Are you familiar with ‘hygge’? The Danish concept of cosiness, comfort, warmth, heartiness and/or togetherness… If not, I suggest that you read the book “The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well” written by Meik Wiking, a New York Times best-selling author and CEO of the ‘Happiness Research Institute‘ in Copenhagen. (Photo above: Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen during Christmas (spiseliv.dk))

The word Hygge, which has no single equivalent and cannot be fully translated into other languages, had derived from a Norwegian word meaning comfort. For nearly 500 years Denmark and Norway had been a single kingdom, until Denmark lost Norway in 1814. (The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking).

“The Little Book of Hygge” – a book of happiness and joy (Photo: armatuer.com) / A Danish family having dinner outside (Photo: denmark.dk)

Hygge is about creating moments to enjoy things in life either by yourself or with family, friends or your loved ones in a warm atmosphere. Reading a book in a warm corner of your home, watching a good film cuddled up on a sofa, sharing a meal with friends at home or at a cosy restaurant surrounded by candles, a ‘fika‘ time (the Swedish coffee break tradition explained in my older post titled “A Stockholm Visit – Colored with Jazz, ‘Fika’ and A Royal Touch“) are all about hygge.

A moment of hygge – The Danes’ secret to happiness (Photo: Valentyn Volkov / Alamy via newyorker.com)

Hygge is said to be a part of Danish life due to the ‘cold, dark, and wet climate during long parts of the year that encourages Danes to spend time together indoors‘. (denmark.dk)

Most of Danish people associate hygge with hot drinks. Candles come second. Hot drinks include tea, hot chocolate, mulled wine but most of all coffee – as can be seen in most of the scenes of Danish series “Borgen” and “The Killing“. (The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking)

Queen Camilla (The Duchess of Cornwall then) of the United Kingdom at the set of the Danish drama and crime thriller  ‘The Killing’ with Queen Mary of Denmark and Danish actress Sofie Grabol (detective Sarah Lund in the series), where she visited during her trip to Denmark with King Charles (The Prince of Wales then) in March 2012. Camilla had said she was addicted to ‘The Killing’, one of the only things she and Prince Charles could agree to watch together. (Photo: uk.news.yahoo.com) (Camilla had been presented with a knitwear jumper at the set, synonymous with the character Sarah Lund. The jumper produced in the Faroe Islands had become famous all over the world as Sarah Lund jumper with the series, which Meik Wiking mentions in his book as a warm hygge wearing.)

Detective Sarah Lund in her iconic hygge jumper (Photo: amazon.co.uk)

Years ago, I had visited a friend who was in Copenhagen under the AIESEC program. It was quite cold and I had a flu, but it was a very nice trip. Besides the colorful houses of the city, the most vivid scenes of my memories are the times when we sat with friends in a cafe or a restaurant where candles on our table were immediately lit by the staff – making the atmosphere so cosy… I hadn’t heard about hygge then, but I lived it.

Friends around a candle-lit dinner table / Candles at a Danish home (Photos: Andrea Piacquadio/Pexels via the local.dk / TripAdvisor)

Meik Wiking explains in his book that Danish people mostly live hygge at home, the reason of Denmark’s reputation for interior design, and comes up with suggestions to make your home more hygge, among which are a hyggekrog (a favorite corner of your home), a fireplace, candles, wooden items, books, pillows and blankets.

Photo: A Danish family sharing a hygge time at supper at home (Getty via telegraph.co.uk)

Iconic cosy Danish lamps popular in Scandinavia and in the world (Photos: onshelfdecor.com / visionofhome.com.se)

Wiking also suggests a “hygge emergency kit” for the times when your energy is low and you have no desire to go out, for a cosy evening by yourself at home. His list for such a kit include:
Candles, a quality chocolate, your favorite kind of tea, your favorite book, your favorite film or series, jam, a pair of wool socks, a soft blanket, a photo album, and music.

Cosy home corners (Photos: benuta.co.uk via expatfamilyindenmark.wordpress.com / Getty Images via cbc.ca) – (Saying that all books are hygge, Wiking mentions some special ones such as: Classics by Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, Tolstoy or Dickens, John le Carré’s spy books, Ernest Hemingway’s “A Farewell to Arms” or “A Moveable Feast” (his book about his years in Paris as mentioned in my older post titled “Paris – Always A Good Idea“.

A scene from “Matador“, a Danish TV series shot about forty years ago that most Danes know the lines of – set in the fictional Danish town of Korsbæk between 1929 and 1947 (Photo: entertainment.ie) / A scene from the series “Game of Thrones“, Season 8 (Photo: newyorker.com): Two TV series mentioned in Meik Wiking’s book of hygge. To note…

Wiking also mentions in his book slow food as hygge and shares some hygge recipes. He says:
“Having a pot of food boiling on the stove while you read a book in your favorite corner is not only hygge, it is the essence of hygge.”
He also suggests baking something in the oven at home, alone or with family or friends as a hygge activity saying:
“There are few things as hygge as the smell of fresh food coming out of the oven.” I agree.

Not only the taste but also the smell of home-made bread and cake fresh out of the oven would make one happy! (Photos: homesteadandchill.com / precioucore.com)

December is said to be the season when hygge reaches its peak, which my husband and I witnessed when we have visited Copenhagen just before Christmas last year. The city was decorated with lights and candles all around. The Danes were sharing moments around ‘gløgg‘ (mulled wine) and ‘æbleskiver‘ (Danish ball-shaped pancakes), Danish Christmas specialities.

Christmas in Tivoli (Photo: nordicexperience.com)

Gløgg – Danish mulled sweet wine with dried fruit and spices such as cloves, cinnamon and ginge (Photo: Niels Andersen via hellotickets.com) / Æbleskiver, a traditional Danish Christmas pastries, served with icing sugar and jam on the side for dipping (Photo: chpost.dk)

However, hygge can be any time of the year and at any place. A picnic, picking mushrooms, cooking chestnuts or a barbeque with friends, skiing, bike rides, or a coffee time with colleagues at office can all be hygge – as long as you create a warm atmosphere and you feel it… Finding joy in the small everyday moments, sharing things and spending time with loved ones, connecting with nature and practicing gratitude are counted among hygge’s essential elements. (The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking)

Après ski time at CERVO Mountain Resort in Zermatt, Switzerland (Photo: ultimateluxurychalets.com) (Having experienced it many times, I can say that social time after a day’s skiing is very relaxing with hot drinks, as you feel a bit cold and tired, but fit – good time for hygge.)

Hygge outdoors and and at home (Photos: wildbloomfamilies.com)

In the official website of Denmark (denmark.dk), it says:
“Once we were brutal Vikings. Now we are one of the world’s most peaceful societies. Welcome to Denmark.”
written on a wonderful image as below:

Photo: denmark.dk (taken by my mobile phone from the website)

I like Scandinavia. Its energy is good for one. Calm, peaceful, unhurried, civilized … Well-intentioned, happy, smiling people including the barista who serves your coffee. Cold but fresh air, and cosy interiors that make you happy…

It gets dark early and the day starts in the dark but the Scandinavians manage it. Starting the day early with jogging, very early breakfasts at dark and lunch services that end much earlier than other travel destinations… I can never forget the remarks of a waitress in a restaurant in Stockholm where we had barely missed lunch service, and had been surprised that breakfast service started around 6 o’clock:
“Welcome to Scandinavia. This is why the economy is good here.“

Scandinavia has a different atmosphere that makes you happy as we experienced with my hubby several times including our trip to Copenhagen about two months ago, just before Christmas.

Map of Scandinavia: Scandinavia Standard (Our first encounter with Scandinavia was our trip to Helsinki, Finland, which we adored. We also loved Stockholm which we visited in October 2023 – covered in detail in my post titled “A Stockholm Visit – Colored with Jazz, ‘Fika’ and A Royal Touch“. / Photo on the right: The president of Finland and the Prime Ministers of Norway, Sweden and Denmark dining together at Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s house, January 2025. A warm welcome… (reddit.com)

Colorful Copenhagen from above during sunset (Photo: Getty Images)

In Copenhagen

Meik Wiking suggests some ‘hyggelige‘ (being hygge) places in Copenhagen in his book “The Little Book of Hygge“, a couple of which we have seen. One of them is “Christianshavn“, a pleasant place of small islands at city center – where luckily our hotel was.

NH Collection Copenhagen Hotel (view from the canal) where we stayed. It was a pleasant hotel with a very nice breakfast. (Photo: travelweekly.com) / My husband and I in Christianshavn, a lovely place with its charming canals and colored houses

In Christiansavn / A jolly candy and specialty chocolate shop in Christiansavn (Photos taken by my mobile phone, Dec. 29, 2024) (Wiking tells in his book that the best way to discover this part of the city is renting a rowboat and paddling along the canal and suggests that you bring a blanket, wine and a picnic basket…)

After we checked in at our hotel in the afternoon, we headed to famous “Tivoli Gardens” amusement park of Copenhagen.

Main entrance of Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen with Christmas lights. Tivoli Gardens, one of the oldest amusement parks in the world, had opened in August 1843 by royal permission, where Danish storyteller Hans Christian Andersen was among the visitors. (tivoli.dk) (Photo: Getty Images)

Inside Tivoli, December 26, 2024 (Photos taken by my mobile phone, Dec. 26, 2024)

Tivoli is a fairy tale place not only for kids but also for adults. I had once seen Tivoli on CNN at Christmas time with its flashy lights, which was in my list since then. Luckily, we saw it during the Christmas holiday with its Christmas trees, jolly decorations and lightings.

Jolly kiosks, Christmas trees, lights, and gløgg. As expressed in the photo above: “Gløgg and Hygge“… (Photos taken by my mobile phone, Dec. 26, 2024)

On the morning of our second day in Copenhagen, we went to Amalienborg Palace, the Danish Royal Family’s residence, to watch the change of guards. It was a pleasant experience.

Changing of the guard at Amalienborg Palace (Photo: kongehuset.dk) (The palaces in Amalienborg were originally built as homes for noble families, but became the royal residence after Christiansborg Palace burned down in 1794 and the Royal Family bought the place.) (kongehuset.dk) 

On January 14th, Queen Margrethe II stepped down as Queen of Denmark and entrusted the throne to his eldest Crown Prince Frederik. (Photo: nytimes.com) / King Frederik X of Denmark and his wife Queen Mary greet crowds from the balcony of Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen, where the Danish Parliament is located, Jan.14, 2024 (Photo: Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP)

On our way to Amalienborg, we passed by Nyhavn (meaning New Port), another hyggelige place Wiking mentions in his book – used to be a ‘dangerous part of town with rowdy sailors‘, now a pleasant area with many restaurants.

The historic harbour Nyhavn, Copenhagen – celebrating the change of throne with Danish flags on January 10, 2024 (Getty Images)

Years ago when I had visited a friend in Copenhagen, we had taken a ferry from Nyhavn to Malmö, a pleasant city in Sweden. Those ferries don’t operate in Nyhavn today as there is the “Øresund Bridge” linking Malmö to Copenhagen since 2000. Driving from Copenhagen to Malmö through the Øresund Bridge takes about 45 – 60 minutes. You can also get to Malmö from Copenhagen by bus or by train departing from Copenhagen Central Station. (visitcopenhagen.com)

The Øresund Bridge linking Malmö to Copenhagen, which took nine years to complete and had been given a starring role in popular Swedish-Danish crime drama series “The Bridge” (2011–2018).
(Photo and info: insightguides.com)

“The Bridge” series (Photo: primevideo.com) / Malmö, Sweden – Malmö City Hall in city center with the pedestrian zone (Photo: istockphoto.com)

After watching changing of the guard at Amalienborg Palace, we headed to Rosenborg Castle and gardens closeby. Rosenborg Castle, originally built in 1606 as a Royal summerhouse, is a beautiful renaissance castle located in the city center with a jolly green garden. The castle museum houses the Danish Crown Jewels. (visitcopenhagen.com)

Rosenborg Castle (Photo: visitcopenhagen.com) / With the Rosenborg Castle in the background (Photo taken by my mobile phone, Dec. 27, 2024)

We didn’t go inside the castle but walked around and had coffee in the cafe restaurant in the castle garden (“Restaurant Orangeriet“) – a cosy pleasant place with a nice view of the garden.

Restaurant Orangeriet, the old orangery, now a cafe restaurant (Photo: fllickr.com) / Inside “Restaurant Orangeriet” in the castle garden (We did enjoy our coffee here, a place for hygge I should say, also preferred by the locals. We had a nice chat with the Danish ladies at the table next to us.)

Inside Restaurant Orangeriet in the Rosenborg Castle garden – Hygge with lights and candles (Photo taken by my mobile phone, Dec. 27, 2024)

Note also Frederiksborg Castle, former summer palace of the Danish Royal Family located in Hillerød, 40 minute-drive from Copenhagen city center. Built on three small islands in the Castle Lake, the castle is said to be the largest Renaissance castle in the Nordic region.

Frederiksborg Castle and gardens in Hillerød – said to be a “a fairy tale-like experience” in Copenhagen. The castle is home to the Museum of National History, which tells the story of 500 years of Danish history. (Photo and info: visitcopenhagen.com)

I can’t help mentioning Jægerspris Castle here, located on the Hornsherred peninsula west of Copenhagen – about half an hour away from Frederiksborg Castle. Jægerspris Castle had been a hunting and summer residence for the Danish kings for 600 years and had become the private residence of King Frederik VII and his wife Countess Danner in 1854. (visitdenmark.com)

Jægerspris Castle – one of Denmark’s oldest castles with a museum and a beautiful castle park. (Photo: visitfjordlandet.dk) / Queen Mary of Denmark, the Australian-born queen who married into the royal family, attending the unveiling of a monument for Countess Danner, the wife of King Frederick of Denmark, November 2024 (Instagram/The Royal House via tatler.com) (You may check the link “unofficialroyalty.com” for the extraordinary life story of Countess Danner, once a ballet dancer at the Royal Theatre.)

Following our visits to royal landmarks of Copenhagen, we walked to Strøget, the main shopping area in Copenhagen with lovely shops and warm cafes. Strøget is the name for several pedestrian streets stretching from City Hall Square (the main square in front of the city hall nearby Tivoli) to Kongens Nytorv (The King’s New Square) – home to the Royal Theatre, Hotel D’Angleterre and the exhibition space ‘Kunsthal Charlottenborg‘.

The “Royal Theatre’s Old Stage” in Kongens Nytorv Square since 1748, of which Søren Kierkegaard was a frequent guest of once. Hans Christian Andersen had been a member of the Royal Danish Opera Chorus as a teenager from 1820-1821 (visitcopenhagen.com)

The Royal Danish Playhouse, a center of art with a view, home to a cafe, restaurant and a cocktail bar – in Kongens Nytorv (The King’s New Square) together with the Royal Theatre’s Old Stage.

In Strøget. (Note ILLUM, Copenhagen’s premium department store which offers everything like fashion, home décor and food market, having rooftop restaurants and bars with a view. We liked “Uniqlo” for its affordable quality cashmere jumpers and coats.)

“Uniqlo” store located in Louises Hus building, where Countess Danner (originally Louise Rasmussen), a ballet dancer at the Royal Theatre and the wife of King Frederik VII from 1850, once lived and opened a fashion store (kongernessamling.dk) (Photo: dreamstime.com) / “Eva Copenhagen“, a jolly pleasant accessories and jewelry store which I liked, especially its elegant hair claws some of which I bought for my daughter – located next to “Conditori La Glace” (Photo: evacophenagen.dk)

While walking around in the Strøget, we came across “La Glace“, one of the most popular traditional Danish pastry shops, and Denmark’s oldest patisserie founded in 1870 – also mentioned as a hyggelige place in Wiking’s book of hygge. It was about 4 p.m. in the afternoon, but already dark and quite cold. There was a queue in front of the shop, but it didn’t take long to get in. It was so pleasant to go inside this fairy tale pastry shop of history with beautiful quaint rooms, and to have tea with its jolly cakes served with grace…

The queue in front of Conditori La Glace, Copenhagen, Dec. 27, 2024

Inside “La Glace” (Photos taken by my mobile phone)

La Glace has a large selection of dream cakes named after famous Danes like Hans christian Andersen and Karen Blixen. Coffee, tea, and chocolate is served in a pot – to be refilled.

Sports cake (Sportskage), the speciality of La Glace, consisting of crushed nougat, whipped cream, a macaroon bottom and caramelized pastry – / Karen Blixen Cake, named after the famous Danish author who had a coffee farm in Africa. It consists of coffee mousse and mocha truffle with roasted hazelnuts on a chocolate bottom. (laglace.dk) (Photos: Pinterest / laglace.dk)
(I opted for “Karen Blixen Cake”, as I had watched the marvelous film “Out of Africa“, based on events in the life of Karen Blixen starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford. It was delicious.)

Photos: (laglace.dk)

Cake is mentioned as being hygge in “The Little Book of Hygge” and that Danish people eat a lot of cake – at home, in the office or at pastry shops. I would say that sharing a cake with the loved ones accompanied by a nice chat definetly creates hygge.

Photos: (laglace.dk)

Note also “Smørrebrød“, an open-faced sandwich (a piece of rye bread with toppings), said to be indispensable for Danes at lunchtime. We had also seen these open sandwiches, common in Scandinavia, at quite a lot of places in Stockholm. There are many traditional smørrebrød places in Copenhagen, where your lunch would be hygge – as Wiking puts it in his book.

Smørrebrød at “TorvehallerneKBH“, a big covered food market with small shops selling kitchen tools and little food bars serving specialities from all over the world (located nearby Nørreport Station). We had fish & chips here, which was quite delicious. (Photos taken by my mobile phone, Dec.28, 2024)

We had a hygge time at our two dinners in Copenhagen, one in an Italian and the other in a Danish restaurant.

Dinner at Cecconi’s Italian restaurant inside ‘Soho House Copenhagen’ (Soho House is a member-only club but Cecconi’s is open to public) – a pleasant place overlooking the Nyhavn River in the city center. / The river right in front the restaurant

“Maple Casual Dining” in Vesterbro, nearby Tivoli, was an excellent chef restaurant we discovered on our last evening, with a cosy setting and creative delicious food.

We had a tasting menu with a wine pairing including a great creamy asparagus soup, steak & mushrooms, and a tempting crème brulée. (Photos taken by my mobile phone, Dec. 28, 2024)

Tuna Tostada and Steak & Mushrooms – Artistic dishes of the tasting menu at “Maple Casual Dining” (Photos: TripAdvisor) (Everything we had was so good – served by a polite attentive staff.)

I saved it for last, but I think “Espresso House”s you come across anywhere in the city are one of the most hygge places – jolly warm shelters from the cold with cosy interiors and with cinnemon rolls among many other choices … I remember we had liked this coffee house chain on our visit to Helsinki, Finland too.

Espresso House closeby Christianshavn metro station was our first stop after we got off the metro we took from the airport – a jolly, pleasant coffee house with a cosy ambiance. / I took a cinnamon roll and æbleskiver to accompany our coffee.

Shots inside Espresso House in Christianshavn, Copenhagen (Photos taken by my mobile phone, December 26, 2024)

We also tried cinnamon rolls in Emmerys, a bakery chain, which we liked.

Inside Emmerys, near Nørreport station – Hygge with cinnamon rolls… (Photos taken by my mobile phone, Dec. 29, 2024)
(Note also Sankt Peters Bageri, said to be Copenhagen’s oldest bakery known for its popular cinnamon rolls, located in the Latin Quarter. We couldn’t see this bakery for it was closed due to Christmas holiday.)

Cinnemon rolls and cardamom rolls in Emmerys (Photo taken by my mobile phone, Dec. 29, 2024)
(I think cinnamon rolls, typical Scandic pastries that I love, are as hygge as cakes. They are perfect accompaniments of coffee making your coffee time more hygge…)

I will finish this post with a warm story from Copenhagen, which I have recently read about in an article. It is about Kanalhuset hotel opened in 2020 by the founders of Flying Tiger – the famous Danish retail chain.

Kanalhuset hotel – housed in an 18th-century former naval school building in Christianshavn, Copenhagen (ft.com) (I remember having seen and wondering about this beautiful building while we were strolling in Christianshavn.)

Here are some extracts from the article in the Financial Times revealing the hotel’s warm story:
“At exactly 7pm every evening, everyone leaves the bar of the Kanalhuset hotel in Copenhagen and heads into its restaurant. Today, five people are celebrating birthdays … Then the food starts to arrive at both ends of the long tables at which we’re seated. …  I haven’t eaten like this — with strangers — since school. …. most of us have the big fat meatballs with a sauce … Waiters in T-shirts also bring large salad bowls…  We pass around dishes; we ask each other if we’d like more of anything. …” (by Sarah Turner, ft.com via kanalhusetcph.com, April 2024)

Communal dinner at Kanalhuset hotel (Photo: ft.com)
(The evening meal is being served communally at Kanalhuset hotel since the hotel opened in 2020. The hotel also uses swimming, yoga, boat trips and other activities to bring guests and locals together.) (ft.com)
(Check the link “kanalhusetcph.com” for detailed info about the communal dinner and other activities. The morning swim activity reads: “After a dip in the canal, we offer a cup of coffee, and together we sing a morning song to warm up. Bring a towel.”. How sweet…)

Lennart Lajboschitz and his wife Sus, the owners of the hotel as well as the founders of Flying Tiger, opened Kanalhuset hotel with a mission to bring people together. Lennart Lajboschitz says:
“We’re trying to make this a place where social connection is easy, not difficult, where people talk to each other and share experiences,” (ft.com)

Lennart Lajboschitz and his wife Sue (Phorto from his Linkedn) / A Flying Tiger retail store selling funny bizarre gifts and homewares (Getty Images) (The name is said to stem from the fact that everything in the shop originally cost 10 Danish kroner, and the Danish word for a 10-kroner coin sounds like the Danish word for “tiger”.(ft.com))

Lajboschitz had also been behind the project of Absolon Community House offering social dining, themed parties and live talks, and activities like bingo, movie and music events – opened after reconstruction of the old church in Vesterbro. (ft.com)

Communal meal at “Folkehuset Absalon” in Vesterbro, Copenhagen – served at 6 p.m. where 200 people sit down together 364 days of the year (ft.com) (Check the link “Food at Folkehuset Absalon” for detailed info and dinner menu of the week.)

A warm story isn’t it? Communal meals seem nice to meet new people and share experiences. Besides, eating together and sharing a meal with people fits the concept of hygge.

I wish you all hygge moments…