The perfect issues to do in Copenhagen

Copenhagen’s flourishing meals scene, world-renowned structure and furnishings design, and wealthy historical past make the Danish capital a well-liked metropolis to discover even on a finances.

That can assist you get one of the best from Copenhagen, right here is our information to one of the best experiences on this surprisingly compact and easy-to-navigate capital metropolis.

Wander the waterfront for traditional views of Copenhagen

Considered one of Copenhagen’s many charms is its harborside location and multitude of canals. Probably the most iconic spot in Copenhagen is Nyhavn harbor, recognized for its colourful 18th-century buildings and tall ships. Sure, it’s the apparent spot for a vacationer photograph, however that’s solely as a result of it’s such a lovely spot for a stroll. And strolling alongside the promenade and admiring Cophenhagen’s waterfront is completely free, which is a win in a metropolis famend for being costly.

From Nyhavn, head to the Little Mermaid statue on the harbor, based mostly on Hans Christian Andersen’s well-known story. Alongside the way in which, admire the spectacular Opera House, the putting Gefion Fountain and the historic, Seventeenth-century Kastellet fortress, which is open to the general public and free to go to.

Uncover the grandeur of Royal Copenhagen

Denmark has a wealthy royal historical past, with a monarchy whose origins date again over 1000 years. When in Copenhagen, Queen Margrethe II and the Crown Prince – the current royal household – make their house at Amalienborg. This elegant palace is made up of 4 buildings going through onto a central sq., missed by the spectacular dome of the Marmorkirken (Marble Church). 

The Royal Life Guard are on watch at Amalienborg 24 hours a day, with the Changing of the Guard going down day by day at midday. The palace can also be house to a small museum, with a deal with kings and queens from the 1800s to the present-day; it features a newly-opened treasury that includes a set of Fabergé jewels. 

The Royal Reception Rooms within the Queen’s working palace of Christiansborg embody the ostentatious Throne Room and the elegant Nice Corridor, house to a set of fascinating fashionable tapestries depicting over 1000 years of Danish historical past.

At Rosenborg, a former Royal fort inbuilt 1606, rooms are filled with intriguing historic objects together with Denmark’s former coronation thrones, and the implausible treasury contains the beautiful Crown Jewels. Rosenborg Fortress is positioned within the sweeping Kongens Have gardens, maybe essentially the most beloved inexperienced area in Copenhagen. 

Go boating on Copenhagen’s meandering canals

Expertise Copenhagen from the water with a ship tour or kayaking journey alongside the town’s harbour and canals. It is an effective way to discover, and also you’ll go one of many metropolis’s architectural gems, the Black Diamond on the Det Kongelige Bibliotek on the charming Christianshavn canal.

Hey Captain provides a implausible small-group expertise, with every snug craft seating as much as 12 passengers. Drinks are included in the price of the tour, including to the relaxed social environment. GoBoat enables you to be the captain of your individual solar-powered boat, and so they additionally do ‘sail-in’ live shows and different occasions on the harbor.

Bigger firms reminiscent of Stromma and Netto-Bådene provide one-hour canal excursions on boats that may accommodate as much as 150, that are a good-value strategy to get out on the water. And eventually, Kayak Republic, rents out ‘inexperienced kayaks’ totally free, in alternate for selecting up a bucketful of trash when you’re out on the water, serving to to maintain the waterways wholesome and clear. 

Take a deep dive into Copenhagen’s historical past

Copenhagen’s museums present deep insights into the historical past of Denmark and its capital utilizing unimaginable artifacts and fascinating reveals. Stroll via hundreds of years of Danish historical past on the Danish National Museum, with an unimaginable assortment that features finds reminiscent of a Bronze Age solar chariot and Viking rune stones. The implausible ‘Tales of Denmark’ exhibit gives an intriguing take a look at Danish historical past, life and traditions from the Renaissance to the current day.

The newly reopened Museum of Copenhagen tells the story of the town via artifacts and shows on the town’s buildings, folks and tradition, with interactive installations that deliver historical past to life. At Designmuseum Danmark (closed for renovations on the time of writing, however re-opening in 2022), uncover such Danish design greats as Arne Jacobsen, creator of such iconic items of furnishings because the Swan and Egg chairs, and discover how design performs a job in on a regular basis life, from cutlery to typefaces.

The Danish Architecture Center positioned within the harborside Blox constructing has nice exhibitions on the connections between Danish tradition and the nation’s celebrated structure and design traditions.

Pattern new and not-so new Nordic delicacies

Since spearheading the New Nordic cuisine motion within the early 2000s, Copenhagen has gained a status worldwide for its meals scene, with unimaginable eating alternatives round each nook. In the present day, there are 13 Michelin-starred eating places in central Copenhagen, and a mess of Michelin-recommended choices for having fun with this quintessentially Nordic cooking type. Attempt the tasting menu at Høst for a scrumptious pattern of New Nordic flavors in a classy environment, with out breaking the financial institution.

The must-try lunch dish in Copenhagen is smørrebrød (slices of sourdough rye bread piled excessive with quite a lot of toppings reminiscent of meats, pickles and cheese). Go to Restaurant Kronborg for a style of custom or Aamanns 1921 for a extra fashionable tackle this traditional dish. Different important foodie experiences embody sampling artisanal baked items from the historic Sankt Peders Bakery, searching the fantastic Torvehallerne Market, and stopping by a neighborhood pølsevogn (sausage wagon) for a Danish-style sizzling canine.

Uncover Danish design

Copenhagen’s Strøget is likely one of the longest pedestrian buying streets on this planet, stretching for near a mile. Buying choices right here vary from memento stalls and excessive avenue chains to worldwide designer manufacturers. Strøget can also be a haven for lovers of Danish design, with iconic names reminiscent of Royal Copenhagen and Georg Jensen, alongside very good design retailers reminiscent of HAY House and Stilleben. Head to Illums Bolighus to browse a variety of Danish design manufacturers and decide up high-quality mementos.

For one thing a little bit totally different, head to Værnedamsvej and Gammel Kongevej on the border of the Vesterbro and Frederiksberg neighborhoods – two streets brimming with impartial retailers and studios and Danish style manufacturers reminiscent of Wood Wood and Ganni.

Dive into Copenhagen’s hipster heaven

Whereas Copenhagen has loads of historic sights price seeing, the capital has turn out to be recognized throughout the area for its hipster vibes. The Copenhagen neighborhood of Nørrebro has been named the good neighborhood on this planet, which is one thing Copenhageners take nice pleasure in. 

Head to Refshaleøen by bike and have your morning espresso and croissant at La Banchina and end off the morning with a dip within the ocean, similar to the Danes do. Proceed to Lille Bakery or Øens Have, an city backyard, for a regionally produced vegetable-based lunch or snack. Head again to Nørrebro and buy groceries within the native’s favourite avenue, Jægersborggade, then seize one other espresso at Coffee Collective, which serves one of the best espresso in Copenhagen, or a beer within the park from Mikkeller & Friends, which brews its personal craft beer.

Whilst you’re right here, take a stroll via Assistens Kirkegård, which is definitely a cemetery, but in addition a favourite spot for a stroll for Nørrebro locals. End off your hipster day with dinner on the fancy however budget-friendly Oysters and Grill, famend for contemporary seafood and steak. Then begin off the night time with bottled beer at a ‘bodega’, a conventional, Danish dive bar – suggestions embody Nørre Bodega, Understellet and Diligencen.

Let your inside little one run free at Tivoli Gardens

Few capitals can pull off a whimsical amusement park proper within the coronary heart of the town, however Copenhagen can. Open for 175 years, Tivoli Gardens is Copenhagen’s favourite intergenerational playground, an escapist fantasy of fairytale pavilions, romantic gardens and funfair rides. Children will likely be transported to new lands by the Chinese language lake, the Moorish palace, and futuristic creations like one thing out of the creativeness of HG Wells. Add to this a busy schedule of fireworks shows, a pantomime theater, kids’s exhibits, and stay exhibits working from ballet and classical music to rock acts. It is no shock that this is likely one of the metropolis’s prime distractions.

Uncover one other way of life in Freetown Christiania

A utopian commune based by militant squatters in 1971, ramshackle Christiania stays one in every of Copenhagen’s most distinctive corners. Whereas opinions about its relevance in Twenty first-century Europe differ, the town’s marijuana-scented ‘Freetown’ continues to exude an virtually surreal environment – half shambolic circus, half makeshift architectural expo, half city oasis.

That is the town’s counterculture coronary heart, house to extremely principled environmentalists, craftspeople, old-school hippies and, admittedly, a good variety of folks with drug and alcohol points. Discover past its shabby major drag and you will be rewarded by a beguiling jumble of craft studios, tranquil trails and Copenhagen’s kookiest, most imaginative dwellings. 

When in Christiania, don’t overlook to pay a go to to the neighboring neighborhood of Christianshavn. Right here you’ll discover picturesque canals with tiny, very previous and crooked townhouses, sidewalk cafes reminiscent of Parterre and total good vibes.