Is Copenhagen Worth Visiting – Hidden Gems of Copenhagen

If you’re heading to Europe, or specifically Denmark, you might ask yourself, is Copenhagen worth visiting?

Here are things you should know about the Danish capital city to help you decide.

Table of Contents

Reasons why you should visit Copenhagen

Firstly, Copenhagen is a pretty safe place to go, and the people are friendly.

Visiting Copenhagen — Reasons to visit Copenhagen

Besides this, you’ll get to explore its rich history, try its amazing food, and experience the intriguing, unique culture.

The history of Copenhagen

Copenhagen was originally established by the Vikings around one thousand years ago.

Back then, it was a small fishing village. It became the Danish capital in the 1400s and was built with four intersecting roads to look like a Viking star.

Throughout the years, the city has undergone many transformations as well as some wars, all of which have shaped it into the wonderful city we see today.

The people

The Danish are often rated as the happiest people on earth.

Perhaps it’s down to their low crime, a successful and long-established democracy, great welfare, and a small population.

Above All – Danish people seem to view happiness as more important than money, although they do have a well-developed economy.

You’ll find the local being really friendly to visitors and it’s a place of positive vibes wherever you go.

The architecture

There’s so much of Copenhagen to explore!

You’re exploring an architects dream world with all of the different pieces to explore from the Daniel Libeskind Jewish Museum to the Opera House, the Nyhavn colorful houses, the design museum and the palaces.

It’s certainly instagrammable!

It’s inspiringly sustainable

Copenhagen is often touted as being the planet’s greenest city.

People cycle everywhere, buses are electric and up on Copenhill, they turn their waste into energy.

The food

There are loads of restaurants of all kinds in Copenhagen and you’re really spoilt for choice.

One place to check out is Refshaleoen, which as situated on a man-made island and is actually an abandoned shipyard.

Inside, you’ll find a massive food hall with tons of choice for food and drinks.

Castles and Palaces

Christiansborg Palace feels like it’s jumped straight out of a fairy tale. It’s a beautiful place that’s now a museum.

You can see the kitchen, theater, stables, and royal reception rooms.

Christiansborg palace Copenhagen Denmark — Christiansborg palace in Copenhagen

Amalienborg Palace is also an interesting place where you can learn about the Danish royal family.

There’s also Rosenborg Castle in the Museum District, Premodern. This was built by King Christian IV in the 1600s and holds royal artifacts from the last 400 years.

This includes the crown jewels. The castle’s design and architecture are particularly impressive.

Museums

Like all major cities, Copenhagen has its fair share of museums. A lot aren’t open on Mondays so do check before planning your itinerary.

Thorvaldsens museum Copenhagen — Thorvaldsens museum in Copenhagen

Here are some of the best ones:

Designmuseum Danmark – a museum of contemporary design from Denmark.

Thorvaldsens Museum – a museum showcasing work by the Neoclassical Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen.

The David Collection – a free museum that’s been open for 200 years and showcases collections by a lawyer called Christian Ludvig David.

Nikolaj Kunsthal Art Gallery – a contemporary art gallery that’s located inside a former church that’s called St Nikolaj Church. As well as being a gallery, it’s a performance space too.

Nationalmuseet – the National Museum of Denmark – this contains lots of artifacts from prehistoric times, the Renaissance, the Egyptians and the Vikings.

The Danish Royal Library – this library is one of the oldest on the planet. It’s also the biggest or all libraries among the Nordic countries. It was established by King Frederick III in 1648 and contains all Danish books that have been printed since the 1600s.

The Little Mermaid Statute – this isn’t a museum but it’s worth visiting. It is a bronze statue created by Edvard Eriksen and is based on the tale by Hans Christian Andersen.

The beer

There’s a great beer history in Denmark and the country frequently makes in into the top 10 beer-drinking countries in the world per capita.

Brewery visit Copenhagen — Breweries in Copenhagen

Denmark has brewed beer since 1370 BC. Besides the more famous Carlsberg and Tuborg, there are more than 300 Danish breweries.

If you want to visit a brewery in Copenhagen, you’ve got BRUS, Olsnedkeren, and Norrebro Bryghus.

Outdoor activities

Copenhagen has lots of outdoor activities, you can cycle, ski, go kayaking, and do water sports.

There’s also the Botanical Garden here that has the biggest plant collection in Denmark.

Christiana

The neighborhood of Christiana is interesting indeed – but be warned, it is not family-friendly.

It’s a sort-of commune for those who want more freedom from the government. It’s a hipster place full of creatives and artisans.

You’ll see lots of cool shops and military warehouses as well as illegal drug activity. It’s cool, but not for the fainthearted.

Reasons not to visit Copenhagen

Now for the downsides – every place has them!

Though we love visiting Copenhagen in the winter, it can get very chilly indeed. It’s also darker longer.

However, you can enjoy skiing, hot tubs, and other winter activities so this might change your mind. There’s also the hygge to experience too.

Another reason travellers don’t want to visit Copenhagen is because it’s expensive. However, there are ways of doing it cheaper.

You can stay in some great hostels that don’t cost as much as hotels and the Copenhagen Card can make this even cheaper.

This is a card you can buy that’s valid for 24, 48, 72, 96, or 120 hours and it means you can save money by getting free admission into many places, including museums mentioned in this article – there’s around 80!

It also gives you free public transport in the Copenhagen region.

Final thoughts

So, is Copenhagen worth visiting?

We think so!

Once you’ve sorted out your accommodation, saved up a decent amount of spending money and bought the Copenhagen Card, you’ll have a fantastic time whether you visit in summer or winter.

Of course, the time of year you visit will make a difference to the activities you do, but you’ll always find the people welcoming and fun.