40 Best Sights in Copenhagen, Denmark

The Dutch Renaissance Rosenborg Castle contains ballrooms, halls, and reception chambers, but for all of its grandeur, it has an intimacy that makes you think the king might return at any minute. Thousands of objects are displayed, including beer glasses, gilded clocks, golden swords, family portraits, a pearl-studded saddle, and gem-encrusted tables. The underground treasury contains the crown jewels. The castle's setting is equally welcoming. It's in the middle of King's Garden, amid lawns, park benches, and shady walking paths.

King Christian IV built Rosenborg Castle as a summer residence but loved it so much that he ended up living here until his death. In 1849, when the absolute monarchy was abolished, all the royal castles became state property except for Rosenborg, which is still passed down from monarch to monarch.

This peaceful, leafy cemetery in the heart of Nørrebro is the final resting place of numerous great Danes, including Søren Kierkegaard (whose last name actually means "cemetery"), Hans Christian Andersen, and physicist Niels Bohr. In summer the cemetery takes on a cheerful, city-park air as picnicking families, young couples, and sunbathers relax on the sloping lawns amid the dearly departed.

En route from Christianshavn to Refshaleøen is Copenhagen's legendary freetown Christiania, which was founded in 1971 when students occupied army barracks. It's now a peaceful community of nonconformists, consisting of 630 adults and 130 kids, where wall cartoons preach drugs and peace. There are a number of businesses here, including a bike shop, a smithy, a rock-music club, and several good organic eateries. When exploring Christiania, make sure to leave the central, busy part of the community to walk around on the idyllic, pedestrian paths that run through the forest, past the riding school, along the lake, and between the imaginative self-built houses. English-language tours are offered year-round on weekends at 3 pm (daily from July to September).  Many inhabitants are not fond of cameras, and picture taking is forbidden on Pusher Street.

A former water reservoir has been transformed into one of Copenhagen’s most popular venues for contemporary art. The exhibitions change and it can be difficult to find the entrance to the underground reservoir; check the website for information before you head out.

Islands Brygge's main claim to fame is its harbor bath, which draws visitors from all over the city on summer days. The bath consists of five pools that are filled with water from the harbor and several jumping boards. In the winter there’s a club for ice swimmers, complete with a sauna.

Copenhagen’s former meatpacking district has transformed into a hipster neighborhood with galleries, coworking spaces, fashion boutiques, restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and nightclubs. The area is small and easy to explore on foot. Galleri Bo Bjerggaard, V1 Gallery, and Fotografisk Center are some of the best galleries, and the pizzeria Mother, the gourmet restaurant Gorilla, the brewpub Warpigs, and the bustling, bistro-like wine bar Paté Paté are some of the best places to eat. After dark, Mesteren & Lærlingen draws a casual crowd with its strong drinks and happy DJs.

Officially the Frederiks Kirke, this ponderous Baroque sanctuary of precious Norwegian marble was begun in 1749 and remained untouched from 1770 to 1874 due to budget constraints. It was finally completed and consecrated in 1894. Around the exterior are 16 statues of various religious leaders from Moses to Luther, and below them stand sculptures of outstanding Danish ministers and bishops. You can can scale 273 steps to the outdoor balcony on the top of the church for great views of the queen's palace and the Opera, across the canal. Afterward, continue along Bredgade to the exotic gilded onion domes of the Russisk Ortodoks Kirke (Russian Orthodox Church).

This pretty harborfront neighborhood, whose name means "new harbor," is perhaps the most photographed location in Copenhagen. It was built 300 years ago to attract traffic and commerce to the city center. Until 1970, the area was a favorite haunt of sailors. Though restaurants, boutiques, and antiques stores now outnumber tattoo parlors, many old buildings have been well preserved and retain the harbor's authentic 18th-century maritime character. You can even see a fleet of old-time sailing ships from the quay. Hans Christian Andersen lived at various times in Nyhavn houses at numbers 18, 20, and 67.

This cultural and culinary hub used to be an artificial island home to a historical shipyard, but the island has been annexed with the rest of Amager, and the shipping industry is long gone. Instead, Refshaleøen’s former factories are being turned into art galleries, not-so-micro-breweries, busy beach bars, music venues, and gourmet restaurants. It's the perfect place to while away an afternoon and evening.

The site of Denmark's main cathedral, the Church of Our Lady, has drawn worshippers since the 13th century, when Bishop Absalon built a chapel here. The previous church, consecrated in 1738, was burned to the ground in 1807 during the Napoleonic Wars. Despite the country's poverty after the defeat, the city built a new place of worship, in the then-modern neoclassical style. Inside you can see sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen's marble sculptures depicting Christ and the 12 apostles, and Moses and David cast in bronze. The funerals of both Søren Kierkegaard and Hans Christian Andersen were held here.

It might be one of Copenhagen’s shortest streets, but Værnedamsvej is also one of the most charming. The mix of cafés (Granola is a beloved institution), cheese and flower shops, bookshops, wine bars, bistros, and designer boutiques gives the street a Parisian feel, and it’s lovely from early morning to late night.

This museum chronicles the working class from 1870 to the present, with evocative life-size "day in the life of" exhibits, among them reconstructions of a city street and re-creations of apartments, including the home of a brewery worker, his wife, and eight children. Changing exhibits focusing on Danish and international social issues are often excellent. The exhibitions have explanatory texts in English. The museum also has a 19th-century-style café and beer hall serving old-fashioned Danish specialties and a 1950s-style coffee shop.

This masterpiece of fantasy and architecture is Europe's oldest stock exchange. Børsen was built between 1619 and 1640, with the majority of the construction in the 1620s. Christian IV commissioned the building in large part because he wanted to make Denmark the economic superpower and crossroads of Europe. Rumor has it that, when it was being built, he was the one who twisted the dragons' tails on the spire that tops the building. When it opened, it was used as a medieval market, filled with shopping stalls. Though parts of Børsen still operate as a stock exchange, the bulk of the building houses the chamber of commerce, and the interior isn't open to the public except on special occasions such as Culture Night, held in mid-October. Across the canal, look for a square, modern building: the Nationalbanken (Denmark's central bank), designed by the famed Danish designer and architect Arne Jacobsen.

Trees, flowers, ponds, sculptures, and the spectacular 19th-century Palmehuset (Palm House) of tropical and subtropical plants blanket the garden's 25-plus acres. There's also an observatory and a geological museum. Take time to explore the gardens and watch the pensioners feed the birds. Some have been coming here so long that the birds actually land on their fingers.

A large, ornate chimney makes this mid-19th-century brewery visible from a distance. J. C. Jacobsen, one of Denmark's most important historical figures, named the brewery after his son Carl; berg, or mountain, signifies the brewery's location on Valby Hill. The four giant granite elephants that guard the main entrance were inspired by Bernini's famous obelisk in Rome. In the visitor center, interactive displays, also in English, take you step by step through the brewing process. At the end of your visit, you can sample some of the company's beers for an additional fee. The Carlsberg Museum, also on the grounds, tells the story of the Jacobsen family, their beer empire, and Carlsberg's extensive philanthropy, which still greatly benefits Danish culture. Large-scale beer production has now moved outside of the city, and the old brewery complex is being developed for residential and cultural use. The visitor center has been closed for years due to major renovation work, but it reopened in 2023, and daily tours and beer tastings are once again offered in the afternoon.

The Casino Copenhagen has American roulette, blackjack, poker, and slot machines. You must be 18 years old to enter, and there's a strictly enforced dress code: jackets are required, and no athletic clothing is allowed. Outerwear must be left at the coat check for a fee. Dealers and croupiers aren't shy about reminding winners that a tip of a certain percentage is customary. The casino is open daily 2 pm to 4 am, and admission is DKr 95.

Once isolated from central Copenhagen, the former navy base north of Christianshavn dating from the 17th century is now an attractive area for arts, culture, and chic living. The Royal Academy's schools of theater, film, music, and architecture are all housed in old barracks here on the island of Holmen. The most famous resident of the island, however, is the new opera house, designed by the famous Danish architect Henning Larsen and placed symmetrically opposite the Marble Church and Amalienborg. Operas are in their original language with Danish subtitles. The building opens three hours prior to performances and includes a café and restaurant, the latter only for ticket holders.

In a wing of Det Kongelige Bibliotek (Royal Library), this national center of Jewish culture, art, and history holds objects of both secular and religious interest, including paintings, prints, jewelry, scrapbooks, and films. The site was designed by the famed architect Daniel Libeskind. The museum also gives extensive coverage to the Danish resistance movement, whose work during World War II helped bring nearly all of Denmark's 7,000 Jews to safety in Sweden. The museum has information in English.

The old, pillared Royal Theater, dubbed Gamle Scene (the old stage) after the openings of the Opera and the Skuespilhuset (Royal Danish Playhouse), is almost as beautiful on the outside as on the inside. The main stage is located in what might just be the most stunning place in all of Denmark. The theater was established in 1748, although the facade dates from 1874. Since the division of the Royal Theater into separate venues, the original building is primarily devoted to ballets performed by the world-renowned Royal Danish Ballet. Statues of Danish poet Adam Oehlenschläger and author Ludvig Holberg—whose works remain the core of Danish theater—flank the facade.

Free tours of the Folketinget, the Danish Parliament, are given on weekends, holidays, and certain other days. A full list of the days the grand parliament building accepts visitors is on its website. You can sign up for a tour in advance or pick up a ticket when they are distributed at 10 am on tour days. You can also visit the tower and see the view for free most days.

Evocative, often moving displays commemorate the heroic Danish resistance movement, which saved 7,000 Jews from the Nazis by hiding and then smuggling them to Sweden. The homemade tank outside was used to spread the news of the Nazi surrender after World War II. The displays have information in English. The museum was recently renovated.

Not far from the Little Mermaid, this fountain illustrates another dramatic myth. The goddess Gefion was promised as much of Sweden as she could plow in a night. The story goes that she changed her sons into oxen and used them to portion off what is now the island of Zealand.