12 Most Popular Tourist Destinations in Copenhagen (2024)
Copenhagen is the capital city of Denmark since the 15th century. The population of Copenhagen is over 790,000 as of 2020. Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark. The Nyhavn Harbor or Grammel Strand of Copenhagen was known as a fishing town by native Vikings in the 10th century. Copenhagen is the center of politics, the center of commerce as well as the economy of Denmark, and headquarter of the Danish army. The city of Copenhagen is a center of business for the Nordic region and Scandinavia since the early 19th century. The city has consistently developed residential facilities and infrastructure for over 100 years. International students stay in Copenhagen for higher education. The University of Copenhagen draws students from neighboring European countries and also students from Asia.
International airport Kastrup of Copenhagen is the busiest airport in Northern Europe. The most common language spoken in Denmark is Danish and English. Over 86% of the local population in Copenhagen speak English. Copenhagen is also known as “Walkable city”, most attractions are located within a radius of 10 to 12 miles. Most tourist attractions are within 5 to 6 miles from the National Museum. Tourists can pick a hotel to stay close to the National Museum and visit most places by walk. Three days stay is more than enough to cover all the important tourist destinations in Copenhagen.
Copenhagen is one of the expensive cities in the world. As cup of coffee costs between $ 6 and $ 8. The meals like breakfast, lunch, and dinner may cost over about $ 25 or more. The best time to visit Copenhagen is between June and September.
12 Most Popular Tourist Destinations in Copenhagen:-
- National Museum of Denmark
- Tivoli Gardens
- Nyhavn Harbor
- Frederiksberg Palace
- Christiansborg Palace
- Lyngby Open Air Museum
- The Round Tower
- Amalienborg Palace
- Little Mermaid Statue
- Strøget
- Church of our Saviour
- The David Collection
1. National Museum of Denmark-
The National Museum of Denmark is the largest museum in Denmark and located at the center of the city of Copenhagen. This is one of the most popular tourist destination of Denmark. The exhibits displayed at the museum include items that show the history of Denmark and Europe since 14,000 years past. Museum has several exhibits that show the artistic description of Danish culture. The history and exhibits are classified from the Bronze Age, Stone Age, Ice Age, Viking’s ruling, year 900 to 1900, and history of the 20th century. The museum hosts over 9,000 sculptures. The museum has a collection of European, French, Nordic, and Danish arts dated 900 years to present. The museum also holds the art collection of Royal Families. Overall there are over a quarter-million exhibits displayed at the museum. The national gallery is also known as Statens Museum for Kunst (SMK) or State Museum for Art. The entry fee per person is about $ 10. Tourists should check the timings and opening days.
2. Tivoli Gardens
Tivoli Garden is close to The National Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen more like across the street. The Tivoli Garden is the largest and most popular outdoor amusement park in Copenhagen. The amusement park is popular among the residents of Denmark and other countries of Scandinavia. Several Danish citizens from near and far villages as well as town come to spend a day at the park. The outdoor oldest park was opened in 1843. Almost 4.6 million people visit the park every year. Tivoli Garden Park is the fifth most visited park in Europe. The park includes several attractions, theatre, scenic railway, restaurants, rides, and gardens. The attractions at the Tivoli Garden Park include Merry-Go-Round, Roller Coaster Demon drop, Immelman Loop, and multiple swing ride. Tourists should check the working hours and entry fees.
3. Nyhavn Harbor
Nyhavn Harbor is 1.6 km (1 mile) from the National Museum of Denmark. Most tourists after visiting Museum and Tivoli Garden come to Nyhavn Harbor at Copenhagen for a cup of tea, lunch, or dinner. The harbor was built in the 17th century. The waterfront properties and buildings are painted with bright colors and beautiful to see from the harbor. The first harbor bridge was built in 1874 and replaced in 1912. During the olden days, the harbor was used as a major cargo port to transport cargo in and out of Copenhagen to other European countries. Today, the harbor is considered small to dock big transport ships and boats. Instead, the harbor is a place to meet friends and families. A harbor is an outdoor place for parties, eat-in restaurants, and a place to relax after visiting the museum and garden.
4. Frederiksberg Palace
Frederiksberg Palace is about 3.5 km (2.2 miles) from the National Museum of Denmark. The Frederiksberg garden in front of the palace was built in 1735 after nearly 40 years of planning and planting the trees. The palace was a royal family residence until the late 19th century. Frederiksberg Palace in Copenhagen was designed by Earnst Brandenburger and the first phase of the construction was completed in 1703. Later two more levels were built and 3 levels of palace construction were completed in 1738. The palace has a chapel on the east side that is occasionally used for prayer. Most tourists visit the palace as a group, with a family member or couple. The local tour companies often bundle Frederiksberg Palace’s visit with other tour sites. The one-day tour often includes 4 to 5 places. The tour does include the entry fee of the palace. The palace entry fee is about $ 10.
5. Christiansborg Palace
Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen is located adjacent to the National Museum of Denmark. The space within the palace is used by the Danish Parliament, the Danish Prime Minister’s Office, and the Supreme Court of Denmark. This is the only building or palace that holds 3 government administrative division within one building that is the executive branch, the legislative division, and judicial section. The Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen is also known as ‘the castle of the realm’. The palace architecture has passed through 3 phases of construction in 3 different centuries. The first phase was in 1794, the second phase of construction was done in 1884 and the last phase of construction was completed in 1928.
Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen is owned by the government. Several sections of the palace are open for public viewing. Tourists visit the palace to see the marvelous construction of the palace and also ruins that was found beneath the inner palace yard. The ruins suggest the construction of the underground structure dated back to 1167. The ruin was preserved by building concrete pillars and walls to support the infrastructure of the palace. The palace chapel is one of the spectacular architectural example of construction by Elias David Häusser. The chapel was designed in 1734 and construction was completed in 1742. Tourists are also able to see Royal stable, showground, and court theatre. Visitors are now allowed to see the tower and also look at the surrounding city from the viewing platform of the tower. The visit to the outdoor marble bridge and the pavilion is the best part of the palace tour. Visitors should check the timing and entry fee.
6. Lyngby Open Air Museum
The Lyngby Open Air Museum is about 16 km (2 miles) north of the National Museum of Copenhagen. The driving time is about 20 minutes. The visit to Open Air Museum is often not included in a locally organized tour of Copenhagen. Most tourists take a local bus that costs $ 2 to 3 for a one-way trip to visit the open-air museum. The plan of 40 hectares of the village as well as the construction of over 100 houses and buildings were completed in 1901. The open museum has preserved the rural houses, buildings, and farmhouses. The tour gives some sense about the life of a family in northern Europe during the early 19th century.
7. The Round Tower
The round tower is about 2 km (1.2 miles) from the National Museum of Denmark. The tower was built in the 17th century. The Round Tower in Copenhagen was built as an astronomical observatory. The tower was also used as a university chapel and an academic library. The tower was used as an astronomical observatory until the 19th century. The Round Tower was the most visited place in Denmark in the early 20th century. Present-day few amateur astronomers do use towers to study astronomy. Tourists can see 25 meters down through a glass floor inside the tower. Visitors often walk from Harbor and National museum to round tower.
8. Amalienborg Palace and Amalienborg Museum
The royal family is occupying some of the living space of Amalienborg Palace. Most of the remaining space of the palace is open for public view. The Amalienborg Palace is about 2 km from the National Palace of Denmark. The palace was burnt in 1794 and rebuilt in the early 18th century. Tourist enjoys the visit to know the royal history and see the place where the royal family lives. Before or after the visit to the palace, tourist can see the changing of the guards at noon. Royal Guards are known as Den Kongelige Livgarde. The statue of King Frederik V was placed in the year 1771 outside the palace.
Amalienborg Palace is divided into four identical buildings. Each section of the palace is identified as Christian VII’s Palace, Frederik VIII’s Palace, Christian IX’s Palace, and Christian VIII’s Palace.
- Christian VII’s Palace is used as a guest house.
- Frederik VIII’s Palace is also known as Brockdorff’s Palace and residence of the Crown Prince family.
- Christian IX’s or Schack’s Palace is the home of the queen and
- Christian VIII’s or Levetzau’ Palace is residence of Prince Joachim and Princess Benedikte.
- Amalienborg Museum is located in Christian VIII’s or Levetzau’ Palace.
9. Little Mermaid Statue
The Little Mermaid Statue is about 3.8 km from National Museum in Copenhagen. The driving time is less than 10 minutes. The sculptor of the mermaid was built by Edvard Eriksen in 1913. The mermaid was presented to the author Hans Christian Andersen by Erikson. The Little Mermaid Statue is located at photogenic scenic surroundings. Tourists visit the place and like to take pictures with groups and families for the memories of their visit to Copenhagen. Little mermaid statue is the most popular tourist destinations in Copenhagen.
10. Strøget
The tourist in Denmark must experience a walk and window shopping while walking through the safe street of Copenhagen. Stroget is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Copenhagen. The largest strip mall in Copenhagen is known as Stroget. The shops are spread on both sides of the streets at Stroget. The mall is about less than a mile from the National Museum. The visitors can spend several hours looking at the high end as well as local shops. The place has several coffee shops for tourists to relax when one is tired of shopping and walking.
11. Church of our Saviour
The Church of Our Saviour is about a mile from the National Museum. The interior of the church is colorful and spectacular. The Lutheran Church of Our Saviour has built decorative Baroque architecture of the 17th century. The sculpture and painting are unique. Church of Our Saviour was exceptional for its construction of helix spiral shape with an external winding staircase. Visitors can go up on the top of helix using the helix staircase if allowed to see the entire city of Copenhagen. There are 400 steps so the elderly and tourists with arthritis should avoid going up the staircase.
12. The David Collection
The building of Davis Collection is about 2 miles from the National Museum and driving time is about 5 to 10 minutes. The museum was donated and hosted by businessman C.L. David. The museum exhibits are a personal collection of Mt. David. Some of the exclusive exhibits are a collection of Islamic art from a Nordic country and the middle east. The museum has paintings, glass, ceramic items, artworks and sculptures from 800th to 1800th years as far as India.
Copenhagen is tourist-friendly and one of the top touring cities of Europe.
The Top Places to see in Denmark-
1. Copenhagen
2. Odense
3. Valdemars Castle
4. Kerteminde