9 Free Things to Do

This might sound crazy, but Copenhagen is actually not as expensive as it is made out to be. In fact, there are a number of things you can do for free there. Yes, free. Who’d have thought it?

Because it is such a small city it is easy to walk from one side to the other which means that you can cut out any transport costs. Of course, if you want to head further afield to attractions outside of the city you might have to actually get your wallet out – don’t worry though, transport is particularly cheap and well-run. Madness, right?

So, what can you do in Denmark’s capital for free? Walk, and walk some more – that’s what! Yes, I hear your collective groans, but there are so many quirky nooks and crannies around the city that walking becomes an adventure rather than a chore. Plus, if you’re there when it’s cold (i.e. most of the time), excessive amounts of walking is a great way to keep warm.

1. The Little Mermaid

Ah yes, Copenhagen’s most famous landmark. For many, the Little Mermaid is greeted with disappointment but, if you’re there, you might as well check it out to see what all the fuss is about. Situated near the main cruise pier, not far from the old harbour of Nyhavn, a brisk stroll to the Little Mermaid is a city meets water experience that takes you to a more deserted part of Copenhagen.

2. The Latin Quarter

The rustic Latin Quarter comprises a network of winding alleyways lined with interesting buildings and cute little cafes. Keep an eye out for the colourful courtyards that break off from the streets every now and again – they are like peepholes into the lives of locals.

3. City Bikes

Tired of walking? No problem! Bikes are quickly becoming the most important form of transport in Copenhagen, and you can join the throngs of cyclists with the city’s free service. Yes, you have to deposit a single coin to release your bike, but you get it back as soon as you return it. Look out for the blue-and-white models and hit the streets with the best of them.

4. Walking Tour

A great way to spend a day is to create your own walking tour itinerary that encompasses everything you want to see; you might wish to include the sixteenth century naval barracks, Rosenborg Castle, and the Amalienborg Palace in your route. If you want to go inside, however, you will have to hand over the cash, but the buildings’ exteriors make for spectacular viewing on their own. Walking tours are a great way to explore a city, and the Generator offers them in all of their properties from the 1st April to the 1st November – great if you can’t decide on a personal itinerary!

5. Christiania

Copenhagen’s hippy district is a popular hit with tourists. You can wander around the colourful, artistic area amongst self-built houses, locally-run cafes, and some of the city’s most interesting people.

6. Soak up some Culture

Entrance to museums can often be pricey, but Copenhagen has a deal for its culture-loving visitors; on one day of the week, the city’s galleries and museums open their doors for free. Wednesdays mark free entry to the Statens Museum for Kunst, the Hirschsprung Collection, and the Tøjhusmuseet, whilst Fridays mean the Københavns Bymuseum is free, and Sundays are the day to visit the Carlsberg Glyptotek if you don’t want to pay a penny.

7. Changing of the Guards

If you find yourself at a loss, head to the Amalienborg Palace which sees the changing of the guards take place every two hours. Not exciting enough? Then head to the Rosenborg Castle at noon to see a whole bunch of new guards set off to take over duty accompanied by drums and a gaggle of onlookers.

8. Window Shop Along the Stroget

The Stroget is Copenhagen’s shopping area. Doesn’t sound that impressive, right? How about the Stroget is Copenhagen’s shopping area and also the longest pedestrianized shopping street in the world? If you don’t want to part with any cash then don’t buy anything – easier said than done, though.

9. People Watch in Nyhavn

Nyhavn harbour is probably Copenhagen’s most recognisable sight. The colourful cafes are the focal point of many a photo of the city, which means only one thing – it’s not cheap. However, you can find yourself a bench along the river, wrap up warm, and watch those who can afford a coffee go about their daily lives.

Copenhagen has a reputation for its hefty price tag but, if you know where to go and what to do, you may find yourself spending a lot less than you anticipated!

Author Bio: Lizzie, a culture-loving travel enthusiast, visited Copenhagen one weekend with the challenge of spending as little as possible. Guess what? She managed to do it whilst ticking everything off her list and staying away from McDonalds! You can find more tips and tricks on making the most out of a budget break over at her blog, Wanderful World.

Fish Market

We’d heard that the fish market was a must-see attraction in Hamburg, so we all begrudgingly set our alarms for an early start of 6.30 a.m. This didn’t turn out quite as we’d planned though… as we got a wake up call from Grace at 7.45 a.m…uh oh. I, along with Grace, was the only ones who managed this early start and headed off to the fish market. The journey from the Generator Hostel we were staying at was surprisingly easy and quick, we jumped on an S-Bahn from the Central Station (minutes from our hostel) and were there within 20 minutes. It was a fine day and we had a pleasant walk to arrive at the bustling fish market. It was a welcome surprise to see that the market was still super busy – we had expected our late arrival to mean that we missed the action. So we made our way down to the market, which not only sold fish but a variety of clothes, jewellery, coffees and other such tidbits. We grabbed a coffee and a German pastry from two stalls on our walk, then gravitated towards some rock music that we could here. This led us to a large building which had two stages at either end and lots of tables which were all full. To describe the atmosphere, I’d have to say it was noisy because all the vendors were shouting out trying to sell their various deals and bargains! The market is a fish-lovers dream – everywhere we walked there were adults and children alike enjoying their fish sandwiches. Yum yum!

The rest of the group got a few more precious hours of sleep and met us at Breakfast in the Hamburg hostel. We then decided to go to Miniatur Wunderland, which was an attraction that had also been recommended to us. And so we got the train to Baumwall and walked along the river to the site of the Miniatur Wunderland (it was around a 10 minute walk). When we arrived – at around 12.20 p.m. – we were told that we could not get tickets for another few hours and so we decided to book for the next morning. 

Lunch

Before going to see the Rathaus, we went for lunch at an Italian restaurant called Mama Trattoria. The food was delicious with us sampling pasta, salad and pizza – all of us arguing that our dish was the best.

Rathaus

After this slight detour we walked to the Rathaus (which translates into English as ‘council house’). The walk was very pleasant and we found a lovely sculpture en route which we decided to climb – I found this highly entertaining and we took lots of pictures. The Rathaus was a beautiful area and there was a pop-up China Town in the square, with the authentic music from a Chinese stringed instrument which added to the atmosphere.

Dinner

For dinner, we decided to go to St Pauli. Before flying out, we’d heard a lot about this famous region of Hamburg, so we were excited to see what all the fuss was about. We expected a busy and youthful area, so we were a little surprised when it was not nearly as lively as we’d imagined.

However some of the locals we spoke to told us that Hamburg became “eerily quiet” on Sundays – so take that as a warning! After roaming the area (rather thoroughly!) we decided on Gloe on Detlev-Bremer-Strasse, a small restaurant we were attracted to for the reasonable prices and friendly and helpful staff. The food was hearty and scrumptious, and we had a German beer to accompany our meal called Astra.

Bars

To cap off a wonderful day, we stumbled upon an open bar area, and so chose one bar which was playing some dancehall and reggae music called Sommersalon. Inside it was eccentric to say the least – there was a Mary-Poppins-style upside-down living room on the ceiling and a Nintendo 64 where you could play Super Mario on a small TV from the 90s. Happy Hour was the longest we’d ever encountered – it lasted from 1800 till midnight. Then we decided to explore the area and came across a more traditional bar called Albers, where the friendly Australian owner told us a bit more about where the hotspots in Hamburg were. From there, we walked up about 400m to find the famous Beatles-Platz – where the Beatles played regularly while they were trying to make a name for themselves. On our way we had the pleasure of seeing an endless number of strip clubs and “sexy clubs”. These amused us.

Day 2:

Miniatur Wunderland

We woke up at 9 a.m. to have breakfast and set off to Miniatur Wunderland – the world’s largest railway exhibition. We expected it to be big but not as big as it was – the Wunderland was divided into seven different sections such as America, Scandinavia and Hamburg. We really enjoyed this as it was so detailed and it amazed us that the people working there could make such miniscule objects – the thousands of human figurines, trees and train carriages were each perfected down to the tiniest detail. Most of us enjoyed it at the beginning but then found it pretty monotonous, however the engineer, Keith, found it thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish!

St Michaelis church

We then wended our way to the church St Michaelis, the most famous church in Hamburg, and paid 4 Euros to walk up the tower. After climbing for what seemed like forever, we reached the top and took in the breathtaking sights. Although we decided that the views were ‘clouded’ by the cloudy weather, we were proud of ourselves for walking up so many stairs so patted ourselves on the back.

Lunch

For lunch we went to a recommended restaurant called Edelcurry (near Alster), which has won an award for their currywurst… the chips were really crunchy and tasty and the currywurst lived up to our expectations!

Alster

As we were so close to Alster, we decided to walk around the lake. It was a lovely day and so it was perfect for this. Our feet were rather sore and so we stopped off at a cafe on the lake for a drink and a rest. Next to the cafe there were peddle boats for hire for 16 euros a day for four people – we were very tempted by this offer but our weary legs refused!

Dinner

Dinner time! We went to a tapas restaurant simply called Tapas on Schulterbaltt and ordered a sharing platter with a selection of scrummy tapas. Our personal favourite was the calamari, nomnom!

Bars

We then moved on to Bar Moraba for drinks which had a lovely loungy area in the back and had some very interesting cocktails. Then we bopped over to Die Herren Simpel – another bar – which also had inventive cocktails such as the Red Bird which was lip-smackingly good – it was a great end to our night.

Day 3:

Bikes

Our final day in Germany! We decided that we couldn’t leave Germany without hiring bikes, so we went to the Central Station and found that the Germans have their very own versions of Boris Bikes, but they were red. After struggling slightly trying to work out how to get the bike out of its stand, we were all set to go and explore the city on our bikes. We have to point out that if you live in London and like us have a wee phobia of riding bikes out on the big bad roads, Hamburg’s system is completely safe in comparison. Most of the cycle lanes are on the pavements and operate on a one-way system so you don’t have to worry about crashing into other cyclists.

Botanical Gardens

We rode to the famous botanical gardens which were vast and beautiful, with many water features, lakes and of course plants. We dismounted our bikes to have a browse in the greenhouse there which was super hot but housed a variety of tropical flowers and trees. We also stopped when we saw a small kid and his dad playing an odd game which involved shooting water at a ball to try and get it into a bucket. When we started we were all sure that the game was impossible because it was too hard, but after we had our first success the goals kept on rolling! We stayed there a bit too long considering that we are all over-18… So overall the Botanical Gardens were a really fun place to go with bikes! We also had a quick ride around Alster where the tranquil atmosphere was really enjoyable.

Lunch

We returned to the Sternstrasse area for lunch and we went to a small café called Kostbar. This was one of our greatest discoveries as it was affordable, the food was delectable and the staff was friendly; it ticked all the boxes really! We were having such a nice time that we realised too late that we were running out of time to rush back to the hostel and go to the airport. Once we were on the train we finally allowed ourselves to take a breath and take in how much we’d done in a short few days!

Naomi , Anna, Bea, Grace and Keith visisted Hamburg for Generator Hostels and shared their experience.

If you would like to write a guest review or city guide on your Generator experience and city life, then get in touch: social@generatorhostels.com

Take Your Trainers

Although your high tech running shoes may seem like an extreme thing to pack, especially if you are travelling light, they are well worth it if it means you keep on running as you would at home. If you’re in the city for any time you’ll soon spot a few routes which you’ll want to try out. If you’re unsure, it’s usually a safe bet to try and head along the river, or check the map for large green park spaces.

Public Push-Ups

In many public parks (and on the beach in the case of Barcelona) there is some form of free, outdoor exercise equipment. While, if you’re a little shy in the gym, it might feel even more embarrassing, these open-air gyms are full of friendly people on sunny days so it needn’t be. With a bit of research you’ll soon find that there’s beach aerobics classes, yoga in the park and tons of other fun activities to keep you fit – if you can get up early enough for them! You can also hop on to a cycling tour for some light cardio, although the bike tours may contain hidden calories…

Practise Makes Perfect

If you’re not one for public displays of athleticism why not practise a bedroom workout routine at home first? You will find out how long it takes, how effective it is for you and how much space you need to do it. Then you can easily adjust it to fit your fitness needs and accommodation. Try taking the stairs not the lift, or jog for the bus instead of walking.

Step Away From The Junk

We agree that part of the travel experience is the food but it doesn’t mean you should stuff your face with puddings and junk food. By all means visit local restaurants but try limiting your portion size on really unhealthy stuff and add a salad or veggies to your meal instead of chips. Stay away from generic junk food chains, just like you would at home.

Group Games

Making friends is what travelling is all about and while your first instinct might be to go to the pub, there are times when you’re bored of beer and you’re completely museumed out. Why not buy some cheap sports equipments, a frisbee, cricket set or just a ball and have a game in the lush parks of all our cities? It’s a great, and may we stress a mostly free, way to spend your time while the sun is out!

I lived in Dublin for several years, and now visit frequently; I’ve 3 top tips for you.

1. Stay in a hostel with a great location
2. Find the inexpensive- but tasty!- places where locals eat
3. Go to the many free museums & galleries

Tip 1- Hostel

I know, I know- some people think Dublin hostels are only for 20-somethings visiting for the Guinness, but that just isn’t true! People of all ages use hostels- especially the new breed of hostels like Generator’s, and people of all ages like to immerse themselves in culture- and not just drinking culture. If you’d like to see more on what I thought of Generator’s Dublin hostel, you can read my blog on it here.

Tip 2: Eating

On my last Dublin visit I ate delicious food, but didn’t break the bank. I had dinner at Boojum in ‘The Italian Quarter’- 2 LUAS stops (at Jervis) from Generator. You can also easily walk to Boojum & save the €1.30 LUAS fee. I had a massive burrito & a sparkling mineral water for under €8. They’ve a nice range of tasty fillings & sauces, and you’ll be full as a tick after!

For breakfast I went to Brother Hubbard on Capel Street, about 10 min walk from Generator, or 1 LUAS stop (4 Courts) & a shorter walk. Brother Hubbard is a great little cafe with good coffee, fresh baked goods, a gluten free selection, & wonderful lunch. They plan to do early dinner, too, but hadn’t started as of my visit Jan 2013. You can get a lovely lunch for around €10.

3. Freebies

Dublin is full of free museums & galleries! The Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA,) is free, and there is a lovely garden at their site in Kilmainham, too. The National Gallery, The National Museums of Ireland and the RHA gallery are also free. ( Note: I had a very good lunch of tortellini stuffed with pork for €10 at the RHA’s cafe- not your usual bland gallery fare!) There are plenty more free places, too; Visit Dublin has extensive listings. Also check out places like Project Arts Centre in Temple Bar for less expensive theatre or dance performances. I saw a lovely show there, & had a nice glass of wine in their theatre bar as well!

One museum that isn’t free, but is well worth a visit, is The Little Museum of Dublin (€5) Do take tour- the interesting & humorous stories bring the fascinating array of items in the museum to life. Everything here was donated by the public- it really is the people’s museum. The Little Museum is special place that you shouldn’t miss if you’d like to get a real feel for Dublin. I found Generator Hostel well located for many places of interest, the LUAS, Dublin bikes, or walking- with the added bonus that the Smithfield area is not nearly so noisy as Temple Bar! Have a great time & enjoy Dublin!

This guest post has been written by Susan FitzGerald , who is a keen traveller and has lived a few years in Dublin. Susan now frequently travels to Dublin and also writes for vibrantireland.com.