuborg releases its Christmas beer for that year. But we are gonna take a look into the smaller breweries of Copenhagen, and where you can taste all of these great Christmas beers! |
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Nørrebro Bryghus was once a small brewery, that in many ways was part of the sprouting beer culture in Copenhagen at the beginning of the Millennium. Since then they have grown big and strong and are now an important part of the Copenhagen brewing scene. They also make Christmas beers of course, which you can taste at their restaurant. |
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Dia'legd is also a great place for Christmas beers and a bar with a very special niche. They only sell beers from the danish island of Funen. With a special focus on the Refsvindinge brewery, who makes the acclaimed "best beer in Denmark" anno 1997, Ale no. 16. |
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If you want a completely different but also very traditional Christmas beer experience, then you should head over to Jernbanecaféen (The Railroad café). They don't make their own beer, but what they lack in homebrewing, they make up for in a cosy atmosphere and out-of-the-ordinary Christmas decorations. |
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GUSTAVO CORDES - KAYAK BAR |
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For this month's Meet a Copenhagener we headed over to Kayak bar to talk to Gustavo Cordes. Gustavo was born in Argentina, but comes from a Danish and German family, why he lives here in Copenhagen. |
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Gustavo is also a part of the group that plan the Santa Lucia Parade in the canals of Copenhagen, where kayakers dress up in lights and Christmas outfits while they sail through the canals. |
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If you don't know, what Santa Lucia is, here is a short explanation. Santa Lucia is the celebration of Saint Lucia on the 13th of December, where usually kids dress up in long white dresses and lights on their heads, while they sing the Santa Lucia song. |
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Foto: Gustavo Cordes and Marc Skafte-Vaabengaard |
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How did the Santa Lucia parade in the canals start? |
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We started back when Kayak bar was located at Langebro in 2006 or 2007. And we started it in order to create some noise and some activity. After a couple of years, we became kind of overwhelmed with Santa Lucia, it became a lot bigger than we thought it would. The guys from Kajakhotellet started showing up at the parade. I guess a lot of people in Copenhagen with kayaks started showing up at the parade. Normally we are between 400-800 kayakers putting lights on the canal and dressing up like Santa Claus. Personally, for me, Santa Lucia has a great message, and that’s why, the last years, I have tried, to do as much as I could, to get the word out. |
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What can you expect if you visit the Santa Lucia parade in the canals? |
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You can really feel this community spirit. It’s something that you can almost touch. We are singing together, we are helping each other, and if something happens in the water, we are there. That’s the kind of feeling, you will experience, if you come to Santa Lucia: part of a community. Santa Lucia was born in a way to show the light to people in dark times. |
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What do you think that people can't miss if they come to Copenhagen for Christmas? |
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Well the Santa Lucia Parade of course, but I would say go from bar to bar and try the different Gløggs, there are red, rosé, white all kinds of Gløggs, it’s fantastic I love it. Kind of cliche but Tivoli for Christmas is beautiful. And the Christmas Markets I would say. |
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How would you describe the perfect day here in Copenhagen? |
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A perfect day for me is in the summer to come here (at Kayak Bar), when there is no one, a sunny day, of course, super crystal clear and quiet water, take a boat or kayak or something that floats, go to a coffee place and grab a cup of coffee. Do a morning routine like an hour by myself on the canals and then come back to start working. That’s a perfect way to start a day for me. |
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Do you have a hidden gem in Copenhagen you would like to share with us? |
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Well, I do love coffee, as I told you. I don’t know, if it’s a hidden gem, but I think one of the coffee bars that we have here is CUB Coffee Bar: nice coffee, they know, what they are doing. Another hidden gem is a place called Taste close to Marmorkirken (the Marble Church) it’s an old French patisserie, I think you can find one of the best cakes in Denmark here. I started going there like 20 years ago, so it’s not a new place but it’s still a hidden gem. I think it was the first guy who started making macarons in Copenhagen. |
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GREAT IDEAS FOR HOMEMADE GIFTS OR VINTAGE SHOPPING |
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December is the month of holiday shopping. If you're looking for a unique present for that special someone or if you want to be known as the best gift-giver in your family, we've got an idea we want to share with you. Check out one of the creative workshops Copenhagen has to offer. |
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Visit Creative Space to paint your own ceramics making a present that is one of a kind, create your own jewelry at Smykbar or jump on the Copenhagen knitting wave and visit Woolstock to begin your new knitting project. |
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And don’t worry - if you aren’t in a do-it-yourself kind of mood, there are of course also other great and sustainable ways to find rare presents in secondhand shops. Step into BauBau on Nørrebro to find carefully curated and selected menswear or go by Edison & Co. on Vesterbro, who besides selling cool and quirky vintage lamps also sells sustainable lighting designs made by their owner. If you are looking for more inspiration on where to go secondhand shopping, you can easily check out our list of suggestions. |
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COPENHAGEN FAIRYTALE CASTLES |
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Throughout December it is as if the Royal Castles in Copenhagen become even more magical. The dark sky with the Christmas lights embrace the grand monuments creating a special calmness. This atmosphere will guarantee you to get in that true Christmas spirit. |
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Foto: Thomas Høyrup Christensen |
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If you fancy a small trip up north, you can visit the historic and remarkable Kronborg Castle. While you are here, you might as well stay and visit their Christmas market on the weekend of november 26th and 27th or december 3rd and 4th and take in the amazing smell and taste of freshly baked Æbleskiver or enjoy the city of Elsinore. |
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Just imagine the castles covered in crisp white snow, it doesn’t get any more magical than that! |
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Okay, so we hope you're ready for Christmas now. There is a lot to dig into if you like to go just a little bit off the beaten path and seek out the more unique offerings Copenhagen has. |
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There is much more to explore of course, but this should get you started. But check out our website for even more Christmas inspiration. |
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Next month we'll be back with more inspiration and insights into this magnificent city we know as Copenhagen. |
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Kasper, Frederik & Clara, Copenhagen Unfolded |
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Copenhagen Unfolded is published by VisitCopenhagen. Our goal is to tell the world about Copenhagen and the great experiences that are to be had here. Be sure to also check out www.visitcopenhagen.com and our social channels. |
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This issue of Copenhagen Unfolded is put together by Kasper Syhler, Frederik Ibsing, Clara Fuglsang Søgaard and Andrea Sonne. |
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