Wanderlust - The Nimb Hotel & Copenhagen

Nicola Meir
5 days ago
6 min read

At the beginning of this year I stayed at The Nimb Hotel in Copenhagen. Previously featured on the BBCs Amazing Hotels programme in 2021, I can absolutely see why it was given it's own episode as part of this series.

There are many things to love about this hotel but, for me, the most significant is that it sits on the edge of Tivoli Gardens. The photo above shows the hotel exterior as seen from the gardens. It would be remiss of me to talk about the hotel and not mention Tivoli Gardens. This is essentially a historic amusement park and pleasure gardens (one of the oldest in the world). It opened in1843 and inspired Walt Disney when he was designing Disneyland. You'll find vintage and modern rides, beautiful gardens, firework displays, concerts, market stalls and restaurants. It has one of the oldest wooden rollercoasters in the world that is still running, with it's own onboard brakeman who manually controls the speed. As a guest of the hotel you get complimentary wrist bands to have fun on whatever rides you like. It's important to note though that it's not open all year round so it's best to check if you're thinking of going. The main season is Summer (April to September) but it's also open for Halloween, Christmas and Easter.

We arrived at the hotel via a train which we got straight from the airport. It could not be easier. Once exiting the station we literally crossed the road and the hotel was there. This side of the hotel is very unassuming compared to the Tivoli Gardens side. So you'd be forgiven for not particularly noticing it. Stylish but understated. A beautiful interior greets you on entering the hotel, as does a friendly front of house team. From there you an see through to the gardens.

We decided to check out our room first and quickly unpack. All but one of the hotel rooms overlooks Tivoli Gardens. Ours had a terrace which, during the warmer months, could be utilised a lot. It had a light dusting of snow when we stayed but was still usable. Our room was super cozy. The interior a gorgeous mix of dark woods, luxurious soft furnishings, crisp bed sheets and muted wall colours. With a spacious bathroom including twin sinks, a large shower and free standing bath plus all of the little amenities you need.

Some festive treats from the hotel manager

There is also a gym, excellent spa facilities, several bars (our favourite was the American bar), a couple of restaurants as well as provisions for business and events.

The hotel has been designed so that you're able to enjoy the views of the gardens from most areas. The American Bar was the ideal spot to relax, rest our feet and warm up after a day of exploring. We walked loads and our feet were feeling it! So we made ourselves comfortable here. We ordered a Bellini and an Old Fashioned and I must say that Bellini was the best I have ever had.

What did we get up to?

Here are a few notable things we did and thoroughly enjoyed during our stay in Copenhagen. It's important to say that this is a city you can walk around. There's a lot to explore without having to get any transport (with the exception of seeing The Little Mermaid - details below). Yes, we did clock up many more steps than our average days in the UK, so if you are not a walker you could hop on a bus, the metro or a cab but essentially it's pretty easy to get around.

Tivoli Gardens

We didn't waste any time in exploring these Gardens which were so festive. Like I previously mentioned, as a guest of the hotel, you get complimentary wrist bands to experience as many rides as you like. One of the advantages of this is that you can enter the gardens from the hotel and in doing so you skip the queues at the main entrance. It was not only filled with fairground rides, but an ice rink, numerous restaurants and eateries, shops, stalls, an entertainment stage and more. It was so christmassy. I absolutely loved it. We hopped onto the wooden rollercoaster which was really good. I must say though, whilst queuing for it, I kept thinking about how old it was! But I soon forgot about this once I was on it. The whole gardens have a really whimsical fairytale sort of feel. A must see if you're visiting Copenhagen.

Nyhavn

This historic waterfront district is synonymous with Copenhagen. The picturesque multicoloured canal facing buildings, restaurants, cafes and boats are well worth a visit day or night.

Stroget & Gothersgade

These are central streets with which lots of cobbled streets lead off of. It's interesting exploring the mix of independent shops, cozy cafes, high end boutiques and everything in between.

The Little Mermaid Statue

This statue was installed in 1913 and has become the city's most iconic landmark. It's inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale 'The Little Mermaid' and celebrates his legacy.

Design Museum

I love a design museum and always try to find time to mooch around them when visiting a new city. A lover of Scandinavian design, I was in my happy place. I'm obsessed with mugs and cups, so you can imagine my excitement at seeing a dedicated installation for them.

Rosenborg Castle

I've learnt that there are several famous castles in Copenhagen. Rosenborg Castle is a historic royal castle set within the King's Garden in central Copenhagen. It was built in the early 1600s and houses the Danish crown jewels. The gardens are the oldest public gardens in Copenhagen and are beautiful.

Keyser Social Restaurant

The front of house staff at the Nimb hotel were so helpful. They were very happy to recommended and book two restaurants for us. Both of which were excellent. The first was Keyser Social which offers asian fusion cuisine. Blending different asian traditions with nordic ingredients. It has a very relaxed atmosphere, apparently designed to feel like an urban oasis. It's on a split level which offers some little semi-private corners whilst still feeling like you are part of a social event. The staff were welcoming and really knowledgable. It's been said to be one of the coolest places in Copenhagen for a culinary experience.

Palaegade Restaurant

This was the second restaurant recommendation we were given. It's a beautiful brasserie decked out with oak and walnut furniture and brass lighting. It's stylish but cosy at the same time. They offer traditional danish cuisine with a modern creative flair. Best known for their smorrebrod, the traditional Danish open-faced sandwich. But the evening menu tends to be more formal although not stuffy. They pride themselves on doing things from scratch. This is a really great option to experience real culinary craftsmanship, contemporary Danish dishes.

National Museum of Denmark

This museum is the result of the geological museum, zoological museum, botanical museum and botanical gardens merging. It houses over 14 million objects and has an impressive mineral hall and Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition. There was so much to see, you could easily spend a few hours here. There was a cute Christmas exhibition explaining Danish festive traditions.

Happiness Museum

This is a little museum situated in a small quiet side street. It was set up by The Happiness Research Institute which was founded by Meik Wiking. I was keen to visit as I have read several of his books about hygge, happiness, memories and Danish living. This museum brings the science of happiness to life. Most of the work is data driven and displayed visually. It illustrates what the institute actually study. It's such an interesting place especially because Denmark consistently ranks very high in the World Happiness Report, so there is a lot that we can learn.

I wrote an article about this museum earlier this year. You'll find it here: The Happiness Museum - What makes us happy?

Rundetaarn

I highly recommend walking to the top of Rundetaarn (The Round Tower). The 360 degree outdoor observation deck offers incredible views. It's a 17th century tower right in the city centre. Europe's oldest functioning observatory tower. Instead of stairs there is a spiral ramp leading you from the bottom to the top. What I found fascinating is that it was designed to be wide enough for horse and carriages to carry scholars and their heavy astronomy equipment up and down.

There was a festive light show every evening

So these are my highlights. I absolutely loved exploring Copenhagen. With a flight time of one hour and forty five minutes to two hours, it's possible to visit for three or four days and really get a sense of the city. Of course, longer would be a bonus, but it's ideal for a long weekend or mid week trip away. It felt very safe walking around, even at night. The temperature was manageable and we didn't have to buy any weather specific clothes. Our normal clothes sufficed so there was no need for thermal layers. Yes we needed hats, scarfs and gloves and a warm coat but that was all.

If you've got this far, thank you for reading. I'll share another wanderlust soon.