Copenhagen

For the vast majority of tourists a trip to Denmak starts and finishes in Copenhagen, so they visit only one city. This is not surprising: Denmark is a small country, and the well-known facts are mainly related to Copenhagen.

Due to a huge number of canals and waterfronts, the city is ideal for walking. If you come for a day, then there's no point in using public transport. Although the metro is interesting - automatic, without a driver, and you can sit in front of the glass.

We'll describe a pedestrian route through the city from the train station. The route is long, but if you have enough power, you can complete it in one day. It can also be divided into two parts. By the way, around the train station there's quite a lot of hotels that are inexpensive by Danish standards.

View tourist route in Copenhagen on a larger map

Interesting observation: In Copenhagen, there are some places that do not match their own time. For example, some train or subway stations are equipped with 25-year-old monitors with timetables.

The first thing that we see in Copenhagen is a huge number of bikes parked near the train station. This is not a surprise - Denmark is on second place in the world by the number of bicycles per capita. 80% of residents are cyclists. During your walk you will see them everywhere. Even politicians come to work by bicycles.

Across the street from the train station you can find the Tivoli amusement park. It isn't clear why it hasn't moved out of the city yet, as it definetely requires more space nowadays. Although there is one advantage - because the park is in the city, you can visit it even late at night.

Having passed the park, you end up on the City Hall Square, where the City Hall (1893-1905) is located. The tower is 105.6 meters high and even today it is one of the city's tallest buildings.


If you are looking at the City Hall, then to the right you will find a monument to Hans Christian Andersen, probably the most famous Danish person.

Go ahead to the Strøget Street. In fact there is no street with such name, it's a common name for several pedestrian streets. A lot of locals and tourists walk there. Here you need to find the University, several churches and a Round tower. The tower has a very unusual design: there are no steps inside. You can go up by climbing a spiral pandus that is 210 meters long. There is a legend that in 1716, the Russian emperor Peter I went up on horseback. And in 1902 the first time a car drove up. On the top there's a viewing platform for tourists.








From the tower you need reach the Hojbro Square and the eponymous bridge over the canal. Behind it you will see a huge Kristianborg Palace - House of Parliament. Enter the yard, there is a beautiful garden inside.








Right there look for one of the most unusual domes in the capital - a green spiral tower on the Børsen stock exchange building.




Next, move to the New harbor (Nyhavn). This is one of the most beautiful places in the city, especially in the evening at sunset. Here we started a pleasure boat trip and recommend that you do the same.


During a boat trip, you can get take a closer look at a grand structure - the Opera House, the construction of which cost about $500 million.


Then go to the waterfront and move along it. Near Amalienborg Palace is a small garden with a fountain. Danish royal family has been living in the palace since the XVIII century. There's a museum in one of the 4 palace buildings. Changing of the Guard takes place from 11:30 am to 12 pm at the Palace Square and a lot of tourists come to see the ceremony. Behind the palace you can find a beautiful Marble Church.






Go back to the waterfront and move on to the Gefion fountain. The fountain and the St. Alban's Anglican Church located nearby make an excellent composition.










Move further along the waterfront and approach the most famous monument in Copenhagen - the Little Mermaid. The statue was commissioned in 1909 by Carl Jacobsen, son of the founder of Carlsberg, and became so popular that many cities made its copies. This statue has been damaged and defaced many times (even exploaded) since the mid-1960s for various reasons, but each time it was restored.




If you go ahead and bypass the marina, you will end up on the Midtermolen pier. This is not a tourist place, but it's quite beautiful. Here you can see another statue of the Little Mermaid, which is not known among tourists. Besides, on the waterfront on the other side of the harbor, where ships stop, is one more statue of the Little Mermaid - for adults :)
















The pier is the farthest point of our walk. Start your way back through Kastelet. This is the best preserved fortress in northern Europe in the shape of a star. There's a walking path along the earthen ramparts, so take a walk.






Then, on the way to the Rosenborg Castle, it makes sense to pass through the Nyboder district and take a look at unusual yellow houses - former marine barracks.


Rosenborg Castle (1606-1624), the former residence of the Danish kings, and the surrounding park is another beautiful place in the capital. The park is the most visited in Denmark. Since 1838, the castle is open to the public.












At this moment the main walk along Copenhagen is over. Near the castle is the Nørreport metro and train station. From here you can go to the airport or continue the walk. Go to the Christianshavn metro station (here it is possible to go on foot from the train station and the Kristianborg Palace) that is located on the Christianshavn island. Here you can stroll along the beautiful canal and visit Christiania - a self-governing state within the state. It is a home to about 1,000 people, and they declare their own laws, independent of the laws of Denmark. The authorities have been trying to close this "hippie commune", and in 2011 there were clashes with the police. Therefore, we cannot guarantee that at the time of your visit Christiania will still be in the same place. By the way, it is better not to take pictures inside the area.




If you have enough time or just love unusual architecture, then go toward the airport to the Bella Center metro station. In addition to a large shopping complex, the Bella Sky hotel was opened there in 2011. It is a kind of architectural landmark.











Some more pictures of Copenhagen














Tourists may also visit the Carlsberg brewery, which is located in Copenhagen.


You can download brochures about Copenhagen in English here.

At Copenhagen airport, near the exit from the baggage claim area, you can take a free map that will be enough for exploring the city.

Getting there: People come to Copenhagen in several ways. The easiest, but not the cheapest way is by plane. Copenhagen airport is quite large and chaotic. You can easily reach the central train station within 15-20 minutes by train. There is also a bus service to the downtown, but better take a train. You can purchase the tickets at the machine, but since you will probably have no coins, you can buy them at the ticket office.

From Swinoujscie in Poland there are ferries (night ride) to Malmo is Sweden, and from Malmo you can reach Copenhagen by train in 25 minutes. And the third option is to come from Germany by car or by train, but also on a ferry.