This particular trip came a little unexpectedly. First, an unanticipated vacation, then an additional collaboration with the Radisson Collection Royal Hotel Copenhagen. It was a fantastic 2 days in this city, which I discovered I loved more than I had expected.

There are only a few places I’ve visited where I could actually see myself living. This is one of them. It feels urban, yet peaceful and unchaotic. There are canals, fantastic architecture – old and new, the people are super nice, good food, fun beer gardens, easy to navigate. Every corner I turned was cuter than the last.

Let’s get into what I photographed.

Radisson Collection Royal Hotel

A view from the room and a detail of this fantastic spiral staircase in the lobby.

Tivoli Food Hall

Just across the street are the Tivoli Gardens and Food Hall. I made it to one of the two, take a guess at which won out 😉

Food, always food, lol. Had to have one of their specialties – a smørrebrød, which is basically an open-faced sandwich.

But I also photographed the building which had some great curves and reflections.

Axel Towers

Also across the street from the hotel are the fantastically curvy and colorful Axel Towers designed by Lundgaard & Tranberg Arkitekter.

Office Building (can’t find a specific name)

Not loving that I can’t figure out the name of this building, it seems to be a mixed-use office building. It wasn’t on my list and only a short distance from Axel Towers. I just like the geometry and the way the light was hitting the facade.

City Hall Square

Now, for something old. A few views of City Hall and The Scandic Palace Hotel.

The Round Tower

Of course had to visit here given I’ve seen countless photos of this + I’m all in for anything curvy. This was built as an astronomical observatory and is probably most known for its curvy, equestrian staircase.

First, the exterior and a little bit of a street/travel photo for some context. Not my usual strong suit. But was super happy I caught this biker!

I took way too many photos of the stairway. I’ll just share my favorite.

Then, there’s the view from the top + some pretty clouds. My other obsession.

More unknowns

A couple more things I stumbled upon that caught my eye but can’t seem to find the name of.

Frederik’s Church

Sadly, not open when I arrived but it had some pretty late afternoon light and shadowplay on the exteriors.

Nyhavn

So touristy but you’ve gotta check it out at least once. Or, twice for different light 😉

Papirøen – The Paper Island

Another location not originally on my list. From a distance, I thought it was an older, massive brutalist building but it’s actually new and made of a whole lot of bricks. In fact, this city seems to have a very large number of buildings made out of brick and with some really interesting detailing. Wish I’d had more time here just to wander and focus on this. Also, wish I had taken more time to photograph this building more thoroughly. Great design by Cobe Architects.

Cirkelbroen – The Circle Bridge

On the way to the next stop, we grabbed a beer from one of a few beer gardens in this area and just leisurely walked to the next destination. Such a novelty that you can walk anywhere in the city while having a drink.

Anyhow, the bridge! Designed by Olafur Eliasson this fun pedestrian bridge has 5 masts and resembles a ship, paying tribute to the city’s shipping history.

Church of Our Saviour

Then, I spotted this in the distance with its gold spiral staircase on the spire. Which, apparently, you can climb! I need to revisit just for this!

That wrapped up what I shot the day I arrived. Day 2 brought one of the most anticipated destinations…

Grundtvig’s Church

Another location I’ve seen countless photos of. It’s pretty difficult to get something original here but I had to photograph it nevertheless. I happened to luck out with a small crew filming a video and using a fog machine. Yay, for that added atmosphere!

And, remember my mention of all the brick in this city. This church is made up of 5 million bricks!

Get ready, I’m going to share way too many, pretty similar shots. And this isn’t even all of them, lol.

Interior first. Stunning, right?

Now, some exteriors.

Just next door, this scene. Hard to pass up a cute bike situation.

Kaktus Tower

There are a lot of buildings designed by Bjarke Ingles – BIG Architects in this city. This is where he’s from after all. But this is the only one of his I photographed. Have I mentioned I need way more time in this city?!

It was pretty gloomy while here so I opted for a very dramatic, graphic interpretation.

Another unknown

After meeting up with friends to finish the day we wandered back to the hotel along the canal. It was super calm, the weather cleared and caught this city scene. Again, not sure what building that is in the distance but loved the still reflection.

Copenhagen Central Station

As I left the city to head to Gottenburg, I grabbed a few shots of the train station we were leaving from. Love the mix of old and new in here.

Unusually, I’ve shared mostly color images. Sometimes that’s just the mood but I’ll end with one final shot of that train station ceiling in B&W.

I really did love this city and hope to get back there again sooner rather than later. Plus, it was also really great collaborating with the Radisson brand once again 🙂