Nine Things to do in Copenhagen

I travelled from Aarhus to Copenhagen by train in 2012.  It was my first time in a Scandinavian country and I remember wishing I had more time to continue through to Sweden, Norway, Finland and maybe even Iceland!  Copenhagen was a wonderfully diverse city, full of culture, arts, youthful enthusiasm and history.  I stepped out of the colourful train station and lugged my heavy backpack to a friend of a friend, where I would be trying my very first version of couch surfing! I spent three days here, though you could easily spend longer.

Copenhagen City Hall

A trip to a European capital should always start with a trip to the city hall.  I didn’t realise at the time, but you can climb all the way to the top of this building (105.6 metres) and enjoy wonderful views of the city.  Instead, I admired the creative statues in the town square.

Tivoli Gardens

A magical old amusement park, which has been operating since 1843 – it is the oldest operating amusement park in the world!  Imagine stepping foot in this place in the 1800s?!  The world was such a different place back then.

Christiania

This alternative community is situated right in the centre of Copenhagen and is a fascinating place to walk around – as you enter, you will see a sign forbidding all photography – you will soon see why!  I was particularly interested in all the crazy houses – like the banana house!  These people certainly have an enriched imagination!

Canal Tours

This was probably my favourite part of Copenhagen – I took a guided canal tour, which took me to all the famous sights via water and taught me a lot about the history of this Danish capital.  You can get some wonderful shots of al the colourful buildings too, not to mention setting your eyes on the skinniest building in the city!

Royal Palace

When I was in Copenhagen, I was curious to check out Amalienborg Palace, to see where Mary, the Crown Princess of Denmark, hangs out. Before she was princess, she was in fact an ordinary Australian woman living in Hobart, Tasmania! When I was here, I was able to see the changing of the guard, which was a novelty.

Rosenborg Castle

This 17th century castle was one of my favourite places to see in Copenhagen. The biggest highlight in this building are the crown jewels!  The castle itself is surrounded by a moat and large gardens – it looks like it belongs in a fairy tale.

Design Museum

For lovers of art and design, this museum was full of interesting artefacts, both historical and modern. You can take tours around the building, or simply stroll the rooms yourself.  I remember some very interesting dress designs made out of drinking straws and paper!

Little Mermaid

No trip to Copenhagen is complete without walking down to the river to see Han Christian Anderson’s Little Mermaid.  She is a petite statue, very elegant and just as you would imagine.  Arrive early in the morning to get an uninterrupted view, otherwise you’ll be trying to jump over all the tourists!

Day trip to Odense

If you have plenty of time, you might even want to jump on the train and visit Odense for the day – this smaller city is located on the island of Funen, between Jutland and Zealand.  The highlight of this pretty town is the Hans Christian Anderson House.  Check out where this famous author grew up and learn more about his fairytales!

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Have you been to Copenhagen before?  I would love to hear about your experiences too!

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