Before you launch into weeks (or months) of responsibility-free fun in Europe, you’ll need to get some adult stuff out of the way first. Organise a pet (or plant) sitter, hand all your unfinished work over to your poor colleagues and, most importantly, sort out your payment plan. With an HSBC Everyday Global Account, you can have up to ten currencies (including EUR) preloaded so you can use your Visa Debit Card for all purchases and ATM withdrawals. The best part? You won’t be stung with international transaction fees.

Copenhagen is considered one of the best bike-friendly cities in the world, with more than 388 kilometres of cycle tracks. Many of the hotels have bikes you can borrow but if that’s not an option, social enterprise Baisikeli offers drop-in rentals. Once you’ve covered plenty of ground, consider taking to the water. You may have heard of GoBoat, which operates in a number of Aussie cities. The eco-friendly boat hire company actually started in Copenhagen, so you can spend a few hours captaining a picnic boat around the city’s harbour and canals.

Swimming probably isn’t the first thing that springs to mind when you’re planning a trip to Scandanavia, but it’s surprisingly a favourite local pastime in Copenhagen come summer. The most popular spot is Islands Brygge, which has five pools to choose from, but you could also check out Sandkaj Harbour (part of the new Nordhavn precinct), Amager Helgoland (a bathhouse at Amager Beach) and La Banchina (a harbourfront restaurant with a designated swimming zone and wood-fired sauna).

It’s the image that leads every guide to Copenhagen — including this one. Visiting Nyhavn, the 17th-century harbour lined with colourful townhouses and old wooden ships, is an absolute must during your time in the city. You can see the three townhouses that Hans Christian Andersen lived in (numbers 18, 20 and 67), dine in one of the waterfront restaurants and hop aboard a canal tour from here. During summer, the area is also buzzing with street performances and live music, too.