Copenhagen Sights

  1. Alexander Newsky Kirke

    There is a cluster of sights along the upmarket street known as Bredgade, home to many of the city's top antique dealers and auction houses. Alexander Newsky Kirke was built in Russian Byzantine style in 1883 by Tsar Alexander III.

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  2. Amalienborg Slot

    Visitors can enter one wing of the Amalienborg Slot, which features exhibits of the royal apartments used by three generations of the monarchy from 1863 to 1947.

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  3. Assistens Kierkegård

    The serene Assistens Kierkegård in the heart of Nørrebro is the final resting place of some of Denmark's most celebrated citizens, including philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, physicist Niels Bohr, author Hans Christian Andersen and artists Jens Juel, Christen Købke and CW Eckersberg. It's an interesting place to wander around - as much a park and garden as it is a graveyard.

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  4. Boating Christianshavns

    If you want to explore Christianshavn's historic canals it's possible to hire a boat from Christianshavns Bådudlejning og Café. Although most of the buckets were chosen for 'waterside charm' rather than for their racing ability they still 'go' quite well. For the landlubbers, a sample of the gourmet fare from the cafe may suffice.

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  5. Botanisk Have

    In the 10-hectare Botanisk Have you can wander along fragrant paths amid arbours, terraces, rock gardens and ponds. Within the Botanisk Have is the Palmehus, a large walk-through glasshouse containing a lush collection of tropical plants. There's also a cactus house and an orchid greenhouse. One entrance to the Botanisk Have is at the intersection of Gothersgade and Øster Voldgade, while the other is off Øster Farimagsgade.

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  6. Børsen

    Another striking Renaissance building is Børsen, the stock exchange, at the eastern corner of Slotsholmen. Constructed under Christian IV in the 1620s, it's of note for its ornate spire, formed from the entwined tails of four dragons, and for its richly embellished gables. This still-functioning chamber of commerce, which first opened during the bustling reign of Christian IV, is the oldest in Europe but is not open to the public.

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  7. Caritas Springvandet

    In the old square, the gilded Charity Fountain is the most beautiful in Copenhagen. It was built in 1608 and is a popular rallying point for buskers.

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  8. Carlsberg Visitors Center

    Adjacent to the famed Carlsberg brewery, the newly rejuvenated Carlsberg Visitors Center has an exhibition on the history of Danish beer from 1370 BC (yes, they carbon-dated a bog girl who was found in a peat bog caressing a jug of well-aged brew). Dioramas give the lowdown on the brewing process and en route to your final destination you'll pass antique copper vats and the stables with a dozen Jutland dray horses. The self-guided tour ends at a little pub where you get two free beers.

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  9. Charlottenborg

    Fronting Kongens Nytorv is Charlottenborg, built in 1683 as a palace for the royal family. Since 1754 Charlottenborg has housed Det Kongelige Kunstakademi. The academy's exhibition hall, on the eastern side of the central courtyard, features highly recommended changing exhibitions of modern art by Danish and international artists.

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  10. Christiania

    In 1971 an abandoned 41-hectare military camp on the eastern side of Christianshavn was taken over by squatters who proclaimed it the 'free state' of Christiania, subject to their own laws. The police tried to clear the area but it was the height of the hippie revolution and an increasing number of alternative folk from throughout Denmark continued to pour in, attracted by the concept of communal living and the prospect of reclaiming military land for peaceful purposes.

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  12. Christians Kirke

    Designed by the Danish architect Nicolai Eigtved, Christians Kirke was completed in 1759. It once served the local German congregation and has a large, theatre-like rococo interior.

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  13. Christiansborg Slot

    Slotsholmen is the seat of national government and a veritable repository of historical sites. Located on a small island and separated from the city centre by a moat-like canal, Slotsholmen's centrepiece is Christiansborg Slot, a large palace that is home to Folketinget (the Danish parliament) and various government offices.

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  14. Christianshavn

    Christianshavn is Copenhagen's enchanting canal quarter on the eastern flank of Copenhagen. It was established by Christian IV in the early 17th century as a commercial centre and also a military buffer for the expanding city. It's cut with a network of canals, modelled after those in Holland, but is equally famous as the home of the 'free state' of Christiania.

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  15. Copenhagen Opera House

    Copenhagen's magnificent opera house features two stages: the Main Stage and a smaller venue, Takkeløftet. Productions usually sell out way in advance but 25 tickets are available each day at the box office. Alternatively, many come just to look around the building or eat in the panoramic Franco-Danish restaurant or ground-floor café.

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  16. Dansk Design Center

    The Dansk Design Center showcases Danish industrial design alongside international design trends.

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  17. Dansk Jødisk Museum

    Designed by Daniel Libeskind, the Danish Jewish Museum is housed in an early 17th century building - formerly the Royal Boat House - now transformed into an intriguing geometrical space. The entrance is on the southern side of the garden which lies to the rear of the Kongelige Bibliotek.

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  18. Davids Samling

    East of Kongens Have, Davids Samling is a wonderful curiosity of a museum housing Scandinavia's largest collections of Islamic art, including jewellery, ceramics and silk, and exquisite works such as an Egyptian rock crystal jug from AD 1000 and a 500-year-old Indian dagger inlaid with rubies.

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  19. De Kongelige Repræsentationslokaler

    The grandest part of Christiansborg Slot is De Kongelige Repræsentationslokaler, an ornate Renaissance hall where the queen holds royal banquets and entertains heads of state.

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  20. De Kongelige Stalde & Kareter

    At De Kongelige Stalde & Kareter visitors can view a collection of antique coaches, uniforms and riding paraphernalia, some of which are still used for royal receptions. You can also see the royal family's carriage and saddle horses.

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  21. Den Hirschsprungske Samling

    Dedicated to Danish art of the 19th and early 20th centuries, Den Hirschsprungske Samling is an enchanting little museum, full of wonderful surprises for art lovers unfamiliar with the classic era of Danish oil painting from the early 19th century.

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  23. Det Kongelige Bibliotek

    The largest library in Scandinavia, Det Kongelige Bibliotek is a fascinating blend of the original classical style building near parliament and the seven-storey extension, dubbed the 'Black Diamond', which sports a shiny black granite facade, smoked black windows and a leaning parallelogram design. An enclosed overhead walkway connects the Black Diamond with the library's historic wing.

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  24. Domhuset

    Copenhagen's pink-stucco, neoclassical court house was designed by CF Hansen (also responsible for Vor Frue Kirke,) and built in 1815. It is linked by its own 'bridge of sighs' to cells across the road on Slutterigade. The words inscribed above the courthouse steps, 'Med Lov Skal Man Land Bygge' (With Law Shall One Build the Land), are taken from the Jutland Code that codified laws in Denmark in 1241.

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  25. Experimentarium

    The extensive hands-on technology and natural-world exhibits at Experimentarium are housed in a former bottling hall of Tuborg Breweries in Hellerup, north of the city. Containing some 300 exhibits, it's a fun place for kids, featuring such time-honoured standards as the hall of mirrors, as well as computer-enhanced activities that make it possible to compose water music, stand on the moon or ride an inverted bicycle. To get here take the S-train to Hellerup from Central Station.

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  26. Folketinget

    The Folketinget is where the 179 members of parliament debate national legislation. Guided tours also take in Wanderer's Hall, which contains the original copy of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Denmark, enacted in 1849.

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  27. Frederiksberg

    The leafy, middle-class neighbourhood of Frederiksberg is home to a couple of the city's most popular tourist attractions - the zoo and the Carlsberg Brewery Visitors Center - as well as its loveliest park, Frederiksberg Have.

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