4-Day Copenhagen Itinerary including a Day Trip to Roskilde's Viking Museum

Copenhagen is a port city in Scandinavia full of artsy museums, windswept castles, and hip restaurants. The city has a relaxed, homey feel. Bicycles zip in and out of leafy boulevards, past bakeries, hotdog stands, and cool cafes. People swim year-round in the pristine waters of the harbor that encircles Copenhagen like a moat around a fortress. Descended from Vikings, Danish people have a familial kinship with the sea. Day trips by train up the spectacular Øresund coast showcase the cobalt blue ocean and sweeping views across to Sweden.      A few years ago, Copenhagen was birthplace to a gastronomic revolution known as the New Nordic cuisine. People now come from all over the world to dine in Copenhagen on dishes that speak to the contemporary Danish mentality; clean, simple, and appreciative of all seasons. The quality of food and life in Copenhagen is very high. Maybe it’s the sea air or the Danish eye for design, but people just seem happier in Copenhagen. After spending a day or two here, trying a Smørrebrød sandwich and maybe some aquavit schnapps, you’re bound to take some happiness away with you.   

The city of Prague is indisputably the gem of Central Europe. Full of history, culture, and classic Czech pubs around every corner, Prague is teeming with nooks and crannies just waiting to be discovered. The narrow cobblestone streets and warm red rooftops give the city a homey feel, while the well-preserved medieval architecture transports you back in time. Walking across the Charles Bridge with the view of the Prague Castle will make you feel like you’re living in a fairytale, and you might as well be.    As an up-and-coming destination, Prague is a perfect mix of classic and modern. New trendy cafes and bistros are always popping up, and you can always find a group of lively locals chowing down on goulash and quaffing pivo (the best beer in Europe!) at traditional Czech restaurants across the city. The clash of modernity and tradition, preservation and innovation, gives this city a mysterious air that you won’t soon forget.

Since the fall of its notorious wall, Berlin’s unification has seen it go from strength to strength. No wonder the city feels like it hasn’t stopped partying since the 1990s. There is so much to celebrate here. Fueled by the robust economy, a thriving tech scene, and straight-up German bonhomie, when you step into Berlin you’ll soon be caught up in its spirit.  For all this gusto, Berlin hasn’t forgotten its troubled past. A visit to Berlin is to bear witness to history. Portions of the wall remain intact, and the city’s Jewish Museum offers a detailed, emotional examination of the Holocaust. Inside the reconstructed Reichstag, every attempt has been made to preserve the parliament’s beleaguered history. The buildings' glass dome addition feels less like a triumphal crown and more like a freshly healed battle scar.  Days in Berlin are easily spent wandering from a cafe to the cultural institutions on Museum Island, or over to the Charlottenburg Palace. By night, crowds wander through the booming bars and nightclubs or gaze upon the floodlit Brandenburg Gate and Victory Column monuments. An international city that can offer something to everyone, Berlin is an unmissable stop on your German journey.  

Warsaw is a place that seems almost indestructible. Nearly bombed out of existence in World War II, the city rebuilt itself out of the rubble, and today it’s a shining example of a thriving European capital with a lot to offer. History forms a big part of Warsaw’s allure. Occupied by the Nazis, and losing much of its Jewish population to the Holocaust, Warsaw has several museums dedicated to remembering its dark past. The Warsaw Uprising Museum, POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, and National Museum are among the most prominent. Although its past has been troubled, Warsaw’s present is anything but. The city contains countless opportunities for fun, with a blossoming nightlife scene and a vibrant cafe culture. After a day of wandering through the old streets and charming squares, there are plenty of places to enjoy a meal, from high-end restaurants to affordable milk bars. Warsaw is a place for reflection and remembrance, but also a place that looks firmly towards the future, a future that for this city— appears increasingly bright.

Dubbed ‘Mainhatten’ for its glass highrises, financial prowess, and proximity to the Main River, Frankfurt offers a fascinating glimpse into the ‘engine room’ of Europe’s economy with an unexpected twist. Among the glass and steel buildings, the old-worldly Römerberg square will give you a double-take. The square’s 15th-century half-timbered houses, old statues, and church spires contrast dramatically against the modern 21st-century skyscrapers beyond. If you visit at Christmas, the Römerberg is truly special, aglow with the light of the tallest Christmas tree in Germany. The square fills with stalls selling handicrafts, and the air is scented with hot apple wine, honey, and cinnamon.  Delve deeper into Frankfurt and you’ll find a substantial museum district, the Museumsufer (Museum Embankment). This area features a cluster of twelve museums on either side of Main River. This includes the Städel, home to Tischbein’s famous painting of renowned writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, one of Frankfurt’s most prestigious sons. The more time you spend in Frankfurt, the more you’ll discover a highly cultured city lurking beneath its glass facades. If you have the time, Frankfurt is certainly worth a second look.      

Compared to other German cities, Hamburg has a moody, nautical charisma all of its own. Despite being battered throughout history by floods, fires, and bombs, Hamburg has always held its head up high. Resilience is in the air in Hamburg, along with the briny smell of the North Sea. In recent years Hamburg has garnered a reputation for commerce and nightlife. Frequent travelers whisper that Hamburg is Germany’s ‘undiscovered’ city, the place to go for a little business and a lot of fun.  Known as Germany’s ‘gateway to the world’, ships dock in Hamburg as they haul cargo up and down the Elbe River. The city thrives as Germany’s primary seaport and has been a center of trade since the middle ages. Its affluence shows in the 19th-century brick warehouses, flourishing restaurant scene, and recently constructed Elbphilharmonie concert hall, which floats majestically in the harbor, part ship and part island. Hamburg is a city for those who like to live large - in a cultured, German kind of way. Attend a performance at the orchestra, cruise on a boat around the Außenalster Lake, or have a night on the Reeperbahn, the Vegas-like strip where the Beatles once performed. Whatever you do in the city, Hamburg will make you look twice and see Germany from a totally different point of view.