Valentine’s Day is fast approaching and Copenhagen has plenty of options for celebrating.
On the face of it, the density of quality restaurants, designer cafes, picturesque waterside spots and destination galleries should make it easy to find a date activity.
Fierce competition
Unfortunately, the density of Copenhageners means competition is eye-wateringly stiff for restaurant tables, pretty canal paths, and elbow room at ticketed events.
With restrictions lifting in Denmark on February 1, now is the time to get in early with your Valentine’s Day treat. Check out our list of Copenhagen’s hottest spas, restaurant booking hacks, and new films to get ahead of the game.
SPA WITH ONE ANOTHER
AIRE Ancient Baths
Doesn’t it feel like every influencer on your Instagram is going to AIRE Ancient Baths? The luxury Greco-Roman inspired spas, which started in Spain 20 years ago, are on an expansion mission – opening fresh outposts in the US, London and – lucky for us – Copenhagen.
The hype is not without reason. Guests of the new candlelit, subterranean AIRE in Carlsberg Byen can lounge in thermal baths of either 40, 36, 10, or 6 degrees Celsius.
Also available are a pressured jet-pool, aromatic steam room, and a soothing salt bath of the same salinity as the Dead Sea.
Massages, detoxifying Himalayan salt rituals, and wine and beer baths are just a few of their extra treats, and a series of experiences for couples dubbed ‘Lovers’ Connection’ is running from February 11-14 (see page 8 for more details).
Ni’mat
Inside the sprawling Hotel Kong Arthur in the centre of Copenhagen, Ni’mat Spa offers a range of Asian-inspired relaxation treatments: from hot-stone massages to steam baths and vitamin face-treatments.
With ornate wooden décor and a jungle of indoor plants, Ni’mat has strong Bali-villa vibes that make it an ideal hideaway to de-stress with your partner – just a stone’s throw from the city centre.
CopenHot
Marry wellness with adventure at CopenHot – an outdoor spa experience on Refshaløen that allows you to cruise the Copenhagen canals in a floating hot-tub or pitch up in a woodfire-heated barrel pool on the harbour.
Warm up in the sauna after a dive into the frosty February canal and enjoy the open sky with your beau on a Valentine’s spa trip to remember.
DUET AT DINNER
If you’re braving a restaurant on V Day, then you’d better get your reservation in early. Book a table for 19:30 or later to avoid getting booted out by the second seating, and pick a place with good service.
To make the decision easier, from February 11-20, a city-wide dining celebration called DinnerDays will see a slew of the capital’s hottest restaurants offer three courses for 215 kroner.
The event, which happens twice a year (in weeks 7 and 42), has been running since 2015 and is organised by DinnerBooking – Denmark’s leading restaurant booking platform.
Take a look at the participating restaurants and make a booking at dinnerbooking.com. Or check out the competition, Copenhagen Dining Week, at diningweek.dk.
TOP TREATS FOR TWO
Eclairs at Queen’s Delight
These are the best eclairs you will ever try – better than the French ones! Made freshly every day early in the morning – passers-by can testify that they never sell second-day eclairs, which is actually their motto. Opposed to the traditional eclairs that tend to be made with a moister dough, Queen’s Delight (Grønnegade 37, Cph K) has its own take on the pastry, which is more crunchy. Add creative flavours such as crunchy hazelnuts, salted caramel and tiramisu, and we’re talking about eclair perfection!
Donuts at Dough Girls
Dough Girls is run by a family of German-Australians: the parents bake the donuts, the daughters run the shop. Located in Nørreport (Frederiksborggade 50, Cph K), just a few steps from Dronning Louises Bro, they bring donuts to a fancy level with creative ideas such as the Lamington Doughnut, which takes inspiration from a traditional Australian cake, a raspberry Berliner and classic Danish drink. All the donuts are baked fresh every day using organic, high quality ingredients. They are top-notch!
Pastries at Hart Bageri
Forget every pastry you’ve ever tried, because once you go to Hart (Gammel Kongevej 109, Frederiksberg) your heart belongs to them forever. Let’s start with their take on the Danish cinnamon roll. Topped with lemon glaze this roll melts in your mouth with crunchy bits of cinnamon caramel – our absolute favourite. Then there’s the cardamom bun made with the same dough as their croissant and dipped in browned Danish butter – it’s out of this world, and you certainly don’t want to share. Whatever they bring is always a hit; they’re constantly reinventing themselves and finding new inspirations. Pop by and enjoy a taste of paradise.
Nibbles at Daddy’s Bakes
Imagine a shop where you could pick up a picnic already made: sandwiches, bites and sweets, all for you to cheerfully consume at the beach or in the park. Well, Daddy’s Bakes (Tåsingegade 51, st th, Cph Ø) is on the case with finger food inspired by seasonal produce and natural flavours. Choice meat cuts, scones, cakes and sarnies to die for – the influence of the British founder is obvious in every delicious bite.
COUPLING AT THE CINEMA
Romcom snuggles
The cinema is another stone-cold classic date activity, but should you lean into the love theme or go for the polar opposite: a slasher, crime thriller or the like? Hitting the screens this Valentine’s Day are plenty of options in both camps.
If you want love, try ‘I’m Your Man’, a German science fiction romance film written and directed by Maria Schrader. The narrative follows Dr Alma Felser, an archaeologist tasked with evaluating the behaviour of a human AI robot called Tom. Things inevitably get thorny when the line between artificial and biological intelligence becomes blurred.
Another on-topic film, ‘Marry Me’, sees pop star Kat Valdez gearing up to get married in front of an audience of her loyal fans. But, seconds before the ceremony, she busts her fiancé’s cheating ways and, distraught, locks eyes with a total stranger in the crowd and marries him on the spot in lieu. Can the unlikely newlyweds make it work?
Finally, ‘Tag min Hånd’ (Take my Hand) is a Danish romcom that follows comfort-seeking Maja as she struggles to regain control over her life after divorce.
Dark chocolate instead
If you want a different flavour, ‘Nightmare Alley’ is Guillermo del Toro’s newly released neo-noir psychological thriller – his first film since ‘The Shape of Water’ cleaned up at the Academy Awards in 2018.
In 1940s New York, down-on-his-luck Stanton Carlisle endears himself to a clairvoyant who helps him climb the social ladder by swindling the elite and wealthy. But when he enlists a strange psychiatrist to help him con a shady tycoon, things start to spiral out of control.
Another two non-romances worth catching are ‘Lamb’ – an Icelandic-Swedish-Polish folk-horror that follows a farming couple who discover one of their sheep has birthed a freaky lamb-human hybrid, and ‘Vildmænd’, a black comedy by Danish director Thomas Daneskov in which the protagonist Martin, gripped by a mid-life crisis, attempts to flee his family to live high up in the Norwegian mountains.
