Roavina

City guide · Denmark

Copenhagen

A photograph of Copenhagen
Photograph · Pudelek · CC BY-SA 4.0

Copenhagen's compact centre sits around Indre By, with the harbour separating it from Christianshavn and Amager. Frederiksberg lies west as a separate municipality inside the urban fabric, while Norrebro and Osterbro extend north of the centre. Major visitor areas are connected by metro, trains, buses and cycle routes, and most central clusters remain practical to explore on foot.

Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor

Practical information
Language spoken
Danish
National practical orientation; regional and minority languages may also be used
Dialling code
+45
International calling code; local area and mobile prefixes still apply
Currency
Danish krone (DKK)
Use the official local currency; card acceptance varies by place
Emergency number
112
Use only for an emergency; tourist assistance may use a separate number
Plug type
Type C, E, F and K · 230 V
Check that chargers support the recorded voltage before using an adapter
Tap water
Safe from the mains
Public drinking water is monitored by Danish authorities

Turn this list into a plan

Set your days, your pace and the hours you actually want to be out. The planner works around closing days and travel time, and leaves room to eat.

Plan Copenhagen

Planning a visit

Suggested stay
Not recorded
Getting around
Walking, cycling, metro, train and bus
  1. January: viable with meaningful trade-offs
  2. February: viable with meaningful trade-offs
  3. March: viable with meaningful trade-offs
  4. April: good time to visit
  5. May: best time to visit
  6. June: best time to visit
  7. July: best time to visit
  8. August: best time to visit
  9. September: good time to visit — current month
  10. October: viable with meaningful trade-offs
  11. November: viable with meaningful trade-offs
  12. December: viable with meaningful trade-offs
  • Best time
  • Good time
  • Viable with trade-offs
  • Difficult conditions

Sources

Top things to see

Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.

Filter the list

29 places match
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Category

Historic monuments 29 Museums 23 Places of worship 13 Nature sites 14 Viewpoints 1 Food and drink 0 Markets and shopping 0 Entertainment 3 Nightlife 0 Family attractions 3 Art and culture 14 Activities 0

Typical visit duration

Up to 1 hour 27 1 to 2 hours 2

Interests

History 0 Art 0 Museums 0 Nature 0 Sea and beach 0 Viewpoints 0
  1. Nyhavn Nyhavn
    01 1 hour

    Nyhavn

    Nyhavn is a canal cut inland from Copenhagen's harbour with a quay down each side, addressed as Nyhavn 1-71, 1051 København K.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
  2. Rosenborg Castle Rosenborg Castle
    02 1 hr 30 min

    Rosenborg Castle

    Rosenborg Slot

    Rosenborg is a small Renaissance castle standing in the King's Garden, Kongens Have, a few streets north of the medieval centre of Copenhagen.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
  3. Amalienborg Amalienborg
    03 1 hr 15 min

    Amalienborg

    Amalienborg is the Danish royal family's home in Copenhagen: four almost identical rococo palaces set around an octagonal square, with Frederik V's equestrian statue at the centre and the dome of the Marble Church closing one axis.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
  4. Christiansborg Palace Christiansborg Palace
    04 45 min

    Christiansborg Palace

    Christiansborg Slot

    Christiansborg Palace, locally known as Christiansborg Slot, stands on Slotsholmen island in central Copenhagen.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
  5. Rundetaarn Rundetaarn
    05 1 hour

    Rundetaarn

    Rundetårn

    Rundetaarn, the Round Tower, is a seventeenth-century observatory tower on Købmagergade in the medieval core of Copenhagen, and the thing that makes it unusual is that it has no staircase for most of its height.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
  6. Freetown Christiania Freetown Christiania
    06 45 min

    Freetown Christiania

    Christiania

    Freetown Christiania is an autonomous district in Copenhagen, Denmark, established in 1971 when squatters occupied former military barracks. The area operates under collective self-governance and has developed a distinctive countercultural identity.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
  7. Church of Our Saviour Church of Our Saviour
    07 45 min

    Church of Our Saviour

    Vor Frelsers Kirke

    The Church of Our Saviour, known locally as Vor Frelsers Kirke, stands as a prominent baroque church in Copenhagen. Its most distinctive feature is an external corkscrew spire with an external winding staircase that visitors can climb.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
  8. Kastellet Kastellet
    08 45 min

    Kastellet

    Kastellet is one of the best-preserved star fortresses in Northern Europe, located in Copenhagen near the Langelinie promenade.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
  9. Holmen Church Holmen Church
    09 45 min

    Holmen Church

    Holmens Kirke

    Holmen Church, or Holmens Kirke, is a historic church in central Copenhagen’s Holmen district. The building began as an anchor forge in the 1560s before being converted into a church for the Danish navy.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
  10. Børsen Børsen
    10 45 min

    Børsen

    Børsen is a historic former stock exchange building on Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen. Built in the Dutch Renaissance style during the seventeenth century, it served the city’s commercial life for centuries.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
  11. Copenhagen University Library Copenhagen University Library
    11 45 min

    Copenhagen University Library

    Københavns Universitetsbibliotek Fiolstræde

    Copenhagen University Library on Fiolstræde is an academic library in the Latin Quarter of central Copenhagen. Its primary role is to support University of Copenhagen students, researchers, and teaching, making it a working institution rather than a conventional museum.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
  12. Frederiksberg Palace Frederiksberg Palace
    12 45 min

    Frederiksberg Palace

    Frederiksberg Slot

    Frederiksberg Palace is a Baroque residence situated in Frederiksberg, adjacent to Copenhagen. Constructed in the early eighteenth century, it served as a royal summer palace and remains an emblem of Danish architectural heritage.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
  13. North Atlantic House North Atlantic House
    13 45 min

    North Atlantic House

    Nordatlantens Brygge

    North Atlantic House, known locally as Nordatlantens Brygge, is a cultural centre on Copenhagen's harbourfront. The building occupies a converted warehouse in the Christianshavn district, part of the revitalised harbour area.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
  14. Trekroner Fort Trekroner Fort
    14 45 min

    Trekroner Fort

    Trekroner

    Trekroner is a sea fort located at the entrance to Copenhagen harbour. The fortification sits on an artificial island near the northern tip of Refshaleøen.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
  15. Strøget Strøget
    15 45 min

    Strøget

    Strøget is Copenhagen’s principal pedestrian shopping route through the historic city centre. It links City Hall Square with Kongens Nytorv through a connected sequence of streets and squares.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
  16. Church of Our Lady Church of Our Lady
    16 45 min

    Church of Our Lady

    Vor Frue Kirke

    Vor Frue Kirke, known in English as the Church of Our Lady, stands as Copenhagen's cathedral and serves as the National Cathedral of Denmark.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
  17. Kongens Nytorv Kongens Nytorv
    17 45 min

    Kongens Nytorv

    Kongens Nytorv is Copenhagen’s largest public square and one of the city centre’s main meeting points. King Christian V’s equestrian statue stands at its centre, while the Royal Danish Theatre and Hotel D’Angleterre frame the surrounding streets.

    • High
    • Historic monument
  18. Copenhagen City Hall Copenhagen City Hall
    18 45 min

    Copenhagen City Hall

    Københavns Rådhus

    Copenhagen City Hall, or Københavns Rådhus, is the seat of Copenhagen’s municipal government on City Hall Square. Completed in 1905 and designed by Martin Nyrop, the building is a major example of National Romantic architecture with medieval Danish influences.

    • High
    • Historic monument
  19. City Hall Square City Hall Square
    19 45 min

    City Hall Square

    Rådhuspladsen

    Rådhuspladsen, known in English as City Hall Square, is a major public square in central Copenhagen. It serves as a prominent gathering point and transportation hub in the Danish capital.

    • High
    • Historic monument
  20. HDMS Sehested HDMS Sehested
    20 45 min

    HDMS Sehested

    P547 Sehested

    HDMS Sehested, also known locally as P547 Sehested, is a retired Royal Danish Navy vessel preserved as a museum ship in Copenhagen. The fast attack craft represents Cold War-era naval technology and Danish maritime defence history.

    • High
    • Historic monument
  21. Flakfortet Flakfortet
    21 45 min

    Flakfortet

    Flakfortet is an artificial island fort in the Øresund, reached across open water from Copenhagen rather than from a city street. Its identity comes from the combination of a coastal-defence installation, surviving military structures and an exposed maritime setting.

    • High
    • Historic monument
  22. Gammeltorv Gammeltorv
    22 45 min

    Gammeltorv

    Gammeltorv is Copenhagen’s oldest square and one of the central public spaces in the Indre By district. The name means Old Market, recalling the square’s medieval role as a marketplace and gathering place.

    • High
    • Historic monument
  23. Ryvangen Memorial Park Ryvangen Memorial Park
    23 45 min

    Ryvangen Memorial Park

    Mindelunden

    Ryvangen Memorial Park, also called Mindelunden, is a Copenhagen memorial site dedicated to Danish resistance fighters executed during the German occupation in the Second World War.

    • Notable
    • Historic monument
  24. HDMS Sælen HDMS Sælen
    24 45 min

    HDMS Sælen

    HDMS Sælen is a retired Danish submarine preserved as a museum vessel in Copenhagen. Its name means “Seal.” The submarine offers a direct encounter with Cold War naval technology and the confined environment in which submariners lived and worked.

    • Notable
    • Historic monument
  25. Christian IV's Brewhouse Christian IV's Brewhouse
    25 45 min

    Christian IV's Brewhouse

    Christian 4.s Bryghus

    Christian IV's Brewhouse, known locally as Christian 4.s Bryghus, is a historic Copenhagen building associated with King Christian IV and the early seventeenth century. The brewhouse connects the city’s architecture with royal commercial enterprise and Denmark’s brewing heritage.

    • Notable
    • Historic monument
  26. Prøvestenen Prøvestenen
    26 45 min

    Prøvestenen

    Prøvestenen is a historic coastal fortification on a small artificial island southeast of Copenhagen's inner harbour. The site formed part of Denmark's naval defences and represents 18th-century coastal military engineering.

    • Notable
    • Historic monument
  27. Royal Library Garden Royal Library Garden
    27 45 min

    Royal Library Garden

    Det Kongelige Biblioteks Have

    The Royal Library Garden, known locally as Det Kongelige Biblioteks Have, is a quiet green space in central Copenhagen beside the Royal Library.

    • Notable
    • Historic monument
  28. Vestvolden Vestvolden
    28 45 min

    Vestvolden

    Vestvolden is a historic fortification system forming a semicircular defensive ring around Copenhagen's western approaches. Constructed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it represents one of the largest remaining military earthworks in Northern Europe.

    • Notable
    • Historic monument
  29. HDMS Peder Skram HDMS Peder Skram
    29 45 min

    HDMS Peder Skram

    HDMS Peder Skram is a preserved Royal Danish Navy frigate berthed at Holmen, Copenhagen’s historic naval district. Commissioned in 1966 and serving until 1988, it represents Denmark’s Cold War fleet in a form visitors can physically enter.

    • Notable
    • Historic monument

Source: OpenStreetMap contributors, Wikidata ·

How the city is laid out

Indre By contains the historic centre, main shopping streets, palace district and inner harbour. Christianshavn sits across the water, Vesterbro lies west of Central Station, and Norrebro and Osterbro extend north. Frederiksberg forms a green western district with its own centre. The harbour is both a boundary and a transport corridor, so combine waterfront sights by side before crossing repeatedly.

Checked 2026-08-26

Getting around

Walk or cycle for short central journeys and use metro, trains and buses for longer trips. Visit Copenhagen states that the metro operates throughout the day and night and connects the centre with major neighbourhoods and the airport. Harbour buses are part of public transport and serve waterfront journeys. Buy the correct ticket before boarding and use the journey planner for zone-dependent trips.

Checked 2026-08-26

Common questions

How many days should I spend in Copenhagen?

A fixed duration is not recorded. Plan by cluster: Indre By, Christianshavn and the harbour, then Vesterbro, Norrebro, Osterbro or Frederiksberg according to interest.

Can I walk around central Copenhagen?

Yes. Indre By and the inner harbour are compact enough for walking. Cycling and public transport are useful when moving between outer neighbourhoods or across the wider city.

Does Copenhagen have an all-night metro?

Yes. Visit Copenhagen states that the metro operates throughout the day and night, connecting the centre with major neighbourhoods and Copenhagen Airport.

Are harbour buses part of public transport?

Yes. Harbour buses use the public transport system and provide a practical waterfront connection as well as a view of the city from the water.

How do I reach central Copenhagen from the airport?

Metro and regional trains both connect the airport with the city. The better choice depends on the destination neighbourhood, so check the official journey planner before departure.