A Seamless Scandi Vacation

After a very flip-floppy Copenhagen Fashion Week, Matt and I traveled around Denmark and Sweden together for a week.

Our first stop was the island of Bornholm, which is technically part of Denmark but reachable only by ferry from Sweden. It’s known for its gorgeous rocky landscape, local arts scene, and smoked fish. Compared to the rest of Denmark, it seems laidback, but we still ate at a Michelin-star restaurant (where all the waiters wore Birkenstocks) and accidentally stayed at the same hotel as supermodel Helena Christensen.

Next, we took the ferry back to southern Sweden, where we stayed for two nights at Talldungens Gårdshotell, a cozy, 18-room inn and restaurant in the hills of Brösarp run by the renowned and very friendly sommelier Emma Höök and her husband David Levung. There, we continued to eat and drink like we were in a color-soaked Ingmar Bergman epic.

Finally, we drove back into Denmark, ending in Tisvilde, which is often likened to the Hamptons for its landscape, proximity to the city, and posh beach vibes.

It was the most frictionless vacation I’ve ever taken. We never sat in traffic, got lost, or drove over a pothole. We were never delayed for more than 20 minutes. We never fought off tourists. We never really even broke a sweat. As an American and especially as a New Yorker, it’s crazy to be in a place where things just function and not everything is a fight.

Of course, living like this ain’t cheap. Denmark is especially expensive. But we were happy to see some new places, wear light jackets in August, and breathe some fresh air. That’s what credit card points are for!

Below is our full itinerary. Please, steal it.

HOTELS: I was put up at Henrik’s for the duration of Fashion Week, a new-ish hotel that’s part of the Hildebrandt Hammer group. (All four hotels are on the same block.) It was cozy, comfortable, quiet, and centrally located between the train station and the city center. It was also, of course, impeccably decorated, with designer tea kettles in every room.

FOOD: The first place Matt took me when he arrived was a hot dog stand by the train station called John’s Hot Dog Deli. I was skeptical, but it was so good we ate one and then immediately ordered another.

Trust me, you’ll want an $8 dog after you figure out the USD-to-DKK conversion... However pricey, I had some pretty life-changing swirled eggs at studio x kitchen and warm buns at Juno the bakery. (Danish breakfast will make you want to buy a million cute little egg cups.)

My favorite lunches were at Apollo Bar and Cafe Rabes Have. My favorite dinners were at OMAR and Bar Vitrine. And if you want nice wine on the water without such a scene, check out Rosforth & Rosforth under the bridge instead of La Banchina.

SHOPPING: Scandi style isn’t really my thing, and I wasn’t there to spend a ton of time (and money) hunting down vintage. That said, I enjoyed the designer selection at Stoy, where I tried on a Nicklas Skovgaard jacket, and I thought Reseller's vintage curation was the best. My stylish friend, Sam Herzog, recommended I check out NAKED, which has an impressive selection of women's sneakers. I also passed by Piccolo CPH, a store that sells tiny baby shoes, on my way to Mr. Larkin. For menswear, check out mfpen, Grocery, and Another Aspect. My heart really sang at HAY House, though, where I bought tiny toothbrush holders and fondled these drinking glasses. I also ordered a bottle of Frama’s “Apothacary” body wash when I got home.