When I got to Copenhagen, I was spending. I came in with no budget and only a vague notion that Copenhagen was a little more expensive than Michigan. More importantly, I came in with wide-eyed amazement. Everything was shiny and new, and I wanted to try it all.
A month and half later, I’m living a bit differently. And I have a few tips. You’ve probably heard some of this advice before (some isn’t Copenhagen-specific) — some if it won’t make sense until you’ve touched down and hit a city center coffee shop for the first time. Here’s how I cut costs in Copenhagen.
1. Don’t Spend at All
My ultimate-most-important-top piece of advice is to look for free experiences. Sure, you may not eat often for free, but when it comes to things to do in Copenhagen, there is a lo-o-o-ong list!
Take Dyrehaven as an example! Just 10 minutes North of the city, this nature preserve is completely free, completely gorgeous, and completely full of deer. Deers’ mating season is in the start of October, so I saw bucks with jaw-dropping antlers. Though I couldn’t see them, I also heard two bucks lock antlers in the distance. At one point, I witnessed a herd of about 50 deer running across a wide-open meadow. Dyrehaven is an amazing, completely free way to spend a morning! If you go, try this route: Dyrehaven Hike.
There’s a bunch of other options. A few things up next on my list:
- The David Collection: a museum full of European art, ceramics, and furniture.
- Glyptoteket: an art/archeological museum that started as the private collection by former beer-mogul Carl Jacobsen.
- Christiansborg Palace: the former royal residence and current home to each branch of Danish government offers free English-language tours on Saturdays.
2. Make a Budget
This is universal advice, but it stands true in Copenhagen. The city is expensive, so on the advice of a DIS staff member, I tracked my spending for the first two weeks. I was able to look over my expenses. Based on that, I figured out where I could save in weeks to come. Since then, I’ve continued to track my spending, trying to keep each week’s total below a particular level I decided for myself.
Even if you struggle to keep your spending under that cap (which will happen, of course), keeping track of your expenses will at least have the effect making you aware of your purchasing habits. Being aware of what you’re buying will help all on its own!
3. You’re a student; buy like it!
Enter Bastard Cafe, my new favorite afternoon coffee shop. It’s not because of the coffee per se, though their drinks are great. Between 12-4, with a valid student ID (your DIS card should do the trick), the very hygge cafe offers a 50% discount an ALL coffee drinks. You read that right. 5. 0. %. All drinks. I know I sound like a promoter, but it’s just an unbeatable deal.
Not everywhere will just blow up their entire pricing structure like the Bastard Cafe, but pretty much everywhere will have some discount. Usually it’s 10%, sometimes it’s higher. In some beautiful, rare, Bastard-level cases, it blows you away. Many places won’t automatically apply it or ask if you’re a student, so it’s like my mom always said: “it can’t hurt to ask.”
Thanks for hanging out for another installment! I’m traveling next week, so no post (most likely). But I’ll be back, I’m sure, with a recap of my time in France and Turkey. Hopefully I’ll have some recommendations of sights to see, as well as some lessons from my first solo trip!
Feel free to contact me, I’d love to hear from you! Until next time. 🙂