Of all the cities I have visited in the past few weeks, I think Copenhagen (København) is the most livable. It’s a bit on the expensive side, but has very good public transport, international links by train, road, ferry and plane, and everything is very efficient and environmentally friendly. What I liked the most about it is that the city contains a wealth of historical buildings and palaces, but there is plenty of new construction that actually manages to complement the existing architecture. Usually I am not a fan of modern buildings, but the quality and elegance of design here is truly wonderful.
Old and new architecture complement each other on the canal.
Lots of cyclists in Copenhagen!
A great thing to do when you first arrive in the city is to go on a canal tour. This includes a guided tour in English – lots of insights into the life of the city. Some of the canals are lined by lively bars and cafés, while others are in quiet upscale residential neighborhoods. We passed under many low bridges – one we even had to duck our heads for and the boat scraped against the narrow sides! There were many sailboats moored along the edges of the canals. One of the old warehouses we passed is home to Noma, rated the number one restaurant in the world for 2010 and 2011. It serves traditional Danish cuisine, and if you want a table you have to reserve at least six months in advance! We passed by the visually stunning Royal Opera – there was an opera going on that evening and lots of people in black tie attire.
Canal at sunset.
One of the many canals that criss-cross the city.
Another canal!
Noma - The Number 1 restaurant in the world in 2010 and 2011.
Tall ship in one of the larger canals.
This is one of the most expensive apartment buildings in the city.
The Royal Opera House. There was a show going on - you could see people in black tie inside.
The Royal Library (left) and Playhouse (right). We could see the actors getting ready in the upper windows!
My favorite building in the city was the Børsen, or old stock exchange, next to Christiansborg Palace. Built in the 17th century, this spire is composed of the intertwining tails of four dragons. The sculptures outside the palace also provided and interesting old vs. new contrast.
The Børsen.
Christiansborg Palace.
Christiansborg Palace tower.
Copenhagen is easy to explore on foot. The Strøget is the world’s longest pedestrianized street, with lots of shops we have at home as wells as cafes and street musicians. My favorite was the Lego store (Lego was invented in Denmark). If I had one more day in Denmark I would have made the trek to the mainland (Jutland) to Legoland.
Lego store on the Strøget.
Fountain near the Strøget.
From the top of the Round Tower – formerly used as an astronomy tower, you can see the Øresund Bridge, opened only a few years ago and providing the only land connection between Denmark and Sweden.
View of the city from the Round Tower.
View of the Øresund bridge, connecting Denmark to Sweden.
In the middle of a beautiful park is Rosenborg Slot, the summer palace of the Danish monarchs. It’s actually quite small for a palace, but contains several rooms stacked floor to ceiling with priceless porcelain. The best part of the visit was the incredible crown jewel collection in the basement. I think the photos speak for themselves!
Rosenborg Slot.
Beautiful furnishings in Rosenborg Slot.
The Throne Room.
There were entire rooms full of porcelain.
The Danish Crown Jewels.
Nearby is the Kastellet, or Citadel, still in use by the Danish Military. There is a beautiful park nearby and a charming Anglican Church, inaugurated by Princess Alexandra, Princess of Denmark and later Queen Consort of the United Kingdom. A short walk away is the statue of the Little Mermaid, the most famous symbol of Denmark. She’s actually quite small, and looks a little sad. She was built in 1913, inspired by the story by Hans Christian Andersen, probably the most famous Dane in history. Several body parts, including her head, have been stolen over the years, but at least for when I was there she had all of her parts!
Charming Anglican church.
Fountain in front of the church.
Still lots of great flowers in the park - even in September!
The Little Mermaid.
Worth visiting is the free Frihedsmuseet, or the Danish National Resistance Movement Museum. This is a good opportunity to learn about life in Denmark during the Nazi Occupation in WW2. A major source of resistance was in the form of industrial sabotage, because every time a Nazi soldier was killed by a Dane they would retaliate by murdering random citizens. One of the most amazing results of the resistance movement was the effort by the citizens of Denmark to save more than 7000 Jews by smuggling them to safety in Sweden the day before the Nazis were going to deport them (a plan they thought was secret). Only 50 of 7,000 Danish Jews perished in the concentration camps. The King was very involved in this, as he got on the radio – at a great risk to his personal safety - to ask to Danish citizens to protect their compatriots. There were also more subtle symbols of resistance, such as hats with the colors of the Union Jack and the headband in the picture below, which shows the notes to “Rule Britannia”. The cufflinks in the back right spell our “Long live free Denmark” in Morse code!
Subtle rebellion: The headband spells out the notes to "Rule Britannia", and the cufflinks are embossed with "Long live free Denmark" in Morse code.
Down the canal is the Amalienborg Palace, the official residence of the Royal family. The flag flying from one of the buildings indicates the Crownprincess is currently in residence. The Palace is acutally four separate buildings, centered on a beautiful square. One of the buildings was open to the public, and contained the offices of the last few Danish kings, just as the owners left them. Fortunately we were there for the Changing of the Guard.
Amalienborg Palace. There are two buildings identical to these on the opposite side of the square.
Office of the late King Frederik IX, father of the current Queen Margrethe II.
Very strange goblet in the royal collection!
The Changing of the Guard.
Interior of the nearby Marmokirken Church, which has one of the largest domes in Europe.
The liveliest part of Copenhagen was along the bustling Nyhavn Canal, formerly the home of sailors, tattoo parlors and brothels, but now home to cafés, restaurants and pubs.
Nyhavn Canal.
With Jordan on the Nyhavn Canal. So good to see friends from home! Also met up with Jen, another friend from Queen's.
Nyhavn Canal.
Tucked-away amidst all of the historical neighborhoods and new office buildings is Christiania – a “free town” established in 1971 with essentially no laws and no rent. If you plan on visiting, make it a quick walk through and try not to look too much like a tourist – it's a pretty sketchy neighborhood. Lots of graffiti and an active drug scene, although it’s a pretty peaceful place. There are 1000 people that live there permanently, and it’s the third largest tourist attraction in Denmark, with half a million visitors a year!
One of the star attractions at night are the Tivoli Gardens, a 150-year-old amusement park that is one of the most famous sites in Copenhagen. At night the rides and pavilions are all lit up – very cool!
Main entrance to Tivoli Gardens. You can see one of the rides in the distance. The park is right in the centre of the city, across the street from the central train station.
The entire park is lit up at night, with millions of lightbulbs.
The park is on Hans Christian Andersens Blvd, named after the Danish author of some of the world most well-known fairy tales, such as Cinderella and The Little Mermaid.
I would definitely recommend the hostel I stayed in here “Copenhagen City Hostel”. 15 minutes from the train station and right next to the tourist area. Nicest hostel I have even been in - clean and modernized.
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