Traveleriences
Coloured townhouses and moored boats along Nyhavn in Copenhagen

Copenhagen, Denmark

Ideal: 3–4 daysBest: May–SepPrice: Very expensive
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In 60 seconds

Copenhagen in 60 seconds

Copenhagen is a city that works, and it is a pleasure to watch it work: bicycles in every lane, clean harbour water people actually swim in, and an eating culture that runs from herring and rye at lunch to some of Europe's most ambitious tasting menus at night. Hire a bike — the lanes are wide, separate and flat — or take the Metro, which reaches the centre from the airport in about a quarter of an hour. Swim at the Islands Brygge harbour bath in summer, and book the well-known restaurants weeks ahead; smørrebrød at lunch is the cheaper way to eat well. It is compact and flat, so three days covers the centre, Christianshavn and one of the old working districts. Add a fourth for Louisiana or Kronborg up the coast.

Best for

  • Design
  • Food
  • Architecture
  • Weekend

Known for

  • Harbour baths
  • Smørrebrød
  • New Nordic cooking

Skip if

Your budget is tight. Copenhagen is one of the most expensive cities in Europe, and a beer, a lunch and a museum add up quickly.

Your match

Choose a few travel interests and we will show how well Copenhagen fits them. Choose interests

See

Must experience

The things that would make the trip incomplete without them.

Eat

Where to eat

A short list, kept short on purpose. Each entry answers one question: when is this the right choice?

Local

Where to eat the food this city is actually known for.

Slotskælderen hos Gitte Kik

Moderate

Smørrebrød · Since 1910

Choose your open sandwiches from the counter by the bar, in a lunchroom near Christiansborg where politicians eat.

Indre ByClassicLunch

Casual

No booking, no ceremony, reliably good.

Special occasion

Worth planning the evening around.

Kadeau

Very expensive

Bornholm-rooted tasting menu

Bornholm's island larder — preserved, smoked and pickled — turned into one of the city's great evenings.

ChristianshavnBook aheadTasting menu
Official site for Kadeau (opens in a new tab)

Geranium

Very expensive

Vegetable-led tasting menu

Rasmus Kofoed's three-star tasting menu on the eighth floor of the Parken stadium, overlooking Fælledparken.

ØsterbroBook aheadTasting menu
Official site for Geranium (opens in a new tab)

Coffee & fika

Mornings, and the slow hour between things.

Beyond the obvious

Hidden gems

Less obvious, rarely queued for, and usually the part people remember.

Assistens Cemetery

Cemetery and park · Kierkegaard, Andersen

Locals picnic between the graves of Kierkegaard and Hans Christian Andersen. It is a park as much as a cemetery.

NørrebroFreeQuiet

Cisternerne

Moderate

Underground art space in an old reservoir

A drained 19th-century water reservoir under Søndermarken, given to one artist each year. Check what is on before you go.

FrederiksbergArtSeasonal
Official site for Cisternerne (opens in a new tab)

Superkilen

Urban park of objects from 60 countries

A kilometre-long park designed with BIG and Topotek 1, furnished with benches, signs and lamps from Nørrebro residents' home countries.

NørrebroDesignFree

After dark

Bars & nightlife

Orientation

Neighbourhoods

How the city is actually divided, and what each part is for.

Nørrebro

Multicultural, young, Jægersborggade

The liveliest district, and the one where the city's next restaurants usually open.

Christianshavn

Canals, houseboats, Christiania

Built on reclaimed islands in the 1600s. Walk the canals, climb the spire of Our Saviour's.

Vesterbro

Kødbyen, Istedgade, cafés

The former working-class district behind the station, now the Meatpacking district's restaurants and bars.

Stay

Where to stay

Areas rather than hotels — pick the right one and the rest follows.

Indre By

Very expensive

The old centre

Everything on foot, at the highest prices. Good for a short first visit.

Walkable

Vesterbro

Expensive

Kødbyen, cafés, near the station

Near Central Station and the Meatpacking district, with better value and better evenings.

FoodStation

Nørrebro

Expensive

Young, lively, on the metro

Better rooms for less, with the city's newest restaurants around the corner.

FoodValue

Practical

Know before you go

Getting in
The metro runs from the airport into the city centre; regional trains go to Central Station.
Getting around
Cycle. Bike lanes are everywhere and hire is easy. The metro and buses cover the rest.
Money
Danish kroner. Cards are accepted almost everywhere, often in preference to cash.
Swimming
The harbour baths at Islands Brygge and elsewhere are public and free in summer.

Plan this trip — useful links

VisitCopenhagen — official guide (opens in a new tab)Copenhagen Metro (opens in a new tab)

Context

History in 5 minutes

Enough to make what you are looking at legible.

  1. 1167

    Bishop Absalon fortifies a fishing village on the Sound, the start of the city.

  2. 1588–1648

    Christian IV builds Rosenborg, the Round Tower and Christianshavn — much of the skyline you see.

  3. 1971

    Squatters occupy a disused military base and declare Freetown Christiania.

Further out

Nearby escapes

Worth a day if you have one to spare.

Malmö

Across the Øresund Bridge

A train ride across the bridge to Sweden: the Turning Torso, Västra Hamnen and Möllevångstorget.

By regional trainEasySweden

Go further

Routes through Copenhagen

Multi-city trips that stop here, with the transport between them.