Nyhavn is probably the most famous tourist spot in Copenhagen. It’s the former commercial harbour, which has now been turned into a pleasure area, filled with restaurants, bars and cafes. All in a beautiful setting, with old houses and sailing boats along the quayside.
Nyhavn is pretty, but really expensive.
If you just walk into Nyhavn as a regular tourist, then you can soon end up spending a lot of money.
The bars and restaurants are really expensive. The food is mostly very average at the restaurants along the quayside.
The beer is super expensive and they have a habit in Nyhavn of not filling your glass properly. You can easily end up paying 9-10€ for what is advertised as a 0,5L beer, But you only get 0,4 poured into your glass.
Do like the locals and buy your beer in the supermarket.
Very few locals from Copenhagen will ever sit and drink beer at a bar in Nyhavn.
They are fully aware that this is super expensive. And they also know that there is an alternative.
And that alternative is to bring your own beer to the quayside.
You have a little grocery store, just around the corner from Nyhavn, called “Den gamle Købmand”. It’s not the cheapest grocery store. But the beers are still 5-6 times cheaper than in the Nyhavn bars.
The selection of beer is very impressive in this little store. They have some very good Danish beers that are much better than your average Carlsberg and Tuborg beer.
If you really want to save money, then there is a Netto supermarket on the street called Store Kongensgade, just 5 minutes walk from Nyhavn.
Public drinking is fully accepted in Denmark.
Many foreign visitors are often worried about buying beer in the supermarket and drinking it in public, as that is forbidden in many countries. But in Denmark, this is perfectly legal. And totally accepted.
You will see lots of people sitting on the quayside with their own beer. Right next to the cafes that serve the same beer for 10 times the price.
It’s only if you start getting loud and breaking your beer bottles that the police might come by and ask you to leave. So behave nicely and drink in the streets of Nyhavn.
Going to the quiet side of Nyhavn gives you the best view.
What I personally like to do is to go to the other side of the canal, where you have no cafes and restaurants. The Danes call it “The quiet side of Nyhavn”. From there you have a much better view of all the old sailing boats and old buildings.
It’s not nearly as crowded.
And you have no pickpockets roaming the quiet side og Nyhavn.
Beware that pickpockets can be a problem in Nyhavn during summer months, where you have thousands of visitors every day.
Save even more money and don’t drink any beer!
No you can’t. Then you are not a Dane 🙂 .
Nice article.!! enjoyed reading it