Everything you need to know about {NAME} before your trip, from currency to language, local festivals, time zones & safety of the water. Plus great ideas about what to see, do and eat while there!
Adapted from Low German name, Kopenhagen. cognate of København (Danish) derived from earlier Old Norse name Kaupmannahǫfn meaning merchants' harbour - Kaupmanna = merchant/ hawker + hǫfn= haven ( a harbour)🔍.
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@ a glance essentials:
Language:
Danish
_
Danish Krona (kr)
Water safety
Safe to Drink
Most Locals can speak English.
Currency:
DKK
Local Transport
Metro, Bus & Tram or rental bikes are sufficient in the city. Remote areas require a car
.
Originally called Købmændenes Havn (Merchants’ Harbor), Copenhagen, or København, started as a Viking fishing colony in the 10c, until 1157, when Valdemar the Great gifted it to Bishop Absalon. The Bishop built a castle on what is now Christiansborg and the small village🔍 grew and soon became an influential city🔍 . So much so that in the 15c, Copenhagen became the royal residence and capital of the combined 🔎Kingdom of Denmark-Sweden.
a bit of background...
CHECK OUT THE:
MY FAVORITE SPOTS TO...
................... There are more bikes 🚲 in Copenhagen than people (& five times as many bikes than cars!)
FUN FACT:
It's a truly unique and charming city, with a surprisingly modernist twist for such an old town. It's is home to Carlsberg Brewery, and the longest pedestrian shopping street in the world, Strøget. If it weren't so expensive it might be one of my favorite European cities, but despite it's high cost there is no questions it's one of the most vibrant and colorful travel destinations.
Must Try Local Cuisine:
Smørrebrød ("bread w/ butter") - Rugbrød (rye) w/ Leverpostej (liver pâté), boiled egg, Gravlax (cured salmon) or
Stegte Sild - fried pickled herring ∞ Rød Pølse† - Danish Hot Dog 🌭 w/ pickled cucumbers & fried crispy onions
Stegt flæsk - crispy pork belly ∞ Frikadeller (meatballs) Boller I Karry - in curry w/ rice
Krasesuppe - giblet soup w/ fritters ∞ Rødkål - shredded red cabbage w/ red currant juice
Wienerbrod (Viennese bread††) = the local term for the world famous Danish (pastry)
Aebleskiver - donut balls ∞ Varme Hveder -traditional sweet, cardamom spiced rolls
Risengrød - rice pudding ∞ Lumumba - a cocktail made w/ Cocio (Danish chocolate milk) & brandy/ rum
➿➰➿
† Many served from pølsevogn (sausage wagons) on the street
†† Introduced to Denmark in 1870s, when striking Danish bread makers were replaced by Viennese immigrant bakers, with their repertoire of sweet breads, cakes, and puff pastries
SEE
DO TRY
&
VISIT
What to Where to Why . . .
Surprising Finds:
📍 Unique museums like Rosenborg Castle - a fairytale royal pleasure palace with the Danish crown, crown jewels
& coronation throne; allegedly made of unicorn horns, Cisternerne inside an underground cistern 📸,
the Medical Museion known for Martha & Marie; preserved bodies of conjoined congenital twins or
Nasothek Nose Collection, a literal collection of noses @ the Glyptotek Art Museum
📍 Agnete & the Merman - bronze merman & sons, mourning the loss of their wife/ mother who abandoned them
for the land, from the Hans Christian Anderson Fairytale, submerged beneath Højbro bridge waters 📸
📍 Vejrpigerne (Weather Girls) 📸 - a pair of gilded girls that indicate weather on the peak of an Art Deco building
with a giant thermometer
📍 Jarmers Tower -only surviving piece of Copenhagen's 16c defensive wall, now a random brick ruin in
the middle of a road median
My Favorite Spots . . .
📍 Freetown Christiania - a would-be micro-nation, around since the 1970s where people hang out and smoke;
known for cool beer gardens, people-watching & colorful murals. ( FYI - photography is discouraged)
📍 Nørrebro artsy neighborhood- full of funky boutiques, dive bars & Superkilen park; a unique community space with
cafes, fountains & a skatepark. It's flea market† @ 1,000+ ft is Denmark’s longest (& narrowest)
📍 Brumleby - miniature yellow city. An early example of Danish social housing, built to handle
the cholera epidemic of 1853. Olufsvej St's brightly colored row houses are around the corner
📍 Skovshoved - a fishing village of thatch-roofed cottages with roots tracing to the 13c
(fishermen's wives were famous for carrying the day’s catch on their backs to market)
📍 Nyboder (new small houses) - ochre-colored buildings c. 17c built as barracks for the
Royal Navy (featured in the writings of both Søren Kierkegaard & Hans Christian Andersen)
† Frederiksberg Loppemarked, Gentofte Loppemarked, and Ritas Blå Lopper also have cool flea markets
... to Wander & Explore:
... to Visit:
📍 Amazing Churches🔍 like ethereal Grundtvig's Church† 📸 & Church of Our Savior - with spiral belltower &
globed summit 📸 (@ 350 ft) with half the climb outside!
📍 Beautiful Cemeteries🔍 like Assistens Kirkegård - an old churchyard turned city park (last resting place of
H.C. Andersen & Søren Kierkegaard).
📍 Christiansborg Palace Ruins - Beneath the palace; home of Denmark’s parliament are the crypt-like ruins of
Bishop Absalon’s fortress, c. 1167
📍 Rundetaarn (Round Tower) - 17c observatory (oldest functioning in Europe) @114 ft tall with equestrian
stairs once used for horse races 🏇, hosting special events at it's museum like a music night
📍 Amalienborg Palace - official home for the Danish royal family & the changing of the guards in the palace square
📍 Museums like the Danish National Gallery or National Museum - with Viking helmets, shields & silver treasures,
the David Collection - of Islamic, Danish, & European art and, the Museum of the Resistance - commemorating
the Dutch resistance of the Nazis
📍 Royal Danish Opera House - an elegant & modern building on the harbor with Almanak I Operaen restaurant on
the top floor with breathtaking views
📍 The 🔎 Blue Planet - a vortex shaped aquarium with Europes largest school of piranhas in nearby Kastrup
(also home to The Sea Bath, an ultra modern boardwalk/ swim platform)
† Likely inspiration for the SHREK church - a rare example of an expressionist church
... to Commune w/ 🌳 Nature:
📍 Botanical gardens - c. 1870s, over 24 acres in the middle of the city with greenhouses,
including an Arctic🔍 greenhouse, a butterfly house, and some plants over 200 years old
📍 Jægersborg Dyrehaven (Deer Park) - est. 1669 as hunting grounds for Danish royalty with
over 2,000 🦌 deer & The Hermitage; royal hunting lodge built in the 1730s
📍 Frederiksberg Have - gardens that backup to the city zoo, with a view of the elephants 🐘
📍 Kastellet Park - centered around the 1664 Kastellet(meaning The Citadel), it's one of the
best-preserved fortresses in Europe, surrounded by relaxing gardens and ponds
... when feeling 📚 Bookish:
📍 National/ Royal Library 📸 - impressive modernist library on the water front known as the Black Diamond
📍 Library in Fiolstræde | Univ. of Copenhagen - a 2 story columned hall, arched ceiling & stained glass, built in c.1861
and just recently opened to the public
📍 Ark Books - non-profit shop that offers free coffee ☕
📍 Politikens Boghal - Copenhagen’s biggest Danish and English language bookseller.
... when feeling Adverturous:
📍 Dyrehavsbakken / Bakken Amusement Park - the oldest amusement park in the world founded in 1583 📸
📍 Canal Boat Tour - in waters so clean you can see the bottom of the canals. Not just for tourist, locals can also be
found enjoying the canals with a few beers on a sunny day
📍 Giants & Trolls - Danish artist, Thomas Dambo turns discarded items into giants and trolls all over the world.
He's built Six Forgotten Giants around Copenhagen. (With 30+ throughout Denmark, including near Odense)
📍 DAC Slide for Grown ups - a unique 4-story spiral slide art installation inside by artist Carsten Höller.
[They are also large scale slides @ the Hayward Gallery, Tate Modern | London, Palazzo Strozzi, Firenze | Florence
& Henie Onstad Sanatorium, Kunstsenter | Høvikodden]
📍 Refshaleøen - a former shipyard now home to Copenhill, a green-energy power plant that also serves as
a ski slope & climbing wall. (The dockside neighborhood has a wine bar, Contemporary art museum;
and street food market; Reffen, as well)
📍 Enghave Kaffee - a cozy, & candlelit with a wood burning stove and a vintage starred motorcycle chopper
📍 Coffee Collective’s @ Telefonkiosken - possibly the city’s smallest shop located in a 19c telephone booth
📍 CUB's: Copenhagen Underground Brewers - located in a basement space a few steps below street level near parliament
📍 La Banchina - unique café/spa on the harbor that encourages swims between sips of coffee, even in cold weather!
📍 Perch’s Tea Room/ A.C Perch - for a classic afternoon tea
📍 Toga Vin & Ølstue - a staple dinking spot for old Danish political elite (click arrow for more bars..).
📍 The Barking Dog - for cocktails 📍 Ved Stranden 10 - wine-bar
📍 Westernthemed Mc.Kluud - Danish bodega with cheap drinks and jukebox tunes
📍 Vinstue 90 - famous for uncarbonated ‘slow beer’ creamier, froth-topped Carlsberg which takes 15 minutes to pour
📍 Alléenberg - a parkside pub (est. 1924) nicknamed the psychopath, with dark interiors, and ancient furniture
... when I'm Peckish:
📍 Schønnemann - traditional schnapps & smørrebrød 📍 Atelier September - a chic local favorite
📍 Toldboden - waterfront seafood restaurant designed to feel like dining aboard a ship
📍 Pølsevogns (sausage wagons, unofficially the national food of Denmark) like - John's Hotdog Deli and
Harry's Place est. 1965, famous for the large ‘BØrge’ sausage, with special ‘gunpowder sauce’
📍 Host - cozy brick, stylish, award winning Nordic dishes (click arrow for more restaurants...)
📍 Marchal Copenhagen inside the historic d'Angleterre hotel, Michelin-starred blend of Nordic & French tastes
📍 Rosengårdens Bodega - with dark interiors, stained glass windows, simple food, and sidewalk tables seating
📍 Sonny - smørrebrød spot with artisan rye breads, frittatas & specialty juice mixes
📍 Abrikos - with massive sandwiches 📍 Dzidra Cafe 📍 Villette
📍 Lille Bakery (& Cafe) 📍 Apollo Bar
📍 Vaffelbageriet - for pastries & ice-cream in Tivoli Gardens 📍 Seks Bakery & Eatery - known for it's cheesecake
📍 Sankt Peders Bageri - famous for Onsdag sneglen (Wednesday cinnamon rolls)
📍 Bageriet Brød - hip organic bakery
📍 Alice Ice Cream & Coffee with in-house mades ice cream & specialties like chocolate coated milk ice cream pops
📍 Ismageriet - ice cream spot 📍 Nicecream’s Vegan Ice Cream
... for something 🍨 Sweet:
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Most Known For:
♦️ Nyhavn Harbor - the colorful 17c strip of waterfront buildings 📸 (There's a particularly
cool art installation, Kosmic Rum, near by that is a kalidiscope of stained glass & mirrors)
🔸 Tivoli Gardens- amusement park†† c. 1843 with Ferris wheel, roller coasters, concert hall,
The Orangery gardens, aquarium & a bamboo forest all inside the park.
(Walt Disney visited Tivoli once and it is said to have been the inspiration for Disneyland)
♦️ Jens Olsen's World Clock- @ the Rådhus (City Hall) 📸 - a gilded astronomical clock
that calculates time, dates, and planetary positions with the fastest gear completing a
revolution every ten seconds and the slowest every 25,753 years 📸
🔸 Elephant 🐘 † Tower/ Gate 📸 - originally a water tower & herb silo
♦️ Hans Christian Andersen 📸 - including Little Mermaid 🧜♀️ sculpture and the Disney-like H. C. Andersen Experience
🔸 Gefion Fountain - featuring Gefion (goddess of unmarried women) with her oxen in honor of the Norse myth
of Denmark being created by Gefion plowing it with her oxen
† Don't be thrown, the swastikas on the elephants are pre-nazi references to the Sanskrit word meaning well-being
†† Architect George Carstensen persuaded the King to let him build it arguing that "when people amuse themselves, they forget politics."
📽️ NOTABLE FILMS SHOT IN COPENHAGEN:
⭐ The Danish Girl | 2015 ⭐ Tenet | 2020 ⭐ Anastasia | 1956
🍿
........................The ordinary Laksegade (Salmon Street) is infamous from the phrase "Fanden er løs i Laksegade" ("The devil 👹 is loose on
Salmon Street") due to a bizarre happening in Laksegade 15, 1826 - One day people noticed trash, potatoes and peat etc. being thrown from the windows while screams, laughs and curses could be heard inside the house. Some looked inside and claimed to see glowing red eyes. Police were called but found the home completely empty, and the locals attributed the outburst to the devil.
🌀 Copenhagen Opera Festival (August) - with opera in the streets, the underground & waterways of the city
🌀 Copenhagen Beer Festival (May) - w/ 1000+ types of beer from 70+ producers, Danish arts & crafts.
(Leif Sonne's in Copenhagen has the largest bottled beer collection in the world, 20,000+ unique bottles!)
🌀 Distortion (May) - a street party with electronic music festival
🌀 Copenhagen Jazz Festival (July) & Roskilde Festival - largest rock music festivals in Europe
Close Enough to Visit:
🪧 Malmö | SW - an adorable coastal village with tons of historical sites 📸 just across Øresund Bridge
(2nd longest in Europe) 📸
🪧 Møns Klint in Borre | DK - a biosphere reserve with hiking along beautiful white chalk cliffs
🪧 Odense | DK - birth place of Hans Christian Anderson, burial site of last Viking king of Denmark in
St. Canute's Cathedral's crypt 📸
🪧 Roskilde | DK - with medieval Sankt Laurentius (Saint Lawrence) church, its famous tiled floor, beneath the market
square & the 16c bell tower & a Viking Ship Museum of restored galleys
🪧 Danish Viking Sites like ancient cemetery field Lindholm Høje | Norrerundby that holds 700 Viking bodies,
Trelleborg Viking Ring Fortress | Slagelse with battle reenactments or Land of Legends - reconstructed Iron Age
village, Stone Age camp & Viking market among natural bogs and woodland. (Visitors can try hands-on
farming, ancient handicrafts, or watch the archeologists work.)
🪧 Skovtåmet in Ronnede | DK - a spiral, hourglass forrest temple
Going to visit
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