Copenhagen Travel Guide

Whether you're planning a weekend break or a longer visit, Copenhagen is a perfect tourist destination. Small and manageable, the city is easy to walk around and has a well-functioning public transport system. The downtown neighborhoods bustle with life, shops and cafes, most of them in pedestrian-only areas. Open spaces abound, from the numerous parks and gardens that fill with life and activities in the summer to the canals, lakes and harbor areas, the latter having been renewed as a safe, clean area to relax and even swim in. World-class museums and art museums offer a hands-on experience of history, while the autonomous state of Christiania keeps Copenhagen's free spirit reputation alive.

There has been a settlement on the site of what is now Copenhagen since the 12th century, when Bishop Absalon built a fort on the island of Slotsholmen. These remains can still be seen beneath modern day Christiansborg. Copenhagen replaced Roskilde as the capital of Denmark around 1400, and was originally a walled city with gates at Østerport, Vesterport and Nørreport; the surrounding boroughs of Vesterbro, Østerbro and Nørrebro grew up later, after the industrial revolution. The city center remains relatively new, however, most of it having been rebuilt in the 18th century after the first of two great fires, one in 1728 and the other in 1795.

Often perceived as a quaint city of painted houses, pretty canals watched over by the bronze figured Little Mermaid, Copenhagen has thrown off its fairy tale image of late and entered the new millennium as a modern, trendy capital known for smart, functional design, Michelin-starred restaurants and a population statistically rated as among the happiest in the world. Copenhagen's international profile has been raised as it pushes itself forward as one of the world's first ecologically-friendly cities.

Where to Go in Copenhagen