Ben and I wondered what people do for fun here, and we discovered what could possibly be the best thing to do while we were visiting at this time of the year. The weather in Copenhagen was extremely hot, almost like Hong Kong summer kind of hot except just slightly less sticky. I consider myself a tropical person and I don't mind the heat. I used to work at a summer camp where I would live in a tent for two months. Temperatures reached 37 degrees and there we didn't have air-conditioning. But I was almost constantly complaining how hot it was in Copenhagen. Maybe it is an expectation thing because I really wasn't expecting a city so high in lattitude to be almost as hot as home.
Located in the center of the city, we went to one of Copenhagen's popular spots for outdoor swimming, Islands Brygge Harbour Bath. Here you'll find locals, kids, families, and people of all ages enjoy a nice summer dip in the middle of cityscape. According to the internet, the water quality is very high and is checked daily. The chilly water of the harbour was the perfect way to cool off in the heat. It is free of charge and is open from June to August.
Just next to Islands Brygge harbour bath is another fun and eco-friendly water activity. You can rent a solar-powered picnic sailboat at GoBoat and you have the freedom to sail wherever you want without polluting the harbour.
The boats go very slowly so they are very easy to operate and you don't need a certificate or experience with sailing. We bought food from the supermarket and had breakfast on the boat. As we cruised through the smaller channels we saw boathouses parked on the sides with people chilling on the decks enjoying the summer sun. Locals leisurely kayaked along and even surpassed us, which shows how slow the GoBoats go!
On other occasions when we were exploring the city, we noticed that there were plenty of other deck areas along the waters and you will always find locals sunbathing or swimming.
One thing to keep in mind is that usually there aren't any changing room facilities and there is usually a queue for public toilets. I decided I didn't want to wait in line so I walked back into the city in my bikini top, which seemed like a normal thing to do in this open minded city.