Copenhagen Overview

Welcome to Copenhagen, shining with modernity and cosmopolitan urban life through dark winters and brilliant summers. This is a combination of the simple life and la dolce vita, a container for history, culture and wonderful, buzzing variety.

Districts

The Inner City
All Denmark's roads, trains, and bicycle paths lead to the heart of the Capital. The Inner City is the unrivalled commercial and cultural centre in the entire country; and, if the island of Slotsholmen is included, also the political. Always buzzing with activity and crammed with people, the city is only completely empty on Sundays, as very few people actually live here. This is a picturesque area with many buildings dating back to the early eighteenth century. The street plan dates back to the Middle Ages which goes some way to explaining the many seemingly irrational twists and turns.

Shopping
The pedestrian high street Strøget runs all the way through the old city centre. From the rumble of Rådhuspladsen (Town Hall Square) to the neat Kongens Nytorv, the street gradually becomes more sophisticated (and expensive), with boutiques such as Gucci, Prada and Gianni Versace dominating the roadsides. Købmagergade, also pedestrian, is fast becoming a main-stream fashion street, with the likes of Esprit, Diesel and Benetton running major outlets here alongside several local brands. It is also home to a number of excellent food shops further up towards Nørreport. The area around Kronprinsensgade hosts the best of the local fashion designers, Bruuns Bazaar and Munthe-plus-Simonsen being among the most distinguished. Klosterstræde follows in status, although is a shade more 'streetwise'. At Amagertorv you'll find exclusive design shops, such as Illums Bolighus and the flagship stores of famous Royal Copenhagen porcelain and Georg Jensen silverware brands. The upscale department store Illum takes up almost an entire block by the corner of Købmagergade and Strøget. Last but not least, Magasin du Nord on Kongens Nytorv is another gargantuan department store with an excellent food section.

Sights and Seats
Amagertorv, geographically slap-bang in the centre of town and next to the somewhat bizarre statue Storkespringvandet, usually features singing and dancing. These performances are enjoyable and can be observed from outdoor tables at cafes Europa and Norden. Strædet is a quieter and more peaceful pedestrian street parallel to Strøget and features many interesting places in which to window shop and an abundance of charming cafes. Fiolstræde boasts the Vor Frue Kirke (Church of Our Lady) with statues by sculptor Thorvaldsen, and the old Copenhagen University HQ with a small department of the Royal Library open to the public. Kongens Nytorv features the Royal Theatre (ballet, opera, and plays), the famous hotel D’Angleterre and the exhibition venue for modern art Charlottenborg. Behind Kongens Nytorv is Nikolaj, a church turned exhibition space for international and Danish contemporary art. Restaurants are everywhere but are especially densely cluttered on and around the idyllic town square of Gråbrødretorv.

Entertainment

Throughout history Copenhageners have never really got to like the idea of living in a big city. Noise, traffic, tall buildings, busy businessmen and displays of great wealth are all generally frowned upon. Most people live outside the city in small independent suburbs nourishing a provincial feel rather than any connection to the Capital. In the city itself, traffic is curbed as much as possible and limits on building height are strictly enforced. But while the Inner City is always buzzing with activity and crammed with people, efforts are constantly made to make it more of a cosmopolitan haven than the busy centre of a great metropolis. Little refuges are found everywhere from idyllic town squares like Gråbrødretorv, Nytorv and Gammeltorv, to the many parks surrounding the old city centre. And indeed, Copenhageners have proved exceptionally successful in creating some of the world’s finest, most extraordinary and enchanting city sanctuaries.

Dining and Drinking

Over the past years, Copenhagen has reinvented itself and made its name as a metropolis in Europe. It has undergone an amazing metamorphosis in a wide variety of fields: design, fashion, media, art, film, shopping, music, advertising, and, last but not least, food and drink. With CPH international airport only 20 minutes away from the centre, and with the Øresund Bridge to Malmö, Sweden, many Copenhageners now feel closer to capitals such as Stockholm, Berlin and London than to other major cities in Denmark.

As the city has become more international so has its palate. A few years ago Asian, Middle-Eastern and South American food was off-territory for most Copenhageners but now people of all ages sushi, nasi-goreng, tom yum goong and couscous their way through their dinner appointments. Warehouses have been turned into über-trendy restaurants, old shops have been transformed into elegant bars, and everywhere you turn new cafés and clubs are opening up.

Before you pack your suitcase, flash your passport or board your cruiser, remember that you can not leave Copenhagen without having tried a Danish hotdog and the Danish smørrebrød. It is a well-kept secret that the best hotdogs are served at the very far end of the Copenhagen waterfront and for smørrebrød try Amalie behind Amalienborg. Good luck!

Where To Stay

Inner Copenhagen boasts approximately 80 different places you can stay, ranging from the simplest of hostels to apartments and five-star deluxe hotels of international standard.

The Copenhagen suburbs also offer a rich variety of hotels, motels and hostels. Many of these lie in green surroundings by a forest or beach. Plenty of the hotels in northern Copenhagen are close to attractions such as the Deer Park, Bakken, Denmark's Aquarium and Bellevue Beach, whilst most of the southern hotels by Køge Bay are close to the coastline.

In the centre of Copenhagen there are three important hotel streets: Vester Voldgade, Helgolandsgade, and Colbjørnsensgade. Here, one hotel façade follows the next along the street. Accommodation on Vester Voldgade places the guest right in the middle of it all, between Strøget, Tivoli and Rådhuspladsen (the Town Hall Square), in an area of a multitude of shopping, leisure facilities and cinemas.

Helgolandsgade and Colbjørnsensgade are both side streets off Istedgade, a few minutes walk from Copenhagen Central Station. References to Istedgade no longer imply the gutter-area that was once associated with it; Istedgade has been seriously cleaned up in recent years and, actually, a great deal of fine and highly respectable hotels are situated in this area.

Copenhagen by the Numbers

Elevation: 16 feet / 5 meters
Average Annual Precipitation: 25 inches / 64 centimeters
Average January Temperature: 33 degrees F / 1 degree C
Average July Temperature: 62 degrees F / 17 degrees C

Electricity: 220 volts, 60Hz, standard two pin plugs
Time Zone: GMT/UTC +1
Country Dialing Code: 45
Area Code: none

Population: 1,500,000
Major Industries: Agricultural Products
Ethnic Mix: 95% Danish, 5% foreign nationalities

Did You Know?

About a quarter of the Danish population resides in Copenhagen.

Orientation/Geography

The capital of Denmark, Copenhagen is 35 square miles / 91 square kilometers.


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