- Copenhagen is overrated

My friend Sara arrived back from Copenhagen with this trip report:

For a city known as ‘Wonderful Copenhagen’, I certainly didn’t find much that was wonderful about it. While it is a nice, small city, with quite a laid-back vibe, it still has some serious problems that could really put a dampener on y holiday.

1) Copenhagen is expensive.

Everyone says this, but it really is true that a trip to Copenhagen will relieve you of a considerable amount of your hard-earned money. The city has a reputation for Michelin-starred restaurant and luxury, and that’s all very well, but if your budget doesn’t stretch very far you’ll find Copenhagen a difficult place to visit with its $5 bottles of water or a cup of coffee and a shocking $40 for a basic dinner in a restaurant. Finding accommodation that offers good value for money is like looking for a McDonald’s with a Michelin star.

2) The Danish concept of hygge.

Hygge is a fairly untranslatable Danish concept that means cosy, or homely. In the winter months, the Danes deal with the cold and the dark by retreating into semi-hibernation in their homes, visiting friends in their houses and staying close to a good open fire. This is all very well if you’re Danish, but if you visit the city during this time you’ll find the city pretty shut down, empty and inward-looking. Copenhagen can be a very lonely place.

3) The casual racism.

It’s better than it was, but Copenhagen still isn’t a brilliant place to be if you’re black or Asian. People used to more diverse multi-ethnic cities like London or New York might find themselves shocked at the unpleasant abuse aimed at minorities by the more backward and stupid elements living in the city, and it’s impossible to answer back, because that just brings more xenophobes out of the woodwork. It can leave a very bad taste in the mouth.

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