(Bloomberg) -- Welcome to Two Perfect Days, in which we profile two prominent locals on their favorite haunts. Consider it a complement to our obsessively researched Two-Night Minimum city guide series.
This is a tale of two cities: one lit up by Michelin and design stars, the other comprising truly simple pleasures like cycling to work and strolling through gardens. Spoiler alert: They’re both Copenhagen.
For two of our favorite born-and-raised Copenhageners, the glitzy version of the Danish capital is their workplace, but its more laid-back side represents the city they’re proudest to call home.
Jens Løkke’s Darling Creative Studio has led brand activations for major Scandinavian brands such as Bang & Olufsen, Ikea and Royal Copenhagen. In 2020, Løkke co-founded The Darling, a two-room hotel in the heart of the city that wows with a bold mashup of traditional Danish design and progressive modern art. The best part? Everything’s purchasable, and the decor evolves every other month as pieces—from couches and bar carts to paintings and objets d’art—sell.
Eskild Hansen, meanwhile, is a third-generation industrial designer and the co-founder of Glaecier, one of Copenhagen’s popular sauna clubs (which he also designed, natch). A newly avid biohacker, he sees the combo hot steams and cold ocean swims as Denmark’s trademark secret to longevity.
Here, both weigh in on the spots they’d prioritize on a perfect day in town. Among them are the quickest workout to squeeze in between tasting menus, the coffee shop that doubles as a public swimming hole, and the city’s most underrated (read: crowd-free) cultural institutions.
Every Day’s a Fairy Tale
Edited from an interview with Jens Løkke.
Sticking to my exercise routine at 6.30 a.m. is a nonnegotiable—on warmer days I’ll swap the gym for a run through the lake- and bird-filled gardens around Frederiksberg Palace, built in the 16th century and used by several Danish kings. For how popular Copenhagen has become with visitors, I hardly ever see any tourists there.
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I recently moved from Vesterbrø to Frederiksberg, so now my new morning spot is Sonny, where I order a golden latte (turmeric, ginger, cinnamon and a blend of other warming spices) plus poached eggs on sourdough bread with tomato and avocado.
When I’m not working, you’ll usually find me in a museum. I love the Glyptotek more for its architectural embellishments than for its collection of Roman sculptures. It has a beautiful interior garden, for instance, and I’ve thrown a lot of events there—everything from annual fashion awards to the closing party of Dansk magazine.
For lunch, nothing’s better than a traditional Danish open-faced sandwich on rye bread—a smørrebrød. I have two favorite spots, Kronborg and Sankt Annæ. I used to work at the latter when I was starving young student. If you go, you might see the king—he still keeps his favorite table here for lunch with his military buddies. Whichever smørrebrød you get, you must finish it off with a shot of schnapps, which comes in two sizes: “regular” and “sensible” (“sensible” is when they fill it all the way up to the brim—go for that one!). Many places make their own brews—I love the ones distilled in amber, because they have a rounder taste that helps takes the edge off.
Even though I’m a born-and-raised Copenhagener, I still always find myself fascinated by the city’s architectural details. Take the city’s fountains: I pass seven ornate water features on my 12-minute cycling commute to work. One has a dragon motif, another has a stork theme, and on the queen’s birthday in April, a third features apples painted with real gold that float atop the waterspout—we’re obsessed with fairy tales, so we really love to go all in.
In the evenings, I like to start at wine bar Ved Stranden 10, where my friends and I sit outside on the waterfront with a Chablis and a bowl of olives. For dinner, I usually pick Ferlanum; They have a great steak tartare, and picking a favorite dessert there is like picking a favorite child.
And on at least one weeknight a month, I go to the ballet. I would argue that this is an absolute must for any visitor. The Danish Royal Ballet is one of the best companies in the world, known for combining classical techniques with abstract movements. A recent favorite was Minus 7, a performance by an Israeli choreographer which involved intricate, acrobatic work atop chairs. Plus, the Royal Danish Theatre is so lush and romantic—we are a city of fairy tales, after all.
Plunges and Plants and Pokémon—Oh My!
Edited from an interview with Eskild Hansen.
When I’m out at Glaecier, I always like to stop by La Banchina . It’s a cafe in an old wooden structure that used to be a small ferry terminal for the former shipyard workers. Now it’s a cozy spot on dreary days—their organic house bread and coffee are truly fantastic—and when the weather is warm, you can head outside and take a swim right out back.
Before lunch, I love walking through Copenhagen’s Botanical Gardens ; they’re a part of the city’s Natural History Museum complex, and the grounds have over 13,000 species of plants. I usually purchase a coffee from the stand at the entrance near Nørreport station and explore the gardens’ iconic Palm House, a massive greenhouse pavilion filled with succulents and butterflies.
By midday, it’s all about smørrebrød, of course. I go to Under Uret, which has been in operation since 1883. In its early days it was a bar with billiards, but now it serves traditional open-faced sandwiches. I highly recommend the curried herring (karrysild) or the chicken salad with bacon.
To burn off the calories, I exercise with EMS—electric muscle stimulation—which can achieve a full-body workout in just 20 minutes. I go to private sessions in a space that doubles as a photography studio (only in Copenhagen!); anyone can sign up, which makes it great for people visiting.
On Wednesday afternoons at Superhelten , a toy store not too far from my house, there’s a gathering of card game enthusiasts led by Ronni, one of Denmark’s only Pokémon professors (yes, that’s a real thing). I take my son every week, and even if you don’t have time to collect them all, it’s worth stopping by for all your LEGO souvenir needs.
For dinner, I love to host, and a stop at Paris90 is a must for all of my wine needs. The owner, Victor Monchamp, has become a friend over the years—I just tell him what I’m serving, and he never fails to pair a handful of vinos perfectly. For an after-dinner coffee, I buy my beans (the organic espresso blend) from Kontra Coffee, a micro-roastery in the heart of the city that also sells coffee-related gadgets and prepared drinks to go. On more casual evenings, I’ll grab a bite at Gravy, around the corner from my house. There’s no menu, just one daily main dish, such as mushroom stroganoff or veal ragout on penne pasta, and a fridge full of canned local microbrews. It’s all very hygge vibes, like eating in my mom’s kitchen.
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