Shop 'til you drop: Copenhagen

Christmas shopping with girlfriends is top of most of our wish lists – and if you combine it with a fun weekend in a fabulous city you could save the cost of your travel in bargain buys

Wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen

Travel writer Rhiannon Batten browsed her way around the über-cool design stores of the Danish capital with teacher Eleanor Sykes, 36, from Essex.

 

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Copenhagen was recently named the world's best city for quality of life. Handsome locals, endless bike paths and an eco-conscious outlook nudged it up our must-see list. As far as shopping goes, the country's flair for design means the interiors stores are hard to beat.

 

Hitting the shops

Illums Bolighus is a one-stop shop for Danish and other Scandinavian homeware on Copenhagen's main shopping street (6-10 Amagertorv, royalshopping.com; 00 45 33 141 941). From Georg Jensen cutlery to elegant Holmegaard glassware, we found all the big Danish names here. Around 10 minutes' bike ride from the centre, Normann Copenhagen's stylish kitchenware takes domesticity to an altogether sexier level (Østerbrogade 70, www.normann-copenhagen.com; 00 45 35 270 540).

 

What we bought

Eleanor picked up a beautiful winter coat for a bargain £60 in E-vintage (Istedgade 92, www.e-vintage.dk). I bought some great stocking filler make-up bags (£15) at Grønlykke (Laederstraede 3, www.gronlykke.com; 00 45 3313 0081), and at Sungifu, a new lifestyle boutique (9 Fiolstrœde, www.sungifu.com; 00 45 3311 3355), I failed to resist the charms of a stunning necklace (£50) by Swedish company Temple.

 

Beat the credit crunch

Ravnsborggade, a street lined with antiques shops in the hip Norrebro district (www.ravnsborggade.dk), is the place to bag a bargain. In one
shop I spotted a trio of fabulous wooden lamp bases for just £20.
A good budgeting idea is to buy a CPH Card. From around £20
for 24 hours, these give you free entry to 60 attractions, plus free city transport by train, bus and metro (www.visitcopenhagen.com for details).

 

Escaping the tills

Copenhagen's Tivoli Gardens are magical. This city centre amusement park is more traditional fairground than Alton Towers and comes into its own in the run-up to Christmas, with market stalls and theatre performers adding to the atmosphere. Entry costs around £9 (Vesterbrogade 3, www.tivoli.dk; 00 45 3315 1001).

 

Where to refuel

We grabbed bowls of home-made soup (£3.60) at Secret Kitchen deli (Kompagnistraede 31, www.secretkitchen.dk; 00 45 3930 7875), while the harbourside dining at Nyhavns Faergekro (Nyhavn 5, www.nf.dk; 00 45 3315 1588) is ideal for lunch: "Miss Berg's famous fish cakes" (£7.25) were delicious washed down with a shot of plum aquavit. Dinner at Nimb is a treat and costs around £40 for three courses (Bernstorffsgade 5, www.nimb.dk; 00 45 8870 0000).

 

Best for...

Keen kayakers, we'd read about water-based city tours with a company called Kajak Ole and gave one a go. It was a great way to see Copenhagen. The 90-minute tours cost around £26 pp, including equipment hire (www.kajakole.dk; 00 45 4050 4006).

 

We stayed...

A sophisticated, friendly boutique hotel, Hotel Axel Guldsmeden is
a short walk from Copenhagen's station and close to the shops. Its indulgent organic breakfast buffet (around £13) sets you up perfectly for a day's shopping. Doubles start from around £105 per night, room only (Helgolandsgade 11, www.hotelguldsmeden.dk; 00 45 3331 3266).

 

Getting there

Return train fares from St Pancras to Copenhagen start from £255 (www.raileurope.co.uk; 0844 848 4070). Return flights from Gatwick to Copenhagen start from around £69 (www.flysas.com; 0870 787 8038). For more information on Copenhagen, see www.visitcopenhagen.com.

 

 

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