Tours in København

Copenhagen was built around a harbour that Bishop Absalon fortified in 1167, which is roughly where the city's own founding story starts. About 660,000 people live here now. Canals still cut through the centre, and most of what matters sits within walking distance of the water.

The old harbour and beyond

Nyhavn's coloured townhouses line the old harbour and are the single most photographed street in the city. Tivoli Gardens sits nearby. It opened in 1843 and remains one of the oldest amusement parks still running anywhere.

• The Little Mermaid. The harbourside bronze statue unveiled in 1913, smaller in person than every photo suggests.
• Strøget. The car-free spine of shopping streets through the centre, useful as a walking route as much as a destination.
• Christiania. The self-governing freetown founded in 1971, still standing in Christianshavn with its own rules on photography.

How people get around and out

Bikes outnumber cars for daily trips across the city, and rental bikes work for visitors on the same flat, well-marked lanes.

• Canal tours. Boats leave from Nyhavn and loop past the opera house, the Little Mermaid and the newer harbour developments.
• Food tours. Smørrebrød and New Nordic cooking both get their own walking tours through Vesterbro and the market halls.
• Malmö, Sweden. A full-day trip across the Øresund Bridge, under an hour away by train.

Practical

• Weather. July in the city averages about 21C and January hovers at freezing; rain turns up in any month. Midsummer light lasts until late evening, while December sunset comes before four.
• Getting there. The metro reaches the airport from the centre in about fifteen minutes.
• Getting around. A rental bike covers the centre faster than a taxi in traffic; the metro and buses fill in the rest.
• Money. Copenhagen is one of the pricier capitals in Europe; cards, including contactless, cover almost everything.
• Rhythm. Many museums close on Mondays, and dinner reservations matter more on weekends than most visitors expect.