Honeymoon in Copenhagen: Why Home Swapping Beats Luxury Hotels Every Time

My husband and I almost booked the d'Angleterre. I'm talking the d'Angleterre—Copenhagen's most iconic luxury hotel, all gilded mirrors and crystal chandeliers and a price tag that made my eyes water. We'd just gotten married, we deserved it, right?

Then I did the math on a honeymoon in Copenhagen at hotel rates, and something shifted. Three thousand dollars for five nights in a (admittedly gorgeous) room where we'd basically sleep and shower? Or... an entire apartment in Nyhavn with a kitchen, a balcony overlooking the canal, and enough money left over to actually experience the city?

We chose the apartment. It was our first home swap as a married couple, and seven years later, I still think it was the best decision we made for our honeymoon—besides, you know, marrying each other.

Why Copenhagen Is Perfect for a Home Swap Honeymoon

Here's something the luxury hotel brochures won't tell you: Copenhagen isn't really a hotel city. I mean, yes, there are hotels—beautiful ones—but the soul of this place lives in its apartments. Those tall, narrow buildings painted in mustard yellows and dusty pinks. The courtyards hidden behind heavy wooden doors. The way Danes actually live, with their candles and their blankets and their inexplicable ability to make even the smallest space feel like a sanctuary.

When you book a honeymoon in Copenhagen through home swapping, you're not just getting accommodation. You're getting access to how Copenhageners actually experience their city. The local bakery where your host gets their morning rundstykker. The wine bar that doesn't show up on TripAdvisor. The courtyard garden where neighbors gather on summer evenings.

I remember our first morning in that Nyhavn apartment. We woke up to church bells—actual church bells, not a phone alarm—and made coffee in a kitchen that smelled faintly of cardamom from whoever had baked there last. My husband walked to the corner bakery in his pajamas (Danes really don't care) and came back with warm pastries and a ridiculous grin on his face.

That's not a hotel experience. That's a life experience.

The Real Cost Difference: Copenhagen Luxury Hotels vs. Home Swapping

Let me break this down, because the numbers genuinely shocked me when I first calculated them.

A week-long honeymoon in Copenhagen at a luxury hotel like the d'Angleterre or Hotel Sanders will run you between $4,000-7,000 USD for the room alone. Mid-range boutique hotels—still lovely, but smaller rooms—hover around $2,000-3,500 for the week. And we haven't even talked about food yet.

Hotel breakfast in Copenhagen? Budget $40-60 per person, per day. That's potentially $840 just for morning meals over a week. Dinner at hotel restaurants or nearby fine dining spots adds another $150-300 per couple nightly.

Now, home swapping.

On SwappaHome, you earn credits by hosting travelers in your own home—one credit per night, regardless of your home's size or location. Then you spend those credits to stay in other members' homes, also at one credit per night. No money changes hands between members for the accommodation itself.

So that stunning apartment in Frederiksberg with the claw-foot tub and the balcony overlooking the gardens? One credit per night. The converted warehouse loft in Vesterbro with exposed brick and designer furniture? Same thing—one credit per night. The cozy hygge-perfect flat in Nørrebro where the host left you a hand-drawn map of their favorite spots? You guessed it.

New members start with 10 free credits, which means your first Copenhagen honeymoon accommodation could literally cost you nothing but the membership fee.

Finding the Perfect Copenhagen Neighborhood for Your Honeymoon

This is where home swapping really shines for couples. Hotels cluster in certain areas—mainly around Kongens Nytorv and the Inner City—but home exchanges open up the entire city.

Nyhavn: The Postcard-Perfect Choice

Yes, it's touristy. Yes, those colorful buildings are on every Copenhagen postcard ever printed. But you know what? There's a reason for that. Waking up in Nyhavn as a honeymooner, watching the boats bob in the harbor while you sip your coffee—it's almost unreasonably romantic.

Home swaps here tend to be in those historic buildings, often with original wooden beams and windows that look directly onto the canal. Expect smaller spaces (these are old buildings), but the location is unbeatable for first-time visitors. Walking distance to Amalienborg Palace, the Royal Danish Playhouse, and some of the city's best restaurants.

Frederiksberg: For the Couple Who Wants Space

If your honeymoon vision involves lazy mornings in a real neighborhood—not a tourist zone—Frederiksberg is your place. This is where young Copenhagen families live, where the parks are genuinely beautiful (Frederiksberg Gardens is basically a royal park without the crowds), and where you'll find the kind of apartment that makes you fantasize about moving here permanently.

Home swaps in Frederiksberg often come with actual outdoor space—balconies, terraces, access to shared gardens. The apartments tend to be larger, the streets quieter, and the local café culture is strong. It's about a 15-minute bike ride to the center, but honestly, that's part of the charm.

Vesterbro: The Cool Couple's Pick

Former red-light district turned hipster paradise—Vesterbro is Copenhagen's answer to Brooklyn or Shoreditch. The Meatpacking District here has some of the city's best restaurants, the vintage shops are genuinely good, and the vibe is young, creative, and unpretentious.

Home swaps in Vesterbro often feature that industrial-chic aesthetic: converted warehouses, high ceilings, interesting art on the walls. If you're the kind of couple who'd rather discover a hidden cocktail bar than pose at tourist attractions, this is your neighborhood.

Nørrebro: For the Adventurous Honeymooners

Multicultural, a little gritty, completely authentic—Nørrebro is where you go if you want to feel like a temporary local rather than a tourist. The food scene here reflects Copenhagen's immigrant communities: incredible Middle Eastern bakeries, Vietnamese pho spots, Ethiopian restaurants alongside traditional Danish smørrebrød.

Assistens Cemetery—where Hans Christian Andersen is buried—might seem like an odd honeymoon recommendation, but trust me. Copenhageners treat it like a park, picnicking among the graves on sunny days. It's weirdly romantic in that very Danish way.

What Makes Home Swapping More Romantic Than Hotels

I've stayed in some genuinely beautiful hotels. The kind with turndown service and robes so fluffy you consider stealing them. And they're lovely—but they're also designed for everyone.

A home swap is designed for no one except the person who lives there. Which means it's full of personality, quirks, and the kind of details that spark conversation.

In our Copenhagen apartment, the host had left a folder of recommendations that read like a love letter to her city. Not just restaurant names, but specific dishes to order. Not just "visit Tivoli" but "go on a Tuesday evening when the gardens are lit up and the crowds are thinner." She'd included the name of her favorite flower stall at Torvehallerne and a note about which bench in the King's Garden had the best view for sunset.

That kind of insider knowledge? You can't buy it at a hotel concierge desk.

There's also something deeply romantic about playing house together in a new city. Cooking dinner in someone else's kitchen, figuring out their espresso machine, arguing about which way to load the dishwasher (just us?). It's a preview of your life together, set against the backdrop of a city you're discovering as a team.

Practical Tips for Your Copenhagen Home Swap Honeymoon

Timing Your Trip

Copenhagen in summer (June-August) is magical—long days that stretch past 10 PM, outdoor dining everywhere, swimming in the harbor. But it's also peak season, and home swap availability can be competitive.

My honest recommendation for honeymooners? May or September. Still pleasant weather (temperatures around 55-65°F / 13-18°C), fewer tourists, and more home swap options. Plus, the Danes are more relaxed when their city isn't overrun with visitors—you'll get better recommendations, warmer interactions.

Winter honeymoons are a different beast entirely. November through February means short days, cold weather, and a lot of indoor time. But if hygge is your thing—and you're honeymooning, so it probably should be—there's something incredibly romantic about Copenhagen in the dark months. Candles everywhere, mulled wine, cozy cafés where you can spend entire afternoons.

How Far in Advance to Book

For peak summer months, start looking at SwappaHome listings 3-4 months ahead. For shoulder season, 6-8 weeks is usually fine. Winter? You can often find great options with just a few weeks' notice.

One tip: be flexible on exact dates if you can. Many hosts are more willing to accept requests that align with their own travel plans. If you can shift your honeymoon by a few days either direction, you'll have significantly more options.

What to Look for in a Listing

For a honeymoon specifically, I'd prioritize:

• A real bed (not a sofa bed—you're honeymooning, for heaven's sake)
• Natural light (Scandinavian apartments are designed around it; make sure your potential swap has good windows)
• Kitchen access (even if you don't cook much, having the option for lazy breakfasts in is gold)
• Location walkability (Copenhagen is incredibly walkable and bikeable; choose somewhere you can explore on foot)
• Host reviews (look for mentions of cleanliness, accuracy of listing, and communication)

Communication With Your Host

This is where home swapping differs from hotels—you're building a relationship with a real person. Before confirming, I always send a message introducing ourselves: why we're visiting, what we're hoping to experience, any questions about the space.

For a honeymoon, I'd mention it! Hosts often go above and beyond for special occasions. Our Copenhagen host left us a bottle of champagne and a handwritten note congratulating us. Another host in Paris (different trip) arranged for flowers to be delivered the day we arrived. You don't get that from a hotel booking system.

Experiencing Copenhagen Like a Local Honeymooner

Here's my curated list of what to do when you're staying in a real Copenhagen home rather than a hotel bubble.

Morning Rituals

Forget hotel breakfast buffets. Walk to your nearest bakery—every Copenhagen neighborhood has at least three excellent ones—and get warm kanelsnegle (cinnamon rolls) or tebirkes (poppy seed pastries). Bring them back to your apartment with good coffee.

If you're in Frederiksberg, try Meyers Bageri. Nørrebro has Hart Bageri. Vesterbro's Andersen Bakery is a local institution. Prices run about 25-40 DKK per pastry ($3.50-5.50 USD).

The Bike Thing

You have to bike. I know, I know—maybe you haven't been on a bike since childhood. But Copenhagen is the world's most bike-friendly city, and experiencing it on two wheels is genuinely transformative.

Many home swap hosts include bikes with their listing, or can arrange rentals through their local shop. Otherwise, Donkey Republic (app-based rentals) costs about 80 DKK ($11 USD) per day. Bycyklen electric city bikes are pricier but easier if you're nervous—about 30 DKK ($4 USD) per 30 minutes.

Bike to the harbor, to the lakes, through Frederiksberg Gardens. Stop whenever something catches your eye. This is honeymoon freedom that a hotel taxi service simply can't match.

Food Markets and Cooking In

Torvehallerne is Copenhagen's famous food market—two glass halls filled with vendors selling everything from fresh oysters to artisanal chocolate to perfectly composed smørrebrød. It's touristy, yes, but also genuinely excellent.

For a more local experience, try the weekend markets at Reffen (street food on the harbor) or the farmers' market at Blågårds Plads in Nørrebro.

One of our favorite honeymoon memories: buying ingredients at Torvehallerne—fresh pasta, good cheese, a bottle of Danish wine—and cooking dinner in our apartment while rain pattered against the windows. Total cost: maybe 300 DKK ($42 USD) for a meal that would've been $150+ at a restaurant.

Restaurant Splurges Worth It

You should still eat out—this is Copenhagen, after all, one of the world's great food cities. But home swapping means you can be strategic about where you spend.

For a special dinner, consider:

• Barr (by the Noma team, more accessible prices): Expect $80-120 per person
• Amass (farm-to-table in a converted warehouse): $150-200 per person for the tasting menu
• Admiralgade 26 (intimate natural wine bar with small plates): $60-80 per person

For casual excellence:

• Gasoline Grill (best burgers in the city): $15-20
• Grød (porridge bar, sounds weird, trust me): $10-15
• Reffen (street food variety): $15-25

What About Safety and Trust?

I get asked this a lot, especially by people new to home swapping: "Aren't you nervous staying in a stranger's home?"

Honestly? I was, the first time. But here's what I've learned over 40+ swaps: the home exchange community is remarkably trustworthy. There's a mutual vulnerability that creates mutual respect—you're staying in their home, they're trusting you with their space. Everyone has skin in the game.

SwappaHome has a review system where members rate each other after stays, building accountability over time. There's also identity verification available for members who want that extra layer of trust. Before accepting any swap, I always read through the host's reviews and check their verification status.

That said—and I want to be transparent here—SwappaHome is a platform that connects members, not an insurance provider. If something goes wrong (damage, theft, disputes), members work it out directly. There's no guarantee or coverage from the platform itself.

My advice? If you're concerned, get your own travel insurance that covers accommodation issues, and consider a home insurance policy that covers guests. Most homeowners' policies have some liability coverage, but check yours before hosting. For your own peace of mind as a guest, communicate clearly with your host about house rules and expectations.

In seven years of swapping, I've never had a significant issue. But I'm also careful: I read reviews thoroughly, I communicate extensively before confirming, and I treat every home like I'd want someone to treat mine.

Making It Official: How to Book Your Copenhagen Honeymoon Home Swap

Ready to try it? Here's the practical path:

1. Sign up for SwappaHome and create your profile. Be detailed—hosts want to know who's staying in their home.

2. List your own home (even if you're not ready to host yet). Having a complete listing makes you more attractive to potential hosts.

3. Search Copenhagen listings and filter by your dates, neighborhood preferences, and must-haves.

4. Send personalized requests to hosts whose homes appeal to you. Mention your honeymoon—people love hosting for special occasions.

5. Communicate thoroughly before confirming. Ask about the neighborhood, transportation, any quirks of the space.

6. Confirm and prepare for the most authentic Copenhagen honeymoon imaginable.

New members get 10 free credits to start, which covers 10 nights of accommodation anywhere in the SwappaHome network. For most honeymoons, that's more than enough.

The Honeymoon Philosophy Shift

Here's what I've come to believe after years of traveling this way: the best honeymoons aren't about luxury in the traditional sense. They're about intimacy, discovery, and building memories that feel uniquely yours.

A luxury hotel gives you polish. A home swap gives you story.

The morning we woke up late in our Copenhagen apartment and my husband made terrible eggs in a pan we couldn't figure out. The evening we got lost biking back from Christiania and ended up at a harbor bar watching the sun set over the water. The afternoon we spent reading in the host's living room, wrapped in blankets, because it rained and we didn't feel like going anywhere.

These aren't luxury moments. They're life moments. And they're the ones I remember most vividly, seven years later.

Your honeymoon is the first trip of your married life. Wouldn't you rather start it by living somewhere real?

---

Copenhagen is waiting, and it's better from the inside. Start browsing SwappaHome listings for your honeymoon dates—your future married selves will thank you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is home swapping in Copenhagen safe for honeymooners?

Home swapping in Copenhagen is remarkably safe, thanks to SwappaHome's review system and identity verification options. The mutual trust model—where both parties have reputations at stake—creates accountability. I recommend reading host reviews carefully, communicating thoroughly before booking, and considering personal travel insurance for extra peace of mind. In seven years of swapping, I've never experienced safety issues.

How much can we save on a Copenhagen honeymoon with home swapping?

Couples typically save $3,000-6,000 on a week-long Copenhagen honeymoon through home swapping compared to luxury hotels. Accommodation costs drop to essentially zero (using SwappaHome credits), and having a kitchen saves another $500-800 on meals. New members receive 10 free credits, covering 10 nights of accommodation anywhere in the network.

What's the best Copenhagen neighborhood for a honeymoon home swap?

Nyhavn offers postcard-perfect canal views and walkability to major attractions—ideal for first-time visitors. Frederiksberg provides larger apartments with outdoor space and a genuine neighborhood feel. Vesterbro suits couples seeking trendy restaurants and nightlife. Each neighborhood offers distinct home swap options; choose based on whether you prioritize romance, space, or local culture.

How far in advance should we book a Copenhagen home swap for our honeymoon?

For summer honeymoons (June-August), begin searching SwappaHome listings 3-4 months ahead. Shoulder season (May, September) requires 6-8 weeks' notice. Winter bookings can often happen with just 2-3 weeks' lead time. Flexibility on exact dates significantly increases your options, as hosts prefer requests aligning with their own travel plans.

Do Copenhagen home swap hosts provide extras for honeymooners?

Many hosts go above and beyond for special occasions when you mention them. I've received champagne, flowers, and personalized neighborhood guides from hosts who knew we were honeymooning. Always mention your honeymoon in your initial message—the home swap community loves celebrating milestones, and hosts often leave thoughtful touches that hotels simply can't replicate.