I love discovering places that are often overlooked, especially when they’re near a major airport.  It makes the requisite overnight stay before an early morning flight worth it.  And when that hidden gem looks like a storybook village, even better!  Which is why I love the seaside village of Dragør, just south of the Copenhagen International Airport.

When Eric and I have long international flights, we always end up spending at least 1 or 2 nights at a hotel close to the airport.  After a long overnight flight or 2 weeks in the wilds of Faroe Islands, the last thing we want is to be surrounded by thousands of people and have to navigate a strange public transportation system.  So when we find a place like Dragør, we get so excited!

The village is a short bus ride from the airport, but it was a little tricky trying to figure out what type of bus ticket to purchase.  Luckily, the ticket station at the airport had plenty of helpful attendants so we purchased the correct one.  We stayed at the Dragør Strandhotel, a third generation family owned hotel that was built in 1845.  This unpretentious place is exactly the kind of lodging we prefer.  Upon arrival, we entered through a back courtyard and were greeted by one of the owners who showed us to our room.

The old part of Dragør is easy to discern because all of the buildings are yellow with thatched or red roofs.  Add to that cobblestone roads and wild hollyhocks climbing randomly up the walls and it’s a bona fide fairy tale village!  This is an old seaside town, dating back to the early Middle Ages when Dragør had a thriving herring industry.  The buildings in Old Town are from the 18th and 19th centuries.  Some of the alleys are called “wheelbarrow alleys” because they were built just wide enough to fit charts taking products to the wharf.  The shops and dining options are few but excellent, and all are unique.  There was a nice museum and library, but both were closed by the time we arrived.  They also had a small cinema, housed in a small cottage with a friendly woman greeting people as they entered.

Eric and I were happy just wandering aimlessly up and down the quiet paths, soaking up the history all around us.  We stopped for ice cream, walked along the waterfront, and dined outside at one of the waterfront cafes.  We ended our evening eavesdropping on people as they passed by our open windows and dined al fresco at the neighboring cafe.  The next morning, we enjoyed coffee and pastries at Laura Ella bakery before heading to the airport.  It was the perfect tranquil ending to a truly epic trip.

waterfront walking path

waffles on a stick

library

rhubarb topping

Pilot Museum

waterfront walking path

waterfront walking path

To read more about our trip to the Faroe Islands, start HERE.  To read about Copenhagen, click HERE.