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Copenhagen off the beaten track

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It’s a sad fact that many visitors to Copenhagen never get much further than the walking street, Strøget, or the expensive bars around Tivoli and the main train station. But the Danish capital has so much more to offer, with cosy cafes, cute shopping streets, quirky museums and old bars dripping with atmosphere – all of it easy to find either on foot or using the city’s efficient public transport system. We suggest you stay at the Hotel Sankt Thomas, a pleasant, family-run hotel straddling both the Frederiksberg and Vesterbro neighborhoods ideal for those on an economy.

Author: Jennifer

Day 1 - Copenhagen

Spend the morning exploring Vesterbro, a neighborhood that has seen a large amount of change in the past decade – from sleazy red light district to a trendy, gentrified quarter of new apartments and art galleries. Wander down Abel Cathrines Gade to Halmtorvet, a cleaned-up square with exhibition center Øksnehallen dominating the southern side. This old cattle market hall is now used for visiting exhibitions. Learn more about Vesterbro’s past – as well as the rest of Copenhagen’s – at the Museum of Copenhagen, Københavns Bymuseum, at Vesterbrogade 59 – on the eastern side of Vesterbros Torv Square. This small museum charts the growth of the city, from its beginnings in the 12th century until the present, through the eyes of ordinary people.
Værnedamsvej is an amazing food street right next to the hotel; despite its size, it can boast delis, cafes and restaurants of amazing diversity and standards, as well as some cute neighborhood shops selling everything from vintage clothes to used books. Enjoy lunch at Café Viggo, a charming local café with a French touch, turning left up to Gammel Kongevej. On foot, head towards the city center (right at the top), crossing at the first pedestrian crossing for a tour of the south section of the Lakes. These man-made reservoirs have been serving Copenhageners for more than four centuries, and are particularly favored by joggers and parents out with strollers. Tour right round the first of the lakes, Sankt Jørgens So, and back to the large dome of the Tycho Brahe Planetarium, named after the country’s leading astronomer of the renaissance period. After some time studying the stars cross Gammel Kongevej again and cut down onto Vesterbrogade under the large arch of the Ny Teater, (the New Theater) – so named in 1908, making it not quite so new anymore. Enjoy the Vietnamese cuisine of Lê Lê nhà hàng at Vesterbrogade 140, before taking a nightcap at nearby Foley’s Irish pub, content in the knowledge that the hotel is close by.

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Hotel Sct. Thomas

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Frederiksberg Alle 7
1621 Copenhagen, DK

Phone:

+45 3321 6464

Københavns Museum - Museum of Copenhagen

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Vesterbrogade 59
1620 Copenhagen, Denmark

Phone:

+45 3321 0772

Café Viggo

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Værnedamsvej 15
1819 Frederiksberg
Copenhagen, Denmark

Phone:

+45 33 31 18 21

The Lakes

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Skt. Jørgens Sø/ Peblinge Sø/ Sortedams Sø
Copenhagen, Denmark

Phone:

+45 7022 2442 (Tourist Information)

Tycho Brahe Planetariet

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Gammel Kongevej 10
1610 Copenhagen, Denmark

Phone:

+45 3312 1224

Lê Lê nhà hàng

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Vesterbrogade 40
1620 Copenhagen, Denmark

Phone:

45 3322 7135

Foley's Irish Pub

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Stenosgade 1
1616 Copenhagen, Denmark

Phone:

+45 3379 6120

Day 2 - Copenhagen

Take bus no. 15 from Værnedamsvej to the Esplanaden stop. Walk around Kastellet, a grassy park built upon more than 300 year-old fortifications housing a church and windmill - Kastellet itself means ‘The Citadel’. While you’re here, check out the Gefion Spring Fountain over by the harbor, one of the largest monuments in the city: and while it’s not particularly offbeat, you might want to venture up the harbor to the statue of the Little Mermaid. The park also contains the Museum of Danish Resistance (Frihedsmuseet) in the southernmost part of the area, known as Churchillparken. It’s free to visit, and the permanent exhibit details the story of Danish resistance during Nazi occupation 1940-45. When you’re ready, leave the Kastellet park on Grønningen via the area known as Nyboder: a series of yellow terraced blocks built to accommodate naval officers back in the 17th century.
Walk back onto Esplanaden and down Bredgade towards the city center. You are now in Frederiksstaden, a neighborhood of wide, parallel streets built in an orderly fashion during the reign of King Frederik V in the second half of the 18th century. Don’t miss Kunstindustrimuseet, the Danish Museum of Art and Design; as well as the exhibitions this is a beautiful rococo building dating from the 1700s, originally used as a hospital. Walk through the courtyard and you’ll find yourself in the museum’s beautiful gardens, Grønnegården: you’ll be returning here later today. Heading down Bredgade, you’ll pass the 18th century Frederiks Church, more popularly known as the Marble Church, with its landmark dome – the largest in Scandinavia. If you’re interested in art, there are lots of interesting galleries on this street, including Galleri Christian Dam and the hip Mogadishni gallery, recently located from the suburbs. Return to the garden of Kunstindustrimuseet for dinner and a show at Grønnegårdsteatret. The garden opens at 5.30 and you can order a picnic basket from the museum’s café – at least three days before, along with tickets for the show. This open air summer theater performs both plays (Danish only) and short ballet excerpts from the Royal Danish Ballet and is one of Copenhagen’s most popular summer traditions.
Finally, end the night in Bo-Bi Bar on Klareboderne in the city center, one of the city’s most idiosyncratic bars – as well as its oldest, dating from 1917 - when a sailor returning from New York introduced Copenhagen’s first bar counter. The décor is pretty much the same almost a century later.

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Kastellet

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Kastellet 68
2100 Copenhagen, Denmark

Phone:

+45 3311 2233

Gefion Springvandet

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Churchillparken
1263 Copenhagen, Denmark

Langelinie

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Fra Esplanaden til Langeliniekajen
2100 Copenhagen, Denmark

Design Museum Danmark

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Bredgade 68
1260 Copenhagen, Denmark

Phone:

+45 3318 5656

Frederikskirken

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Frederiksgade 4
1265 Copenhagen, Denmark

Phone:

+45 3315 3763

Galleri Christian Dam

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Bredgade 20
1260 Copenhagen, Denmark

Phone:

+45 3315 7878

Grønnegårds Teatret

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Bredgade 66
1260 Copenhagen, Denmark

Phone:

+45 3316 2212

Bo-Bi Bar

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Klareboderne 14
1115 Copenhagen, Denmark

Phone:

+45 3312 5543

Day 3 - Copenhagen

A day in Nørrebro. Take bus no 3A from the cross-section of Frederiksberg Alle and Kingosgade up to Nørrebrogade, continuing on foot westwards. You should find an entrance into the fascinating cemetery Assistens Kirkegård, one of the oldest in the city and Copenhagen’s answer to Pere Lachaise; as well as the graves of philosopher Kierkegaard and Hans Christian Andersen, it’s also a pleasant space just to walk, and is actually used in the summer by local students, who sunbathe on the lawns. Leaving the cemetery, walk eastwards down Nørrebrogade before turning left at Fælledvej to visit the Museum of Police History (Politihistorisk Museum), a place to learn the grisly details of some of the country’s most notorious crimes. Shake off the murderous past enjoying the cafe atmosphere of Sankt Hans Torv and Elmegade, an area bursting with smart cafes and some of the best vintage clothes shops in the city. If old vinyl records are your thing, you’re in the right place, too. Once you start feeling peckish, cross Nørrebrogade onto Blågårdsgade and check out Cafe Valhalla at no.21 – a place that has taken Denmark’s Viking past to heart. Drink mead from old horns, or maybe a glass if you prefer, or try some exceptionally meaty burgers.

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Politihistorisk Museum

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Fælledvej 20
2200 Copenhagen, Denmark

Phone:

45 3536 8888

Assistens Kirkegård

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Nørrebrogade/Kapelvej 4
2200 Copenhagen, Denmark

Phone:

+45 3537 1917

Valhal

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Vesterbrogade 3
Tivoli A/S
1630 Copenhagen, Denmark

Phone:

+45 3315 1001

Day 4 - Copenhagen

Take bus no 14 as far as the Sølvtorvet stop and walk along Stockholmsgade to the Hirschsprung Collection, a small, homely museum boasting an impressive collection of Danish paintings, mostly from the 1800s. Then, enjoy the surroundings of Østre Anlæg, part of the original fortifications of Copenhagen that now make up one of the city’s most pleasant parks. The National Gallery – Statens Museum for Kunst – is located in the southern corner: you can eat in the cafe here. Leave the park by Østerport Station and proceed along Dag Hammarskjöld’s Alle into Østerbro, one of the city’s quieter neighborhoods, enjoying the street life of the neighborhood’s main drag Østerbrogade. At the main intersection of Trianglen, turn north-east on Nordre Frihavnsgade up to Victor Borges Plads square, for an evening meal in the authentic Italian restaurant Fischer. Reservation the day before is recommended. It’s a long way back to Frederiksberg, so we suggest splurging on a taxi.

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Hirschsprung Samling

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Stockholmsgade 20
2100 Copenhagen, Denmark

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+45 35 42 0336

Østre Anlæg

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Stockholmsgade 24
2100 Copenhagen, Denmark

Statens Museum for Kunst

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Sølvgade 48-50
1307 Copenhagen, Denmark

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+45 3374 8494

Fischer

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Victor Borges Plads 12
2100 Copenhagen, Denmark

Phone:

45 3542 3964

Day 5 - Copenhagen

From the Skt Thomas hotel, walk down Vesterbrogade towards the city center, cutting up onto Gammel Kongevej under the arches of the Ny Teater. Continue onwards to Vesterport Station, turning left on Vester Farimagsgade, past H.C. Ørstedsparken, before turning left on Schaksgade, then right onto Nansensgade. Enjoy wandering around the attractive Nansensgade neighborhood before finding a space in Cafe Marius for brunch, with a selection of the cafe’s famous fruit- filled pancakes a must. Don’t leave it too late, otherwise it may be hard to find a seat. After dining check out Arbejdermuseet, the Worker’s Museum, a small museum found on Rømersgade, a side street from Frederiksborggade close to Nørreport Metro Station. This museum details the lives and struggles of the city’s workers over the last 150 years, and includes the insides of a Copenhagen apartment from the 1930s. If all this leaves you feeling like some fresh air, head over to the Botanical Gardens (Botanisk Have), found on the other side of Gothersgade from the museum, to bask in the shade of the garden’s rare plants. We recommend evening dining – with some light dancing later if you still have the energy – at Barbarellah, an informal bar/ restaurant/ club back on Nørre Farimaggsgade with a Latin-inspired food menu and in-house djs. Don’t miss out on a drink or two in nearby Bankeråt, however – one of Copenhagen’s strangest cafes, where the intriguing art display consists of stuffed animals dressed in homemade waistcoats.

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Cafe Marius

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Nørre Farimagsgade 55
1364 Copenhagen, Denmark

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45 3311 8383

Arbejdermuseet

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Rømersgade 22
1362 Copenhagen, Denmark

Phone:

+45 3393 2575

Barbarellah

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Nørre Farimagsgade 41
1364 Copenhagen, Denmark

Phone:

+45 3332 0061

Bankeråt

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Ahlefeldtsgade 27-29
1359 Copenhagen, Denmark

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+45 3393 6988

Day 6 - Copenhagen

Take the Metro from Nørreport to Vestamager, the end station on the M1 line. A ten minute walk from the station, Naturcenter Vestamager is one of the city’s handful of conservation and recreation areas, municipally-funded and open to the public. This large expanse of wild space includes a natural playground and lake as well as a cafe. In the afternoon, take the Metro as far as Christianshavn Metro Station, crossing one block along the main Torvegade street away from the canals and then left up Prinsessegade until you see the large hand-painted sign for the entrance to Christiania on your right. Take in the atmosphere of the free state of Christiania – its existence is threatened, so enjoy it while you can. Try to locate the smithy, home of the famous Christiania bicycles, first made here some 25 years ago. As well as the buildings gathered close to the entrance, walk far enough and you should be able to find the lake. If you feel like a coffee, check out Månefiskeren coffee shop – this friendly cafe doesn’t serve alcohol though, so for something stronger, try Cafe Nemoland instead.
Evening dining is at Cafe Wilder, back down Prinsessegade and over the canal into the quaint Christianshavn neighborhood. One of the oldest cafes in this historic neighborhood, Cafe Wilder is charmingly unpretentious and serves traditional Danish food until late – a rare thing in this city. Don’t leave the quarter without a visit to nearby Eiffel Bar, for cheap beer and a truly authentic Danish drinking experience.

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