Our Guide to Copenhagen
Things to do in Copenhagen
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Tivoli Gardens — Opened in 1843, Tivoli is the third-oldest surviving amusement park in the world. It is much more than a theme park: the grounds contain elaborate gardens, restaurants, concerts, theatrical performances, and rides.
Christiania — Copenhagen’s self-governing alternative community offers an unusual window into Danish experiments with communal life, counterculture, art, and urban autonomy. It can easily be combined with a visit to nearby Vor Frelsers Kirke, where 400 steps lead up the church tower and onto its remarkable exterior spiral staircase.
Copenhagen Canal Tour — A relatively inexpensive and efficient way to see the harbor, historic canals, major buildings, and changing waterfront. Boats depart several times daily from Nyhavn and Ved Stranden, with frequency varying by season.
CopenHill — A waste-to-energy plant transformed into an urban recreation site, with a rooftop ski slope, hiking and running paths, a café, panoramic views, and the world’s tallest artificial climbing wall. Access to the rooftop and elevator is free during opening hours; skiing and climbing require separate arrangements.
Noma Projects Shop — Located in the greenhouse at Noma, the shop sells Noma’s pantry products and offers tastings and Noma Kaffe. It is the accessible way to experience part of Noma’s culinary world without booking the restaurant.
Museums in Copenhagen
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There are 300 museums in Copenhagen and so many interesting ones but here are some of the favorites:
Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek — Usually called simply Glyptoteket, this museum was founded by Carl Jacobsen using wealth from the Carlsberg brewing family. Its collections move from ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome to Danish and French art, including an important collection of nineteenth-century French painting and sculpture. The building itself—with its domed Winter Garden, courtyards, and grand galleries—is part of the experience.
Designmuseum Danmark — Denmark is internationally known for furniture, industrial design, ceramics, textiles, and applied arts, and this is the best place to understand that tradition. The museum combines iconic Danish modernism with broader exhibitions on international design and craftsmanship.
Home of Carlsberg — The former Carlsberg Brewery Museum has been substantially redesigned and reopened as Home of Carlsberg. Even visitors with little interest in beer may enjoy it: the large exhibition explains the brewery’s history, science, architecture, advertising, family rivalries, working horses, and influence on modern Copenhagen. Tastings and historical brewery tours are also available.
Danish Architecture Center — Located in BLOX on Copenhagen’s waterfront, DAC explores Danish architecture, urban development, sustainability, and the design of everyday public life. It has changing exhibitions, harbor views, guided tours, and an excellent building to explore. It is also a particularly useful Monday option, when many other museums are closed.
National Museum of Denmark — The broadest introduction to Danish history and culture, extending from prehistory and the Viking Age through the monarchy, religion, domestic life, colonial encounters, and modern Denmark. It is enormous; unless you have several hours, it is better to select a few sections rather than attempt the entire museum.
Museum of Danish Resistance — An immersive underground museum devoted to Denmark during the German occupation and to the people who joined—or resisted—the resistance movement. It handles clandestine communication, sabotage, collaboration, political disagreement, and the moral ambiguities of life under occupation particularly well.
Workers Museum — One of Copenhagen’s most distinctive social-history museums. Located in a historic workers’ assembly building, it tells the story of industrial labor, trade unions, family life, childhood, political organization, and the creation of the Danish welfare state. It offers a useful corrective to museums that tell national history primarily through kings, wars, and elite art.
SMK—Statens Museum for Kunst — Denmark’s National Gallery and the country’s largest art museum. Its collections span roughly 700 years, including European old masters, the Danish Golden Age, modern Danish art, and contemporary work. The building sits beside Østre Anlæg, making it easy to combine the museum with a walk through the park or the nearby Botanical Garden.
Neighborhoods to Explore
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Reffen and Refshaleøen — A large street-food and cultural space within Refshaleøen, a former industrial and shipbuilding district with restaurants, workshops, art venues, and wide harbor views. It is especially lively in warm weather and is easily reached by harbor bus, bicycle, or regular bus.
Nørrebro — Copenhagen’s most culturally diverse neighborhood is filled with small restaurants, bakeries, bars, independent shops, and active public spaces. Walk from Dronning Louises Bro along Nørrebrogade, through Assistens Kirkegård, and toward Jægersborggade or Superkilen to see several different sides of the district.
The Lakes — Søerne — Copenhagen’s shared urban promenade, the three connected lakes form a natural boundary between the city center, Nørrebro, Frederiksberg, and Østerbro. The 6.35-kilometer circuit is ideal for walking, running, people-watching, or pausing at Dronning Louises Bro, one of the city’s favorite informal gathering places.
Frederiksberg — Technically an independent municipality surrounded by Copenhagen, Frederiksberg feels greener, quieter, and somewhat more elegant than the neighborhoods around it. Its broad avenues, cafés, theaters, locally owned shops, Frederiksberg Have, and smaller gardens make it particularly good for an unhurried walk.
The Meatpacking District — Kødbyen — Located in Vesterbro behind Copenhagen Central Station, Kødbyen preserves the industrial architecture of the city’s former meat-processing district while housing restaurants, galleries, bars, and nightlife. It is relatively quiet during the day but becomes one of Copenhagen’s busiest social areas in the evening.
Islands Brygge — Our home area. Once an industrial harbor district, Islands Brygge is now a relaxed residential waterfront known for its long lawns, promenade, cafés, and public harbor bath. In summer it becomes a kind of communal front porch for Copenhagen, with swimming, picnics, dancing, and informal gatherings beside the water. Map
Louisiana Museum of Modern Art — Set in a nineteenth-century villa beside the Øresund, Louisiana combines excellent modern art, sculpture gardens, striking architecture, and beautiful sea views. The museum also has a very good café and restaurant. Map
Kronborg Slot — Known internationally as Hamlet’s castle, Kronborg is an impressive Renaissance fortress in Helsingør at the narrowest point of the Øresund, directly across from Sweden. The royal rooms, ramparts, underground passages, and surrounding old town make it an excellent day trip. Map
Roskilde — Roskilde is a pretty historic town on the fjord, best known for the Viking Ship Museum, where original Viking ships are displayed beside a working boatyard that still builds vessels using traditional methods. The town is also home to the monumental Roskilde Cathedral. Map
Castle Day: Frederiksborg Slot and Fredensborg Slot — Frederiksborg Slot in Hillerød is a spectacular Renaissance castle surrounded by a lake and formal gardens, while nearby Fredensborg Slot remains an active royal residence. Guided tours of Fredensborg’s palace interiors and private gardens are often available during July. Maps: Frederiksborg · Fredensborg
Røsnæs Peninsula — Røsnæs is a beautiful peninsula on the western coast of Zealand, with rolling hills, dramatic shorelines, beaches, vineyards, and wide views across the Great Belt. Its unusually sunny maritime climate has made it one of Denmark’s most interesting emerging wine regions. Map
Dyrehaven, Bakken, Ordrupgaard and Klampenborg — This area combines a vast royal park filled with free-ranging deer, the small Eremitageslottet hunting lodge, and Bakken, the world’s oldest operating amusement park. Nearby Ordrupgaard is an excellent small art museum, while Klampenborg offers beaches, wooded paths, and easy train access from Copenhagen. Map
Lund and Malmö — Lund is a compact medieval university town with a Romanesque cathedral, cobbled streets, and Kulturen, an excellent open-air museum. Malmö is larger and more modern, with Malmöhus Castle, lively squares, parks, and a redeveloped waterfront, though it is generally less atmospheric than Copenhagen or Lund. Maps: Lund · Malmö
Day Trips from Copenhagen
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Odense and Egeskov — Odense is the birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen and home to the imaginative, beautifully designed H.C. Andersens Hus. South of the city, Egeskov is far more than a castle: its moated Renaissance manor is surrounded by elaborate gardens, mazes, museums, historic vehicles, treetop walks, and enough activities to occupy most of a day. Maps: Odense · Egeskov
Møn — The island’s centerpiece is Møns Klint, where white chalk cliffs rise dramatically above the Baltic Sea and wooded trails lead to overlooks and the beach below. Nearby Liselund Slot and Park is a romantic eighteenth-century landscape of lawns, lakes, thatched cottages, and a small neoclassical manor. Maps: Møns Klint · Liselund
Aarhus — Denmark’s second city deserves at least a full day and preferably an overnight visit: highlights include our favorite museum, Moesgaard Museum, the contemporary art museum ARoS, and Den Gamle By, an an open-air museum of Danish urban life that recently won one of the best museums in Europe. The redeveloped waterfront at Aarhus Ø adds bold modern architecture, promenades, cafés, and a harbor bath. Map