Copenhagen offers the perfect blend of modern architecture and culture with sustainable living practices, royal history, and an exciting restaurant scene. No matter if your interests lie in cobblestone streets or art – Copenhagen has something to offer everyone!
Hans Christian Andersen, ballet master August Bournonville and philosopher Sren Kierkegaard all hail from this bustling city of cobblestone streets and old timber homes.
1. Tivoli Gardens
Tivoli Gardens are world-famous pleasure gardens filled with cafes, restaurants and open-air theatres. From flower-lined paths and pagodas to waterfalls and colorful nighttime festivals – Tivoli Gardens provide an entrancing experience that you won’t forget anytime soon.
Established by Georg Carstensen in 1843, Copenhagen’s Magic Gardens Park has long been renowned for its magical atmosphere. Visitors from around the globe have visited this incredible cultural landmark since it first opened.
Tivoli Gardens boasts a rich tradition while simultaneously evolving and innovating – keeping its original spirit alive and well. A visit to Tivoli Gardens is sure to leave a lasting impression – from meeting friends at Pierrot Statue’s popular meeting point to taking photos by the traditional Chinese-style Pantomime Theatre’s decorative peacock tail as photo spots; its traditional Chinese-style Pantomime Theatre also makes a wonderful photo op. The Tivoli Youth Guard (boys choir of Tivoli) perform classical music while in summer you can listen out for Friday Rock.
2. The Little Mermaid
Denmark’s capital city, Copenhagen is an epicenter for culture. From Hans Christian Andersen’s classic tale “The Little Mermaid” on Langelinie Pier (Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale setting) to an abundance of museums and theaters – as well as being a home for craft beer innovation with leading microbreweries such as Copenhagen Brew House leading the charge.
Melody, Ariel and Eric’s daughter, becomes unwittingly involved in Morgana (Ursula’s sister). Though forbidden from swimming in the ocean by her parents, she sneaks out anyway to swim and discovers her mermaid heritage.
Families can have conversations about whether or not this movie was scary and why. Furthermore, they could discuss why The Little Mermaid remains superior due to the difficulty associated with filming underwater sequences for this movie which took much longer than expected to complete.
3. Amalienborg Palace
Amalienborg Palace in Copenhagen is one of its most striking attractions. Consisting of four ornately designed town mansions built for nobility that were later connected together into one octagon-shaped structure, Amalienborg became the official residence for Denmark’s royal family after Christiansborg burned down in 1794.
Nicholas Eigtved’s master plan called for four identical rococo mansions built as town manor houses for various nobility families located around an octagon. Builders had to meet stringent architectural specifications while meeting strict time frames – these buildings boast light rococo elements from both German and French design styles that give it its distinctive appearance.
Royal family members still reside at Amalienborg today, and it is customary that the monarch resides in one of four palaces while his or her heir to the throne resides in another palace. Two others serve as offices and Supreme Court facilities for government offices and Supreme Court; these four palaces can all be visited via the Amalienborg Museum to gain insight into royal history.
4. The National Gallery
Ask any beer enthusiast what Copenhagen is known for and they’ll undoubtedly mention its longstanding brewery scene. But looking deeper reveals an incredible cultural legacy far beyond Carlsberg Brewery itself.
The National Gallery of Denmark, commonly referred to as SMK, is one of Denmark’s premier museums with an expansive collection of Danish and international art. This museum seamlessly unifies both classical works as well as modern creations to produce an engaging exhibition.
Joakim Skovaard’s skin-crawling Christ in the Realm of the Dead and Mantegna’s The Judgement of Solomon are among many older works housed by this museum, while modern paintings and sculptures from Eckersberg, Kobke and Hammershoy can also be found here. Additionally, The National Gallery offers regular exhibitions and activities specifically geared toward helping kids learn about art while developing creative abilities.
5. The National Museum
Copenhagen will delight those interested in culture, food and drink with its combination of modern architecture and culture, sustainable living practices and royal history – not to mention an amazing restaurant scene!
Summertime in Copenhagen is ideal, when long, pleasant days make the city’s cosy charm shine through. Tourism also peaks during this season and popular sights like Tivoli Gardens and Christiansborg Palace may draw crowds of visitors.
Spring or autumn are also ideal times to visit Copenhagen as the weather is pleasant yet not overcrowded. Take a canal cruise and gain insight into its rich history or visit Rundetaarn (The Round Tower), home to Europe’s oldest functioning observatory with stunning panoramic views over Copenhagen – free with your Copenhagen Card!
6. Christianborg Palace
Christiansborg Palace stands as one of Copenhagen’s most spectacular landmarks, its towers soaring skyward as an icon for the city. At its centre is Denmark’s power and government; additionally it houses Folketinget (Danish parliament).
Christiansborg Palace was designed in a Neo-Baroque style and offers visitors an incredible sight when visiting. While one of the youngest palaces in Denmark, its long history dates back to 1167 when a castle or palace stood here.
Underneath the current palace lies the remains of Bishop Absalon’s medieval castle and Copenhagen Castle, both dating back centuries. Visitors are free to explore these relics, mostly consisting of base stones from these old structures. Additionally, Royal Reception Rooms feature furniture and works of art salvaged from these earlier palaces; whilst Great Hall boasts three large Kraesten Iversen paintings depicting legislative, executive and judicial powers united under one roof.
7. The Church of Our Lady
Copenhagen is best visited during its vibrant summer months when attractions are open and weather is mild; this also happens to be when airfare and hotel rates tend to increase the most; budget travelers might benefit more by planning their visit for spring or fall when prices tend to be more reasonable and crowds smaller.
The city center of Copenhagen is designed for pedestrians, making it the ideal place for strolling. All major attractions can be reached easily on foot from Kongens Nytorv. A stroll along Stroget, Europe’s longest street, leads from there to Radhuspladsen where City Hall dominates with red brick. After that it is possible to cross the harbor by foot to Nyhavn and enjoy colourful 17th and 18th-century houses dotted along its streets – many boasting cafes on their ground floors!
Foodies will enjoy exploring the vibrant culinary scene in Toronto. At Michelin-star restaurant The Alchemist–which boasts one of the toughest reservations–guests enter through an ominous, hand-carved door to experience nearly 50 courses served up in an atmosphere filled with performance art and multisensory decor.
8. The Danish National Library
Christianshavn neighborhood of Copenhagen boasts one of Copenhagen’s most eye-catching architectural landmarks – The Black Diamond Library Expansion (nicknamed for its dark granite cladding). At 17,000 square meters it is also one of Scandinavia’s largest libraries offering plenty of impressive corners to discover.
The Danish National Library is Denmark’s primary scholarly and research library. Established as King Frederik III’s personal collection in 1749, its possession became state property when Denmark transitioned into constitutional monarchy in 1849.
Today, Denmark is a pioneer of open access (OA), hosting Knowledge Bade as its central national repository/aggregator. Their OA strategy was first unveiled in 2014 with an aim of having at least 80% of peer-reviewed scientific articles available OA within twelve months after embargo (excluding conference proceedings and monographs ). DEFF (Denmark’s Educational Fellowship Forum ) currently manages license negotiations on behalf of this library consortium comprising all Danish universities as well as higher education institutions, research centres, hospitals and public libraries) as a consortium they manage license negotiations on their behalf. Together they currently house over 5 Million titles OA titles!
9. The National Opera
Henning Larsen designed one of the most breathtaking new opera houses to ever be constructed – an eye-catching 41,000 sqm space that includes five subterranean floors for its 14 total.
The large auditorium features southern German Jura Gelb limestone on its walls and Sicilian Perlatino marble in its foyer, perfect for opera and ballet performances, including stage lifts and moveable ballet floors; additionally, an orchestra pit is located beneath the main stage to ensure excellent sound quality.
Before and after each performance at the Opera, its foyer creates an equally breathtaking scene. Consisting of stairs, balconies, and light footbridges – it completes the historical axis running from Marble Church through Amalienborg and finally to its own stage – its depths offer something new every time it opens its doors.