Forget the supposed highlights – I'm travelling via the ‘unbucket list'
This isn't to dismiss the iconic sights of this lovely city; I've seen all those things on previous stays. But I've been visiting cities I've been to before in another way recently, by following an un-bucket list.
My plan is simple. Ignore the tourist sights. Pick a neighbourhood neither too dishevelled nor too wealthy: a Goldilocks district that provides insight into daily life and will perhaps offer a few pleasant surprises.
And so, in Copenhagen, I pick Frederiksberg. No kings or mermaids here, just ordinary Copenhageners, plus me pottering about without feeling pressured to see Important Things.
Frederiksberg is a great place to do nothing away from the ever-busier tourist city. This calm and elegant district is only a few metro stops west of central Copenhagen yet feels a world away.
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The Age
10-08-2025
- The Age
The new way to see Europe – travelling via the ‘unbucket list'
I spent three days in Copenhagen and never saw the Little Mermaid, shivering on her little rock. I never saw the guard changing at the palace, or Tivoli Gardens amusement park, or a single museum exhibit. This isn't to dismiss the iconic sights of this lovely city; I've seen all those things on previous stays. But I've been visiting cities I've been to before in another way recently, by following an un-bucket list. My plan is simple. Ignore the tourist sights. Pick a neighbourhood neither too dishevelled nor too wealthy: a Goldilocks district that provides insight into daily life and will perhaps offer a few pleasant surprises. And so, in Copenhagen, I pick Frederiksberg. No kings or mermaids here, just ordinary Copenhageners, plus me pottering about without feeling pressured to see Important Things. Frederiksberg is a great place to do nothing away from the ever-busier tourist city. This calm and elegant district is only a few metro stops west of central Copenhagen yet feels a world away.
Sydney Morning Herald
10-08-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
Forget the supposed highlights – I'm travelling via the ‘unbucket list'
I spent three days in Copenhagen and never saw the Little Mermaid, shivering on her little rock. I never saw the guard changing at the palace, or Tivoli Gardens amusement park, or a single museum exhibit. This isn't to dismiss the iconic sights of this lovely city; I've seen all those things on previous stays. But I've been visiting cities I've been to before in another way recently, by following an un-bucket list. My plan is simple. Ignore the tourist sights. Pick a neighbourhood neither too dishevelled nor too wealthy: a Goldilocks district that provides insight into daily life and will perhaps offer a few pleasant surprises. And so, in Copenhagen, I pick Frederiksberg. No kings or mermaids here, just ordinary Copenhageners, plus me pottering about without feeling pressured to see Important Things. Frederiksberg is a great place to do nothing away from the ever-busier tourist city. This calm and elegant district is only a few metro stops west of central Copenhagen yet feels a world away. It has grand old homes and rose gardens, theatres and cultural venues, and wide boulevards with classic 19th-century architecture and green strips down the middle where children play on swings. In short, if you want to enjoy attractive urban spaces, sit on park benches, join locals for lunch and vicariously imagine what it would be like to live in Copenhagen, this is a prime spot. Frederiksberg is a confident district with its own character, sometimes described as bohemian – although not accurately if that suggests graffiti and dodgy bars. This is Nordic bohemianism, which means that middle-class people sit in cute cafés and bistros, lie on park lawns, and jog while pushing prams. Frederiksberg's cultural aspirations are a bit posh, but you can safely ignore its little theatres and museum devoted to Danish writers.
The Age
10-08-2025
- The Age
Forget the supposed highlights – I'm travelling via the ‘unbucket list'
I spent three days in Copenhagen and never saw the Little Mermaid, shivering on her little rock. I never saw the guard changing at the palace, or Tivoli Gardens amusement park, or a single museum exhibit. This isn't to dismiss the iconic sights of this lovely city; I've seen all those things on previous stays. But I've been visiting cities I've been to before in another way recently, by following an un-bucket list. My plan is simple. Ignore the tourist sights. Pick a neighbourhood neither too dishevelled nor too wealthy: a Goldilocks district that provides insight into daily life and will perhaps offer a few pleasant surprises. And so, in Copenhagen, I pick Frederiksberg. No kings or mermaids here, just ordinary Copenhageners, plus me pottering about without feeling pressured to see Important Things. Frederiksberg is a great place to do nothing away from the ever-busier tourist city. This calm and elegant district is only a few metro stops west of central Copenhagen yet feels a world away.
