Copenhagen Sights

  1. Frederiksberg Have

    This is Copenhagen's most romantic park, with lakes, woodlands and lovely picnic lawns. Overlooking it all is Frederiksberg Slot, a former royal palace, now home to the Royal Danish Military Academy and not generally open to the public.

    Read more about Frederiksberg Have

  2. Frederiksborg Slot

    This Dutch Renaissance castle looks spectacular enough from the outside - spread as it is over several small islets on a lake called Slotsø - but the interior of this former fortress and now national museum is no let-down either, with over 70 publicly accessible rooms boasting gilded ceilings, full-wall tapestries, paintings and antiques.

    Read more about Frederiksborg Slot

  3. Frederiksstaden

    Behind the bustle of Nyhavn is the city's poshest quarter, Frederiksstaden, home to the royal family, a grand marble church and other historic sites.

    Read more about Frederiksstaden

  4. Frihedsmuseet

    Frihedsmuseet features exhibits on the Danish resistance movement from the time of the German occupation in 1940 to liberation in 1945. There are displays on the Danish underground press, the clandestine radio operations that maintained links with England and the smuggling operations that saved 7200 Danish Jews from capture by the occupying Nazis.

    Read more about Frihedsmuseet

  5. Fælledparken

    Copenhagen's largest park is a functional, if not especially attractive, open space popular with amateur footballers. It is dominated by the giant concrete monolith of Parken, the national stadium.

    Read more about Fælledparken

  6. Gammel Dok

    Home to the Dansk Arkitektur Center, this converted 19th century warehouse offers changing exhibitions on Danish and international architecture, as well as an excellent bookshop.

    Read more about Gammel Dok

  7. Gammel Strand

    Gammel Strand (old beach) fronts the canal that partially encircles the island of Slotsholmen. This perfectly preserved row of 18th- and 19th-century town houses, with its restaurants and cafés, is among the most picturesque in the city and a great place for an outdoor drink on a sunny day.

    Read more about Gammel Strand

  8. Guinness World of Records Museum

    The touristy Guinness World of Records Museum on Strøget uses displays, film and photos to depict the world's superlatives - the tallest, fastest, oddest and so on.

    Read more about Guinness World of Records Museum

  9. Helligåndskirken

    The Church of the Holy Spirit, located opposite clothing store H&M, dates from the 15th century and sits on the site of an even older monastery founded in the 13th century. It often hosts secondhand book sales.

    Read more about Helligåndskirken

  10. Holmens Kirke

    Just across the canal to the northeast of Slotsholmen is Holmens Kirke. This historic brick structure, with a nave that was originally built in 1562 to be used as an anchor forge, was converted into a church for the Royal Navy in 1619. Most of the present structure, which is predominantly in Dutch Renaissance style, dates from 1641.

    Read more about Holmens Kirke

  11. Advertisement

  12. IMAX Tycho Brahe Planetarium

    This planetarium has a domed space theatre that offers shows of the night sky using state-of-the-art equipment capable of projecting over 7500 stars, planets and galaxies. The giant 1000-sq-metre screen also hosts natural science films. The subjects range from astronauts and space shuttles to diving expeditions.

    Read more about IMAX Tycho Brahe Planetarium

  13. Jens Olsens Clock

    You can poke around the main hall of the Rådhus (city hall) on your own but it's more interesting to make the climb up the 105m clock tower for Jens Olsens Clock, which tops city hall, but expect a decent workout as there are some 300 steps along the way.

    Read more about Jens Olsens Clock

  14. Kastellet

    The northern Kastellet area includes a 17th-century citadel and the city's best-known statue, the Little Mermaid, inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale. This much-photographed bronze figure, perched on a rock at the water's edge, has a certain grace, but don't expect a monument - the mermaid is much smaller than you might expect.

    On the ramparts is a historic windmill and some excellent views to the Little Mermaid, the harbour and, in the other direction, Marmorkirken.

    Read more about Kastellet

  15. Kongens Have

    Kongens Have, the expansive green space behind Rosenborg Slot, is the city's oldest public park. It has manicured box hedges, lovely rose beds and plenty of shaded areas. Kongens Have is a very popular picnic spot on sunny days and the site of a free marionette theatre that performs on summer afternoons.

    Read more about Kongens Have

  16. Kultorvet

    In the north of the Latin Quarter is Kultorvet, a rather soulless pedestrian plaza and summer gathering place with beer bars, flower stalls and produce stands. On sunny days you'll usually find impromptu entertainment here, which can range from the ever-present sounds of the Andean flute to street theatre. Consider yourself warned…

    Read more about Kultorvet

  17. Kunstforeningen

    The HQ of Denmark's artists' union showcases local and international artistic talent with changing exhibitions. Across the hall, the Fotografisk Center, holds temporary photographic exhibitions by leading Danish and international photographers.

    Read more about Kunstforeningen

  18. Kunstindustrimuseet

    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. Kunstindustrimuseet, north towards Kastellet, is based in the former Frederiks Hospital. This large, rambling museum boasts an extraordinary, if eclectic, collection of nearly 300,000 items from Asia and Europe, dating from the Middle Ages.

    Read more about Kunstindustrimuseet

  19. København Universitet Bibliotek

    The main university building in this part of town faces Vor Frue Kirke across the higgledy-piggledy cobbles of Vor Frue Plads. In the lobby you can see one of the most curious sights in all of Copenhagen, a British cannonball fired from the fleet that attacked the city in 1807.

    Read more about København Universitet Bibliotek

  20. Københavns Bymuseet

    True to its name, the Københavns Bymuseet in Vesterbro has displays about the history and development of Copenhagen - mainly paintings and scale models of the old city. There is also a small room dedicated to philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, who was born in Copenhagen in 1813 and died in the city in 1855.

    Read more about Københavns Bymuseet

  21. Latin Quarter

    With its cafés and secondhand book and clothes shops, the Latin Quarter (north of Strøget, around the old campus of Københavns Universitet or Copenhagen University) is a great area for some leisurely ambling. The university, which was founded in 1479, has largely outgrown its original quarters and moved to a new campus on Amager, but parts of the old campus, including the law department, remain here.

    Read more about Latin Quarter

  22. Advertisement

  23. Lille Molle

    The 17th-century Lille Molle is a windmill that was turned over to the National Museum in the 1970s and has been preserved as its last owners left it - and they left it in a very interesting state. It's situated on the ramparts that are southwest of Christiana, and if you time your visit just right, it's perfect for a guided tour preceded or followed by an excellent meal at Bastionen & Løven, the attached restaurant/café.

    Read more about Lille Molle

  24. Little Mermaid

    When the world thinks of Copenhagen, the statue of the Little Mermaid is probably the first image that springs to mind. Love it or loath it, this small unremarkable statue must be the most photographed sight in the country, as well as the cause of perhaps countless indifferent 'yeah, so?' shrugs from tourists who have trudged the kilometre or so along an often windswept harbourfront to see her.

    Read more about Little Mermaid

  25. Marmorkirken

    Also called Frederikskirken, Marmorkirken is a stately neo-baroque church on Frederiksgade, a block west of Amalienborg Slot. The church's massive dome, which was inspired by St Peter's in Rome and measures more than 30m in diameter, is one of Copenhagen's most impressive landmarks.

    Read more about Marmorkirken

  26. Medicinsk-Historisk Museum

    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. Just across the street from Alexander Newsky Kirke is the Medicinsk-Historisk Museum, housed in a former surgical academy dating from 1786 and dealing with the history of medicine, pharmacy and dentistry over the past three centuries. Guided tours are conducted in English.

    Read more about Medicinsk-Historisk Museum

  27. Museum Erotica

    A cross between a museum and a peep-show, Museum Erotica is full of supposedly erotic paintings, posters, photographs, statues and sex toys. These items range from hand-coloured daguerreotype photographs from the 1850s to a multiscreen video room playing modern porn movies that are not for the easily shocked. In our opinion, this place is overpriced, exploitative and a little sad - but that doesn't stop it from being one of the city's most popular attractions. It's two blocks north of Strøget.

    Read more about Museum Erotica