We didn’t expect to fall this hard for a city. But then again, Copenhagen does make it easy.
With sunshine on our shoulders and no real plan beyond “let’s walk until it feels right,” we wandered through cobbled streets, leafy courtyards, and colorful canals. The city welcomed us with that effortless mix of old and new, grand palaces and cozy cafés, historic libraries and modern bikes zipping past.
A local guide took us on a walking tour, sharing the kind of stories that don’t show up in guidebooks, which you only hear when someone truly loves where they live. The next day, we ended up on the funniest canal tour imaginable, steered by another Copenhagen local who cracked jokes, gave us insider tips, and even let us see the city from the best seat in town (the canals).
One of our favorite encounters happened in a small coffee shop. In the middle of a chat with the barista about what it’s like to live in and experience Copenhagen’s history as a local, we asked the barista if he had any recommendations. He casually listed a few and then returned five minutes later with a full city map where he’d circled all his favourite spots. We were genuinely moved by that moment of unexpected kindness.
Our time in Copenhagen left us with a sense of quiet appreciation — for the layered history of the city, for the people who shape it day by day, and for the small, unexpected moments that made us feel welcome. We left with full notebooks, a folded city map, and the sense that this is a place we’d like to return to.