Contents
How to use this Rough Guide ebook
This Pocket Rough Guide is one of a new generation of informative and easy-to-use travel-guide ebooks that guarantees you make the most of your trip, whether youre spending an afternoon or a few days away.
From the covers all the practical information youll need, from public transport to opening hours and festivals. A handy chronology and useful language list round off the guide.
Depending on your hardware, you can double-tap on the maps to see larger-scale versions, or select different scales. The screen-lock function on your device is recommended when viewing enlarged maps. Make sure you have the latest software updates, too.
Copenhagen
Once a low-key underrated city, for the past decade, the Danish capital has been showered with superlatives, with polls claiming it to have the best quality of life and rating its citizens the happiest people on the planet. If that wasnt enough, accolades for its cuisine, metro, cycling and design have followed. Hygge , a Danish life philosophy espousing cozy indulgence, has become an unintentional cultural export and global trend, spawning a flurry of lifestyle books. Despite its new-found glory, Copenhagen remains a relaxed, homely place where visitors quickly feel at ease; and while all this cool contentment doesnt come cheap (for tourists and locals alike) the great Dane has quite definitely arrived as one of Europes outstanding destinations.
Part of Copenhagens appeal is its hybrid nature, a unique blend of mainland Europe and Scandinavia. The city looks as much to London, Berlin and Amsterdam as it does to Stockholm or Oslo, perhaps a legacy of its swashbuckling seafaring and trading history. Its gregarious English-speaking inhabitants can also seem positively welcoming compared with the icy reserve of their northerly neighbours.
Amagertorv
If the city lacks anything you could say its a true blockbuster attraction. Aside from the Little Mermaid and arguably the Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen doesnt do the queue round the block tourism, while its most illustrious former inhabitants (Hans Christian Andersen aside) dont quite make the global pilgrimage hit list. Instead youll discover a marvellously eclectic range of museums, galleries, designer shops and royal heritage buildings, all easily digestible and perfect for short-break perusing. For an idea of where to begin turn to our itineraries and best of sections.
Cycling in Copenhagen
Best places to explore on two wheels
Cycling is a way of life in Copenhagen nearly everyone gets to school and work on two wheels. Pick up a snazzy bike for rent at Kbenhavns Cyklebrs in Indre By, then pedal around Christianshavns quiet canals, up to Kastellet to see the Little Mermaid or out to Frederiksbergs lush parks. Alternatively, hop on a train (bike in tow) up the coast, then pedal out to see the world-class art of the Louisiana Museum or around Kronborg Castle, one of the most handsome fortresses in the land.
Whether youre on foot, cycling or jumping on the user-friendly transport system youll also find Copenhagen eminently navigable. You can quickly flit between neighbourhoods, from the cobbled avenues of Frederiksstaden and grand Slotsholmen island to the winding medieval streets of the Latin Quarter and the gritty boho chic of Nrrebro. Green space and charming canals are never far away, whether in the landscaped Kongens Have, or postcard-cute Nyhavn. For those schooled in Dansk design and architecture a visit to Christianshavn will reveal the citys more adventurous side: big open skies and sleek glass and chrome modernism. Come nightfall and another Copenhagen emerges Michelin-star chefs shout out orders, cocktails are shaken and craft beers cracked open (see opposite for the best neighbourhoods to try).
Whats new
Copenhagen chef Ren Redzepi changed how the world thought about Danish cuisine when Noma won worlds best restaurant by championing local and seasonal produce (often foraged) over global. It closed In 2016 only to be reborn in spring 2018 as a waterfront urban farm and gastronomic village, part of an exciting new development in Christianhavn. In the meantime, a handful of bright Noma graduates have opened their own places, making Copenhagen one of the go-to cities for serious gourmets.
In addition, Tivoli has added a February season to their magical agenda; while at Experimentarium, visitors continue to be wowed by the interactive science museums enormous new site at Hellerup.
Given Denmark itself is small, the capital is nearby some other cracking destinations. Half an hour west is medieval Roskilde, home to a superb museum of Viking ships, one of Europes biggest music festivals, and a brand-new museum of rock music opened at the end of 2015. North of the capital, meanwhile, stands the outstanding modern art museum of Louisiana, the picture-perfect Renaissance castle of Kronborg and across the iconic resund Bridge the cool, diminutive Swedish city of Malm, once part of Denmarks regal orbit.
Nyhavn
Where to
Shop
To get your retail kicks, the central cobbled pedestrian Strget offers large department stores, including Illums Bolighus, a favourite with the Danish queen, plus iconic local brands Royal Copenhagen and Georg Jensen. The nearby streets of Kbmagergade and Kompagnistrde have small, independent holes-in-the-wall selling modern design objets and housewares, while the student-filled Latin Quarter is the place to head for secondhand fashion. South, Vrnedamsvej in Vesterbro is great for local designers, while northerly Nrrebro (especially Elmegade and Blgrdsgade) offers chic shops with designers on hand to tailor the clothing on the racks to fit you perfectly.
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Eat
The Danish capital regularly wins as many as eighteen Michelin stars more than anywhere else in Scandinavia. While advance booking at the better-known dining spots is recommended, Copenhagen isnt all haute cuisine: you can also find great local and international spots such as Christianshavns Bdudlejning, Caf and lhalle and Pintxos which will suit slightly slimmer purses. Furthermore, restaurants all over the city often offer affordable lunchtime options, and you can always visit Nrrebros Torvehallerne market for everything from organic wines to freshly baked goods especially on Sundays, when many restaurants close their doors.
Our favourites: .
Drink