Under $100: Copenhagen

If you like comfort food with a delicious Danish twist, kick off the day at Grød, a café serving a dazzling array of porridges. Try a warm bowl with homemade caramel sauce, fresh apple and toasted almonds for just $6.

When you’re finished with breakfast, take a stroll along the Lakes, an idyllic route for bicyclists, joggers and casual pedestrians alike. The Lakes is actually a row of three rectangular lakes that cut through the city’s center, and the northern tip is only a few minutes’ walk from one of Copenhagen’s most famous attractions, the bronze statue of Hans Christian Anderson’s The Little Mermaid. The statue sits atop a rock in Copenhagen Harbor, a seascape that will surely have you reaching for your camera.

Not far from the harbor is the legendary Freetown Christiania, a self-proclaimed anarchist community that operates under its own set of laws. (Think Vatican City, only with fewer basilicas and more psychedelic art installations and biker gangs). Although the description sounds disconcerting, Christiania is the fourth most popular tourist attraction in Copenhagen and not to be missed. Many visit the city just to walk Christiania’s twisting thoroughfares and experience the many wonders of this whimsical fringe.

For a hunger-quenching lunch, you can’t go wrong with the buffet at Dalle Valle, which, at only $14, will carry you through until evening. When you’ve had your fill of endless smoked salmon and potato frites, head over to the Tivoli Gardens for another plunge into the city’s surreal anatomy. Built in 1843, the Tivoli Gardens is an amusement park and pleasure garden with a timeless quality and fairy-tale charm. So far we’ve only spent $21, so the Gardens’ $17 entry fee should give no cause for concern, and once inside, you’ll find it was well worth the extra Krone.

It is entirely possible to spend the rest of the day touring the Gardens, but if you have time before dinner, check out the Kunsthal Charlottenborg museum, a stunning Danish palace housing some of Europe’s most compelling contemporary art. It’s a $10 entrance fee, putting us at a very respectable $48, so for dinner, we’re going big at Oliver and the Black Circus. This restaurant’s modest approach to fine cuisine is the perfect way to end your $100 day. Most of the entrees cost about $20, so order a glass of wine to celebrate your success.