Basecamp

A good place of living to start with is the well-known student dorm called Basecamp. It is centrally located, very close to the Kings Garden and the Rosenborg castle, and is only 7 bike-minutes away from the Maersk Tower and the Copenhagen University campus. It is surrounded by several supermarkets and for the running-fans of you it is also a nice place from which you can start your route towards Kastellet, a very nice park area and the harbor where you can run along the way where cruising ships enter. You will reach “The End”, a very nice spot, where you can get some refreshments and enjoy the wonderful view to the sea. Sometimes you can also see a water airplane landing.

Before you come to Copenhagen you can sign up for a room in Basecamp. The nicest rooms are maybe those with the view to the Kings Garden. So when you are lucky you might get one of these. Rooms facing the courtyard can be quite noisy especially on weekends when people like to party. There are rooms available with different sizes. You can choose between shared rooms, single rooms and rooms for couples. The price range is between 6.000 and 10.000 DKK. Rooms include a small kitchenette, a bathroom with a toilet and a shower as well as bed, table, desk, cupboard and several utensils for cooking.

In the basement you can find washing machines and driers, which work by a pre-pay system. You will obtain a chip that you can load money on and use for washing. The prices for washing are 20-25 DKK per wash and 0,40 DKK/min of drying your laundry. Normally the washing machines and driers are never fully booked out and you will always find machines available. Sport fans will find three fitness rooms in the basement with various equipment, for instance a rowing machine, steppers, treadmills and barbells. There are also common kitchens with ovens, microwaves, and bigger stoves, as well as a lounge where you can meet in larger groups. Every month there are announcements of movie nights and people will gather in the cinema room where they watch movies projected on a big wall.

All in all Basecamp is a good choice for living when you first arrive in Copenhagen, because it can be difficult to find a place to live in Copenhagen if you are abroad. Therefore, most people from the program end up living there at first. This is a good opportunity to connect with your classmates and to organize leisure activities, hang out or cook together. However there are other student dorms you can live in, as well as rooms in a few smaller flats, also available through the housing foundation.

While you can live in Basecamp or other student housing for up to a year, many students decide to look for a flat after spending some months there. It is then up to you, what you prefer in the long term. Though it can be pricey, Basecamp is a good start, where everything you need is taken care of, and this is convenient because there are a lot of other things you will have to take care of during your first few months here!