Hangouts don’t get any hipper than Refshaleøen, an ex-industrial island across the harbour in Copenhagen. Shipbuilding’s loss has been creativity’s gain. Cool bars are popping up, ex-Noma chef Lars Williams has set up a distillery, and the area is anchored by Copenhill – a waste-management centre that doubles as an artificial ski slope. Here’s our guide to a day spent dockside.
Stop 1: Alchemist
Eating at Alchemist is a mind-bending experience
Furthering Copenhagen’s status as the exciting-eating capital of Europe is Alchemist, an insanely innovative and in-demand restaurant. It’s the brainchild of radical chef Rasmus Munk, and promises a ‘holistic’ dining experience that involves art and technology, and stimulates all the senses.
Stop 2: Baghaven
Refshaleøen has reinvented industrial warehouses / Image: Tim E White
When the sun comes out and Refshaleøen springs into party mode, revellers flock to Baghaven, a waterfront bar that’s part of the Mikkeller brewing empire. Grab one of the award-winning fruit beers plus a smørrebrød (open sandwich) and soak up the rays amid the pastel-coloured Chevys and Trabants stationed outside.
