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Capital and most populous city of Denmark
Photo: Flickr user: Casper Moller London, United Kingdom https://www.flickr.com/people/caspermoller/, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Copenhagen (Danish: København) is the capital city of Denmark and forms the moderate conurbation that one million Danes call home. It is big enough to form a small Danish metropolis, with shopping, culture and nightlife par excellence, yet small enough still to feel intimate and be safe. Although mixed in its urban scene, the city is easy to navigate. Overlooking the Øresund Strait, connected to Sweden by a 15-km bridge-tunnel. Copenhagen serves as a cultural and geographic link between the Nordic countries and central Europe. Copenhagen is where old fairy tales blend with flashy modern architecture and world-class design; where warm jazz mixes with crisp electronica from Copenhagen's basements. You could feel you have seen all of Copenhagen in one day, but further exploration will keep you discovering more for months.
Centrum, the Medieval City — a place of many names, and the historical heart of Copenhagen, dotted with church spires, historic buildings, narrow alleys and excellent shopping.
A thriving area notable for its many canals and cozy cafes. The Freetown of Christiania is situated in the eastern section of Christianshavn, along with the old naval area, turned trendy: Holmen.
This district still has a few sex shops and sleazy hotels left, but is now one of the hippest places to live, with cafes and bars dotted along its main artery, Istedgade.
An area which formed around Frederiksberg Castle. It remains an independent municipality. Surrounded by the City of Copenhagen, the area has preserved a special conservative, upscale feel.
One of the most vibrant parts of Copenhagen, especially along Nørrebrogade, with a mix of immigrants, students, and original working-class Nørrebro-inhabitants.
A affluent and cozy neighbourhood north of the centre. Less vibrant than Nørrebro and Vesterbro, and less quaint than Frederiksberg, it is the home of the famous Little Mermaid statue, and the beautifully preserved Kastellet Citadel. The area west of the train track is very popular with young families.
Once a bastion of the working class, this island with its own distinct atmosphere is booming with new development. Also home of the airport and the biggest shopping mall in Copenhagen.
A visit to these green suburbs, beaches, parks, and Dyrehavsbakken — the world's oldest running amusement park; Frilandsmuseet — the world's largest open air museum; or canoeing down the Mill River, will leave no doubt that this is an altogether different kind of suburbia. It is colloquially known to locals as the "whisky belt", due to its many well-heeled residents. Ballerup, which has a charming museum of local history, is covered in a separate article.
The suburbs west and south of the city. Except for the good and very popular Arken art museum most attractions are small but still interesting. It has some good beaches and camping opportunities.
From the travel guide. Select a place for details, a map and what is nearby.
Held every year in August — Thursday-Saturday — outdoors at Frue Plads in central Copenhagen. The Crafts Fair has more than 130 exhibitors, all members of the Danish Arts and Crafts Association, exhibiting unique and small series of handmade Arts and Crafts in all categories: ceramic, glass, jewelery, textile, mixed media.
8-12 August 2017
Held in February and August. Copenhagen is fast emerging as a global fashion centre, with a host of both up-and-coming and already well established names. For two weeks each year more than 1,000 exhibitors and 50,000 guests come together and celebrate their accomplishments with lavish parties, catwalks at city landmarks, and three trade fairs.
1 May. A major event in Copenhagen. The main festivities are held in Fælledparken on Østerbro and they attract over 100,000 visitors in what has lately become a 50/50 mix of a gigantic party and a political rally with speeches, happenings, and concerts. Two travelling amusement parks also set up their gear for the day, one by the main entrance at Trianglen and one in the eastern part of the park.
Held in the first week of June. The longest and wildest party you could ever go to. Over 60 parties in five days in each of the city districts, outdoors on the city streets and squares, in the clubs and three seriously huge parties. Over 32,000 people usually partying away between Wednesday and Sunday.
Held in July and August. Danish television station 'TV2 Zulu' plays open air films in various parks and squares of Copenhagen. There are movies in Danish and English and they are free to watch. You can buy beer and popcorn.
Held in early July. Features ten days of jazz everywhere in Copenhagen — parks, cafes, clubs, and theatres. Usually a few headline acts are on the program but there are more than 800 concerts to choose from and the real attraction is often the obscure concerts you bump into randomly in a park or square somewhere in the city.
Held in late July. A one day music festival in Valby Parken near Åparken station. It is a major event in Copenhagen with over 40,000 attending. There is usually an international headline act, along with several major Danish bands and the atmosphere is quite unique with people having picnics and beers on a huge field of grass in the park. Tickets are sold through Billetnet, both online and at post offices.
Held the first weekend in August. A big, free, chill-out event in one of the city parks. Top international DJs spin chill-out tunes on the decks, while people are relaxing in the sun and drinking beer. And the afterparty in one of the major clubs usually attracts some international headline acts.
Held in early August. Scandinavia's largest clubbing event. The organisers rightly pride themselves in carefully selecting high quality acts and more importantly the broad range of genres represented to make this an event with broad appeal to everyone in the Copenhagen nightlife scene.
Held in August. An annual electronic music festival. It is a gathering of the best promoters and vibrant venues Copenhagen has to offer, mixed up with events at squares, concert halls, or unusual locations throughout the city.
12-20 August 2023
A lavish LGBT parade. The week leading up to the parade is usually full of community events and parties. Count on the City Hall Square (Rådhuspladen) changing its name to Pride Square during the week and hosting live acts, concerts and debates.
Held in mid-October, on the last Friday before the school holiday in week 42. You buy a badge for kr 70 and get access to major museums, exhibitions, churches, libraries, schools, organizations, the parliament and other cultural attractions including some places that are not open to the public during the rest of the year. Open from 18:00 to midnight. Attracts about 100,000 people.
TBA October 2011
Held in Week 43. Ten days of gay and queer cinema at its very best with more than 130 screenings of the world's best feature films, short films, and documentaries with gay or queer relevance, culminating in a champagne party on the final day, when the best film of the year receives its award.
The biggest shop for boat equipment.
By train
Links between the capital and the rest of the country are frequent and excellent. There are several trains each hour to Malmö and further to Lund and Gothenburg.
By bus
Buses between Jutland and Copenhagen are only marginally cheaper than the train, although there are considerable discounts offered Monday to Thursday.
By boat
The ferry terminal (Færgeterminal Søndre Frihavn) at Dampfærgevej 30 is close to Nordhavn station. From there the Go Nordic Cruiseline departs for Oslo, Norway.
By car
Visiting Copenhagen by car means planning for where to park.
Fares
There are several ways to pay for a public transport journey in Copenhagen.
By train
The S-train (S-tog in Danish) is the backbone of the city's public transit system, and is very similar to the German S-Bahn and Parisian RER networks.
By metro
Copenhagen has a modern, clean and punctual metro system. It's made up of 4 lines:
By bus
Copenhagen has a fairly extensive and efficient bus network.
By boat
Going on a canal tour of the inner harbour and canals is an excellent and easy way to see many of the city's attractions, and fortunately there are many options depending on your taste and…
By taxi
Prices range between kr 11 and kr 16 per kilometre depending on the time of day. The flag-fall charge is kr 25. You can generally trust the price and the route taken.
By bicycle
The fastest and most flexible way of seeing Copenhagen and getting around is on a bike (with rentals available from most shops for a price ranging from kr 75 to kr 125 a day).
By scooter
Several companies rent out e-scooters using apps.
Choose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
Copenhagen · International · CPH
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