This is A Beginner’s Guide to Copenhagen, written by a man who has lived in this amazing city for quite a while. As the capital city of Denmark, Copenhagen is a popular choice with travellers. Check out this travel guide infographic about Copenhagen, as a handy reference to this delightful city.
This is an article by Dane of Holiday from Where.
Nørrebro
A Beginners Guide to Copenhagen
Contents
When you research Copenhagen, you will get a lot of information about Nyhavn and Tivol. While these are beautiful places, there is so much more of Copenhagen besides just these. I have had the privilege of living on and off in Copenhagen for the last few years, and as such, it has allowed me to explore outside of the typical tourist areas. One thing I found is there are so many amazingly beautiful places not on the tourist track that so many people miss out on, or never hear about.
Despite Copenhagen being a small city, there is so much here. Ancient buildings, colorful streets, modern architecture, Christania – a weird squatted castle full of hippies where marijuana is pseudo-legal, if that’s your thing, nature, and even beaches.
Another beautiful thing about Copenhagen is it has four completely different seasons so almost no matter what time of year you are visiting, you will either see beautiful Autumn or Spring colors or have the beautiful summer vibe that Copenhagen is famous for. If you are lucky, enough you will get to see the city covered in snow, so you will find that there are many things to do in Copenhagen in Winter.
Bispebjerg cemetery in winter
For an affordable 3 day itinerary in Copenhagen check this article.
Exploring Copenhagen by Bike
Copenhagen is also one of the easiest cities in the world to explore. It is the most bike friendly city on the planet. Some argue that Amsterdam is the more bike friendly, but I have spent time in both, and it’s just a little more pleasant in Copenhagen. One of the benefits these days is they have these city bikes set up with pick up and drop off points all over the city and built in screens and GPS showing you not only the city but the closest drop off points to return the bikes. They are also motorized making it incredibly easy to bike all day and not be tired.
Random parks in the city.
Copenhagen is a small city to explore
Another beautiful thing about Copenhagen is that it is tiny. The furthest you will ever have to ride in any direction will be about 10 kilometers, which will take you from one end of the city limits to the other. You just need to sign up quickly for the bikes, which you can do at the pickup stations, and you are on your way. Despite Copenhagen being super bike friendly, there is a lot to think about when riding a bike here so just be careful and on the lookout. Everyone here is used to the daily pace and if you are not paying attention crashes can happen quite easily, although quite rarely despite the amount of bike traffic.
Autumn colors.
Østerbro
Now depending on what you are looking for there are multiple different areas. If you are after cute buildings and colorful streets one area you might want to check out is Østerbro (East Bridge). As the name suggests, it is east of the city center, but if you are on foot, it is a beautiful walk along the lakes in the center to the quite mum and dad part of town. Also located in this area is the Little Mermaid. Depending on what time of year you are there taking a walk around the area the Little Mermaid is in is highly recommended. In spring time it is surrounded with cherry blossoms and an incredibly beautiful site. One street, in particular, you may want to check out is Olufsvej.
Østerbro
Just a few hundred meters from the Little Mermaid.
Nørrebro
The next area to check out is Nørrebro or North bridge. It is more the arty hipster area of the city, and there are many nice cafes and restaurants in the area. There is also an area in the north of this suburb called Super Kilen Park. It is a mix of different cultural elements from all over the world combined with one long park walk. It is photogenic and very interesting just to observe. Just a bit south of here, but also in the same area, there is a beautiful cemetery called Hans Tavsens Park. It is normal for people to bring food and blankets in summer and sit around and have lunch and enjoy the sun.
Super Kilen Park
Nørrebro lakes, frozen in the winter.
Bispebjerg Cemetery
Just outside of Nørrebro to the north is a place called Bispebjerg Cemetery. This is the most spectacular place to go and see the cherry blossoms if you are here in spring. However it can get a little crowded, but I have seen it without anyone, although rare. It is also a fantastic place to go and explore if you are fortunate enough to be here when it is snowing.
The cherry blossoms.
Architecture
Now if architecture is your thing, then there is so many amazing places and one of the best things to do just ride around and go down small streets everywhere, and you will find some amazing stuff. From modern to ancient architecture Copenhagen has it completely covered
Vest Amager-Mountain Island
A few points of interest are scattered in a few different neighborhoods. One is located in Vest Amager. You can take the metro there and then get out and explore on foot. The whole area was designed by Bjarke Ingels to look like the only thing Copenhagen is missing which is a mountain range. The entire area is a concept area, but individual buildings are still really unique
Just one of the buildings in vest Amager group.
Another one of the mountain buildings in Vest Amager.
Christania
Christania is known for its semi-legal weed trade, which is somewhat tolerated by the government. This was until just recently when there was some trouble inside, and the locals that live in there decided to close it down. Drugs were never my thing but it is an old castle that was squatted decades ago but a bunch of hippies, and they turned it into this fantastic place. If you want to get out of the main area and take a walk around the lake, you will see all these crazy self-made buildings that are just as eccentric as the people living in there themselves. Read more about Freetown Christiania – Copenhagen’s Hippie Town
This is my personal favourite from Christania.
This is a recent edition only finished last year (2015).
Tuborg Havn
Another one with a combination of modern and ancient architecture is Tuborg Havn in the north of Østerbro. It is on the water. It is a lovely area for boats also and a beautiful view of Sweden.
Modern Danish architecture at Tuborg Havn.
What to Eat in Copenhagen
Ok so this is maybe the most typical danish food you can get it is called smørrebrød I cant really translate that to english but the closest pronunciation I could give would maybe be smuurbro. It is hard to say with english vowels. 🙂 Read more about the Street Food in Copenhagen at Papiroen by clicking here.
Where to Stay in Copenhagen
With the places to stay i would suggest Vesterbro or Nørrebro. Vesterbro is so central it is kind of perfect to get around there is a really nice hostel called Urban House one block from central station and it means you can get anywhere in about 10 minutes on bike or 30 minutes walking so it is perfect. Vesterbro is also the area where there are a lot of really nice restaurants popping up and a huge amount of nice bars, clubs and wine and cocktail bars so it has almost everything. Some luxury hotels to consider are Hotel d’Angleterre and Copenhagen Marriott Hotel
Like I said the best way to get around for all of this is by bike. Copenhagen is an amazing city with a lot to see and do. Photographers love it. Cyclists love it. People who love culture and exploring n places love Copenhagen.
Thank you Dane for sharing wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen with us. I had to say it. He can be followed on his social media accounts Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest.
very nice post
Thank you
I miss the four seasons that I am so used to living over that way. I have had the chance to visit Copenhagen when I was 15, but on a guided school trip and I hardly remember anything more than that they sell beer to 16 year old’s and that the architecture was adorable. After reading this, it looks like I might have to head back and properly explore the areas!
I love that you remember the important things:) I am looking fwd to visit Copenhagen one day.
I like how the cemetery is beautiful in both the winter covered in snow and in the spring when the cherry blossoms are in bloom. Frankly, I didn’t know much about Copenhagen other than the Little Mermaid statue and Christania. It looks like a great place to visit (repeatedly).
I agree, we have this firmly on our list.
Thanks for all the information on Copenhagen. Your photos show some interesting architecture.
We were happy to publish this guest post on Copenhagen.
The winter photos of Copenhagen look beautiful and thanks for the lovely guide to the city! #wkndtravelinspiration
Aren’t they lovely.
Lovely post – though I have visited Denmark (Aarhus/Jutland) I haven’t yet been to Copenhagen (and I have relatives there so free accommodation)…it is on my definite must visit list for next year so this is such a brilliantly useful post! Thanks ?
Thank you, and it is a great guide to the city
A great list of things to try when I get to Copenhagen!
Thanks, it is a handy guide with lovely photos too.
Very nice pictures and good points overall. That said there are quite a few factual mistakes.
– Østerbro (East Bridge) is not located to the east of the city center. It is located to the north.
– Christiania is located to the east, in the neighborhood of Christianshavn. Also, Christiania was never a castle. It was an army barracks located within the larger fortifications surrounding Christianshavn and the inner city.
– Nørrebro is strictly speaking not a suburb and Super Kilen is located in the western part of Nørrebro.
– Hans Tausens Park is a very nice park, but not a cemetery. The big cemetery next to Hans Tausens Park is called Assistens Kirkegård.
– Nørrebro is arty and somewhat hipster, but I think all locals would agree that the area of Vesterbro is more so.
– Bjarke Ingels was part of the team behind Super Kilen, but he did not design the entire area of Vest Amager, which is really called Ørestad. He design 4 buildings in the 5 km and 600 m wide urban plan. The first photo from the area is of The Mountain, the second is of the V-building, which was built at the same time as the neighboring M-building (not pictured). Last photo shows The Mountain again. One mile further south is the BIG House.
Thank you. I have asked my guest poster to check these, and will amend the article accordingly.
Hey Andreas you are actually right about all of that I think.
Christiania was completely a barracks, I just didn’t really make that much of a distinction between them in my head haha. We don’t really have either in Australia.
I had no idea about Nørrebro not being a suburb. My Farmor was raised in Nørrebro and my Far was also raised in Nørrebro that is where they told me they are from and I have always been told it is a suburb. So that one is completely news to me.
The park I just sort of used as a location land mark for people using this as a guide to find the area. That and the cemetery are joint so I just used one name instead of two.
Maybe hipster was the wrong word for Nørrebro artist district may have been more appropriate.
Also I just remember watching a TED talk with Bjarke and he was talking about the development in Ørestad designing a series of buildings to look like a mountain range from a pulled back perspective. I suppose I just kind of assumed that most of that area was developed by him and his group. I just used Vest Amager as a good starting point to explore the area. It is close to the larger buildings and you can walk from there up through the area and see the rest of the nice buildings.
I never thought anyone would dig so deep into this haha. I suppose I don’t look at it in such a technical way. I was just kind of trying to make it as easy as possible for people to put something into google maps and find where they wanted to go. haha but thank you for the corrections. 🙂
Love this, great info and those pictures . . . wow!
Thanks and the photos are awesome.
Wow you have shared a new side to visiting Copenhagen! And it certainly looks beautiful in the winter! #wkendtravelinspiration
(Ps – I will upload the link up pic when I have internet again and am not on my phone!) Happy Holidays!
Many thanks. We were very happy with this guest post, and intend to do more beginners guides.Happy Holidays to you too 🙂