Copenhagen

Denmark, the country where they pride themselves on their bicycle lanes. The country where LEGO comes from and where they do not say please because they simply do not have “please” in their language. Denmark is also the country that regained the title of “world’s happiest country” in 2016. Knowing this about Denmark, my expectations about Copenhagen were high. But man, did Copenhagen prove me right, because I fell in love with this city.

Copenhagen is the city where the water in the harbour is so clean you could swim in it, half of the population cycles to work every day and where there are more Michelin-starred restaurants than any other city in Scandinavia. Copenhagen was the centre of the Danish empire for hundreds of years and this shows in their architecture and historic relics. Unfortunately, two big fires in 1728 and 1792 wiped out a lot of Copenhagen’s medieval structures. They rebuilt their city and these beautiful old roots are now mixed with modern infrastructure. New buildings stand side by side with older ones, which gives a beautiful mix of architecture to look at. Copenhagen has windmills (they definitely stole these from us) and is one of the greenest cities in the world, with plans to be carbon neutral by 2025. So enough reasons to already like this city before you visit, but here is the list with the things we thought were cool to do/see when we were in Copenhagen.

Our Savior’s Church

This church is one of Denmark’s most famous churches, because of the serpentine spire that was inaugurated in 1752. You can climb the 400 steps to the top and have a beautiful view of the city. The view was even voted “The best view over Copenhagen” by the Copenhageners in 2007. The church spire is not open every month of the year so check the website before you go.

From Christianshavn to Nyhavn with a break at the Opera House

The neighbourhood Christianshavn was on the way to Nyhavn for us and is part of the Indre By District. This part of the city is just a taste of what Nyhavn is. The neighbourhood was originally based on Dutch cities and is incorporated into the Copenhagen architecture.

So while walking to Nyhavn you will also see the Copenhagen Opera House. This Opera House is the most expensive opera house ever built. The Opera House lies exactly opposite the main castle Amalienborg at the shore of the harbour.

Nyhavn is colourful, historical and just plain picture-perfect harbor. The 17th and 18th century townhouses, bars, cafes and restaurants make for a nice area to eat or drink something. The oldest town house from 1681 is found at number 9. The harbor also houses many historical ships and it is the place to start your canal boat tour.

Amalienborg

From Nyhavn you can walk straight to Amalienborg, the residence of the Danish Queen Margrethe II and her husband Prince Hendrik. Amalienborg exists out of four palaces. All four of the palaces also have separate names so this can cause some confusion. The Amalienborg museum is located in the Christian VIII’s Palace also known as Levetzau’s Palace. The queen lives in Christian IX’s Palace or Schack’s Palace. The Frederick VIII’s Palace, or Brockdorff’s Palace has been retorted and is the home of the Crown Prince and Princess of Denmark nowadays. The Amalienborg is guarded day and night by the Royal Life Guard and they look almost the same as the Foot Guards of England. You can witness the change of guards here in the afternoon. Or if you are lucky, like me, you will see the Queen of Denmark come home.

Frederiks Church

From the Amalienborg, there is a view on Frederik’s Church or also called The Marble Church. This is the church has the largest church dome in Scandinavia. But is also just plain beautiful because of all the gold on the outside.

The Little Mermaid

From Fredriks Church is a nice walk to the statue of the Little Mermaid. This statue found by the waterside at the Langelinie promenade is based on the fairy tale of Hans Christian Andersen. The Mermaid is an iconic statue that symbolizes the city, just like Manneken Pis in Brussel.

Kastellet

Since we had not seen enough on this day, we walked back to our hotel through Kastellet. This is one of the best preserved fortresses of Northern Europe and is formed as a star, or pentagram. The area houses various military activities but it mainly serves as a public park and a historic site.

Rosenborg Slot/Castle

The Rosenborg Castle was originally a summerhouse for King Christian IV. It is built in the Dutch Renaissance style (again, a bit of Dutch in Denmark). The castle was only used twice in times of emergencies. The castle has a basement, ground floor, first floor and second floor and is a museum that exhibits artifacts from the 16th century till the 19th century. But most importantly in my opinion, it also houses the Crown Jewels and the Danish Crown Regalia. The castle is surrounded by the “King’s Gardens” or the Rosenborg Castle Garden.

Round Tower

The Round Tower was built for an astronomical observatory in the 17th century as a project of Christian IV. The tower does not have stairs but an equestrian staircase or riders’ staircase. They say this is because the king wanted to go to the top on his horse.

Christiansborg Slot/Palace

Christiansborg Palace is located on the tiny island of Slotsholmen (The Castle Islet). Christiansborg Palace is the place where the Danish Parliament is based. The building houses all three supreme powers: Danish Parliament, the Supreme Court and the Ministry of State. The building is also the place where the queen welcomes official guests and hosts royal events. You can take a look into the kitchen, the Royal Reception Rooms and the ruins under the palace. Outside, you can take a walk around the riding complex and cross the Marble Bridge.

Copenhagen has many more attractions to visit but since we cannot fit everything in two days. These are some other museums you could visit: Right across the street of the Rosenborg Castle you can find the Botanical Garden, Statens Naturhistoriske Museum, Geologisk Museum and Statens Museum for Kunst (SMK). The Designmuseum Danmark or Dansk Jødisk Museum should also be worth a visit.

Lastly I have the tips that when you love chai latte and curry, go visit Cafe Munk. I never had a better chai latte and the curry was the best.