Copenhagen, at the Pace of a Bicycle

Jul 20

4 min read

Updated: Aug 21

The Danish finale of our 8D7N Denmark Copenhagen Tour

"Some cities you visit. Copenhagen you join. It is a place built around the bicycle, where the roads make room for you and nobody is in a rush. For a Brompton rider, it may be the most comfortable capital in the world. It is also where our Denmark tour comes to rest."

Our journey begins across the water in Sweden. We ride through the towns of Lund, Malmo and Helsingborg. By the middle of the week, we take the ferry across the narrow channel, and land in Denmark. From there, it is a coastal run towards Copenhagen. This is the story of those final Danish days, and why they were worth the whole trip.

Riding in from the coast

We come into Denmark at Helsingor, where Kronborg Castle stands watch over the sea. This is the castle Shakespeare used as a setting for Hamlet. We stop for a look, and we take our time heading south.

The ride from Helsingor to Copenhagen follows the coast. Calm water on one side, quiet Danish suburbs on the other. It is a gentle, flat road that lets you look up and enjoy the view rather than watch your front wheel. When a stretch turned busy or plain, we folded up the bikes and headed for a better path. You only ride the best of it. That is the whole idea.

A city that makes room for you

Copenhagen is flat, and it is kind to cyclists. Wide cycle lanes run beside almost every road. Cars expect you. Locals of every age ride here, at an easy pace. You do not need to be fit or fast to feel at home on these streets. You simply need a bike and a little time, and we bring both.

Our hotel for the Copenhagen nights is the Scandic Spectrum, a comfortable base close to the centre. Bags travel ahead of you in the support vehicle. If your legs are tired at the end of a day, there is always a seat waiting. Nothing about this city has to be hard work.

The Cherry Route, and a castle in a garden

Our full Copenhagen day follows the Cherry Route, a signposted loop that threads through the prettiest parts of the city. Thirty easy kilometres, laid out so you see the parks, the water and the quiet residential lanes, not the traffic.

We pause at Frederiksberg, where a castle sits above formal gardens laced with canals. It is a lovely place to rest the bikes and walk for a while. The afternoons here are unhurried on purpose. In June the Danish evenings stretch on and on, with the sun up past nine, so there is no need to squeeze the day's schedule.

A boat, if you would like one

Copenhagen is a city of canals, and the best way to understand it is from the water. On a luxury canal tour, you take in the sights and sounds of the city while someone else steers, as you glide past the colourful houses and old harbours. It is the gentlest sightseeing you will ever do, and nothing to do but enjoy it.

Where we eat

The Danes take their food seriously, and so do we. Lunches are long and worth stopping for. Think open sandwiches piled high, fresh fish, and a pastry you did not plan to order.

Dinners are the highlight. On one of the evenings we eat seafood at Kodbyens Fiskebar, a well loved spot in the old meatpacking district. Another night, we sit down at Pate Pate, where the cuisine wanders happily between French, Spanish and Moroccan. These are not tables you stumble into. We book them well ahead, so you meet the people who run them rather than a queue at the door. That is what we mean by access.

Why a Brompton, and why with us

A folding bike changes how a city feels. It rides the good stretches, folds for the dull ones, and slips onto a train, a ferry or into a cafe without a fuss. We ride original Bromptons with original parts, so one spare part fits every rider and our vehicle always carries what we might need. We do not claim a bike that never has a hiccup. We promise that if it does, we sort it in minutes and your holiday carries on.

Most of our guests are not hardcore cyclists. They are travellers who would rather someone else did the planning. People who like good company, good food and a comfortable bed at the end of the day. If you come on your own, you will not stay on your own for long. Working is our job, not yours. Copenhagen is where this tour ends, but it is the part people talk about most. A flat, friendly city, long light evenings, water everywhere, and a bicycle that makes all of it easy. Come and see it the way it was meant to be seen.