Copenhagen.

The social calendar starts with intro week in mid-August, and you should go, it makes your whole exchange, then runs on Friday campus bars (fredagsbar) and the Meatpacking District (Kødbyen) in Vesterbro. Summers move outdoors to harbour baths, park picnics and the free-spirited Christiania. It's less about big clubs than good beer, canal-side hangs and long light evenings.

• Never skip intro week; the friendships and society sign-ups set up your term.
• Fredagsbar on campus is the cheap, central ritual before heading to Kødbyen in Vesterbro.
• Ask the Copenhagen group on Studcasa about student nights and the best fredagsbars.

Copenhagen is genuinely expensive, so budget near the top of the Danish band, about 8,000 to 11,000 kr (roughly 1,050 to 1,450 euros) a month, with rent taking the biggest bite. You claw it back by cooking, with Netto, Rema 1000 and Lidl the cheap supermarkets, cycling everywhere and drinking at fredagsbars rather than bars. Tap water and free swims are your friends.

• A room in a kollegium or shared flat runs about 4,000 to 6,500 kr a month.
• Shop at Netto, Rema 1000 and Lidl; a pint out is 50 to 70 kr versus far less at a fredagsbar.
• A monthly youth travel pass, or better a second-hand bike, keeps transport costs low.

Housing is the hard part: demand is high, so apply for a kollegium (student hall) through your university and the Housing Foundation the moment you're accepted. Failing that, sublets (fremleje) via Findroommate, BoligPortal and Facebook groups fill the gap. Beware deposit scams and never pay before viewing or a verified contract.

• Apply for a kollegium via your university's housing office as early as possible.
• Try Findroommate, BoligPortal and Housing in Copenhagen Facebook groups for sublets.
• Ask the Studcasa Copenhagen group for leads and to sanity-check listings against scams.

You'll mostly cycle, as Copenhagen is built for it, with protected lanes everywhere and bridges like the Cykelslangen. For longer or rainy trips, the driverless Metro, running 24 hours at weekends, S-tog trains and harbour buses are excellent. One Rejsekort or the DOT app covers all of them.

• Buy a second-hand bike in your first week; it's the real local transport.
• Get a Rejsekort or use the DOT Mobilbilletter app for metro, S-tog, bus and harbour buses.
• The M1 to M4 metro runs 24/7 at weekends, handy after a night out.

The University of Copenhagen is a top-100 research university strong across the sciences and humanities; CBS is one of Europe's largest business schools; and DTU in Lyngby is the leading technical university, all with plenty of English-taught courses. Expect independent, discussion-led teaching and a flat, first-name relationship with lecturers.

• Most exchange-relevant courses run in English; check the course catalogue before choosing.
• Teaching is discussion-based and informal, so you're expected to speak up and self-direct.

What you need depends entirely on your passport. EU/EEA and Swiss students have free movement: no visa, just an EU residence document if you stay past three months, and Nordic citizens have it easiest of all. Non-EU/EEA students must apply for a residence permit for study before arriving, proving admission and enough funds to support yourself, build in a few months of lead time because processing isn't instant.

The one thing everyone must sort on arrival is the CPR number: your personal registration number, which unlocks the free public healthcare (and your yellow health card), a Danish bank account, and MobilePay. Register at the local Borgerservice / International House once you have an address. Do this first, half of Danish life is locked behind the CPR.

• EU/EEA/Swiss: no visa; get an EU residence certificate if staying over 3 months
• Non-EU: apply for a study residence permit before you travel, allow lead time
• Everyone: register for a CPR number on arrival (needs a registered address)
• CPR unlocks free healthcare, the yellow sundhedskort, banking and MobilePay

Danish food culture is smørrebrød (open rye sandwiches), proper pastries (wienerbrød, not what the world calls Danish), pølser hot-dog stands and a serious coffee-and-hygge habit. Torvehallerne is the smart food market; Reffen on Refshaleøen is the summer street-food sprawl. Long, cosy candlelit nights in are a national sport.

• Try classic smørrebrød and a pølse from a street cart for the cheap, authentic taste.
• Graze at Torvehallerne market, or the Reffen street-food market in the warmer months.
• Lean into hygge: candles, coffee and long dinners in are how Danes get through winter.

Nørrebro is the multicultural, creative, student-heavy heart; Vesterbro pairs the nightlife of Kødbyen with hip cafés; Østerbro is calmer and greener; Christianshavn has the canals and Christiania; and Frederiksberg is leafy, central and popular with students. Amager, around Islands Brygge, offers the harbour baths and newer flats.

• Nørrebro: diverse, lively and central; the classic student base.
• Vesterbro: nightlife and cafés, close to the main station.
• Frederiksberg and Amager: greener and calmer, still well-connected by metro.

Copenhagen's location makes weekends easy. Malmö in Sweden is a 35-minute train over the Øresund Bridge; Roskilde, with its Viking ships and festival, and Helsingør, with Hamlet's Kronborg castle, are half-hour hops; and the Louisiana modern-art museum up the coast is a classic afternoon. Cheap flights and trains reach Berlin, Hamburg and the rest of Scandinavia.

• Malmö, Sweden (about 35 minutes by train), a second country for the price of a day ticket.
• Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Humlebæk (about 35 minutes) for art and sea views.
• Roskilde and Helsingør for Viking ships and Kronborg castle, both under an hour.

Budget realistically and lean on the free and cheap city: harbour swims, park hangs, cycling and fredagsbars. Get your CPR number and MitID sorted early, as they unlock banking, health care and much else. And dress for weather that changes hourly; Danes just add layers and carry on by bike, rain or shine.

• Sort your CPR number and MitID as soon as you arrive; little works smoothly without them.
• Swim free at Islands Brygge or Sandkaj harbour baths in summer; it's the local joy.
• Invest in a waterproof jacket and bike lights, as you'll ride in all weather.