For lunch, stroll two blocks to La Banchina, a 16-seat, turquoisesplashed seafood and vegetarian restaurant on the water with a strong natural wine list. Properly sated, take the bus to the city center for a stop at the Museum of Illusions, where inventive interactive exhibits are designed to delight and confound. Round out the afternoon at the Cisternerne, a dramatic, dimly lit underground art museum built in decommissioned water cisterns, where exhibits invite visitors to get up close and personal with the art.
Copenhagen
Credit: Noppasin Wongchum
Fully cultured, you can discuss the day and unwind over dinner at BÆST, an organic Italian-Nordic hybrid specializing in house-made charcuterie, shareable small plates( Don’ t sleep on the hand-stretched mozzarella), and top-notch pizzas.
DAY 2: EAT ALL THE THINGS
Today is all about being a gastronaut. Dig into the city’ s vibrant food scene by spending the morning on the self-guided tour,“ The Bear” Goes to Copenhagen( Find the full itinerary at wonderfulcopenhagen. com), stopping at locations visited by pastry chef Marcus Brooks in the Emmy-award-winning series. Enjoy breakfast at Hart Bageri( multiple locations), where he made a pilgrimage to load up on camera-ready pastries, such as knobby-topped cardamom croissants, twisty cinnamon rolls accented with orange zest, and hot cross buns studded with candied orange, raisins, and apricots.
Then meander over to Kongens Nytorv for a stop at Joan’ s Pølser for a Danish-style hot dog gussied up with remoulade, thin-sliced pickles, and golden fried shallots— a Copenhagen fave. And if that isn’ t enough, stand in the inevitable line at Poulette in Nørrebro for a morethan-worth-the-wait spicy fried chicken thigh sandwich, which Marcus enthusiastically demolishes on the show.
Now it’ s time to walk off some of those calories while staying focused on Copenhagen’ s culinary scene. Visit TorvehallerneKBH, a popular food market where you can pick up a global array of goodies to take home. Visit ASA Spice to get organic spices that can be ground to order into customized masalas, pastes, and marinades. Pick up a bag of sustainably grown, house-roasted beans at Coffee Collective. And get a few bottles of house-made schnapps and bitters at Noorbohandelen. Then treat yourself to a Japanese chef’ s knife at Foodgear and everything you need for your next baking project at the Little Bakery Shop. Continue outfitting your kitchen and dining room with a visit to Notre Dame in Nørregade, an artfully curated homewares and interior design store.
Bageriet Brød
Credit: Daniel Rasmussen
Take a breather at your hotel before enjoying an epic 4- to 6-hour, 40-50 course dinner at Alchemist. Consistently ranked one of the best restaurants in the world, it is part head-spinning theatre, part interactive art, and part high-end gastronomy. You might eat an eyeball, take a bite off a tongue, or be served a course inside what looks like a human brain.( Spoiler alert: Nothing is what it seems.) Make sure your phone is fully charged, because you’ re going to want to take a lot of pictures.
DAY 3: GET OUTDOORS
Your last day is about savoring the outdoors. Kick things off in the Vesterbro neighborhood. Once the home to Copenhagen’ s redlight district, it’ s now a flashpoint of culture and cool, packed with chic shops, buzzy music venues, and a booming arts scene. Pick up something to go at Prolog Coffee Bar, a sliver of a spot in the heart of Kødbyen( Vesterbro’ s old Meatpacking District) with a minimalist, modern aesthetic that puts out primo pour-overs and electrifying espresso drinks.
FLYWASHINGTON. COM 10 WINTER 2025-26