The best shopping in Copenhagen
Copenhagen’s most famous shopping destination is Strøget – a string of five linked pedestrian streets that runs through the city centre from Rådhuspladsen in the west to Kongens Nytorv in the east, which gets progressively more upmarket along the way. The big designer names and international brands are all here, but you’ll find more interesting shopping if you head off into the side streets or venture a little further afield to Vesterbro and Nørrebro, where there’s always some cool new independent boutique to discover. From an interiors shop filled with chic Nordic brands to a clothing store that pays attention to eco credentials, Telegraph Travel Expert Suzanne King knows the best places to pick up some souvenirs.
City centre
Rains
'Do one thing and do it well,' they say. This is a philosophy the founders of Rains clearly took to heart when creating the company. Their thing is waterproof jackets, coats and accessories, and they are all showcased in this store, just off the pedestrianised shopping street of Købmagergade. Inside the spotlessly white and immaculately styled showroom you’ll find neatly arranged rails of simple but stylish wet-weather gear – proof, if it were needed, that the Danes can design even the most unlikely of products into objects of desire.
Contact: 00 45 26 27 85 41; rains.com
Opening times: Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm; Sat, 11am-5pm, closed Sun
Prices: ££
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Holly Golightly
The buyers at Holly Golightly have created a carefully curated world of high-end fashion and accessories at their smart city-centre boutique. They cherry pick their favourites from the current collections – and not just from big international labels such as Rick Owens and Marni – but also from cool local designers, including Stine Goya and AF Agger. They also source one-off vintage finds, so you could pick up anything from an original YSL dress to an antique Chinese skirt. This store stocks ready-to-wear and fine jewellery, while a second, just round the corner, sells shoes, bags and Aesop products.
Contact: 00 45 33 14 19 15; hollygolightly.dk
Opening times: See website
Prices: £££
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Retro Villa
A few rolls of wallpaper might not be your average holiday memento – but you’ll be sorely tempted at this quirky basement store. Owner Mette Helena Rasmussen (an interiors stylist, writer and blogger) has amassed a large selection of original vintage papers, from dainty flower-sprigged patterns to bold orange and brown swirly styles that could only come from the 1970s. Buy enough to cover a wall or room, or just pick up a metre or two to copy some of their DIY crafty ideas. While you’re there, check out the other vintage (or vintage-style) items, including door knobs and candlesticks.
Contact: 00 45 31524058; retrovilla.dk
Opening times: See website
Prices: £-££
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Tortus
If there’s such a thing as a celebrity ceramicist, it’s Eric Landon, co-founder of this ceramics shop and studio. The American-born, Danish-based master potter has an extraordinary affinity with clay and the videos he regularly posts online – showing him transforming misshapen lumps into tall, elegant vases – have earned him a legion of followers. Browse the serenely simple creations in the shop and if you feel inspired, book ahead for a place on the week-long workshops they sometimes run here.
Contact:tortus-copenhagen.com
Opening times: See website
Prices: ££
Vesterbro
Hats, Boots & Bourbon
Just when you thought Vesterbro couldn’t get any more hipster, up pops this menswear shop-cum-bar at the edgier end of trendy Istedgade, towards the station. It’s the brainchild of former bartender Erik Persson, whose love of the prohibition era shines through in the styling, with bare brick walls, a montage of black-and-white gangster movie stills, and American spirits behind the little counter at the back. Browse the shelves for shirts, headgear, accessories and grooming products, then lounge back on one of the brown leather Chesterfields to peruse your purchases over a bourbon-based cocktail.
Contact:00 45 91 82 19 08; hatsbootsbourbon.com
Opening times: Mon-Sat, 11am-6pm
Prices: ££-£££
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Anker Chokolade
This basement shop is hidden away at the end of a residential street and is so tiny, there’s barely room to swing a Kit-Kat. Or, for that matter, a prune and whisky-flavoured marzipan bar, encased in rich dark chocolate – which is much more their cup of cocoa. Chef Mikkel Anker previously worked in Michelin-starred restaurants Kiin Kiin and Søllerød Kro and brings that level of quality to his seasonal collections of interestingly flavoured pralines and truffles, which are all handmade on the premises from Fair Trade chocolate. This is the original shop, but there is another branch in Nørrebro at Jagtvej 125.
Contact: 00 45 61 26 01 94; ankerchokolade.dk
Opening times: Mon-Thu, 11am-6.30pm; Fri, 11am-7pm; Sat, 11am-5pm
Prices: £
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Nørrebro
Høj Copenhagen
Among the many independent specialist shops that make Jægersborggade so interesting is this interiors store. It may be small but it’s stocked with a well-chosen selection of mainly Nordic design, with a particular focus on some of the smaller brands you won’t find everywhere else. Among the covetable items on its clean white shelves are Bjorn Kauffeldt’s delicate coloured glass vases and beautifully glazed ceramic bowls from Duedahl. And, to help create that hygge feeling at home, there are scented candles, hand poured into amber jars at Copenhagen Candle Lab, made just a few miles away in Gentofte.
Contact:00 45 26 13 54 25; facebook.com/hoejcopenhagen
Opening times: Mon-Fri, 11am-5.30pm; Sat, 11am-4pm
Prices: ££
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Res-Res
The name is short for Respect Resources – and sure enough, every single one of the many desirable items you come across on the shelves of this Nørrebro boutique has been selected because it comes from sustainably minded producers. As well as cool clothing (for children as well as adults), they carry homewares, accessories, candles (of course) and toiletries –including the fragrant products from I Love Eco Essentials, which will be familiar to anyone who’s ever stayed in any of the city’s eco-aware Guldsmeden hotels.
Contact: 00 45 61 43 53 42; res-res.com
Opening times: See website
Prices: ££
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Østerbro
Olufs Is
At this cool little Østerbro ice cream shop, the freezer cabinet is filled with neat ranks of homemade (and highly photogenic) ice cream and sorbet popsicles. There’s usually a new flavour or two to taste, and they’re not afraid to take risks when it comes to trying out unlikely combinations – but there is always a delicious staple for the less adventurous too, such as hazelnut gelato dipped in milk chocolate and sprinkled with nut brittle. They do mini 'tapas' versions as well, which is great news for indecisive minds who can opt for two smalls rather than one full size.
Contact: 00 45 27 59 38 36; olufs.dk
Opening times: Wed-Sun, 12pm-7pm
Prices: £
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Refshaleøen
B&W Loppemarked
If you’re planning to pick up some retro Danish design pieces while you’re here, you might want to check whether or not B&W Loppemarked will be open before you even book your flights. This vast warehouse at Refshaleøen is stuffed to the gills with old chairs, light fittings and assorted bric-à-brac. It’s not particularly cheap and you’ll need patience to sift your way through the piles, but put in the legwork and you might unearth the retro lamp or vase of your dreams. Which, by the way, you’ll need cash to pay for. You can also find more of its stock at Funky Junky, a Vesterbro vintage shop.
Contact: facebook.com/BW-LOPPEMARKED
Opening times: 10am-4pm, Sat & Sun, in alternate (even-numbered) weeks only.
Prices: ££
