Oh, international travel, how I've missed you. The joy of exploring, hearing other languages, and experiencing things you can't at home. I’m thankful to be privileged enough to say that travel has been such a big part of my identity for the last decade, so being able to do so again made me very content. I couldn't stop smiling behind my mask (even during take-off and landing, despite having an enduring dislike of the sensation).
The destination this time was Copenhagen, Denmark. I'd wanted to visit the canal-side city for a few years now, and as luck would have it, ticket prices, red lists, and lateral flow tests lined up just right to make it possible. However, having not travelled to Europe since before the pandemic, since before Brexit, and generally having not gotten on a plane in well over a year, there was plenty to remember...
Covid must-haves
The biggest change to international travel has, of course, been the introduction of Covid regulations. At the time of booking, flying, and writing this piece, Denmark was a non-red list country and, before we flew, travellers only had to take a day 2 lateral flow test. Murphy's law, this changed while we were in Denmark, but thankfully, we were due to return just before the changes came into effect. For the past year, I was under the impression it was pretty convoluted to travel, but actually, once you're prepared, it is fine. Here's what you'll need to do:
- Pre-book your relevant test(s) for your return to the UK (be that a day 2 lateral flow, a PCR, or whatever else private test the government is charging for at the mo…)
- Have your vaccine passport to hand (on your phone suffices, but a printout is also fine)
- Fill out a passenger locater form. You’ll need your passport, vaccine information and pre-booked test information to do this. You can only complete this 48 hours before you land in the UK, but you can start it beforehand and get an email link sent to you to complete the rest at the right time. It's simple to complete on your phone if you don't have access to a laptop.
On the way out of the UK, have your vaccine passport to hand at the gate (alongside the regular requirements of passport and boarding pass). On the way back, you'll need those three, plus your completed passenger locator form, with its QR code at the top.
In Denmark, you'll need to show your vaccine passport to do anything indoors, from eating to entering attractions, drinking to dining in the hotel restaurant for breakfast. I got more use out of my vaccine passport in the first hour of being in the country than I have in the last six months in the UK. Our hotel gave us their own Covid pass once we showed our official one at check-in, which we had to display on our tables at brekkie.
Planning your trip
I rely on lists and reminders SO much in daily life (I always joke that I'm like Jamie Lee Curtis' character in the 2003 Freaky Friday with her million phones, alarms and things to coordinate), and travelling is no different. However, it's not foolproof; my packing list did not include a plug adaptor! What even are they again? In a post-Covid world, I also recommend making restaurant bookings, at least for dinner. We found that most restaurants we visited were fully booked, and while we did have dinner reservations, pre-dinner drinks were often enjoyed outside instead. We were surprised how common alfresco dining in nearly December is in Copenhagen - there are fires, blankets and electric heaters abound.
While we visited a few eateries, the standouts were Bøf & Ost, ideally located next to a public Christmas tree; Restaurant Tight for fab starters and veggie options; and Nyhavns Færgekro for scrumptious Danish meatballs (served with potatoes, cranberry sauce and red cabbage). The latter, which was recommended by an ex-colleague/friend of mine, has 20 different aquavit (schnapps) that they brew themselves, and is set in the building that once housed the shipping company White Star Line; it was where the locals could purchase tickets to the Titanic. Everything we ate on our trip was so well seasoned. And the pastries? Sweet, soft and delicious. We also noted in the indoor food market, TorvehallerneKBH, how decent the alcohol measures were too...
If you have access to the internet whilst abroad included in your mobile plan, everything is quite simple (I don't actually have access, but my travel buddy did!) We used CityMapper to get from the airport to the city centre, and walked everywhere else. And actually, if you don't have internet, the Danish folk are so unbelievably friendly and helpful. Our London sensibilities were surprised, but welcomed it. It must be all that hygge.
See the seasonal sights
I've honestly never seen as many Christmas trees per square mile as I saw on this city break. And I blaaaaady loved it. From those being sold on the street to those decorating the centres of markets or squares, they were everywhere. Don't even start me on Tivoli Gardens - but more on that shortly. We visited three Christmas markets on our first day, starting near our hotel and ending at Kongens Nytorv. If there was a takeaway from the markets, it would be to try the gløgg. It's a must. Mulled wine, with a shot of additional spirit - I opted for rum each time. And if you want something to soak it up, you can't go wrong with the mini Nutella pancakes or æbleskiver (dough balls with sugar and jam).
Right, back to Tivoli Gardens. The place is MAGICAL. The team dress the whole venue seasonally, and my goodness, it looks like no expense is spared and no detail missed. The gardens are gorgeous, with the trees lit up at night (we enjoyed æbleskiver with gløgg by the water, which was lit beautifully), and the rides and fairground games are fab. I'm not a ride person (see: dislike of flight sensations in the intro), but I still went on one, and it was great. The Danish peeps bring their atmospheric lighting A-game, especially when it comes to fairy lights (both in and out of Tivoli Gardens). I mean, it does make sense, as their daylight hours feel short - not Iceland levels, but still a little darker in winter than the UK. Sunrise was at about 8.15am during our late November visit, with the sun setting before 4pm.
Visit the canals
We visited the famous Nyhavns waterfront a few times during our trip, admiring the colourful façades. We also took the waters on an hour-long boat tour of the canals and inner-city harbours, which provided a brilliant overview of the city's main canal-side attractions, some of its history, and the various communities’ way of life. On this tour, we sailed right up to the famed Little Mermaid statue (which we learned was commissioned by the son of the founder of Carlsberg, after he watched a ballet performance of the well-known tale in the city). The live commentary also further proved what my travel buddy and I had pondered ourselves already: the Danish are quite ingenious. One example is the city incinerator, which offers the public views over Copenhagen and neighbouring Malmo in Sweden from the top, and boasts a year-round ski slope. In addition, they really do make the most of available space; many entrances to bars and restaurants were below street level, with steps descending to what would be basement level, but boasted high windows still.
Other local sights
Aside from Nyhavn, another of the city's main sights is the Church of our Saviour Tower, which gets more narrow the further up you head, with a good portion of the climb on the exterior of the building. Unfortunately, due to the morning's rain, it was closed when we visited, so as we strolled back through the centre, we ducked into the 17th-century Round Tower instead. We got impressive views of the city from the viewing platform at the top, and had fun inside the Greek stonewashed-style interior attempting to snap funny panorama pics.
All in all, the trip was a thoroughly enjoyable return to international travel, and has me itching for my next break. Everything is changing so quickly with travel rules and regulations though, so I would advise not booking too far in advance, and doing your research in relation to the pandemic before committing to the trip.
*Please note, all Covid information was correct at the time of publication.