It’s the bicycles you notice first when you arrive after the 15-minute journey by metro from Copenhagen Airport into Kongens Nytorv, the large cobbled square in Copenhagen city centre.
Cycling with confidence and speed along cycle lanes that run between the footpaths and roads, these bipedal owners seem to be going in all directions but the pedestrians, bus drivers and the trickle of cars seem to understand the hierarchy.
The bicycle is king in the Danish capital, and you’ll see adults carrying children, shopping and sometimes even another adult on their bikes. We even witnessed two people transporting a sofa on a large front carrier of a bicycle during our visit.
Copenhagen is one of the best cycling cities in the world, and is nearing its goal of becoming a carbon neutral city by 2025 with more cyclists than cars.
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Although smartphones have made paper maps almost obsolete for most of us, one of my favourite things to do when I arrive in a new city is to wander aimlessly with a paper map. Somehow it gives you a different perspective on the city, Copenhagen included, allowing you to discover a low-key place to eat along the interconnecting lakes that divide the city centre (Indre By) to Norrebro in the north, or a stylish coffee shop in the elegant streets of Frederiksberg in the west, or the vintage shops in the slightly grittier streets of Vesterbro in the south.
We spent our first day of three walking through elegant palace yards (and even caught the formal changing of the guard, which happens at noon every day at Amalienborg Palace), along pedestrian shopping streets, into city gardens, past monumental museums and crossing over canals.
There is plenty to see in Copenhagen beyond the brightly coloured facades of restaurants and bars in Nyhavn, the new harbour area, which is a magnet for tourists. And since the city streets aren‘t dominated by motorised vehicles, spending time here is a less stressful experience than in other car-clogged places.
But all those bicycles are hard to ignore, so we decided to do as the Danes do and hired some on day two. Travelling at a slower pace than the locals, cycling allowed us to cover more ground and explore further.
We opted to cycle north of Nyhavn along the harbour side to see the statue of the Little Mermaid, one of the symbols of Copenhagen. Perched on a rock near Churchill Park, the tiny sculpture by Edward Eriksen was inspired by ballerina Ellen Price, who in 1909 danced the leading role in a ballet based on the Hans Christian Andersen‘s 19th-century fairy tale.
Bicycles are a great way to explore the outer reaches of the city too. And while Christianshavn, with its famous hippie quarter, Freetown Christiania, is perhaps not as relaxed as it was in previous decades (Pusher Street, where cannabis was openly sold despite being illegal in Denmark, was closed down in 2024 after gang-related violence), it still draws tourists.
We cycled north to the former industrial site at Refshaleoen, passing by the world-famous restaurant Noma, in its low-key site surrounded by glasshouses and wetlands. We were in awe of the new residential buildings in this expanding quarter.
Onwards we went to see the floating student houses at Urban Ritter, passing another urban farm and one of Copenhagen‘s coolest restaurants, La Banchina. Gro Spiseri, also surrounded by an urban farm in Osterbro district, is another popular eating spot with sustainability credentials.
And, not to be overshadowed, Copenhagen‘s waste to energy plant, Copenhill – another short cycle away – also attracts visitors to ski down its purpose-built ski slope or rock climb, and the views are spectacular from its rooftop cafe on a clear day. This whole Amager quarter has undergone urban renewal with lots of striking residential buildings.
Although we arrived too early in the season to indulge in the warm evening atmosphere, I have fond memories of a previous visit, sitting close to the stunning Opera House, eating street food from the popular, Reffen Street Food Market. Broens Street Food (Bridge Street Kitchen), just over the Inderhavn‘s bridge on the Christiania side, is another popular outdoor eating spot where everyone can grab a dish of their choice. The indoors Tivoli Food Market near the central train station is an good option for rainy days. Smørrebrød – open sandwiches with rye bread loaded high with everything from herring to roast beef – are a must.
Organic food is a big thing in Denmark; a quarter of all food sold in Copenhagen is organic, and due to a a government policy, it makes up 88 per cent of food served in schools, hospitals and other public institutions.
We didn‘t have deep enough pockets to sample the many Michelin star restaurants, but the pastries in the artisan bakeries were too hard to resist. A cube-shaped pastry filled with pistachio cream and an excellent almond croissant were among the highlights.
There is also a rich choice of museums – from Danish 19th- and 20th-century art in the Hirschspurng Collection just north of the National Gallery, to the Museum of Danish Resistance, to the tiny Happiness Museum with its focus on wellbeing and quality of life. Although it rains a lot and the winters are long, the Danes are deemed to be among the happiest nationalities in the world.
We opted to visit the Danish Design Museum, housed in a former city-centre hospital with a stunning courtyard garden. With exhibitions on patterns, lamps and table setting through the ages and 19th- and 20th-century chairs, it is a great place to gain an understanding of the key principles of Danish design, which first came to international prominence in the mid 1950s and continues to flourish.
Copenhagen takes its design seriously, and although you mightn‘t get beyond a glimpse through apartment windows to see how the residents live, you can wander through the numerous furniture design showrooms antique shops, clothing boutiques and art galleries at your leisure.
If you have more time, there are lots of other museums, including the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, which would require a day trip from the city centre.
And, as mentioned, the contemporary architecture in this city is so striking that Copenhagen is the Unesco-UIA World Capital of Architecture from 2023-2026. You’ll see most of it as you wander by, but essential buildings to keep an eye out for include the Black Diamond Royal Library on the harbour, the nearby Blox Danish Architecture Centre, the Royal Danish Playhouse and of course the Opera House.
Finally, if you’re travelling in the summer months, pack your swimming gear and join locals in one of the seven swimming spots on the harbour. Proud of the cleanliness of the harbour water, taking a lunchtime dip is as popular as weekend trips to places such as Island Brygge. You can also rent boats (goboat.dk) to tour the harbour and canals in your own time afterwards.
