Sustainable travelling is possible

Copenhagen shows the way

I am a self-confessed fan of Copenhagen, which is why I am all the more pleased to share this post with you today.

For many people, sustainability and travelling sound like an irresolvable contradiction. The carbon footprints seem too big, the fast scheduled or cheap flights too tempting. But there are places that are breaking new ground. And cities that don't just sell visions, but create real incentives for change. Copenhagen is one such place. It's unbelievable what they keep coming up with there. Copenhagen is a great role model for other cities.

It's CopenPay, a concept that promotes climate awareness and at the same time incentivises sustainable travel.

The Danish capital rewards sustainable (travel) behaviour in a very concrete way. As part of the ‘CopenPay’ campaign, visitors will receive real benefits from 17 June to 17 August 2025 if they behave in a climate-friendly way. Anyone who cycles, collects rubbish or travels by metro can look forward to free concerts, museum visits, yoga classes or free coffee. The number of participating venues in the Danish capital has tripled compared to the 2024 pilot project. Over 90 cultural institutions and cafés are now involved. Sustainability is not only visible here, it can be experienced.

A new feature this year is the targeted approach to rail travellers. For example, those travelling by train will receive a free rental bike, pay less for admission to selected museums or be able to take part in events for free. It's not about doing without, but about a new form of luxury: time, slowness, awareness.

I am an avowed fan of Copenhagen. This city breathes music, the most beautiful Nordic design and urban lightness. So here are some of my favourite stops that fit perfectly into a green, sustainable itinerary:

Copenhagen Jazz Festival

There are plenty of outdoor concerts every summer, almost all of which can be reached on foot or by bike (by public transport anyway)

La Banchina

A special place, a small harbour bistro with sauna. Organic cuisine and swimming ladders directly into the water. You won't forget the sunsets. Easy to reach by bike.

The Living Room

One of my favourite cafés with fair trade coffee, recycled interior and a living room atmosphere.  Especially unique now in summer: jazz in the backyard.

Cisternerne

A mega place, modern art in an old water reservoir. It's magic underground, cool and inspiring. Ideal on hot days, even without air conditioning.

Copenhill

In a modern incinerator, you'll find everything you need to know about sustainability:

A futuristic green building that functions as a ski and leisure hill, uniquely sustainable.

I could go on and on, because Copenhagen is simply hygge.
Anyone who has ever been to Copenhagen immediately realises that it's not just about efficiency or rules. It's about the attitude to life. The Danes have their own word for this: hygge, which is more than just candlelight or campfire romance. Hygge means closeness, serenity, small moments that are big. And it is precisely this principle that runs through the way the city deals with sustainability: unagitated, pragmatic, heart-warming.

It is probably no coincidence that the Danes have been among the happiest people in the world for years. Their art of living has a lot to do with community, trust and a healthy degree of self-sufficiency. And with an eye for the essentials: good food, good design, good conversation, even in their capital city, an urban environment.

I am very excited that Copenhagen can be a model for Europe with CopenPay.

Because CopenPay doesn't want a flood of tourists. It's about creating awareness for a different way of travelling: mindful, sustainable, connected. Søren Tegen Pedersen from ‘Wonderful Copenhagen’ puts it in a nutshell: ‘We want to show that responsible tourism is a win-win situation for everyone.’
Perhaps this is what Copenhagen teaches us: sustainability does not begin with renunciation, but with an invitation. An invitation to experience what happens when nature, culture and climate protection are not seen as opposites, but as what they are, a shared world.

Do you want to travel more sustainably?

Then start by choosing your mode of transport. Get on the train, pack your headphones, your best playlist or your favourite book, make a stopover in Berlin or Hamburg (depending on where you're travelling from). In Copenhagen, you'll find a city that ticks differently and shows you how it works: Sustainable travelling is possible. And that makes the city more beautiful than ever before.

You can find more information about CopenPay here: https://www.visitcopenhagen.com/copenpay