Things to see & do in Copenhagen

On my first day visiting Copenhagen, the first thing we did was get bikes, and cycle them down to a beautiful restaurant in the popular Vesterbro neighbourhood. We dined on fresh fish, washed down with local lager, and the restaurant staff were so friendly that they gave us a tour of the kitchen afterwards.

There are few world capital cities in which I’ve felt instantly felt at home – but this is one of them. Less than a million people live here, across two islands crossed with canals and lakes. There’s water so clean you can swim in the harbour, roads with more bikes on them than cars, and cafes decked out in Scandi interior design, selling good coffee and even better pastries. Even the tanning salons look better here than they do in my city.

Denmark is routinely named one of the happiest countries in the world. Whilst you could easily spend your time here simply living the life, there’s also plenty to see. Without further ado, here’s what to see and do in Copenhagen.

Hanging out with a group of friends who lived in Copenhagen, I loved how everyone jumped on their bike to move between venues, so we whizzed along as a silent armada through the city. This is one of the world’s flattest capitals, so most routes make for pleasant pedalling. Still you can go by e-bike if you fancy a boost, the Danes are enthusiastic adopters of electric bikes. On our holidays you can take a cycling tour with a local guide – no better way to learn city bike etiquette.

Alternatively, explore beyond the shore. Going by boat you can get a waterline view of a waterside city, which means you can admire the architecture of Copenhagen landmarks like the Opera House, Amalienborg Palace, and the Black Diamond (a very stylish-looking library). You can go bobbing by the beloved Little Mermaid statue, which sits perched on a rock looking out over the water.

There's one slope of consequence in this rather flat city – CopenHill is a dry ski slope built on the roof of a waste management centre, which has been planted with trees and plants to create a surprising haven. Rent skis for some of the best views of the city.

As a seafood lover, one of my favourite experiences in Copenhagen was gorging on local oysters at a fishmonger’s counter. Sea-surrounded Denmark exports a lot of seafood, and you can get catch of the day everywhere from Torvehallerne market to its trendy new Nordic cuisine restaurants, to salmon-topped smørrebrød (open topped sandwiches) served in simple lunch spots.

Danes are keen coffee drinkers, and you’re surrounded by near-constant temptations to pop into a bakery or café whenever you’re walking around: for pastries or a simple breakfast bun with butter and cheese. As the day wears on, it’s time to switch to beer – the giants are Tuborg and Carlsberg, and there are smoky dive bars and bodegas where you can hole up for a drink. Our holidays in Copenhagen often include the chance for a private culinary tour, and when it comes to fancy dishes this city dazzles – having the most Michelin stars of any place in Scandinavia.

When I think of Danish design, I often think of the simple chair – and Designmuseum Denmark has enough elegant examples to make you do a standing ovation. If it’s history you’re after, see a 9,000-year-old bow – old enough to have hunted extinct aurochs – try and decipher Medieval runestones, and admire Viking helmets: all in Copenhagen’s National Museum of Denmark, where over 40,000 objects are on display. Alternatively, head to Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek (‘glyptotek’: place where sculptures are kept). There are Roman, Greek and Egyptian treasures, plus plenty of paintings, too, in collections centred around a domed winter garden.

Befitting to a country with one of the oldest monarchies, there are palaces aplenty in Copenhagen. The main home of the royal family is Amalienborg Palace, guarded by the king’s royal bodyguards: changing of the guard is a popular attraction. For their crown jewels, though, you’ll need to go to the cellar under Rosenborg Castle, the royal summer residence. Outside, Kongens Have (Kings Garden) is popular with picnickers – the city’s most-visited park has one of Europe’s longest flowerbeds, and a puppet theatre in summer.

The city has some beautiful churches, among them Marmorkirken, the marble church – officially Frederik’s Church, with its massive dome, and Church of Our Saviour, where you can brave a spiral staircase with 400 steps – the last 150 external – for lovely city views. A little further out, Grundvig’s Church is an expressionist building that unfolds onto the large, cherry blossom-lined Bispebjerg cemetery.

"When the people are amusing themselves, they do not think about politics," – so said the founder of Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens in the 1840s, to get permission from King Christian VIII to build what is now Scandinavia’s most-visited theme park. More scenic and historic than high octane, the park hosts events and performances and has 30 theme park rides, including one of the world’s oldest rollercoasters.

For more historic charm without an entry fee, get yourself down to Nyhavn: this little row of colourful houses around a harbour sits in contrast to Copenhagen’s design behemoths, reminding you of the city’s small beginnings. Hans Christian Andersen wrote some of his first fairy tales here.

Copenhagen also has its own ‘freetown’. Christiania, one of the city’s most visited areas, is a commune settled by artists, where you can drink hemp-based beer and buy from local artisans. Finally, if you fancy seeking out some even more ‘underground’ culture, head to Frederiksberg to catch an art installation set among the brick archways of the city’s ancient cisterns at Cisternerne below Sondermarken park.

Copenhagen and its surrounds are easy to explore by bike; the city has been designed with cyclists in mind. The architectural BIG bike tour is a 22km route through Copenhagen that acquaints you with the architecture of Danish architect Bjarke Ingels. You can take a cycle superhighway – infrastructure favoured by cycling commuters – to explore suburbs beyond the centre. Head to Bagsvaerd to see a 20th-century church designed by Jorn Utzon.

To go further afield, pop your bike on a train and go from Copenhagen Central Station, then cycle onwards to further destinations, and cycle back to the city.

One of Copenhagen’s best loved galleries is the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, which is an easy train ride out of the city. If there’s somewhere worthy of a day trip, it’s this coastal museum of modern art, with its galleries, sculpture garden and gorgeous restaurant. It’s worth joining the queue to see the Yayoi Kusama installation ‘Gleaming Lights of the Souls’.

Head further up along the Oresund to the impressive Kronborg Palace which served as Shakespeare’s inspiration for the setting of Hamlet: actors pop up as you walk around, re-enacting scenes and wielding weapons.

Frederiksborg Castle is just north of Copenhagen, set on islands in a lake, its formal gardens outside mirrored by even more stately rooms set out within. Our Copenhagen cycling holiday takes you via transfers and trains, and includes a route featuring Roskilde, with its impressive cathedral, and the Viking Ship Museum before you catch the cycle superhighway back to that captivating capital again.