City information

INNER CITY All Denmark's roads, trains, and bicycle paths lead to the heart of the Capital. The Inner City is the unrivalled commercial and cultural centre in the entire country; and, if Slotsholmen is included, also the political. Always buzzing with activity and crammed with people, the city is only completely empty on Sundays, as very few people actually live here. This is a picturesque area with many buildings dating back to the early eighteenth century. The street plan dates back to the Middle Ages which goes some way to explaining the many seemingly irrational twists and turns.

Shopping The pedestrian high street Strøget runs all the way through the old city centre. From the rumble of Rådhuspladsen (Town Hall Square) to the neat Kongens Nytorv, it gradually becomes more sophisticated (and expensive), with boutiques such as Gucci, Prada and Gianni Versace dominating the roadsides. Købmagergade, also pedestrian, is fast becoming a main-stream fashion street, with the likes of Esprit, Diesel and Benetton running major outlets here alongside several local brands. It is also home to a number of excellent food shops further up towards Nørreport. The area around Kronprinsensgade hosts the best of the local fashion designers, Bruuns Bazaar and Munthe-plus-Simonsen being among the most distinguished. Klosterstræde follows in status, although is a shade more 'streetwise'. At Amagertorv you'll find exclusive design shops, such as Illums Bolighus and the flagship stores of famous Royal Copenhagen porcelain and Georg Jensen silverware brands. The upscale department store Illum takes up almost an entire block by the corner of Købmagergade and Strøget. Last but not least, Magasin du Nord on Kongens Nytorv is another gargantuan department store with an excellent food section.

Sights and seats Amagertorv, geographically slap-bang in the centre of town and next to the somewhat bizarre statue Storkespringvandet, usually features singing and dancing. These performances are enjoyable and can be observed from outdoor tables at cafes Europa and Norden. Strædet is a quieter and more peaceful pedestrian street parallel to Strøget and features many interesting places in which to window shop and an abundance of charming cafes. Fiolstræde boasts the Vor Frue Kirke (Church of Our Lady) with statues by sculptor Thorvaldsen, and the old Copenhagen University HQ with a small department of the Royal Library open to the public. Kongens Nytorv features the Royal Theatre (ballet, opera, and plays), the famous hotel D'Angleterre and the exhibition venue for modern art Charlottenborg. Behind Kongens Nytorv is Nikolaj, a church turned exhibition space for international and Danish contemporary art. Restaurants are everywhere but are especially densely cluttered on and around the idyllic town square of Gråbrødretorv.

PISSERENDEN Cornered by Vor Frue Plads and Rådhuspladsen, Pisserenden's name translates into 'A Stream of Piss'—a reference to the area's bygone status as one of the last bastions of inner-city slums. Today, Studiestræde is all about male fashion, with In Circus heading the more daring and experimental scene and Samsøe&Samsøe leading in the no-nonsense Copenhagen trademark style. Floss and Sabines are both excellent cafes on Larsbjørnsstræde, and Baden Baden is probably the best record store in Copenhagen for new sounds.

SLOTSHOLMEN The monstrous Christiansborg, the seat of the Danish Parliament, stands on wooden pillars constantly threatening to rot and break. Slotsholmen is the very core of the Danish state. The semi-artificial island holds the parliament as well as the offices of everything from the Supreme Court to the royal horses, the offices of the Prime Minister, the Danish Stock Exchange, the Castle Church, the Museum of Arms, Thorvaldsens Museum, the Royal Court Theatre with the adjoining Theatre Museum, the Royal Brewery of Christian IV as well as the Royal Library (including its recent addition, Det Kongelige Bibliotek (Diamanten), arguably the most astonishing new piece of architecture north of Bilbao).

CHRISTIANSHAVN Looking like a supremely idyllic little piece of Amsterdam, Christianshavn is actually built on garbage dumped between Copenhagen and Amager. History aside, a Kanalrundfarten is recommended to take you floating past the beautiful old houses, watching Copenhageners prepare for the sea or just taking it easy on the deck of a home-made house-boat.

CHRISTIANIA Christiania, a squatted 'free town' unlike anything you have ever seen (at least this far from Kingston), further emphasises the Amsterdam-feel of Christianshavn. Here, all manner of goods are sold in the open and anarchy reigns, although more or less controlled by self-appointed authorities.

HOLMEN Holmen was closed off to the public until a couple of years ago, when film students and architects claimed the then naval base and turned the area into an unique colony for the arts. Thorsen delivers a spectacular sunset over the city.

ISLANDS BRYGGE This is an up and coming trendy area with stylish galleries opening left and right. At the moment, Islands Brygge is still in the making; one wrong turn and you might be walking for hours on end without setting eyes on a human being. Instead, look for galleries Nikolaj Wallner, Tommy Lund, Recent Works, Nils Stærk and Hallo!, all on Njalsgade.

VESTERBRO The old queen of the Copenhagen boroughs! Gentrification always had a hard time here as the erotic shops, prostitutes and junkies refused to leave despite the city's ongoing attempts to clean up the area and polish the buildings. Istedgade still stands as the very idea of human decay, gloriously juxtaposed with big hotels and an ever-increasing number of students and artists. Vega is the centre of its nightlife; cafes Høegs and Bang&Jensen are where tout le Vesterbro-monde meet.

FREDERIKSBERG A city in its own right, Frederiksberg Slot is surrounded by Copenhagen on all sides, still maintaining its formal independence. Indeed, Frederiksberg is not like Copenhagen at all. Going from lively and buzzing Vesterbrogade into Frederiksberg Allé, you'll see the lights dim and the buildings become more tall and gloomy; even the abundance of theatres on this street does not make it anything like Broadway, but rather the Champs Elysées, cleared of people during a black-out. There is a certain Parisian quirkiness to Frederiksberg which many people find charming. It is mainly residential, belonging to a mostly conservative, well-to-do, above-40 crowd. There are plenty of good-quality restaurants, wineries, tailors and so on. Deeper into the city, Frederiksberg Have is a beautiful park, with a Københavns Zoo in it.

NØRREBRO To the rest of the country, Nørrebro is synonymous with street riots, but despite the annual reversals into war-zone, Nørrebro remains one of the most colourful and ethnically diverse areas of Copenhagen (and very safe, generally speaking). A stroll up Nørrebrogade is a sightseeing tour in itself, as is Assistens Kirkegård, one of the city's oldest cemetreies, boasting a star-studded line-up with Hans Christian Andersen and Søren Kierkegaard at the front. It now also functions as a park, with locals often to be seen having picnics among the gravestones. Sankt Hans Torv features cafes Sebastopol and Funke. Elmegade has excellent fashion stores, such as Storm, and the unusual gallery Starving Artistz. Blågårdsgade hides one bargain gem after another, like Garage. Clubs like Rust, Stalingrad and Propaganda Spisehus, and late-night bars such as Barcelona and Props, make for a bright night out.

NØRREVOLD Stretching along Søerne, on the city side, Nørrevold looks like the outer boroughs but is strictly its own. Stroll down Nansensgade, an intellectual hang-out, for great alternative shopping opportunities in an intimate setting. Don't miss the bathroom decor at Bankeråt. Stay out of H.C. Ørstedsparken at night unless you know people there.

FREDERIKSSTADEN From the jolly beer-swingers in Nyhavn to the sanctuary of Kongens Have/Rosenborg Slotshave, Frederiksstaden is Stadtviertel Royale, laid out in a regular grid with the royal castle Amalienborg at the centre and Marmorkirken towering above the lawyers, antique stores and galleries of Bredgade and Store Kongensgade. Kunstindustrimuseet shows various exhibitions on modern design and design history. Rosenborg Slot is a fancy country house now open to the public.

NYBODER This area features small, yellow, terraced houses originally laid out by Christian IV in the seventeenth century and until recently inhabited solely by the navy.

KASTELLET Historic defence-guard, still maintaining its army presence. Open to the public.

LANGELINIE Where you can personally greet none other than the Den Lille Havfrue! North of the marina, a new upscale residential area has been built and shops and restaurants are opening on the waterfront.

ØSTERBRO The largest of the Copenhagen neighbourhoods, Østerbro is bigger than most Danish cities, but still a rather dull experience. The broad streets cut like canyons through endless uniform tenement buildings in red brick. Exceptions to this are Øster Farimagsgade, Nordre Frihavnsgade and Østerbrogade, all offering shops and leben to the many inhabitants. Østerbro is also home to the national stadium (Parken), the largest park in the city (Fælledparken) as well as most embassies. Kartoffelrækkerne (literally "the potato rows") by Øster Farimagsgade have given their name to a Danish phrase describing a certain political mentality, as these former humble, working-class houses now are sold at soaring prices to a mostly very left-oriented group of professors, artists, public administrators and the like.

STRANDVEJEN Going all the way from Østerbro to ye olde Elsinore, Strandvejen spells money, tennis courts and long drinks by the marinas. An extraordinary cab ride will lead you past the estates and villas every Danish entrepreneur and jewellery-rattling housewife dreams of possessing. Dyrehaven, with its tame deer, controlled wildlife and exclusive restaurants, is the favourite outing of all Copenhageners at any time of the year.