Running Through Copenhagen: A 14-Hour Layover Itinerary for Runners
- Holly Opatz
- Apr 22
- 8 min read
The Layover Plan That Became My Favorite Travel Hack
No, this wasn’t a budget-conscious decision… but it was worth every krone.
I think this will be my new thing now every time I have to take a long international flight - intentionally book a long layover somewhere that will allow me to explore a new city. It also was a major perk that this SAS flight option happened to be the best priced. But the end of the day, after paying 340 Danish Krone for a taxi, 45 Euros for a hostel and California prices for a simple brunch and a couple coffees - did I really make a budget conscious decision booking this flight? No, but it was worth it.
From Hostel Party Vibes to Grandma Sleep Goals
A 10/10 hostel experience — as long as you don’t mind checking in through a party
My flight got in at 11 pm on a Saturday night, which allowed me a good night's sleep and a morning to explore Copenhagen before having to fly out by 2:15 pm the next day. This sounded like the perfect opportunity to get a cheap hostel, crash for the night, then wake up early to get a nice long run in acquaint myself with this Danish city I had heard such good things about. I, having become grandma-like, with pajamas on and sleeping before midnight most Saturday nights, forgot that at this hour on weekends, some people still have the capacity to be social and party into the wee hours of the night. I didn’t anticipate Copenhagen to be such a party destination either, so you can imagine my distaste when I arrived at The Next House hostel I booked online at Hostelworld.com, being greeted with a lobby filled with drunk people and music so loud I had to shout to check in at the front desk.
But the nearly 10/10 Hostel World rating didn’t stray too far from the truth. The room was astonishingly sound proof to the chaos going on the floor below and spectacularly clean. I was very happy to have dodged the party and slept like a baby. For one of the first times in my life, I had absolutely no fomo for missing out on a party. I awoke before my alarm the next morning at 5:30 am feeling refreshed and figured I might as well start my run ahead of schedule, with the sunrise. I grabbed coffee at the hotel lobby, dodging party go-ers just stumbling in from their night out and then headed out the door, very happy with my responsible decision the night before.
Fog, Frosty Fingers & a False Spring Start
Copenhagen said ‘no’ to shorts in April and early morning sun.
However, I was regretting a bit starting so early. In early April, I had just assumed spring had sprung in this three-hour flight radius of Europe. Therefore, I neglected to even think of packing running attire other than the shorts/t-shirt combo I had been sporting for the past few weeks now. Luckily, I had thrown in my Brooks Canopy Running Jacket last minute which was enough to pull over my fists to keep my fingers from freezing. It also didn’t help that the first morning light had not yet broken through the fog, leaving the colorful Copenhagen I was expecting a bit dreary. The empty streets combined with the Neoclassical architecture and the Tivoli Gardens amusement park backdrop left the start of the run feeling quite apocalyptic.
The 20 kilometer Strava route I had mapped out, however, promised nice views, so I pushed onward. I reach The Lakes which I’m sure are beautiful when you can see more across them in clear daylight, but I could see and feel the nicely mapped dirt pedestrian path lining the entire perimeter of water. I crossed the bridge at the end of the lakes to head towards Kastellet Park where I stumbled upon more gravel paths through grassy parks, footbridges crossing tiny streams and street signs pointing to where one can find flowers (how freaking cute).
Kastellet Fortress, Cherry Trees & Dim Fart Signs
Turns out Danish parks are adorable, and their road signs even more so.
After passing a few signs that read “Din Fart” and immaturely giggling and taking pictures to send to my family who have the same immature humor as me, I eventually hit the Kastellet Fortress. By then I had realized the signs were reading “Speed Limit”. Danish is a silly language - I like it. I also was loving how much attention to nature there was at this park! I made two laps around the star shaped island park, hoping I would produce some cool strava art. Even if it weren’t for the unique shape of that island, I would have run circles for days just to surround myself in the beauty of the freshly blooming cherry trees.
Chasing Sunlight and Getting Sidetracked by Beauty
Frederik’s Church, fuzzy hats, and abandoning the route for the vibes.
Passing St. Alban’s Church, I made my way out to the waterfront where I finally felt the sun on my face! I leapt for joy and threw my hands up the air - prancing like a crazy person. Then, in the corner of my eye, the most magnificent building caught my attention and lured me away from my pre-planned strava route. It was Frederik’s Church. I ran towards its magnetic pull, the fresh morning lights goldening its brilliant colors. Lucky me, I was even able to catch the Changing of the Guards practice at Amalienborg Palace - fuzzy hats and all. I did a bit more wandering through this historic center of town until I met back up with my next planned viewpoint - Nyvhavn.
Nyhavn, Christianshavn, and Cobbled Charm Overload
Quiet canals, pastel townhouses, and running paths kind to weak ankles
THIS! Was the colorful Copenhagen I had imagined. The brightly colored 18th century townhouses. Each perfectly contrasting cone another to give that extra pop of brilliance. How special to be there while the streets were still quiet. Before the rest of the city was awake. I made a loop around the canal, taking in the ambiance before crossing the bridge over to Christianshavn. Here I wanted to just keep screaming HOW CUTE!! Every corner I turned around the canal docs was another meter of pure charm. Even the cobblestone, which has become the bane of my weak ankles running in Europe, was interspersed with smooth concrete tracks to even out the running surface. It’s the little joys in life.
Coming to the end of Christianshavn, I made a left towards Stadsgraven Canal, which on a map looked like more great strava art potential. This section through a tranquil neighborhood park offered a peaceful break from the busy city noise that had now started to wake up. I might have eaten a few gnats that were swarming thick on the banks of the water - but the flat dirt path was a nice opportunity to pick up the pace a bit without having to constantly pay attention to my phone for which direction to turn. An easy 2 kilometer loop spat me right back out at the pedestrian bridge that led me back towards the cultural district.
Here I passed the Danish Architecture Center, the marvelous Copenhagen City Hall, and another canal street dotted with colorful buildings. I scoped out some potential breakfast spots here, my stomach now starting to grumble, hungry for a traditional danish pastry and a nice hot black coffee. I finished out my loop back to the hostel, clocking just over 20K. A distance I was satisfied with but at a pace I knowI was cheating with considering the amount of starts and stops and pauses I had made for photo ops.
Coffee Friends, Croissants, and Copenhagen Kindness
Bless the baristas who took my suitcase and my sanity.
I was able to shower, pack and check out of the hostel all before 10! I was patting myself on the back for how ahead of schedule I had been all morning - a rarity for me. I headed towards my brunch destination, toting my roller suitcase behind me on the cobblestone, super-self conscious that I was being “that person.” So what a god send it was to have become friendly with the lovely owners of the Holberg No. 19, who offered to let me leave my suitcase behind the coffee counter while I walked around a bit before my flight. Being from Argentina and frequent travelers to Mallorca, they graciously practiced Spanish with me and gave me advice for getting to the airport. They assured me getting there by 1 pm, for my international flight that I already had checked-in for, would be fine, and a huge saving of taxi money taking the metro instead. It’s easy!
They were super sweet and I got good vibes from them. I trusted their advice and headed out, roller suitcase-less (don’t worry, there was nothing more valuable in than my America-ready wardrobe) and set out for that danish pastry! And oh my god did I find her — at Hart Bageri. Get the Cardamom Croissant!! Its layers of flasks, buttery pastry complete with a crispy outer sugar crust completely ruined me and nearly cancelled out my run. But it was worth it and I wanted to leave Copenhagen on a high note - so I decided to call it there with my carbohydrate delight and head back to the cafe to grab my suitcase then catch the metro to the airport — All ahead of schedule. Clap clap for Holly :)
Cue the Panic: A Public Transport Meltdown
Blame the croissant, but really, this one’s on me.
I swiped my suitcase, said my farewells to my new amigos, then caught the metro, enjoying the views along the way. Easy peasy! Until I started panicking after getting off the first metro then started having a complete meltdown not being able to find my connecting train. I was again that tourist with her roller bag, pacing frantically back and forth asking anyone who would look in my direction where I could find the train to the airport. Why wasn’t this more clearly marked! I was now sweaty, sprinting, continually looking at my watch. Time was ticking and I was cutting it now way too close for such an important and expensive flight. At last, some dear random angel led me to the correct train platform - in my defense, not labeled :))) only to find that I had missed the originally planned one. Better yet, the next one was delayed. Of course. Because why should Holly ever be on time for anything ever! I was cursing the Argentinians and the disgustingly delicious croissant for “making me late” but really blaming myself for being cheap and overly confident in my public transportation navigation skills and not just calling the freaking taxi. In girl math, the $50 cab ride would have been a lot cheaper than $2000 some it would be for the next flight out.
By the skin of my teeth however, I made it! Even with having to get my backpack searched going through security and crossing through passport control — I arrived to my gate just as boarding was starting. I guess things were just going a little too well being ahead of schedule for everything - deep down, my inner being maybe just likes the drama of burning things down to the wire. It makes the relief of sitting comfortably on this 11 hour flight now that much more bearable.
In the end, what’s a run without a little chaos at the finish line? From foggy lakes to golden churches, flaky pastries to full-blown airport sprints, Copenhagen gave me everything I love about travel — a little beauty, a little madness, and a good story to tell. Layover runs might not be the most logical way to explore the world, but they just might be the most memorable. And if this one taught me anything, it’s that with the right shoes and a questionable sense of time management, you really can run the world — one wild, wonderful layover at a time.
Comments