Three Days in Copenhagen Without a Car: How I Planned Them

Day by day

Day 1: Vesterbro, the city center and Christianshavn on foot

The train from the airport got me to København H, the central station, in about 15 minutes. I was staying in Vesterbro, about an eight-minute walk away. That was handy with a backpack and an airport train at each end, but less ideal for the days in between. After dropping off my bag, I walked toward City Hall Square and on through the city center without much of a plan. From the station to Kongens Nytorv took about 25 minutes at an easy pace.

At 2:30 p.m. I took the M1 metro from Kongens Nytorv to Christianshavn. A regular two-zone ticket costs 24 Danish kroner (about $3.60), and in central Copenhagen that kind of ticket goes a long way. I walked along the canals, crossed back over the harbor on Inderhavnsbroen and ended up at Nyhavn about two hours later. It made a good first loop, because you cover the center and Christianshavn without losing time on transfers.

Dinner was simple and cost about 130 kroner, plus about 55 for a beer. Copenhagen gets expensive fast if you always stop for food or coffee on the busiest streets, so I started keeping an eye on my receipts that first evening. All told, I walked about 9 miles that day. I only felt it once I sat down.

Day 2: Nørrebro, Frederiksberg and the harbor by bike

Friday was bike day. I waited until just after nine to head out, since the bike lanes are a lot calmer once the morning rush is over. A 24-hour city bike rental ran about 99 kroner, roughly $15. That was cheaper than several short rentals, and it meant I could skip the metro completely that day.

The first leg, from Vesterbro to Frederiksberg Gardens, took about 15 minutes. From there I rode on toward Nørrebro and left the bike at Assistens Cemetery, another 15 minutes or so. You don't need to chase sights here. I liked the riding itself more, rolling from one neighborhood into the next, especially once the traffic thinned out and the pace dropped.

After a coffee for about 45 kroner, I kept going north to Superkilen, a long, narrow city park 10 minutes away by bike. Then I looped back by way of Nørrebrogade, Queen Louise's Bridge and the Lakes. Lunch at Torvehallerne, the food market near Nørreport, came to about 125 kroner. You can eat for less a few blocks away, but my legs were already feeling it, and I was happy to pay a little extra to skip another detour.

In the afternoon I rode south to the harbor, over Lille Langebro and on along Islands Brygge. The whole loop came to about 12 miles with stops. What made the day worth it wasn't any single place. On a bike, I finally saw how the neighborhoods fit together. I dropped the bike off in Vesterbro just before eight and was pretty much done for the day.

Day 3: Amager Strand and a harbor walk

Saturday started with the M2 from Kongens Nytorv to Amager Strand. The ride takes a little over 10 minutes, and a regular two-zone ticket for 24 kroner covers it. From the station I was at the water in under 10 minutes. At the end of May it was more of a walk than a swim for me, but the beach made a nice contrast to the densely built neighborhoods I'd ridden through the day before.

I took the M2 back toward the center at 11 a.m. and walked from Kongens Nytorv through Nyhavn toward Kastellet, the old star-shaped fortress, and Langelinie. It was about a 30-minute walk to the Little Mermaid. The statue itself took five minutes. The walk there was the better part, especially the stretch along the water, and I'd have enjoyed it more if I hadn't been so focused on the end point.

After lunch I walked back toward Østerport and took the M3 to København H, a few minutes from where I was staying. That last metro ticket was 24 kroner too. Paying as I went fit my fairly tight transit budget better than a multiday pass would have. The nonstop back to O'Hare left early the next afternoon and took a little over nine hours.

What I'd do differently

Next time I'd probably stay closer to Nørrebro. Vesterbro made it easy to catch the airport train, but on two of the three days I headed north or east pretty quickly. If you stay near Nørrebro or Frederiksberg, more neighborhoods are within a 10- to 15-minute bike ride, even if hauling your bag to and from the station takes a little longer on the days you arrive and leave.

I'd also skip the coffee near Nyhavn. Around 55 kroner (about $8) for a regular coffee was the worst buy of the trip, and the location was clearly part of the price. And if I'd been short on time, I'd have turned around at Kastellet. The Little Mermaid is free to visit, but I didn't find the detour worth the extra 20 to 30 minutes.

On tickets, though, I made the right call for the way I got around. I spent about 150 kroner on single tickets for the whole stay, including the airport train both ways. A three-day City Pass Small costs about 220 kroner, so with a full day on the bike it wouldn't have paid off.

Good to know

• A regular two-zone ticket costs 24 kroner, and three zones 30
• A three-day City Pass Small costs about 220 kroner
• A 24-hour city bike rental runs about 99 kroner
• The M1, M2, M3 and M4 metro lines run around the clock
• Try to avoid the bike rush hours, roughly 7 to 9 a.m. and 3 to 5 p.m.
• The nonstop from O'Hare takes about 8.5 hours, and the airport train into København H about 15 minutes

Copenhagen called for a slower pace than I'd planned. Two or three neighborhoods a day was plenty, especially when a 10-minute bike ride turned into half an hour because I stopped somewhere along the way. On the flight home I still had a little sand from Amager Strand in one shoe.