Copenhagen. The danish capital. The city of opportunities. If you want to visit a city where you can do and see it all, this one should be on your list. There are so many positive things to say about Copenhagen.
No matter if you like art, music, nature, history, architecture or food, this place got it. Let me tell you why.
Are you ready for Copenhagen?
If you are planning to visit Copenhagen, you need at least a week to get through this list. Even though its the biggest city in Denmark, the population is only 1,3 mio. people. But fear not, there will be plenty of things to do and see.
Nyhavn
Nyhavn is an iconic street with a wide canal in the middel and colorful buildings who are over 300 years old. Which makes this the right spot for enjoying a cold beer og a nice meal with friends or family. But its haven´t always been like that. back in the day, it was a commercial port where ships from all over the world would dock, and it was packed with sailors visiting its pubs, alehouses and ladies of pleasure. Which means that is was a bit shady back then to be there. But today is very popular among tourists and the Danes.
In Nyhavn by Christmas time you can experience a huge Christmas market with a lot of decorations and traditionally danish Christmas foods like Æbleskriver, cookies and roasted pork. This is really nice and cosy. Especially if the snow is falling. That would be the cherry on top.
Rundetårn (The round tower)
This Tower was build in 1637 by the order of King Christian IV. It took 5 years to build and ever since, people from around the world have been traveling to Copenhagen to visit it. It was the first part of three of the trinitatis complex with consist of the tower (of course), a library and a church, which you can also visit.
The tower is “only” 35 meters tall but the only way that goes to the top is the 200m long spiral footpath. But please do it, this tower contains one of the best views over the city. If this sounds interesting, you can find more information about Rundetårn here.
Tivoli
This might take all day, but its also worth it. Tivoli is the worlds oldest amusement park (from 1843) located in the middel of Copenhagen right next to Copenhagen central station. So if you are in the mood for roller coasters, candy floss and fun, this is your chance !
Not only can you experience all the rides, but also restaurants, shops, gardens and venues. Every summer they have their traditional Friday concerts on the open air stage, called Plænen. For this event it could be both national or international artists for the shows. For example have macklemore, deep purple, Tom Jones and Jason Derulo played this stage.
If you wanna see musicals or Theater, this could also be the place to go. On of the most famous shows is during Christmas. The popular show Crazy Christmas Cabaret by the British actor Vivienne Mckee is a comedy show where she makes fun with the danish language. She use danish sayings she find funny, because some of them sounds super weird if they get translated to english. Its so popular that now in year 2023, she is having 40 years anniversary with the show. Every year its a new story, so go see it! You can find more information on the show schedule here, and if you find The Crazy Christmas Cabaret interesting, you can read more about the show here.
Reffen
Hungry? We can fix that. Visit one of the biggest streetfood markets in Copenhagen. With a 23 minuts busride from Central station, you´ll get to Refshaleøen, where you can find Reffen. They call them self “an urban playground with co-creation, innovation, food and creativity, and oh boy, they are right.
When the sun is shining, this is the place to be. Enjoy more than 60 foodtrucks with a lot of different foods and drinks from all around the world. Grab a beach chair, listen to the chill music in the speakers and enjoy the view over the water. Sometimes you´ll also experience live music and other concerts. Check out their website right here !
Copenhagen Cathedral – church of our lady
Once again, we have a cathedral on the list. This one is a little bit more minimalistic in its looks but whats different is its six pillars by the main entrance. The Pillars and the oxidized kobber sealing is what makes this church beautiful on the outside, but once you walk through the doors, you´ll see the real beauty about it. You enter a more modern room, but still filled with elements from old times. You´ll find a lot of sculptures of Christ made by the famous sculptor, Bertel Thorvalsen. Even though over 500.000 people visit the church every year, you can be surprised over how calm and silent the church room can be.
The church is also founder of the Hugs & Food foundation, which is for homeless people who needs a place to stay get a warm meal, talks and maybe a hug. they also call themself “The church of the homeless”. I think its great that we have such a foundation to help the people who really needs it in our society.
The church is free to visit and if you wanna know more about its history, creators or just opening hours you can find it right here.
Strøget
Strøget is the biggest shopping street in Copenhagen. It stretch from the city hall square to Kongens Nytorv (super close to Nyhavn!). So with its 1,1 km, it makes the list to be one of Europes longest pedestrian streets.
Here you find some of the big brands (if you start your tour by Kongens Nytorv) like Prada, Gucci, Hermés, Boss and many more. If you continue you find some of the cheaper brands like H&M, Vera Moda, Pieces and many more international brands. Remember to look up when you visit Strøget, you can find more than stores here. On your route you´ll meet, the stork fountain, Copenhagen cathedral and some of Copenhagens squares, and cafés and restaurants of course. See all the stores and shops right here, if shopping sounds like something for you.
The Black Diamant
The Black Diamond is a modern waterfront extension to the Royal Danish Library’s old building on Slotsholmen. This beautiful building was completed in 1999 and got its name because of the facade who is made from polished granite from Zimbabwe. So yeah, it looks like a diamant 🙂
Here you can experience events, exhibitions, litterature and talks. You can also visit the royal library from here and go to the library garden to just relax and enjoy the surroundings, listen to concerts or talks. They also have a nice café with a view over the wide canal and bridges. See more here!
That´s a lot.. But… Was that all about Copenhagen?
God no! As I told you in the headline, this is the city of opportunitets. There is soooooo much more you can do and see.
I´ll get back to you very soon with an update to this list. Its gonna be even longer ! I´ll tell you more about do see, what to visit and especially where to eat ! Denmark have some of the best gastronomy in the world. But i´ll get back to that
… I promise!
If you wanna visit another beautiful danish city with charm, great food and new architecture, check out this blogpost about Roskilde!
