“Are you here to visit your friends?” asked the Airbnb landlady as I arrived on the fourth floor for check-in on a Thursday evening in August. More than a hundred steps led to this lovely apartment in central Copenhagen. Still holding my small suitcase and out of breath, I answered: “No, I'm just exploring the city by myself”.

There are two types of people: those with Danish friends and those without.

I'm just joking. What I'm really trying to say is that there are those who are fearless and travel the world with a backpack, not knowing where they'll stay next, and those who prefer to play it safe and never travel alone. If I had to classify myself in one of those groups, I would rather be the latter, although I have travelled alone many times before, always playing it safe by visiting the same place again and again.

Traveling alone to Copenhagen

Copenhagen is a great place to travel solo. For me, it's not the fear of being alone, rather to get stuck or get lost abroad, as I sometimes feel like a magnet for all the bad things that could possibly happen. Denmark is one of the safest travel destinations in the world, welcoming millions of tourists every year.

Here are five reasons why Copenhagen is a great place to travel alone:

1) There is a great connection from the airport to the city centre.

The city offers a very smooth welcome and goodbye, meaning that the airport is connected to the M2 metro line, making it very simple to arrive in the city centre. No matter what time you arrive, you can be sure of having a connection to the city centre and there is always enough space for your suitcase. As I was quite active during my stay, I decided to purchase a “City Pass Small” directly at the airport, which allowed me to use all buses, trains and metro services, as well as the harbour buses, which are actually boats.

2) The capital of 'hygge' makes you feel immediately comfortable and welcome.

If you're interested in design and beautiful aesthetics, Copenhagen could be a great place for you to visit. Take a look around and you will see fashionable Danes on the streets, delicious pastries in the coffee places, colourful houses that spark joy and functional, minimalist designs in lovely shops. There are also many districts and museums to discover.

As mentioned earlier, I stayed in an Airbnb apartment in the Nørrebro district. The apartment was beautifully furnished with a cosy touch. I loved the rustic wooden flooring, the glass door leading to the bedroom, the wing chair for relaxing and last but not least, the balcony where I could enjoy breakfast while looking out over the rooftops of Copenhagen. I felt like a Dane enjoying the summer days in the city.

Hygge-moment-in-Copenhagen_traveling-solo

3) English is widely spoken everywhere.

As there are so many tourists, Copenhagen is accustomed to foreign visitors and you don't need to worry about being unable to communicate, as English is widely spoken. Most of the Danes I met were really friendly and didn’t seem particularly reserved. As I didn't have anyone to talk to during my trip, I really appreciated the little conversations I had, which left me smiling.

4) Pay by card

As Denmark uses the Danish krone and not the euro, I only used my Revolut card to pay. Luckily, you can pay everywhere with card, so there's no need for paper money. You can even pay by card or transfer money at the market hall or flea markets. In this context, I should also mention one disadvantage of the city: It is definitely on the pricey side, so bear in mind that it's not a cheap travel destination.

5) Great food places for solo travellers

Going alone to a restaurant can be very intimidating, but Copenhagen has a lovely variety of places to eat, from fancy restaurants to small, cosy 'hygge' places, as well as a market hall called Torvehallerne and street food stalls. I went out for lunch and dinner every day, which I had never done before. If you're travelling alone, I recommend the street food corners, such as Broens Street Food or Reffen. For a small restaurant with great dishes, I suggest Gravy.

Everything I tried was really good; sometimes I wished I had enough time to come back and eat there again.

Pastries-in-Copenhagen_travel-alone-to-Copenhagen

How to plan a solo trip to Copenhagen

The magic of every city trip lies in planning ahead while leaving space for spontaneity. This is especially true when travelling alone, as being well prepared makes you more relaxed.

I usually start planning my holiday a few weeks before travelling, checking out sights and famous places I would like to visit using old-fashioned printed travel guides, as well as YouTube travel videos and blog posts for inspiration. If it's your first time visiting Copenhagen, you might want to see the colourful houses at Nyhavn, visit Rosenborg Castle, see the Little Mermaid statue, check out Tivoli amusement park or explore the Freetown Christiania.

You can't plan for things like enjoying a beautiful sunset while walking to the grocery store in the evening or seeing fireworks from your balcony on your last day. Nyhavn is very touristy, so I was pleased to find other colourful houses around the city that looked as good as the ones at Nyhavn, but with fewer people around. To get some peace and quiet, I spontaneously visited the botanical garden and came across a cemetery (Assistens Churchyard), where I enjoyed the calm.

Quiet-places-in-Copenhagen_botanical-garden

Here are my personal tips for travelling alone:

Travelling has never been easier than it is today. If you don't have a partner or friend to accompany you, don't let that stop you from exploring the world. You're never too old to experience something new, so if you're considering travelling alone, take the plunge — I'm sure you'll grow as a person and be proud of what you've achieved.

If, like me, you are a little anxious, I would recommend the following for smooth travel:

1) The booklet of security.

I like to bring a little notebook with me for writing analogue shopping lists and for keeping all essential data such as flight times, booking numbers, addresses and telephone numbers in one place. If my phone stops working or gets stolen, I will still have all the important information. I would also recommend taking your phone and some cash everyhwere you go, even if it’s just for taking out the trash.

2) Create a Google Maps list to help you find your way around.

Add all the places, shops and stops that you are going to visit to your preferred destination site, this could be any open source map or Google Maps. I like to create a Google Maps list to help me plan my day. I can see exactly which places are close to each other, I can check the opening times of various cafés or shops or even plan how to get there.

3) Apps as helpful tools

A currency converter or a local transport service app or can help you make quick decisions and plan your next steps.

4) Accommodation in the city centre

To avoid unnecessary complexity and minimise the risk of getting lost, I would recommend staying somewhere in the city centre, where it is easy to get around. It might be a bit more expensive, but it's a luxury I'm happy to embrace. I also recommend travelling with hand luggage, as it is much easier to carry, especially when you have to take steps.

5) You can't go wrong doing the things you enjoy most

When travelling, I always research things I could do or visit that I also enjoy at home. This could be attending a concert, visiting great camera stores, taking part in a photo walk, checking out current exhibitions or exploring the coolest second-hand shops. This time, I saw Bryan Adams live twice at Tivoli Park, attended two events at Copenhagen Fashion Week and visited a really cool camera store.

With a little luck and hopefully great weather, you might become a fan of travelling alone. At least you can do everything you want to do; there's no waiting for anyone else, no one will disturb your sleep with snoring or ruin your mood. ;-)
Let me know in the comments where you like to travel alone!