Denmark is notoriously known for not having a huge selection in our discount stores (Netto, REMA1000, Coop 365). As a dane I have to say, that it suits me well. Smaller selection = easier decisions! ;D
We have a discount store in Germany that is still like ALDI was in the 70s, almost no branded products and a small range, but everything you need for everyday life. It's called NORMA and I only shop there. Even ALDI and LIDL overwhelm me, let alone large supermarkets.
As a dane myself I kinda Envy the selection they got in the US stores so I kinda dislike our grocerie stores for that. I often need to visit multiple stores to get what I need rather than just getting it all at one location
Bilka, Brugsen, Coop365, føtex, Kvickly, Let-Køb, Lidl, Løvbjerg, Meny, Min Købmand, Netto, REMA, Spar. Is that not enough? But if you want quality goods, you go to specialized stores. And we have them all.
Hi David, Canadian here. I've lived in Europe for 50 years now. The difference in shopping and lifestyle is that you don't need 50 different brands of peanut butter. Food in Europe is high quality and 8 different choices of any product is more than enough, plus the fact that shops in Europe try to cover the different food types from the many different countries and cultures in Europe and around the world. Food is also fashion. Some foods fall in and out of fashion. I live in southern Sweden just across from Copenhagen, just 20 minutes away. Here in Skåne you will find a lot of genuine Italian food. Why? Because we travel a lot to Italy on our holidays. We travel a lot around Europe and get to know food and traditions which become popular demands in food stores. Every country has its cuisine and as Europeans we like to sample all of it. Best wishes with your travels, but it's always best to come with little or no expectations and just discover what that country has to offer. Hummm I wonder what's around the next corner will serve you just fine.
@@andreasobuaculla9511 Hi Andrea, agree on Canadian food. I’ve had to get my dad to send me stuff like poultry seasoning and cool-aid, which is nowhere to be found even in American food sections.
@@janpettersen8923 I get once and a while a smoke dried herring fillets dry and chewy Digby chicks,you can smell them in the post,I also get smoked oysters and mussels just because they are cheaper and i'm a pig!Kool aidhavent thought of that in ages last i knew it you had to add sugar,now thanks to modern science it has sugar and god only knows what else😃😃
As a Copenhagen resident, I agree with your perception of the quality of products in supermarkets. In general, I think that many Danes who are foodies or focus on organic products use internet-based home delivery companies. It is a shame that the supermarkets don't have that quality that you get online.
Always interesting to hear an outsider’s experience of the city I live in. To your point about grocery selection, having lived in the US, I think there is a cultural difference in how in America, wealth tends to be equaled with unlimited choice, where as here I think it is more about the quality of said choice. There is also a space issue to consider in central Copenhagen itself, and you can find huge supermarkets like Bilka if you go to the suburbs, or to the provinces, where car use is more prevalent. Hope that clarifies it a bit😘
I definitely agree on the difference between biking in Amsterdam and Copenhagen. I found the bikes and bike riders very stressful in Amsterdam, riding everywhere, in every direction, constantly ringing their bells at everything. In Denmark bike riders feel a lot more ordered to me. The Netherlands arguably have better basic bike infrastructure in many areas, but the bike culture also feel a lot more chaotic and hostile to me than the Danish one. As for selection in stores, Denmark has one of the largest densities of supermarkets and convenience stores, so Danes shop at multiple stores to get selection and get to know what stores offer what products they like. This means each store has fewer things to choose but there are a lot more stores to choose from.
A lot of interesting observations. A few commensts 1. Supermarkets - Denmark and Copenagen is expencive so people go for discounts = less selection, especially since the total population of Denmark is 5,6 mio people. So the marked is smaller. We are used to it and get amazed when we go to places with an abundance of choice... 2. The amusement park Tivoly was builit at the outskirts of Copenhagen in 1843 at the former military banks ("walls") around the town which were removed around that time. The present Central Station was built in 1904. And if youl leave at the opposite direction, you will find drugs, prostitution etc in a part of town which has also become very popular (Vesterbro) 3. Eating out is expencive. But there is also a number of "chains" that officer very good food for affordable prices, but with limited choice (to keep costs down) - look out for wine prices in these place - often outrageous.
There was a grocery chain called Irma, which had a bot more selection and higher quality goods. It closed recently. It seems that there is not enough demand for that in Denmark. One reason you don't see 50 brands of cornflakes in Danish supermarkets is that they are placed within walking distance of where people live. this means that there is not enough space for that.
What few people realize is that the development of the modern day Copenhagen is based in a 1920's governmental decision of promoting Danish/Nordic design and architecture. As the old slum buildings were demolished they kept an eye on what kind of buildings and such were put in their place. This development were forgotten in the late 1960s and early 1970s and many of the old buildings were kind of cut off at ground level because businesses were allowed to place their cheap plastic promotion on the facade of the old buildings. Later on this were addressed and now most of them need to follow some guidelines for aesthetics within the city center. Most danish towns and cities try to find a balance between moving forward and keeping the feel of the old design and architecture. Some of them spend a lot of public money to make this happen and sometimes in surprising ways, like sculptures, plaques, special pavement, art installation and in many other ways.
hi, Croatian living here in Copenhagen, THERE IS a small blue stands to CHECK IN and CHECK OUT at the ends of rooms waiting for metro down the metro station, they are sometimes turned towards elevator and not people, so you need to come to them to see BLUE LIGHT STAND to put your Travel card on it and you check in or check out.
One additional comment: I think most tourists will be buying single trip tickets or day passes, and for those you don't need to check in and out on those blue light stands :)
The last observation you made was my first. You said calm, I told a friend it was serene. Also great to see so many Dad's with baby buggy in toe. Father's are actually father's there.
You are completely right about the grocery stores, the quality of them are hideous. There is a bit of a discount culture in this country, which means that most of the grocery stores are within that category.
The range of selection in grocery stores is limited and that is usually based on a focus of trying to minimize waste. Too wide a range of products will usually leave grocery stores with a larger amount of waste so the grocery stores basically try to decide on the range of products they sell based on general need and the general popularity of products. Danes don't like to spend a lot of time in grocery stores. Danes usually already know exactly what they want to buy when entering a grocery store. The various chains of grocery stores may carry a special range of goods so it's not necessarily unusual for Danes to pass through a couple of stores to buy what they need. But at the end of the day, the sort of limited range of goods in grocery stores is a result of minimizing waste. The supermarket chains don't want to get stock with a range of products that are suddenly past last use by date if they can avoid it.
Hey Cam. Very cool observations. In many ways much better, than most of those glamorizing videos out there. Comment about coolness. It's true and a bit fun. 20 years ago, being a musician it was the other way around. Culture ppl wore more interesting and cool clothes. But suddenly it turned around. Suddenly everyone looked cool, and culture folks like has started to go the opposite way. Being a bit uncool is actually in many ways a cooler look today. So chill out about that one bro! CPH-LOVE D
You walked out of the "right" exit of the main central station then. If you'd taken the opposite exit, you would have ended up at Istedgade/Halmtorvet. which for decades has been the roughest part of Copenhagen. Homeless shelter, prostitutes, drug addicts/pushers, porn cinema's, sex shops, bars, tattoo shops etc. - Things have turned for the better there, parts of it being more of a hipster place now, but still a rough part of town. All the best from CPH ♥
People from Copenhagen go to Nyhavn to enjoy an ice creams or a bottle beer from the kiosk while sitting on the quayside. Have lunch at 1733, Tivolihallen og Schonnemanm befordr then.
I'm currently visiting Copenhagen myself... and I agree on all points. Especially your point about the bike infrastructure compared to Amsterdam. Amsterdam is really fun and a great place without a doubt, but I totally agree feeling less on edge both as a cyclist and a pedestrian here in Copenhagen. I also totally agree regarding perception before coming here. I'm visiting 9 cities on this trip and honestly I had the lowest expectations of Copenhagen for no definite reason, just form pictures and whatever it just seemed like another city... but gosh was I wrong. It's absolutely incredible. Everything seems so well thought out. Quite possibly my favorite city I've been to on this trip. I also really agree about it being super quite. I think a lot of that has to do with it generally be less car centric. Public transit is underground and no street cars... most cars seem to be electric. I found that aspect to be really nice. I also love all the beautiful architecture. There's a really cool mix between modern and classical architecture, and it's done in such a tasteful way, where both exist without making the other look weird or out of place. One note i'd add.. gosh it's expensive here! By far the most expensive place I've been on this trip. things that would be like $10 in the UK or US seem to be at least $15. It's definitely worth it, but that was a bit of a surprise.
Hi Camden. Interesting observations. And thank you for your positive video. When you are here next time, let me know and I will show you dining options that you don't have to save up to to visit.. Us Copenhagen residents also think everything is extremely expensive.
On the grocery option/quality shortage: Wow, the first three answers I saw to that question showed how good, well-adjusted citizens of the standard-response people are - no doubt they will get points for patriotism ;) The fact of the matter is that for more than 7 years, there has been a sharp decline in the quality and range for products in stores, as well as a running-down of the whole grocery stores business segment. While many restaurants in the higher segments source their vegetables and other basic ingredients directly from farms and producers - great products worth buying that you would find in super-markets, have largely disappeared. Take pesto as an example. In one store (Irma) you used to be able to buy 7 or 8 different brands of pesto, mostly produced in Italy, some of them phenomenal and really worth the money. But then they started making copy-products of the best ones, kicking the original off the shelves, and just selling the danish version, which is almost never as good as the real thing - simply because, people don't need good food to cure themselves of the alements of late-stage capitalism (sic!!!). As all the good patriots are saying, there is no need for good food or large selections (if the borg-net says so!). So we are down to 1 or two brands of pesto from Italy in the stores, and one of them tends to disappear form the shelves every half year and then return later. "But you can just go out a buy a good meal at a take-away somewhere, and then you don't need to buy-in in the grocery store either, win-win" (as the borg-net likes to say :) :) :) ). Oh, I guess this is written 6 o'clock in the morning :)
Also a reason why danmark dont have the huge selection that the US has and even some european countries has is that food control (for human health) are way stricter than US regulations. So many of those products would be illigal in Denmark.
As a Dane we prefer to have several shops close by with a reasonable amount of goods for daily use, and no need to drive far away to find a Huge Store (We also have those). And fine Dining. People comes flying in to dine at the Best Places. You will also find Architect and Designer: Finn Juhls home open for a Visit north of Copenhagen. A wealthy Japanese man had it rebuilt as a Copy with all its Finn Juhl furniture inside, in Japan! Finn
I could only see you from the chest up here, but apart from the cap (which are not that common here), your outfit looks perfectly fine for Copenhagen. Yes, there are lots of people with swagger who clearly use their outfits to make a statement, but regular jeans and a black t-shirt will also always fit right in. An ‘people of Walmart’-style orange sweatsuit might get you a few side-eyes, but as long as you just dress reasonably neutrally, most styles fit in pretty well. And yes, fine dining can be expensive, but there’s a lot of quite good medium-range dining as well, which isn’t cheap, but manageable (like maybe $75 for a good for two).
We're only a little over 5.6 mio persons living in Denmark. Many shops are not huge and the amount of various types of the same article is also based on the area of the shop. If you get out in the subburbs you can find a largER stores like Bilka and Kvickly. But they are no way Walmart or Target size.
we have different kinds of supermarkets there is the cheap simple ones or the higher end types, we don't have as huge size as in the US because there is a limited allowed space according to laws , that is because we don't want the cities to die out and supermarkets to be hue building along side the highway outside the city , that said there are quite a lot difference in size and selection still, it sounds like you have been in Netto in the center of city, that will be a tiny supermarket get a little out of the center and you will find bigger ones with better selections the best are Føtex or Bilka(in Copenhagen you find it in the shopping center called Fields in Ørestad) in my opinion , remember it's an ol city so in the center there isn't that much space for big supermarkets
True, in relation to some grocery stores. Of cource the discount stores have a limited number of choices, but I also find that comparing with Sweden, that even the larger stores have a relatively limited number of choices. I live north of Copenhagen and go to Malmö every month to shop eg. glutenfree grocery.
The countryside of Denmark has very little true nature. It’s been hugely agricultural country for ever. Nature has been formed thru the centuries to adapt to human life. But there are beautiful landscapes and of course the 500-some islands have beautiful beaches. Explore Denmark outside Copenhagen is pretty easy. It’s a small country 😅. Welcome.
You can even bike around really easily and the are hundreds of small wooden shelters built around in the landscape - often by the well kept bicycle paths that connect the country. It’s heaven for relaxed bicyclists. Just remember the rain gear 😂
Tbh Nyhavn is shit these days. not like it was back in the 90s and early 2000. To many tourists. There are better less crowded plages to sit and enjoy a beer.
And Famous Author: Hans Christian Andersen had his only actual Home as a single Room on top of Nyhavn. He spent much time also travelling round Europe and as a guest by wealthy families, while writing his Stories, Novels and Plays. He was absurdly rich at the end of his life, as a trusted Family Member took care of his rights and income, so he became what compares to a present Billionaere. Finn. Denmark
One of the reasons why our selection in stores isn't that big is because the quality control is so tight. It takes a lot to prove your product lives up to the rules and standards, and since most people prefer the bigger brands anyway it's usually bad business to put new products on the marked. Also most stores have their own discount brand, so they don't want products that competes with that, either. Also, an observation I've made is that Danes like to believe we are all alike. It makes us feel safe. So, we like to think our coworker is eating the same chocolate brand as us (Marabou), and drinks the same milk as us (from Arla) and the same bread (Schulstad).
Oh my gosh. I find this reasoning very self serving and typical of Scandinavians. It's OK to provide people with more selection even if it may be sub par to the all wise Danish taste maker committee that ensures uniformity and compliance. My sister in law is Swedish arriving as a young immigrant child and she's constantly extolling Swedish products without necessarily even trying many of the alternatives. I think this is what the population is indoctrinated in.
@vmoses1979 yeah but also probably the majority of products in a US supermarket contain additives that have been found to be unhealthy for humans and thus not allowed in Denmark. In the US there is some control but it's much more lenient in terms of food control
Copenhagen is not the biggest city in the world, by far - It is however our Capital - so anything Denmark has to offer, you will be able to find it there. People living in the central city also have money, cos living in an apartment there is not cheep (600k and you'll be able to get a bedroom, livingroom, toilet/bath and kitchen - 540 square feet/50 square meters) and not attainable unless you have a well above median wage job (the median wage here is about what a loan that size would cost) - what I'm trying to say is, locals who live there have the money - the rest of us who visit from the suburbs might also have the money or just not visit as much OR know the hacks like bringing our own beer to the picturesque Nyhavn to get a beer by the harbor
Look, Tivoli (the theme park) and the central railway station have been there for over a hundred years, and things were different then. No-one in their right mind would place a theme park there NOW, it's got to be the most expensive acre in Copenhagen.
Grocery stores have limited selection (it's a very small country after all) but if you go in higher end grocery stores the situation is a little better.
We have pretty much the worst grocery shopping possibilities in the world and are the country in the world that spends the smallest percentage of our income on food. Which is obviously very paradoxical considering we also have a famous restaurant scene.
F*** I just wrote a long comment and it got lost. So here I go again, but shorter About Nyhavn: Nyhavn is not in any way a main drag in Copenhagen It wasn't even. a tourist attraction until recently. When I was a student, we'd bring a beer and sit among the sailors, prostitutes and parked cars after hours. Pass by it on the way to Amalienborg, the royal palace, and you've "done" it. There are maybe two legit restaurants there, and I'm not sure they really recovered from the COVID lockdown. There is a great café in the art hall on the north side of the canal, so you can take your pictures from there. About groceries: the city center in Copenhagen is barely inhabited, and most of the people who live there are quite wealthy. So they have the discount stores for basics and a lot of incredible but expensive offers for everything else, like theTorvehallerne market, and the supermarkets in the basements of the big department stores. People outside the center have a lot of other options, and tend to buy a lot at local stores. In the NV area there are several huge supermarkets owned by immigrants with great sections for baked goods, meat and fish. About style: yes, Copenhageners are well dressed. As are most metropolitan Europeans. But in Copenhagen, being well-dressed in secondhand clothing is definitely the thing, as is norm-core. You look just right to me. Maybe you haven't spent enough time in the really hip areas.
Hate it when that happens (comment getting lost). But I appreciate you taking the time to give it another go! And thanks for sharing all this -- great info here and definitely helpful for folks to read :)
Our grocery stores suuuuck and it’s a thing we all complain about here as well. SuperBrugsen is the closest to a decent grocery market and even that isn’t so good.
there are ticket machines before you o down to the train , some stations have them down on the station but most before you o down the escalator , there are actually more than 1 machine
Hi Thanks for your thoughts about Copenhagen - the city I have lived in most of my 58 years. A few comments: There are so many FREE activities in Copenhagen that you really don’t need a lot of money to have a good time. A few examples: 1. Of you have already paid for your metro card, you also get access to unlimited use of the water-busses, which will take you from the far north end in modern Nordhavn, via the city Center of the old Copenhagen ending in the south end of the city, walking distance of 10 min. From large green-nature areas. 2. Museums can be expensive. But one day a week they are free. By law. Typically on Mondays, but look out! Also, Copenhagen has a lot of art and fashion galleries. All with free admission. You can spend days, if not weeks touring these places. Really cool. With all the newest and most hottest. 3. Seaside/beach, or the the calm of a beautiful Forrest. Within only 20-30 min. (Remember you have already purchased your metro card), you can go to the beach at eg. Strandpark, or the forest in Charlottenlund. Both places have multiple totally free activities ready for your enjoyment. 4. Hanging out with friends or locals - go to any harbour spot either in North, mid-town, or the south. FREE and a gear place to meet and spend time. Food. Expensive but if you don’t eat out you can comfortably live for Euro 25-30 a day as a tourist. Eating out is of course more costly. But for around Euro 40-50 you can get a really good meal in a restaurant. Just get out of the tourist zones! Go to Østerbro (most expensive) or Norrebro or Vesterbro. Or spend 20 min in the metro or s-train to go to some of the suburbs - a lot to see and experience also there. I mean: most tourists visits Copenhagen newer go outside the city center. Like visiting New York and not going to Brooklyn. Who would do so? Feel free to reach out, should you ever visit once again. Best regards, Michael
Thanks for taking the time to share all this, Michael! You make some great points and I imagine the info will be useful for first-time visitors. Much appreciated!
Hehe, if you go out on the other side of the central station than where tivoli is, you'll finde Istedgade which is the more sketchy part of town wwith hookers on the streets and such..
Interesting video. But... I'm also ... a bit confused. You said a lot of things you loved. But I didn't get a clear idea of what you thought overall? Maybe that was you being too polite to say clearly " you guys have a lot of cool things, but it's not really my cup of tea"? Or....maybe you have not fully digested the trip yet?
Im not "cool" enough for Copenhagen, and im sure are f*ck not rich enough, but the real Denmark isnt the capital... come visit the other parts, then you see the real country (Dane here)
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Denmark is notoriously known for not having a huge selection in our discount stores (Netto, REMA1000, Coop 365). As a dane I have to say, that it suits me well. Smaller selection = easier decisions! ;D
We have a discount store in Germany that is still like ALDI was in the 70s, almost no branded products and a small range, but everything you need for everyday life. It's called NORMA and I only shop there. Even ALDI and LIDL overwhelm me, let alone large supermarkets.
As a dane myself I kinda Envy the selection they got in the US stores so I kinda dislike our grocerie stores for that. I often need to visit multiple stores to get what I need rather than just getting it all at one location
Bilka, Brugsen, Coop365, føtex, Kvickly, Let-Køb, Lidl, Løvbjerg, Meny, Min Købmand, Netto, REMA, Spar. Is that not enough?
But if you want quality goods, you go to specialized stores. And we have them all.
Nyhavn is a tourist trap, but locals do go there, but we bring our own beers 🍻
locals doesnt go there. Unless they wanna be cool to foreigners
Hi David, Canadian here. I've lived in Europe for 50 years now. The difference in shopping and lifestyle is that you don't need 50 different brands of peanut butter. Food in Europe is high quality and 8 different choices of any product is more than enough, plus the fact that shops in Europe try to cover the different food types from the many different countries and cultures in Europe and around the world. Food is also fashion. Some foods fall in and out of fashion. I live in southern Sweden just across from Copenhagen, just 20 minutes away. Here in Skåne you will find a lot of genuine Italian food. Why? Because we travel a lot to Italy on our holidays. We travel a lot around Europe and get to know food and traditions which become popular demands in food stores. Every country has its cuisine and as Europeans we like to sample all of it. Best wishes with your travels, but it's always best to come with little or no expectations and just discover what that country has to offer. Hummm I wonder what's around the next corner will serve you just fine.
Canadian in Dublin 45 years,agree,whole heartedly,but where's Canadian food beside expensive maple syrup
@@andreasobuaculla9511 Hi Andrea, agree on Canadian food. I’ve had to get my dad to send me stuff like poultry seasoning and cool-aid, which is nowhere to be found even in American food sections.
@@janpettersen8923 I get once and a while a smoke dried herring fillets dry and chewy Digby chicks,you can smell them in the post,I also get smoked oysters and mussels just because they are cheaper and i'm a pig!Kool aidhavent thought of that in ages last i knew it you had to add sugar,now thanks to modern science it has sugar and god only knows what else😃😃
As a Copenhagen resident, I agree with your perception of the quality of products in supermarkets. In general, I think that many Danes who are foodies or focus on organic products use internet-based home delivery companies. It is a shame that the supermarkets don't have that quality that you get online.
I appreciate you sharing this. Such an unexpected challenge
Always interesting to hear an outsider’s experience of the city I live in. To your point about grocery selection, having lived in the US, I think there is a cultural difference in how in America, wealth tends to be equaled with unlimited choice, where as here I think it is more about the quality of said choice.
There is also a space issue to consider in central Copenhagen itself, and you can find huge supermarkets like Bilka if you go to the suburbs, or to the provinces, where car use is more prevalent. Hope that clarifies it a bit😘
I definitely agree on the difference between biking in Amsterdam and Copenhagen. I found the bikes and bike riders very stressful in Amsterdam, riding everywhere, in every direction, constantly ringing their bells at everything.
In Denmark bike riders feel a lot more ordered to me.
The Netherlands arguably have better basic bike infrastructure in many areas, but the bike culture also feel a lot more chaotic and hostile to me than the Danish one.
As for selection in stores, Denmark has one of the largest densities of supermarkets and convenience stores, so Danes shop at multiple stores to get selection and get to know what stores offer what products they like. This means each store has fewer things to choose but there are a lot more stores to choose from.
Couldn't agree more
A lot of interesting observations. A few commensts
1. Supermarkets - Denmark and Copenagen is expencive so people go for discounts = less selection, especially since the total population of Denmark is 5,6 mio people. So the marked is smaller. We are used to it and get amazed when we go to places with an abundance of choice...
2. The amusement park Tivoly was builit at the outskirts of Copenhagen in 1843 at the former military banks ("walls") around the town which were removed around that time. The present Central Station was built in 1904. And if youl leave at the opposite direction, you will find drugs, prostitution etc in a part of town which has also become very popular (Vesterbro)
3. Eating out is expencive. But there is also a number of "chains" that officer very good food for affordable prices, but with limited choice (to keep costs down) - look out for wine prices in these place - often outrageous.
I appreciate you taking the time to share all this! Great insight
There was a grocery chain called Irma, which had a bot more selection and higher quality goods. It closed recently. It seems that there is not enough demand for that in Denmark. One reason you don't see 50 brands of cornflakes in Danish supermarkets is that they are placed within walking distance of where people live. this means that there is not enough space for that.
What few people realize is that the development of the modern day Copenhagen is based in a 1920's governmental decision of promoting Danish/Nordic design and architecture. As the old slum buildings were demolished they kept an eye on what kind of buildings and such were put in their place.
This development were forgotten in the late 1960s and early 1970s and many of the old buildings were kind of cut off at ground level because businesses were allowed to place their cheap plastic promotion on the facade of the old buildings. Later on this were addressed and now most of them need to follow some guidelines for aesthetics within the city center.
Most danish towns and cities try to find a balance between moving forward and keeping the feel of the old design and architecture. Some of them spend a lot of public money to make this happen and sometimes in surprising ways, like sculptures, plaques, special pavement, art installation and in many other ways.
Interesting -- thanks for sharing that!
Our grocery stores could definitely use a variety upgrade! For any *slightly* unconventional things you have to go to some sort of specialty store
hi, Croatian living here in Copenhagen, THERE IS a small blue stands to CHECK IN and CHECK OUT at the ends of rooms waiting for metro down the metro station, they are sometimes turned towards elevator and not people, so you need to come to them to see BLUE LIGHT STAND to put your Travel card on it and you check in or check out.
One additional comment: I think most tourists will be buying single trip tickets or day passes, and for those you don't need to check in and out on those blue light stands :)
The last observation you made was my first. You said calm, I told a friend it was serene. Also great to see so many Dad's with baby buggy in toe. Father's are actually father's there.
In all of the Nordic countries.
100%
You are completely right about the grocery stores, the quality of them are hideous. There is a bit of a discount culture in this country, which means that most of the grocery stores are within that category.
The range of selection in grocery stores is limited and that is usually based on a focus of trying to minimize waste. Too wide a range of products will usually leave grocery stores with a larger amount of waste so the grocery stores basically try to decide on the range of products they sell based on general need and the general popularity of products.
Danes don't like to spend a lot of time in grocery stores. Danes usually already know exactly what they want to buy when entering a grocery store.
The various chains of grocery stores may carry a special range of goods so it's not necessarily unusual for Danes to pass through a couple of stores to buy what they need.
But at the end of the day, the sort of limited range of goods in grocery stores is a result of minimizing waste. The supermarket chains don't want to get stock with a range of products that are suddenly past last use by date if they can avoid it.
Really appreciate you taking the time to share some insight around that
Hey Cam. Very cool observations. In many ways much better, than most of those glamorizing videos out there. Comment about coolness. It's true and a bit fun. 20 years ago, being a musician it was the other way around. Culture ppl wore more interesting and cool clothes. But suddenly it turned around. Suddenly everyone looked cool, and culture folks like has started to go the opposite way. Being a bit uncool is actually in many ways a cooler look today. So chill out about that one bro!
CPH-LOVE
D
Hahah love hearing that! Much love
You walked out of the "right" exit of the main central station then. If you'd taken the opposite exit, you would have ended up at Istedgade/Halmtorvet. which for decades has been the roughest part of Copenhagen. Homeless shelter, prostitutes, drug addicts/pushers, porn cinema's, sex shops, bars, tattoo shops etc. - Things have turned for the better there, parts of it being more of a hipster place now, but still a rough part of town. All the best from CPH ♥
Much love
People from Copenhagen go to Nyhavn to enjoy an ice creams or a bottle beer from the kiosk while sitting on the quayside.
Have lunch at 1733, Tivolihallen og Schonnemanm befordr then.
I'm currently visiting Copenhagen myself... and I agree on all points. Especially your point about the bike infrastructure compared to Amsterdam. Amsterdam is really fun and a great place without a doubt, but I totally agree feeling less on edge both as a cyclist and a pedestrian here in Copenhagen. I also totally agree regarding perception before coming here. I'm visiting 9 cities on this trip and honestly I had the lowest expectations of Copenhagen for no definite reason, just form pictures and whatever it just seemed like another city... but gosh was I wrong. It's absolutely incredible. Everything seems so well thought out. Quite possibly my favorite city I've been to on this trip.
I also really agree about it being super quite. I think a lot of that has to do with it generally be less car centric. Public transit is underground and no street cars... most cars seem to be electric. I found that aspect to be really nice.
I also love all the beautiful architecture. There's a really cool mix between modern and classical architecture, and it's done in such a tasteful way, where both exist without making the other look weird or out of place.
One note i'd add.. gosh it's expensive here! By far the most expensive place I've been on this trip. things that would be like $10 in the UK or US seem to be at least $15. It's definitely worth it, but that was a bit of a surprise.
Hi Camden. Interesting observations. And thank you for your positive video. When you are here next time, let me know and I will show you dining options that you don't have to save up to to visit.. Us Copenhagen residents also think everything is extremely expensive.
Much appreciated!
On the grocery option/quality shortage:
Wow, the first three answers I saw to that question showed how good, well-adjusted citizens of the standard-response people are - no doubt they will get points for patriotism ;)
The fact of the matter is that for more than 7 years, there has been a sharp decline in the quality and range for products in stores, as well as a running-down of the whole grocery stores business segment. While many restaurants in the higher segments source their vegetables and other basic ingredients directly from farms and producers - great products worth buying that you would find in super-markets, have largely disappeared.
Take pesto as an example. In one store (Irma) you used to be able to buy 7 or 8 different brands of pesto, mostly produced in Italy, some of them phenomenal and really worth the money. But then they started making copy-products of the best ones, kicking the original off the shelves, and just selling the danish version, which is almost never as good as the real thing - simply because, people don't need good food to cure themselves of the alements of late-stage capitalism (sic!!!). As all the good patriots are saying, there is no need for good food or large selections (if the borg-net says so!). So we are down to 1 or two brands of pesto from Italy in the stores, and one of them tends to disappear form the shelves every half year and then return later. "But you can just go out a buy a good meal at a take-away somewhere, and then you don't need to buy-in in the grocery store either, win-win" (as the borg-net likes to say :) :) :) ). Oh, I guess this is written 6 o'clock in the morning :)
Also a reason why danmark dont have the huge selection that the US has and even some european countries has is that food control (for human health) are way stricter than US regulations. So many of those products would be illigal in Denmark.
As a Dane we prefer to have several shops close by with a reasonable amount of goods for daily use, and no need to drive far away to find a Huge Store (We also have those). And fine Dining. People comes flying in to dine at the Best Places. You will also find Architect and Designer: Finn Juhls home open for a Visit north of Copenhagen. A wealthy Japanese man had it rebuilt as a Copy with all its Finn Juhl furniture inside, in Japan! Finn
I could only see you from the chest up here, but apart from the cap (which are not that common here), your outfit looks perfectly fine for Copenhagen. Yes, there are lots of people with swagger who clearly use their outfits to make a statement, but regular jeans and a black t-shirt will also always fit right in.
An ‘people of Walmart’-style orange sweatsuit might get you a few side-eyes, but as long as you just dress reasonably neutrally, most styles fit in pretty well.
And yes, fine dining can be expensive, but there’s a lot of quite good medium-range dining as well, which isn’t cheap, but manageable (like maybe $75 for a good for two).
We're only a little over 5.6 mio persons living in Denmark. Many shops are not huge and the amount of various types of the same article is also based on the area of the shop. If you get out in the subburbs you can find a largER stores like Bilka and Kvickly. But they are no way Walmart or Target size.
we have different kinds of supermarkets there is the cheap simple ones or the higher end types, we don't have as huge size as in the US because there is a limited allowed space according to laws , that is because we don't want the cities to die out and supermarkets to be hue building along side the highway outside the city , that said there are quite a lot difference in size and selection still, it sounds like you have been in Netto in the center of city, that will be a tiny supermarket get a little out of the center and you will find bigger ones with better selections the best are Føtex or Bilka(in Copenhagen you find it in the shopping center called Fields in Ørestad) in my opinion , remember it's an ol city so in the center there isn't that much space for big supermarkets
True, in relation to some grocery stores. Of cource the discount stores have a limited number of choices, but I also find that comparing with Sweden, that even the larger stores have a relatively limited number of choices. I live north of Copenhagen and go to Malmö every month to shop eg. glutenfree grocery.
Thanks for sharing :)
The countryside of Denmark has very little true nature. It’s been hugely agricultural country for ever. Nature has been formed thru the centuries to adapt to human life. But there are beautiful landscapes and of course the 500-some islands have beautiful beaches. Explore Denmark outside Copenhagen is pretty easy. It’s a small country 😅. Welcome.
You can even bike around really easily and the are hundreds of small wooden shelters built around in the landscape - often by the well kept bicycle paths that connect the country. It’s heaven for relaxed bicyclists. Just remember the rain gear 😂
Looking forward to exploring more of the country during my next visit :)
Love CPH sooo much, and yes I consider it to be one of the most expensive places I’ve ever been 😅
Tbh Nyhavn is shit these days. not like it was back in the 90s and early 2000. To many tourists. There are better less crowded plages to sit and enjoy a beer.
Shop like a Dane then it’s not that 🎉expensive most tourist fell into the trap
And Famous Author: Hans Christian Andersen had his only actual Home as a single Room on top of Nyhavn. He spent much time also travelling round Europe and as a guest by wealthy families, while writing his Stories, Novels and Plays. He was absurdly rich at the end of his life, as a trusted Family Member took care of his rights and income, so he became what compares to a present Billionaere. Finn. Denmark
Interesting -- thanks for sharing!
One of the reasons why our selection in stores isn't that big is because the quality control is so tight. It takes a lot to prove your product lives up to the rules and standards, and since most people prefer the bigger brands anyway it's usually bad business to put new products on the marked. Also most stores have their own discount brand, so they don't want products that competes with that, either. Also, an observation I've made is that Danes like to believe we are all alike. It makes us feel safe. So, we like to think our coworker is eating the same chocolate brand as us (Marabou), and drinks the same milk as us (from Arla) and the same bread (Schulstad).
Oh my gosh. I find this reasoning very self serving and typical of Scandinavians. It's OK to provide people with more selection even if it may be sub par to the all wise Danish taste maker committee that ensures uniformity and compliance. My sister in law is Swedish arriving as a young immigrant child and she's constantly extolling Swedish products without necessarily even trying many of the alternatives. I think this is what the population is indoctrinated in.
@vmoses1979 yeah but also probably the majority of products in a US supermarket contain additives that have been found to be unhealthy for humans and thus not allowed in Denmark. In the US there is some control but it's much more lenient in terms of food control
Copenhagen is not the biggest city in the world, by far - It is however our Capital - so anything Denmark has to offer, you will be able to find it there. People living in the central city also have money, cos living in an apartment there is not cheep (600k and you'll be able to get a bedroom, livingroom, toilet/bath and kitchen - 540 square feet/50 square meters) and not attainable unless you have a well above median wage job (the median wage here is about what a loan that size would cost) - what I'm trying to say is, locals who live there have the money - the rest of us who visit from the suburbs might also have the money or just not visit as much OR know the hacks like bringing our own beer to the picturesque Nyhavn to get a beer by the harbor
Look, Tivoli (the theme park) and the central railway station have been there for over a hundred years, and things were different then. No-one in their right mind would place a theme park there NOW, it's got to be the most expensive acre in Copenhagen.
That's fair haha
Grocery stores have limited selection (it's a very small country after all) but if you go in higher end grocery stores the situation is a little better.
The amusement park tivoli garden opened August 15. 1843 and the main railwaystation june 1847. So it came first
Thanks for this
you are cool enough , the numbers of brands in the shops are the same all over in the nordics , and even in germany too ,
and here i am, a dane, usually ovewrwhelmed by how many different effy coffeebeans and rugbrød can we need???!?? lol
I feel you bro! Lol
Hahahha
We have pretty much the worst grocery shopping possibilities in the world and are the country in the world that spends the smallest percentage of our income on food. Which is obviously very paradoxical considering we also have a famous restaurant scene.
Fascinating
F*** I just wrote a long comment and it got lost. So here I go again, but shorter
About Nyhavn: Nyhavn is not in any way a main drag in Copenhagen It wasn't even. a tourist attraction until recently. When I was a student, we'd bring a beer and sit among the sailors, prostitutes and parked cars after hours. Pass by it on the way to Amalienborg, the royal palace, and you've "done" it. There are maybe two legit restaurants there, and I'm not sure they really recovered from the COVID lockdown. There is a great café in the art hall on the north side of the canal, so you can take your pictures from there.
About groceries: the city center in Copenhagen is barely inhabited, and most of the people who live there are quite wealthy. So they have the discount stores for basics and a lot of incredible but expensive offers for everything else, like theTorvehallerne market, and the supermarkets in the basements of the big department stores. People outside the center have a lot of other options, and tend to buy a lot at local stores. In the NV area there are several huge supermarkets owned by immigrants with great sections for baked goods, meat and fish.
About style: yes, Copenhageners are well dressed. As are most metropolitan Europeans. But in Copenhagen, being well-dressed in secondhand clothing is definitely the thing, as is norm-core. You look just right to me. Maybe you haven't spent enough time in the really hip areas.
Hate it when that happens (comment getting lost). But I appreciate you taking the time to give it another go! And thanks for sharing all this -- great info here and definitely helpful for folks to read :)
Our grocery stores suuuuck and it’s a thing we all complain about here as well. SuperBrugsen is the closest to a decent grocery market and even that isn’t so good.
there are ticket machines before you o down to the train , some stations have them down on the station but most before you o down the escalator , there are actually more than 1 machine
I did end up finding those on my 2nd attempt haha
7:15 American tourist reacts: Where are my 50 brands of cereal? Why are there only 10 types of schampoo.
Hahahahah fair
Hi
Thanks for your thoughts about Copenhagen - the city I have lived in most of my 58 years. A few comments:
There are so many FREE activities in Copenhagen that you really don’t need a lot of money to have a good time. A few examples:
1. Of you have already paid for your metro card, you also get access to unlimited use of the water-busses, which will take you from the far north end in modern Nordhavn, via the city Center of the old Copenhagen ending in the south end of the city, walking distance of 10 min. From large green-nature areas.
2. Museums can be expensive. But one day a week they are free. By law. Typically on Mondays, but look out! Also, Copenhagen has a lot of art and fashion galleries. All with free admission. You can spend days, if not weeks touring these places. Really cool. With all the newest and most hottest.
3. Seaside/beach, or the the calm of a beautiful Forrest. Within only 20-30 min. (Remember you have already purchased your metro card), you can go to the beach at eg. Strandpark, or the forest in Charlottenlund. Both places have multiple totally free activities ready for your enjoyment.
4. Hanging out with friends or locals - go to any harbour spot either in North, mid-town, or the south. FREE and a gear place to meet and spend time.
Food. Expensive but if you don’t eat out you can comfortably live for Euro 25-30 a day as a tourist. Eating out is of course more costly. But for around Euro 40-50 you can get a really good meal in a restaurant. Just get out of the tourist zones! Go to Østerbro (most expensive) or Norrebro or Vesterbro. Or spend 20 min in the metro or s-train to go to some of the suburbs - a lot to see and experience also there.
I mean: most tourists visits Copenhagen newer go outside the city center. Like visiting New York and not going to Brooklyn. Who would do so?
Feel free to reach out, should you ever visit once again.
Best regards, Michael
Thanks for taking the time to share all this, Michael! You make some great points and I imagine the info will be useful for first-time visitors. Much appreciated!
Hehe, if you go out on the other side of the central station than where tivoli is, you'll finde Istedgade which is the more sketchy part of town wwith hookers on the streets and such..
Next time remember to visit Aarhus
I'll add it to my list!
Interesting video. But... I'm also ... a bit confused. You said a lot of things you loved. But I didn't get a clear idea of what you thought overall? Maybe that was you being too polite to say clearly " you guys have a lot of cool things, but it's not really my cup of tea"? Or....maybe you have not fully digested the trip yet?
Can you do a video of Zürich?
It's high on my list! Hoping to visit in 2025 :)
@@camdendavid Awesome, pal!😁🎉🇨🇭
Im not "cool" enough for Copenhagen, and im sure are f*ck not rich enough, but the real Denmark isnt the capital... come visit the other parts, then you see the real country (Dane here)
Can someone explain me that why he is talking like that