This post contains affiliate links. I make a small commission if you make a purchase through one of these links. I only recommend products and brands that I love. Any purchases are much appreciated!
Before I even made it to Copenhagen, I was told by multiple people that I would love it. You can imagine my anticipation and excitement for visiting the capital of Denmark. With castles and lots of places for book lovers like myself, this Scandinavian city exceeded my expectations.
If you love beautiful architecture, fairy tales, and super nice locals, consider making Copenhagen your next destination. These are some of the highlights from my own trip. I hope that they will help you plan your own amazing adventure!
Rosenborg Castle and The King’s Garden
Rosenborg Castle, or Rosenborg Slot in Danish, is a 17th Century renaissance castle located within Copenhagen. This beautiful castle contains the crown jewels, the royal regalia of Denmark, and the throne chair of Denmark.
The castle sits within the King’s Garden, or Kongens Have, the oldest garden in Denmark. The garden is a public space within Copenhagen and is a wonderful place for a stroll within the city. You can find different statues interspersed within the garden. There is even one of Denmark’s most famous author, Hans Christian Anderson.
It is 115 DKK for an adult to enter the castle for a tour or free with a Copenhagen Card.
The Round Tower
If you are looking for an awesome view of the city, the Round Tower (Rundetaarn) is one of the best places you can visit. The tower was built in the 17th century and is the oldest observation tower in Europe.
You will have to walk up to the top of the tower, but there are not too many stairs. Most of the walk is uphill in a spiral. Once you near the top there are steps, some of which get a bit narrow. I would not recommend trying to go two at a time.
The 360-degree view from the top is well worth the walk and the 25 DKK entry fee. You can read a little bit about the building’s history on the way up as well.
Read more about the Round Tower here.
Paludan Bog Café
If you love books as much as I do, make sure that you stop by Paludan Bookstore and Café. Situated right next to a flower shop on a cobblestone street, this café will charm the pants off anyone who walks by.
Paludan is the oldest book café in Denmark. Inside, the dim lighting and walls of books were so inviting, I imagine myself frequenting this place if I ever live in Copenhagen.
This is a perfect spot for brunch to get you going for the rest of the day. If you need Wi-Fi, make sure to ask when you are ordering food for code and password. It is for paying guests only. To keep the book theme going, Copenhagen’s main library is just around the corner.
Strøget
If you are interested in shopping in Copenhagen, Strøget is by far the most popular street. Strøget is one of the longest pedestrian streets in the world. Cool, right?
Even though I had heard of Strøget, we happened upon it by accident, because we wanted to head to towards Tivoli Gardens. There are some cute Danish shops mixed in with the shops you expect to see like Louis Vuitton or a souvenir shop. It is worth visiting even in passing if you are in Copenhagen.
Museum of Copenhagen
Whenever I visit a new city, I love to go to museums. Copenhagen has so many to choose from, so we went with the Museum of Copenhagen because it could teach us more about the city we were staying in.
This museum has a great collection of historical artifacts. I feel like I learned a lot about the history and culture of Copenhagen and Denmark. They also had a great Viking exhibit that was very educational.
It will only take you a couple of hours to get through this museum. The price is 55 DKK for adults.
Nyhavn Street
Copenhagen’s iconic street with colorful buildings is a must-see part of the city. Historically, Nyhavn was a commercial port where you would find ships from all over the world.
Now the streets are lined with restaurants and pubs. Music can be heard as you walk down the street. There is plenty of great people-watching here as well.
This is an excellent place to stop for dinner. On colder days, you can still sit outside since most places have heaters and blankets. Honestly, this was one of the best meals I had. End your day here as the sun sets, then enjoy a delicious meal as music floats up into the air.
The Kastellet
In Østerbro, you will find the Kastellet, or The Citadel, a star-shaped fortress that has been standing since the 17th century. The buildings within the walls of the fortress are used as military barracks, but otherwise, the inside of the Kastellet serves as a park for people to enjoy.
You will pass people walking or running through the grounds. The buildings inside are well preserved and you can even walk to see a church and an old windmill. This is one of my favorite places in Copenhagen. It was not crowded early in the morning, so we were able to walk the grounds without running into too many people.
I highly recommend enjoying this fortress early before you head out to other parts of the city.
The Gefion Fountain and The Little Mermaid
Just a short walk from the Kastellet you will find the Gefion Fountain. The fountain features a statue of a group of animals pulling the Norse Goddess Gefjon. Gefjon is known for plowing the island of Zealand from Sweden when a Swedish King told her she could keep whatever land she could plow in one day and one night. The girl plowed herself an island.
Before you see the fountain, you will notice a beautiful stone church called Saint Alban’s church. If you are there on a Sunday morning, you can go inside to listen to the worship service.
Past Gefion Fountain you will follow the path through Langelini Park, and on the other side, you will find the infamous Little Mermaid statue. While the statue is lovely, it is small and there were actual crowds surrounding it to take photos. The crowds explain why the places nearby were so uncrowded.
While the Little Mermaid fairytale by HC Anderson is a must-read, my advice is to only see the Little Mermaid statue if you are nearby, otherwise, you can miss it without feeling like you missed out on anything. The Kastellet and fountain are much more impressive in my opinion.
Danish Royal Library (The Black Diamond)
Calling all literary nerds! Consider stopping by the Royal Library in Copenhagen. The Black Diamond is the most modern branch of the Danish Royal Library located on the waterfront in Copenhagen.
Visit if you want to peruse through some books, check out an exhibition, grab a snack at the café, or shop at their gift shop. The restrooms are also free to use.
There is also a restaurant inside, two museums, and a 600-seat auditorium where concerts, plays, conferences, and literary events are held. If you will be in Copenhagen for a few days, I highly recommend checking out their website to see if there are any good events happening during your stay.
If you are a library junky, head on over to their website to learn more about what collections they hold. It appears to be quite extensive.
The Library Bar
If you want to feel classy and have a nice craft cocktail in Copenhagen, look no further than the Library Bar. Just around the corner from Tivoli Gardens, this small cocktail bar will have you feeling both classy and cozy.
The antique furniture in a room with bookshelves instead of walls is any literary nerd’s idea of the perfect night out. It is a great place to warm up or escape the rain. Grab a literary-themed cocktail, cozy up and have a nice chat with a friend or listen to someone play the grand piano.
Copenhagen is for History and Literary Nerds
Copenhagen is a city made for someone who loves old buildings with history, bookstores and libraries at every turn, and more museums than you can visit in a single day. You can take a whole day to do a Hans Christian Anderson tour if you want to. You can walk through old castles and fortresses, and you can find some incredible food while you’re at it. The possibilities are endless!
Copenhagen has easily made it to my favorite cities list, which is impressive because I am not a big city girl. I cannot wait to return.
I hope that you find this list helpful. As you plan your trip to Copenhagen, please reach out to me if you have any questions.
Did you enjoy this post? Share it on Pinterest!
Everything I hear about Copenhagen makes me want to jump on a plane (or a bus/train) and go visit immediately. One day…
The Paludan Bog Café sounds so wonderful. I love a good bookish café, they’re just so inviting and comfy. I also appreciate just how literary Copenhagen is. It’s always very cool when I city both embraces and showcases that aspect of its history.
I like visiting museums about the city I’m in, as well. Or sometimes the whole country if that’s what’s available. It can really give you a new appreciation for where you visiting. And it’s fascinating to see what insights different places have managed to glean about its residents throughout history and what does and doesn’t still apply/what has had lasting effects. And even just how far back they can go. Like it’s crazy to me that London has uncovered skeletons and structures from Roman times!
I definitely loved Copenhagen more than expected! All of the literary places were a huge plus for me! It is a bit on the expensive side, though.
I love how far back the history of places goes as well!! I think being American, we don’t always think about how young our country is until we go to Europe. It’s so cool!
And even if you re not in the mood to get on a rollercoaster or carousel it s an unforgettable place for an amble thanks to its romantic h-century representations of the Orient.