Little Mermaid

Obviously I start with the Little Mermaid which I could NOT see. Yes, I could not see her
because the time I was in Copenhagen she was transported to China for an exhibition. The poor
lady has been target of vandalism and political protests many times.

Originally published by Spiegel Online. Photo: AP Photo

Nyhavn
The colourful houses in Nyhavn look like a scene of a fairy tale of Andersen who lived in some
of these town houses. Have a sit outside of a restaurant, order the local beer Carlsberg and listen
to the street jazz musicians while sipping on your beer.

Photo by Ingmar Sörgens

Eat Smørrebrød
Try it even if you can not pronounce it! This danish traditional snack is based on a slice of
buttered rye bread with a topping like meat, fish or cheese. It is a perfect option for lunch.

Gammel Strand
In this cute street located in Slotsholmen Canal across Christiansborg Palace there are these old
town houses dating back from 18th century which are today turned into trendy cafés, bars and
restaurants.
 Photo by Ingmar Sörgens

Freetown Christiania
In 1971 the abandoned 34-hectare military area was turned into an establishment of communal
living. Since then Christiania became a self-governing autonomous community of approx. 850
residents which is even officially recognised by the Danish government. It is unique!

Originally published in the Photo Gallery of Christiania.org

Tivoli Gardens
The amusement park Tivoli is the second oldest in the world, dating back from 1843. There are
open air concerts, fireworks, roller coaster, pantomime theatre and much more. It is probably
best place to visit with children. Tivoli is not open all year long, so check their website to make
sure.
Eat Pølse
It is called Pølse, NOT hot dog. In every corner of Copenhagen you can find a vendor of
this extra-long beech wood smoked sausage. It will be probably the best hot dog (sorry pølse)
you’ll ever have.

Photo by Ingmar Sörgens

Amalienborg Slot
The queen of Denmark, Margarethe II lives in Amalienborg Slot. Four palaces dating back from
18th-century surround the large square. At noon time you can watch the ceremony of changing
guards.

Photo by Ingmar Sörgens

Børsen
This building with a stylish 56 meters tall spiral on top of its copper roof is the oldest chamber of
commerce in Europe.

Photo by Ingmar Sörgens

Ride a bike
Copenhagen is the most bike-friendly city in Europe. There are more bikes than cars. 350km of
bike lanes make cycling in the city very comfortable and safe and there are many convenient
ways to rent a bike.
Photo by Ingmar Sörgens

If you read my first post on places to eat and drink in Copenhagen, you would probably have
thought, wait all I did in Copenhagen was eat? Well, not entirely. Here comes the exciting bit, all
the things to see and do!

The city is such a great mix of modern and old architecture. Amidst some of Copenhagen’s most
contemporary buildings, there are also many historic sites dated all the way back to the 16th and
17th century. Many of which I managed to visit during my trip there. Here are the 12 things I did
in Copenhagen:

1. Nyhavn
I had to start off with Copenhagen’s most famous canal. Nyhavn was once a commercial port
and entertainment district in the 17th century. But as ships grew larger, they could no longer
dock at Nyhavn and it has thus become a popular area for both tourists and locals. Another
interesting fact is that Danish author, Hans Christian Andersen, lived here for 18 years!

Lined with its iconic colourful houses, bars, restaurants and beautiful sail boats, it is a great place
to take a nice evening stroll or have a meal along the waterfront.

2. Christiansborg Palace

We had quite a laugh before entering the palace. Everyone had to wear these extremely bright
blue plastic covers over our shoes that made us look like we had smurf feet. So I had to make
sure I had no photos with my feet in it!

Other than that, each and every room in the palace was absolutely gorgeous. The most
impressive room has to be The Great Hall (first pictured above). It is the largest room in the
palace and has 17 colourful woven tapestries hanging across its walls depicting over 1000 years
of Danish history. The abstract design of the tapestry is so unique and each one seemed to tell a
million different stories.

3. The Round Tower

Built in the 17th century, The Round Tower is one of the best-known structures of Denmark
because the only way up the tower is a unique spiral ramp. Yup, there’s no stairs! (Actually
there is a short staircase at the end to get to the observatory, but still.)

Halfway up the tower you can visit the Library Hall, which once served as the university library
until 1861. Now, the hall is used for art exhibitions and is also a souvenir shop. Personally, I
didn’t think the view from the tower was that spectacular? It’s probably because the tower is
only 35m high. But if you want better views I would suggest going to the Church of Our Saviour,
which is in my next point 🙂

4. Church of Our Saviour

Before I started writing about this church, I suddenly thought about the city’s affiliation with
spirals. The Church of Our Saviour is another example. The church is famous for it’s winding
spire which is an external staircase that goes all the way up to the top, providing extensive views
over the city. At 90m high, it was certainly intimidating!

The first 250 steps within the church is very steep and narrow. And because of how popular this
church is, the large number of people going up and down the stairs did not make it any easier to
climb. However, the view was definitely worth it.

5. Frederik’s Church (The Marble Church)

I can’t remember exactly how we came across this church. We must’ve walked past it while on
our way to somewhere else without realising it was one of the churches in our itinerary. But
judging by its amazing architecture and copper green dome, we had to go in to take a look.

The Marble Church is truly awe-inspiring. Not only does it have the largest church dome in
Scandinavia, but the dome itself is so beautifully painted. I also loved how it has such a peaceful
and calming atmosphere the moment we stepped inside.
6. Rosenborg Castle

Rosenborg Castle was originally used as a royal residence until the 1700s when it became a place
for the kings to keep their oldest and finest objects. There are four levels in the castle and within
these levels we got to explore the different rooms where the kings once used as well as
collections of glass, porcelain and ivory. The highlight for me was definitely the crown jewels in
the treasury.

7. The Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid is one of Copenhagen’s most recognisable sculptures.

Basically, Carl Jacobsen (son of the founder of Carlsberg) fell in love with the character after
watching a ballet performance called ‘The Little Mermaid’ which was based on the fairy tale by
Hans Christian Andersen. Hence, he asked Danish sculptor, Edvard Eriksen, to create the
sculpture and then gave it as a gift to the City of Copenhagen.

Because it is such an iconic sculpture, it has become a “must-visit” tourist attraction in

Copenhagen. However, I would say it’s a little overrated. Perhaps it’s due to the huge crowd
lining up just to get a photo with the mermaid. It’s definitely worth the visit if you’re not short on
time, but otherwise, it’s still just a sculpture.

9. Visit Carlsberg

What is a visit to Copenhagen without visiting the original Carlsberg brewery? Or maybe, we
were just excited to drink the beer.

We went for a self guided tour which allowed us to roam around the museum based on the
directions given to us in a little map. We spent over an hour in the different areas, starting off
with the largest collection of unopened beer bottles in the world. There are over 16,000 bottles!
Then, we proceeded to the Old Brewhouse where we read about the story behind the brewery
and how it got to where it is today. Overall, it was a very interesting exBEERience (as they call
it).

Oh and the tickets include 2 free beers which was pretty nice getting to sip them while touring
the brewery.

10. Christianshavn
Christianshavn is such a charming neighbourhood in Copenhagen. I decided to add it to the list
because of how beautiful the canals are. In fact, I prefer this over Nyhavn. It’s much quieter, less
touristy and there’s still the colourful houses so unique to Copenhagen.

Also in the area: the Church of Our Saviour, Christiania and you can walk along the canals all
the way to Copenhagen Street Food.

12. Grundtvigs Kirke

Grundtvigs Kirke is one of the most stunning churches I’ve seen to date. Despite its gothic and
concrete exterior which looks nothing like a church at all, its interior is completely the opposite. I
think the simplicity and elegance in its architecture is what makes this church so different from
the traditional baroque style churches you would find all over Europe. The use of regular yellow
bricks, the symmetrical lines across the ceiling, long glass windows- everything about this
church is magnificent.

Getting there: The church is rather out of the way from the city centre. However, there is a direct
bus (6A) which you can take from Nørreport Metro Station and it stops right around the corner
of the church. And the journey only takes approximately 15-20mins.