Sarah Kingdom offers her 15 favourite places to visit in Copenhagen.
Denmark’s capital, design-savvy and food-obsessed, Copenhagen is often described as one of the most liveable cities in the world. Beautiful waterways, historical buildings and modern architecture, world-class restaurants, a vibrant nightlife and thousands of bicycles. Whether you plan to taste your way through the city’s famous food scene, cycle along its picturesque streets or visit one of its many museums – it’s hard to get bored here.
All capitals have their classic sights, the list of things you simply must do and see. Copenhagen is no different. From Nyhavn to Tivoli, Strøget to Amalienborg, here’s my list of 15 fabulous places to visit in captivating Copenhagen you shouldn’t miss when coming to this fairy tale city
1 NYHAVN
Nyhavn is a vibrant 17th-century waterfront and canal district known for its colourful townhouses and historic wooden ships. Originally a bustling commercial port, it’s now a lively area filled with restaurants, cafes, and bars. Whether you’re strolling the cobblestone streets or enjoying a meal by the water, Nyhavn is the perfect blend of history and charm. The canal is a real open-air museum, flanked by historic ships and if you’re hungry, the surrounding streets are full of bars and restaurants – Told og Snaps is highly recommended, with its walls covered in photos of the Danish royal family, who are known to occasionally pop in for a smørrebrød (Danish open sandwich).
2 SIGHTSEEING BOAT TRIP
Copenhagen is full of beautiful canals and waterways, and when the weather is nice, an hour-long canal tour is a great way to see the sights. Jumping on at Nyhavn you’ll pass the Opera House, Amaliehaven, and Our Saviour’s Church, continuing on you’ll travel the cosy canals of Christianshavn, which are full of houseboats and lined with charming old buildings. (Holders of a Copenhagen Card can depart on a free canal tour from Ved Stranden
Most boat tours pass by Den Lille Havfrue, The Little Mermaid, the symbol of Copenhagen, sitting on her rock, and this is probably the easiest way to see her. She is indeed ‘little’, only 1.25m tall, and many visitors are somewhat underwhelmed when they see this small bronze statue, inspired Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale of the same name, and built by Edvard Eriksen in the early 1900s.
3 KONGENS NYTROV
Kongens Nytrov, the largest square in Copenhagen, is flanked by some of the most important buildings in the city – the Royal Theatre, the luxury Hotel d’Angleterre and the Charlottenborg Palace. The square makes a perfect starting point for exploring Copenhagen, as all the metro lines converge here and it’s located right in the heart of the city centre
4 TORVEHALLERNE
Torvehallerne food market is one of the most diverse food markets in Europe, with more than 80 shops, bars, and eateries to choose from. You’ll find everything from fresh fish, local butcher stalls, seasonal veg, bottle shops, and deli counters selling artisan produce. Seafood lovers should stop by Hav, for chocoholics Summerbird Chocolate’s caramelised white chocolate is amazing, as are their roasted almonds covered in praline, white chocolate and strawberry dust.
Nina and Mikkel at Oliviers & Co have a wonderful array of olive varieties, incredible olive oils, vinegars and condiments, and Sushi Lovers won awards at the 2013 World Sushi Cup in Tokyo. Ma Poule does a great duck rillette roll, which you can wash down with a glass of wine from Le Petit Vinbar, just a few stalls down, or a Danish beer from Mikkeller & Friends
5 BOTANICAL GARDENS
Stroll through the Botanical Gardens, with its large collection of more than 13,000 plant species, spread over ten hectares and housed in a complex of historic 19th-century greenhouses. The butterfly house is well worth a visit.
6 STRØGET
At 1.1km, Strøget is one of the longest pedestrian shopping streets in Europe. You’ll find everything here from high-end Danish design stores to small independent boutiques and budget-friendly shops. If shopping for classic Danish design, visit Georg Jensen, Royal Copenhagen or Illums Bolighus, to indulge your inner child stop off at the LEGO store, and if comics and collectables are more your thing, call in at the Faraos Cigarer shops.
7 AMALIENBORG PALACE
Amalienborg consists of four separate rococo palaces around a large square and has been home to the Danish royal family for over 200 years. Two of the palaces are open to the public, the first houses a museum with almost 400 years of royal history in the form of paintings and other artefacts, and the second gives you a glimpse of what the Danish royal residences are like inside. Don’t miss the changing of the guard, daily at noon.
8. THE RUNDETAARN
The Rundetaarn or Round Tower, built in 1642, is Europe’s oldest functioning observatory. The building is famous for its wide, spiral ramp, once used by horses to pull carts of books to the university library at the top. Once you reach the top there’s a striking view of Copenhagen from the viewing platform running around the tower.
9 ROSENBORG PALACE
Rosenborg Palace dates back to 1606, when it was built as a royal summer house by Christian IV. Today the castle is like a time capsule, filled with 400 years of treasures and works of art, including the Crown Jewels. Don’t miss the Knights’ Hall with its coronation thrones, the historical tapestries depicting the wars between Sweden and Denmark, and finish off with a walk through the king’s gardens, the oldest royal garden in Denmark.
10 CHRISTIANSBORG PALACE
Once home to kings and queens, Christiansborg Palace now houses the Danish Parliament, the Supreme Court, and the Ministry of State. Although a government building, it’s still possible to visit the wing belonging to the royal family. The 40-metre-long Great Hall has 400 seats and is the focal point of the reception areas used by the Prime minister and royal family for various official occasions
11 DESIGNMUSEUM DENMARK
The Danes care about design, and nowhere is that more obvious than at Designmuseum Denmark, housed in a renovated 1700s Rococo-style building, with three exhibition sections dedicated to Design and Crafts. There’s a gallery solely of chairs and lamps and one that focuses on Danish silver craftsmanship.
12 GLYPTOTEKET
The Ny Carlsberg Glypotek Museum, with its ancient marble busts and palm-filled Winter Garden, is located near Tivoli Gardens. Carved marble statues, masterpieces of Danish art, Egyptian mummies and collections of Gauguin’s paintings and sculptures by Degas, this is both a place to admire art and also a peaceful corner away from the noise of the city.
13 TIVOLI GARDENS
If you’re a big kid at heart, head to Tivoli Gardens and admire one of the oldest theme parks in the world. This famous amusement park combines manicured gardens and roller coasters and has been attracting visitors since 1843 – over 4 million visit annually. It’s said Walt Disney visited and loved it so much he was inspired to create Disneyland.
You can buy a ticket just for entry to the park, or one that covers unlimited rides. Both entry tickets cover you for the shows, which range from ballet and classical music to fireworks on Friday and Saturday nights.
14 VOR FRELSERS KIRKE
Vor Frelsers Kirke, Church of Our Saviour, is particularly famous for its spire, with an outside staircase that leads to the top of the bell tower. The 400-step climb is not too demanding, apart from the last few stairs, which are particularly narrow and steep, but the effort is well worth it for the views of the town centre to one side and over Christiania and the outskirts of the city to the other.
15 FREDERIKSBERG PALACE AND GARDENS
An oasis in the city, Frederiksberg Gardens is one of the largest and most attractive greenspaces in Copenhagen. Together with the adjacent Søndermarken, it forms an area of 64 hectares. The garden is beautiful, with big trees, flowers, and lakes, it’s also just next to Copenhagen Zoo, so if you’re lucky you might catch sight of the zoo elephants from the gardens.
On top of a hill overlooking the gardens is Frederiksberg Castle, the former summer palace of the Danish Royal Family. The palace dates back to the early 1700s and is inspired by the Italian style at the time. There are guided tours on the last Saturday of each month.
Tell Me More About my 15 favourite places to visit in Copenhagen
Mermaids, Vikings, princesses and palaces; for more information about how to plan the best possible trip to Copenhagen, head to the Visit Copenhagen website.
A top tip for all those travelling to Copenhagen is to invest in a Copenhagen Discover Card, from $74/GBP£55, which can be purchased online or at the airport. This card covers unlimited use of public transport and free entrance to 80+ museums and attractions. Alternatively, the Copenhagen Hop Card, from $86/GBP£65, covers admission to 40+ attractions in the city centre and Hop-on Hop-off sightseeing busses. With both cards, each paying adult can include up to two children, aged 0-11 free, of charge.
