Sweden may have ABBA, IKEA, and H&M, but if it’s a lower(case) profile you’re looking for, Copenhagen — where dreamy bohemian meets cutting-edge modernism — is just across the Oresund Bridge.

Roll Around
Do as the natives do and start pedaling. Rent a bike from one of the many bike shops or take advantage of a city bike: For twenty kroners (about four bucks), you can unlock one of the thousands of two-wheelers around town. Be sure to hit Islands Brygge for a dip in the sleek, modern harbor pool and Tivoli (Vesterbrogade 3; +45-3315-1001). Touristy, yes, but even locals flock there for the fairytale gardens, summer concerts and fireworks, and, of course, rides.

Snuggle
You want minimalist coffee tables. You want egg chairs. You want to feel like you’re in Arne Jacobsen’s house. Live that feeling at chic Front (Sankt Annæ Plads 21; +45-3313-3400), which overlooks the breathtaking new waterfront opera house. Cph Living (Langebrogade Kaj 570; +45-5190-4064) is a new upscale floating hotel that docks near Nyhavn, Copenhagen’s charming central harbor.

Make Out
Copenhagen tacks on a hefty 25 percent sales tax, so choose wisely. (Some tourist-friendly places offer the Global Refund.) Bruuns Bazaar (Kronprinsensgade 8-9, Indre By; +45-3332-1999) and Filippa K (Ny Østergade 13, Indre By; +45-3393-8000) are must-stops — even if it’s just to admire. Designer Zoo (Vesterbrogade 137, Vesterbro; +45-3324-9493) sells adorable vases, candleholders, and other knickknacks made by area artists, several of whom have workspaces below the store.

Spoon
Pack a picnic and head to one of the city’s many green spaces — like Frederiksberg Have or Assistens Kirkegård, the lush cemetery where Hans Christian Andersen and Søren Kierkegaard are buried. For dinner, venture into free (read: hippie) city Christiania, where tucked away in the seemingly dilapidated Loppen warehouse, you’ll find Spiseloppen (Bådmandsstræde 43; +45-3257-9558), a cozy restaurant with some of the city’s best food.

Drift Off
Day trip to Louisiana (Gammel Strandvej 13, Humlebæk; +45-4919-0719), one of Europe’s most impressive modern art museums, where the collections and the sprawling, immaculate grounds are equally impressive. Or to Malmö, Sweden, where you can watch the sun set (as late as 10 p.m. in summer) while dining at one of the waterfront restaurants in the modern part of town known as the West Harbor.

Of course, you’ll want to hurry back. It’s awfully sweet in Denmark.