But don’t give up on your dreams of a Danish getaway just yet. We’ve compiled a list of our favorite budget hotels in Copenhagen. Before you make your reservations, take a look at these highly-rated and affordable accommodations in the center of the city.

Looking to save more money on your trip? Check out our blog with budget-friendly travel tips for Copenhagen.

Best budget hotels in Copenhagen

Here are five cheapo picks from our Copenhagen guide that all get high user ratings and offer low rates, especially when you consider that most hotel rooms in the city soar way above $200 per night.

Rooms at Annex Copenhagen are cheap and colorful. Photo: Booking.com

Annex Copenhagen

Helgolandsgade 15
Neighborhood: Central Station & Tivoli
User rating: 7.7
Doubles from $66

Located just a quarter mile from Tivoli Gardens and the central train station, the rates at this stylish hotel are a steal for Copenhagen. The colorful rooms come with flat-screen TVs, lounge chairs and free Wi-Fi. An included breakfast buffet sweetens the deal and shared (and newly renovated) bathrooms help keep prices low, even in the peak season.

Read our full review of the Annex Copenhagen here.

You’ll be greeted by friendly staff in a stylish reception space at Hotel Bethel. Photo: Booking.com

Hotel Bethel

Nyhavn 22
Neighborhood: Near Nyhavn
User rating: 9.0
Doubles from $133

If you want to stay in an area surrounded by picture-perfect postcards and colorful, 17th-century homes, then Hotel Bethel is the hotel for you. With a scenic location, a peaceful courtyard, stylish interiors, and friendly staff, there’s a lot to love about this accommodation.

Read more about the hotel here.

A spacious and sleek room at Hotel Saga. Photo: Booking.com

Saga Hotel

Colbjornsensgade 18-20
Neighborhood: Central Station & Tivoli
User rating: 8.2
Doubles from $94

The two-star Saga Hotel is a clean, comfortable, cheapo pick. Vintage art pieces add character to the rooms, and free Wi-Fi and breakfast are included in the list of amenities. Those looking to save even more money can book a room with a shared bathroom.

Read our full review here.

We recommend requesting a balcony room at 66 Guldsmeden. Photo: Booking.com

66 Guldsmeden

Vesterbrogade 66
Neighborhood: Frederiksberg
User rating: 8.5
Doubles from $108

With eco-friendly amenities and cozily decorated rooms, this is a popular and budget-friendly choice near Central Station. The café lounge is a unique benefit to staying at 66 Guldsmeden. When booking, request a balcony room for a place to kick back and enjoy the city views.

Read our full review here.

Enjoy a stylish stay at the swanky Hotel Tiffany. Photo: Booking.com

Hotel Tiffany

Colbjørnsensgade 28
Neighborhood: Central Station & Tivoli
User rating: 8.5
Doubles from $109

The three-star Hotel Tiffany is more of a splurge compared to the typical Cheapo pick, but it’s still a great deal when you keep in mind all the hotel offers. With plush, modern rooms, breakfast delivered to your room, and a courtyard, the Hotel Tiffany is a lot of bang for your buck. Plus, the hotel is powered by wind energy, ideal for climate-conscious Cheapos.

Read our full hotel review here.

More cheap Copenhagen hotels

Interested in seeing more cheapo hotel options? Check out our full list of recommended budget hotels in Copenhagen.

The post Top 5 budget hotels in Copenhagen for 2025 appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Budget travelers get understandably nervous when visiting Copenhagen. As is the case with many other northern European capitals, prices for food, lodging and shopping can be stunningly steep.

But Cheapos should not steer clear of this city of Danish design, busy bicyclists and curvaceous canals. Visitors on a tight budget can enjoy several days in Copenhagen, made much easier by the credit card-sized Copenhagen Card, the city’s tourism card. When we visited, we clutched ours at all times, which allowed us to stroll about town, into museums, and onto trains.

But is the Copenhagen Card a good fit for your trip? Read on…

The cost of the card

The Copenhagen Card makes sense if you plan to keep busy with the city’s (and area’s) museums and attractions. If you’re the type of traveler who wants to hit all the sights, dash through art museums and castles, and climb high towers overlooking town, the card is clearly a good investment. If, however, you’re content to wander the streets and canals, hang out in coffee shops, and watch the tourists bustle by, it may not be worth all those Kroner.

The pass is available in four types:

24-hours: DKK 359 — about $58
48-hours: DKK 499 — about $80
72-hours: DKK 589 — about $95
120-hour: DKK 799 — about $129

Prices for children aged 10-15 are significantly lower: DKK 189/249/299/399.

While the price might initially seem steep, consider what it offers: free access to more than 70 museums and attractions in and around Copenhagen, discounts at restaurants and other activities, and free transportation on the area’s network of buses, trains, the Metro and even to and from the Copenhagen Airport (zone 4).

When calculating whether or not you should buy a Copenhagen Card, don’t forget to include the savings in transportation costs—or the peace of mind it affords, as you’re free to simply hop on and off buses and trains at will. (Do note that you should always carry the card with you on the city’s transportation, as inspectors do pass frequently and will ask to see your “ticket.”)

Museums and attractions covered

The 72 sights covered by the Copenhagen Card include most of the city’s most famous and visited attractions. They include:

Amalienborg Palace (DKK 70, without pass)
Arken Museum of Modern Art (DKK 95)
Designmuseum Danmark (DKK 100)
Hans Christian Andersen’s Museum (DKK 95)
Statens Museum for Kunst (DKK 110)
Copenhagen Zoo (DKK 170)
Tivoli Gardens (DKK 99)

…and about 65 more. See the Copenhagen Card’s Web site for a full list of attractions covered by the card.

Out of town, too

The card offers admission to attractions outside the city’s limits, as well, which is especially attractive for those purchasing a three- or five-day pass. For example, you can take a day to explore the celebrated castles (including Kronborg, famous as the setting for Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”) in the Kongernes Nordsjaelland area. And again, don’t forget that transportation is covered by the card!

Purchasing the card

For further information about the card’s benefits and to purchase it online, visit the Copenhagen Card’s website. Buying your card before arrival is convenient for those arriving by plane, as the card covers transportation into town from the airport. (If you haven’t bought it ahead of time, you can always purchase it at the service center in Terminal Three of Copenhagen Airport.) Note that there is a postage and handling charge of €8 (about $10) for each card bought online.

You can also buy the card at Central Station (the main train station), at large hotels, and at the Visitor Centre (located across from the entrance to Tivoli Gardens).

Finding affordable hotels

Aside from the admission charges to the city’s top attractions, your hotel bill is going to be a huge part of your trip budget, and accommodation prices can be strikingly high in Copenhagen. Fortunately, our editors have hunted down plenty of one- and two-star central hotels for our Copenhagen hotel guide, many with rates under DKK 650 (about $105 a night).

The post Copenhagen: Keep it cheap with the Copenhagen Card appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Getting to Ærø by ferry

Every island has its own special appeal, and for us Ærø ticks all the right boxes. It is sufficiently far from the mainland and other islands to have a genuine sense of isolation. Yet with three year-round ferry routes connecting Ærø to the rest of Denmark, the island is easy to reach. The journey time on each of those three ferry links is much the same: about 70 to 75 minutes. So long enough to communicate a sense of distance, but no time-consuming voyage.

Island pleasures

That’s the thing about islands. It is all a matter of psychology. When God designed Ærø, he clearly had in mind that the islands’ residents should be forever reminded of their offshore status. For the roads twist and turn, run up and down, but it’s never long before you crest another summit to reveal a gorgeous view of the Baltic. The hilly nature of Ærø means that from higher ground you often catch sea views in every direction at once.

But the hills are not so steep as to defy keen cyclists. The island is small enough to cycle from one end to the other (and back) in a single day. The dense network of minor lanes is tailor-made for walkers. And visitors can hike from one village to another and then ride back in the comfort of the local bus. Bus services on Ærø are all completely free (yes, where did you last see that?).

The island boasts a wonderful medley of colorful houses. Photo: © hidden europe

An island with ideas

Small island communities around Europe’s coast have often been wonderful incubators of innovation. And Ærø even more than most. This is an island with a buzz—a very good buzz. A keen maritime history has ensured that Ærø is outward-looking. It keeps in touch with wider trends. The island has been a leader in alternative energy and is now set to cut a dash in the slow food movement.

For after island adventures and recreation, visitors demand Ærø on a plate. A local champion for real local food on Ærø is Louise Badino (who has far more Ærø blood in her than the Italianate surname might imply). Louise describes herself as a “learning-by-doing” entrepreneur. She already has a niche in the Ærø marriage market but has latterly created the island’s first serious store for local produce. With a plum spot on the main square in the island’s ‘capital’ of Ærøskøbing, Louise’s shop is the obvious first stop for visitors wanting a bite of Ærø. “Buy local,” is Louise’s clarion call as she leads visitors to shelves laden with locally-brewed beer (made at Rise brewery on the island), tempting displays of Ærø mustard and honey, organic herbs and local lamb.

“Can we really say we are a community when most people go shopping at the local supermarket,” Louise asks. It’s a point we might all take on board as we travel. Supermarkets are soulless, impersonal places. If we are to breathe new life into our town squares, we need them to bustle with business, with energy and with enthusiasm.

Making a difference & where to stay

We ran across energy and enthusiasm aplenty in Ærø last week. It was there in the voices and faces of men like Erik Kroman who runs the marvellous maritime museum in Marstal. We saw it in the dedication of Maria and Steen Larsen who in 2006 “came from across the sea” (Maria’s nice way of describing their move from urban Denmark to the island of Ærø) to revive an inn called Vindeballe Kro in a great location in the very middle of the island. While Steen demonstrated the wonderful things that can be done with local Ærø beef, Maria told the tale of how the couple had shaped new lives on the island.

We discovered how Ærø’s own peculiar magic has a way of catching hold of incomers. When Susanna Greve moved to the island in 1974, she could barely have imagined that 40 years later she would still be on Ærø. Susanne now runs an extremely comfortable small hotel (called Pension Vestergade 44) in Ærøskøbing.

Island challenges

It is people like Susanna Greve, Louise Badino and Erik Kromann who are the life and soul of Ærø. And the island relies on dozens more like them. Ærø is exceptional—and very well deserving of a visit. And yet there is a sense in which Ærø is not exceptional. For the story of Ærø is replicated in dozens of island communities around Europe. It is the challenge of having loyalty to community, a sense of being rooted in a particular place and being able thrive locally in a global economy. Ærø just seems to have found particularly good solutions to that trinity of challenges.

The post Portrait of a Danish Island: Ærø appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Time to think

We are not talking posh cruises here, but thinking rather of the regular ferries that ply the seas and inshore waters of Europe. Boats are a chance to take time out and think. We love boat trips.

It may be a simple hop on a ferry from Calais in France to Dover in England – where shipping stalwarts P&O bring cruise ship luxury to a 90-minute journey which in good weather is a sheer delight. Those famous white cliffs at Dover are quite something. (Read our previous post about P&O’s ferry service from England to France.)

Or it may be the long haul, such as the weekly voyage with the Smyril Line vessel Norröna from Denmark to Iceland. Depending on the time of year, the voyage to Iceland takes two or three days.

Shipping links

Europe is a continent that has been shaped by its maritime heritage and shipping links. Ferries are still a major component of the continent’s transport network, taking heavy freight off crowded highways and allowing discerning travelers a chance to swap the rush of modern life for a few quiet hours on board a comfortable ship.

For many island communities, of course, ferries provide lifeline links to the wider world. And, at this time of year, the weather is quick to remind us of the fragility of those links. This week, for example, shipping services from the Scottish mainland to Shetland, Orkney and the Outer Hebrides have all been heavily disrupted by storms.

Ferry schedules

Sadly, there is no comprehensive guide to Europe’s passenger shipping and ferry routes, but the Thomas Cook European Rail Timetable (ERT) does cover more than just trains. Each monthly edition of this wonderful book includes details of several hundred ferry routes in European waters.

For the majority of these routes, the ERT gives the full schedules but for a few routes it is no more than a tantalizing hint of a connection. The vessels of Bumerang Shipping, the ERT advises, sail irregularly from Yalta (in the Crimea) to Novorossisk (in Russia). The timetable tracks the twice weekly sailings of Siremar to Stromboli, and it waves the flag for the Virtu catamaran to Valletta.

Back in the more familiar waters of western Europe, the ERT gives the schedules for most major ferry routes. But still there are gaps. There is simply no space to include small routes of real character. Kintyre Express runs a year-round passenger link between Campbeltown in Scotland (on the Mull of Kintyre) and Ballycastle (in Northern Ireland). This is a route to clear the head. Life jackets are compulsory as the 11-metre RIB speeds over the North Channel on its two-hour run. Not for everyone, perhaps, but it’s certainly an antidote to the deadening boredom of air travel.

A taste of the sea

On longer journeys around Europe, an overnight hop on a ferry makes perfect sense. Here is our pick of a handful of long routes that run all year round. These are all routes run by leading shipping operators with vessels that offer every possible creature comfort.

Each of these five routes feature in this month’s ERT. But they are just five of a vast range of maritime connections that help keep Europe on the move:

Oslo (Norway) to Kiel (Germany):
Every night — 20 hrs — Color Line — ERT Table 2372

Hirtshals (Denmark) to Bergen (Norway):
Thrice-weekly overnight service — 19 hrs — Fjord Line — ERT Table 2237

Rotterdam (Holland) to Hull (England):
Every night— 12 hrs — P&O — ERT Table 2245

Stockholm (Sweden) to Tallinn (Estonia):
Every night — 16 hrs — Tallink Silja — ERT Table 2475

Civitavecchia (Italy) to Barcelona (Spain):
Nightly ex Sundays — 20 hrs — Grimaldi Lines — ERT Table 2520

The post Traveling by Ferry in Europe: Down to the seas again appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

But now that the (absentee) voting is done, the question becomes: How to observe the election from Copenhagen? Right now I can think of three ways about it:

Option one: Tune out, then tune in on November 7

I’ll be visiting Copenhagen’s many sights with a group of other American travel writers on Tuesday, November 6. Certainly the subject will come up, but our attention will be happily focused on Nyhavn, the National Gallery and the city’s palaces.

We’ll be gleefully six hours ahead of any action back home. Even tuning in at midnight will mean that almost no polls will have closed. (Indiana and parts of Kentucky close at 6 PM EST, but those states aren’t really nail-biters.) I might as well go to sleep at a normal hour, and wake up refreshed to find out about the results. Yeah, right…

Option two: Stay up all night in a bar

A drastically different option would be to pull an all-nighter in a local bar that’s showing the event. Perhaps it will be the hotel’s bar, or we will undoubtedly hear about spots in Copenhagen to watch the event. This would surely attract visiting Americans, as well as interested Danes and travelers from other parts of the world who are likewise wound up about the election.

I find this option, in theory, to be quite attractive. It’s always fun to watch big events with others, allowing your energies to build. All of that waiting (and all of that commentary) goes down a bit easier with a few beers and new-found friends. And, hey, if things go south for you, you’re already in a bar!

The reality, of course, can be less ideal. If the election is mostly decided when major swing states in the east close (Florida at 7 p.m., Ohio at 7:30 p.m.), we’d find out in Copenhagen around 1 a.m. That’s doable… but what if it’s close in those states? What about western swing states? This thing could go late in the US, which means it could go really late in Europe.

And, of course, there’s that 9 a.m. airberlin flight we’ll be catching to Vienna the next morning.

Option three: Early to bed, early to rise

The last, and perhaps most responsible, option is to go to sleep early-ish, and wake up early (say, at 5 a.m.) to figure out what happened, or even catch the tail-end of the event itself.

This sounds perfectly reasonable, but is it possible to fall asleep early on election night? Maybe for some, but as a political junkie, I’m pretty sure that even if I do fall asleep, I’m certain to wake up at 3 a.m. knowing that I could turn on the TV and see the first big results coming in.

Or a messy mix of all three

What will most likely happen, of course, is a big, messy mix of all three. I’ll probably intend to go to sleep early, but first grab a beer with some of my traveling companions. This will lead to “just one more” before the first results come in. Despite the excitement around those first numbers, I’ll force myself to sleep, only to wake up a few hours later in the middle of the night, flip on the TV and half-dream about Wolf Blitzer for the next few hours.

When you factor in a 7 a.m. trip to the airport, it sounds a bit grim. But, hey, even if we’re all exhausted, it will be over. If “my guy” wins, it will be a happy, relieved exhaustion. If he doesn’t, well, I’ll be headed to Vienna.

I guess traveling during an election has its benefits after all.

Are you watching the election from abroad?

If you’re traveling or living abroad and excited about the election, how do you plan to watch it? Will it be an all-nighter, a middle-of-the-night wake-up, or a wait-and-see? Tell us about your plans in the comments section.

The post How to watch the US election results while traveling in Europe appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

In Russia, for example, both Monday and Tuesday were public holidays, while in Serbia both yesterday and today have been public holidays. May Day comes in various guises in different parts of Europe. Workers’ marches (and other demonstrations of proletarian power or powerlessness) are de rigeur but, as April slips into May many Europeans also have to endure ghouls, goblins, witches and bonfires (think of it as being Halloween six months early).

This week of sporadic freedom from daily grind kicks off a month when Europe has a carnival of holidays. Observers from across the Atlantic possibly gaze on with envy (or perhaps they see such an indulgent string of holidays as clear evidence of European indolence).

Changing times

Travelers are often surprised to find rail and bus schedules run to a completely different tempo on public holidays in Europe, so it’s worth being alert to upcoming high days and holy days in the areas through which you plan to travel.

Remember grocery stores and other shops may be closed and opening times for restaurants, museums and galleries may differ from the norm.

Days to remember

Tomorrow, May 3, Poland celebrates Constitution Day (and, being Poland, commemorations of the 1791 Constitution inevitably are attended by lots of prayers).

Then on Friday, May 4, all Denmark devotes an entire day to prayer. Well, nominally at least. Store Bededag (Great Prayer Day) is a good deal less prayerful in Denmark than the average working day in many other European countries, but it is nonetheless a very good excuse for a day off work.

Ireland and the United Kingdom kick in next week belatedly celebrating the start of May with a public holiday on Monday the 7th.

Then a mighty range of European countries will enjoy designated holidays on May 8 or 9 to mark the anniversary of the end of Second World War hostilities in Europe.

Russians, having enjoyed two days off work this week, will next week have Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday free. But Russians do pay a price for skipping five working days in a 10-day period. The first two Saturdays in May are regular working days.

Religious matters

Another May calendrical highpoint is Ascension Day, which this year is marked on the 17th of the month. This is the chance for yet another public holiday in some two dozen European countries (and in Germany, where it is most certainly a day off work, Ascension Day is also Fathers’ Day).

Then as the end of the month nears, most countries in western, central and southern Europe prepare to mark Pentecost, which this year falls on Sunday May 28. That means another holiday on the ensuing Monday.

The post May Daze: Public holidays across Europe in May appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

A church in Jutland. Photo © hidden europe magazine

Beat those Winter Blues

Those few leisure travelers who are out-and-about are heading in the main for Europe’s winter sports regions. Buck that trend and you will have much of Europe to yourself.

We traveled last week along Denmark’s windy North Sea coast, enjoying empty roads and clear blue skies. This past weekend we rode by train through northern Germany: ten trains in all, and never more than a handful of people aboard. Spread out, and enjoy the space on trains which would be crowded in mid-summer.

Low season rates and heavy discounting by hoteliers still don’t woo the crowds. So travel is cheap. Bleak weather is still interesting. And there is a peculiar charm to many off-season coastal resorts. Expect dramatic skyscapes and wild seas. Go dressed for the worst.

Five of the Best

Here are a handful of our top coastal choices for January travel:

Gozo: Malta’s kid sister is at her best in the depths of winter. Catch it when the fierce grigal winds blow in and you’ll see a moody Gozo far removed from the sedate Mediterranean island featured in guidebooks.

Connemara and Galway: Western Ireland can be formidably crowded in summer, yet even popular spots like Clifden offer space to breathe in deepest winter. Watch and feel Atlantic waves and winds roll in off the ocean.

Istria: This little pocket of territory near the head of the Adriatic, where the Latin and Slavic worlds collide, is the perfect antidote to winter blues. Piran (Slovenia) is our favorite winter hideaway on the Istrian coast.

The North Frisian Islands: It just happens that’s where we are staying all this week. The chic set who celebrated New Year here has gone and everyday life has returned to this happy scatter of Danish and German islands in the eastern North Sea. Off-season in the region is hard to beat, whether you opt for the islands of Sylt, Amrun and Föhr (all on the German side of the border) or head further north to the Danish islands.

Galicia: The north-west corner of Spain teems with summer visitors, yet is deserted in January. The seafood is as good as ever and if you drive out to the headland at Cape Finisterre on a stormy day you really will have a sense of having reached the end of the earth.

The post Exploring Europe’s Coastal Regions in Winter appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Zoos are great spots for people watching and, for anyone with even only a passing interest in architecture, zoos often boast some of the finest buildings in a city. Few of Europe’s leading architects have not at one time or another turned their hand to zoo buildings.

To the Alpenzoo in Innsbruck

On the top of our list of zoos for fans of great contemporary architecture is Innsbruck in the Austrian Tyrol, where even the ride from town up to the zoo is an architectural feast. The Hungerburgbahn is a funicular railway from the middle of Innsbruck, Austria to the Alpenzoo. This mountain railway was rebuilt in 2007, and Anglo-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid was commissioned to design the stations along the route. Her designs are breathtaking.

Unpack your trunk in Copenhagen

One of our favorite modern zoo buildings is the elephant house at Copenhagen Zoo, designed by Foster and Partners. Norman Foster is more associated with glitzy showpiece efforts, but the understated earthiness of the new structure at Copenhagen Zoo is evidently elephant bliss. One of Foster’s colleagues is reported as saying that going back to designing buildings for grumpy humans will be no fun after working on the Copenhagen elephant house.

Penguin bliss in London

The London Zoo has a galaxy of architectural gems, the the most striking of which is the seductive Penguin pool designed by the Georgian-born architect Berthold Lubetkin in 1934.

Lubetkin and his progressive architectural alliance (known as Tecton) secured many commissions for zoo buildings across Britain, of which the finest collection is at the Dudley Zoo in the English Midlands (midway between the cities of Birmingham and Wolverhampton).

Dudley: The Lubetkin legacy

A little improbably, Dudley thus hosts the best collection of Constructivist buildings anywhere outside the former Soviet Union. The uncompromising modernity of the Dudley Zoo took visitor’s breath away when the zoo opened in 1937.

More than 70 years later, the buildings are showing signs of age, but they alone still justify a visit to the town, though curiously the Dudley Zoo Web site makes no significant mention of what many might judge to be the zoo’s greatest asset.

Lubetkin was a star architect of the 20th century. But is it not ironic that the greatest beneficiaries of an architect so committed to a vision of a better society were not humans at all, but rather apes and penguins?

The post Apes and Architecture: Europe’s most stunning zoos appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Ideal Bar at VEGA
Enghavevej 40, 1674 København

One of the Copenhagen’s most high-profile clubs, VEGA is a mammoth complex of four lounges, bars, and music venues. While VEGA proper regularly hosts international superstars like Kylie Minogue, Moby, and Fatboy Slim (with the price tags to match), the more modest Ideal Bar has plenty of free events.

Stop by the Ideal Bar Wednesday through Saturday, when the lounge offers free admission to DJ sets and parties with different musical themes. Aside from the wonderful perk of free entrance, the spot offers an intimate, low-key vibe that you won’t find in VEGA’s other mega-clubs. Check the Ideal Bar’s calendar to see what’s playing when you’re in town. The lounge is closed Sunday through Tuesday.

Laurits Betjent
Ved Stranden 16, 1061 København K

If you’re looking for a young vibe and student-friendly prices, Laurits Betjent is a good bet. Located on Ved Stranden near the pedestrian-only Stroget, the club hosts a “17+” party every Thursday from 10 PM-5 AM. Entrance costs 60 DKK (about $11), and includes free beer and champagne. (Note that clubbers under 18 will only be served soda and Carlsberg 2.7% beer.)

On other nights of the week, Laurits Betjent offers a similarly cheap cover charge and Cheapo-friendly drinks. Complete with two dance floors and a foosball table, it’s a thoroughly fun place.

Andy’s Bar
Gothersgade 33, 1123 København K

Less scene-y and more retro, Andy’s Bar offers a pub-style atmosphere with cheap beer, to boot. Located near Rosenborg Slot, this watering hole is a favorite of musicians and artist types who congregate over glasses of cheap beer. The bar stays open till 5 AM.

Don’t miss Andy’s wonderfully faded exterior, which is a testament to the bar’s many years of operation.

Copenhagen Nightlife Tips

Make sure you know the age limit before you queue up for a club, as many venues set the bar at age 23.

Also, know that several clubs will require you to check your coat, which costs around $4.

The post Copenhagen Nightlife: Where to dance and drink on the cheap appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

As a first-time visitor to Copenhagen, what did you find surprising about the city?

I didn’t think it would be so compact! All the main attractions are roughly in the same area, so it’s very easy to cover the city on foot.

Did you walk everywhere?

Nearly. I never needed to take public transportation, aside from getting into the city from the airport. I would have loved to rent a bike, but the weather was pretty miserable and rainy so I opted out.

Did you find Copenhagen easy to visit for budget travelers?

With a bit of effort, it can be. Hotel rates themselves are probably the biggest expense, though there are certainly deals to be had. Dining can be reasonably cheap if you forgo touristy restaurants (especially around Tivoli and Nyhavn) for meals at the pizza and kebab joints popular with the locals.

Mmmmm… Pizza and kebabs. Did you have any memorable meals?

In an effort to keep expenses down, I ate meal after meal of falafel schawarma sandwiches. With good reason, too—they’re delicious and cost around DKK 20 (about $4). After my last day of visiting hotels, however, I did splurge on some tasty Japanese fare at Kung Fu Izakaya Bar in Vesterbro.

You deserved it, after visiting dozens of hotels in the city. Which hotel was your favorite?

It’s a tough call, but the Avenue Hotel in Frederiksberg won me over with its lovely rooms and warm hospitality. Hotel Alexandra, which boasts guestrooms outfitted with the work of famed Danish designers, is a close second. However, these are just two of many hotels boasting sleek Danish design and central locations.

Where did you stay?

I stayed at the Absalon Hotel. I had booked a room at the Absalon Annex (which I reviewed), but upon arrival was upgraded to a room at the hotel’s three-star sister property.

Really? Did they know you were reviewing them?

No! Of course not. I told them during check out–and then asked to see a bunch of rooms!

—

Thanks for the great job, Sarah. To read her work, check out her Copenhagen hotel reviews and city guide articles.

The post Copenhagen: 7 questions for our hotel reviewer, Sarah Silbert appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.