The Best of Copenhagen
The Best of Copenhagen – Copenhagen, Denmark’s capital, sits on the coastal islands of Zealand and Amager. It’s linked to Malmo in southern Sweden by the Öresund Bridge.
Indre By, the city’s historic center, contains Frederiksstaden, an 18th-century rococo district, home to the royal family’s Amalienborg Palace. Nearby is Christiansborg Palace and the Renaissance-era Rosenborg Castle, surrounded by gardens and home to the crown jewels.
Whether you’ve spent months designing a carefully crafted itinerary or just arrived on an impromptu trip, you’ll find plenty to convince you to stay in Copenhagen just a little longer.
From immersive, local-led canal tours to lush urban gardens, and even floating hot tubs that sail the city’s famed canals, there’s no shortage of entertainment in here.
The Best of Copenhagen – Sights to See
Sights to See in Copenhgen – Rosenborg Castle
This castle dates to 1606 when it was built as a royal summer house by one of the most famous Scandinavian kings, Christian IV.
Now it offers a glimpse into Copenhagen’s regal history, like a time capsule filled with treasures and works of art.
Spend an hour or two here, walking the halls as Danish royalty once did.
Don’t miss the Knights’ Hall with its coronation thrones. You’ll also find the king’s private writing cabinet, living areas, and bathroom. There’s also an impressive Venetian glass collection.
Sights to See in Copenhgen – CopenHot
There aren’t any massages here, but what it lacks in pampering it makes up for in coolness.
Perched right on the water in the industrial-hip Nordhavn neighborhood, a cluster of wooden hot tubs and saunas overlook the water.
Tubs can be rented for a group, or you can come to one of their open days.
To warm up and chill out, you have several options. Barrel-wood hot tubs are filled with clean, mineral-rich saltwater and heated from below by a fire (note the dude chopping firewood on-site).
The coveted sailing spas fit five people in a floating hot tub that navigate the canals.
And panoramic saunas overlook the harbor.
Sights to See in Copenhgen – CopenHill
Designed by Danish architect Bjarke Ingels, CopenHill is a multi-use waste-to-energy plant.
The building—a real architectural marvel that’s worth seeing—has a ski slope, climbing wall, and cafe.
Even if you have no interest in skiing down the 1,300-foot slope, you’ll certainly be interested in seeing the action.
At the very least, swing by the cafe for an apres-ski beer.
Sights to See in Copenhgen – Hey Captain
A canal boat might sound like a generic tourist activity, but Hey Captain offers a fun, intimate look at the city and a window into daily Danish life.
That’s especially the case in summer, when locals laze on the docks and dive into the refreshing harbor water.
Each boat has one guide and 12 guests, max, keeping the experience intimate and personal.
The guides have extensive knowledge on the city, its history, and its architecture.
They’re also hired for their personalities—the mood is light and enjoyable.
Sights to See in Copenhgen – Botanical Garden
Copenhagen’s botanical gardens are a green oasis in the center of Denmark’s capital.
It’s got the largest Danish collection of living flora, including more than 13,000 plant species spread over ten hectares and housed in a complex of historic 19th-century greenhouses.
The best way to approach a visit here is to prioritize what is in season.
While you’re there, be sure to swing past the SMK (National Gallery of Denmark), the country’s largest art museum.
Sights to See in Copenhgen – Nyhavn
Nyhavn, a 17th-century harbor, is easily the most iconic landmark in Copenhagen. Lined with wooden ships, modern boats, multicolored townhouses, and seafood restaurants, this port is a must-see, and its storied quay is perpetually bustling with locals and visitors.
This landmark a public space, so it’s easy to come and go as you please. Nyhavn attracts a crowd as diverse as its history.
Over the bridge in the neighboring hood of Christianshavn, you’ll also find some of the oldest houses in Copenhagen.
Stop for a coffee and pastry at 108 before exploring one of the oldest parts of the city.
The Best of Copenhagen – Dining
Eating well is at the center of nearly everyone’s plans for the Danish capital, but getting your fill in this epicurean-minded city doesn’t require a banker’s salary—just knowing where to go.
For every Michelin star restaurant serving innovative Nordic fare, there’s a humble but mighty street-food stand (or, in some cases, small brick-and-mortar joint) dishing out equally tasty options.
And as long as you don’t mind the occasional paper plate, you’re bound to find flavorful rewards and warm, well-informed vendors and chefs.
Most importantly, you can’t meet new people when you’re sitting down at a fancy restaurant, which is why some of our best finds (and friends) have come from knocking elbows with locals around communal tables beside makeshift kitchens.
The Best of Copenhagen Dining – Alchemist
50 Best Accolades
No.8 The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2024
No.5 The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023
A truly one-a-kind-dining experience for the bucket list, Alchemist is the brainchild of enigmatic chef Rasmus Munk.
The adventure begins outside two enormous bronze doors in Copenhagen’s famous former shipyard.
Opening like the curtains on a stage, the doors swing open to welcome you to 50 courses of truly extraordinary craftsmanship, mind-boggling ingredients and a veritable culinary education.
Rather than courses, the experience is divided into ‘Acts’, during which diners are served in different locations in the four storey building: perhaps surrounded by holographic views of the galaxy or under the canopy of the ‘magical forest’.
Prepare to be educated as well as entertained.
Munk’s dishes are designed to encourage guests to dig deeper and have frank conversations.
A piece of cod with edible ‘plastic’ signifies the on-going problems with ocean pollution, or ‘frozen air’ made with lemon balm and woodruff, which is inspired by the human emotion of greed.
Book your trip in advance to this Copenhagen hotspot
Tasting menu from $570
The Best of Copenhagen Dining – Alouette
Alouette is cool almost to the point of pastiche, but undeniably has the goods to back it up. With otherworldly interiors by David Thulstrup (Noma, Ikoya), this is a tasting menu-only restaurant that has sustainability at its heart: holding not only a Michelin Star but a Green Star to boot.
The restaurant’s 12 to 15-course menus are – as is modern Scandi fine dining custom – super-local and hyper-seasonal with even their caviar hailing from the region, and many ingredients are foraged or biodynamically farmed (obviously there’s a cracking natural wine cellar too).
Tasting menu from $490
The Best of Copenhagen Dining – Barabba
Barabba is the place to go for a guaranteed good time.
With a stylishly simple dining room and tables spilling out into the street under the light of a giant neon sign, it was founded by three friends and serves up modern Italian cooking in a classic four-course format.
You’re also welcome to pick a few plates to share or go for gold and order the eight-course tasting menu with matching wines and optional supplement for a super-luxe spaghetti dish with butter, colatura di alici (a punchy anchovy sauce from Cetara in Campania) and a healthy whack of caviar.
If you’re not already convinced then what if we tell you that this is a hotspot for Copenhagen’s chefs and restaurant workers who go there for great food, fun vibes and late opening hours.
Tasting menu from $80
The Best of Copenhagen Dining – Barr
Dining at Barr is akin to a gastronomic bear hug. Taking over the space that once housed the original Noma, this informal waterfront restaurant challenges the preconceptions of modern Nordic cuisine.
Headed up by Thorsten Schmidt, in partnership with René Redzepi, comfort classics from across the North Sea drive the menu.
Think elevated, enveloping versions of frikadeller (Denmark’s national dish of meatballs) served with red cabbage and lingonberries, wiener schnitzel and Belgian waffles with smoked marrow. Interiors – all undulating blonde oak – are Danish modernism at its best.
Plus, there’s 20 craft beers on tap.
Average price per person $65
Tasting menu from $90
The Best of Copenhagen Dining – Bæst
Bæst is a Copenhagen institution and a key component of any restaurant crawl through the Danish capital.
It’s not all foraged and tweezed tasting menus here though, Bæst is predominantly a pizzeria, albeit the fanciest pizzeria you’re ever likely to find.
The vast majority of ingredients are certified organic, whilst there’s both a dairy and a salumeria on-site, with an adjoining bakery (Mirabelle – well worth a visit in itself) taking care of the bases. Guests can order á la carte, or opt for one of two set menu options.
The first has diners pick their favorite pizza, then the chefs will pick a choice of hot and cold dishes to complement it, while the second is effectively more of the same but enhanced by a selection of house-made cheese and charcuterie – both with the option to enjoy sommelier-paired wines.
Average price per person $50
The Best of Copenhagen Dining – Iluka
Step through the door of this cosy restaurant to embark on a journey across the North Sea.
At the helm is Aussie chef Beau Clugston, who relocated to Denmark from London (where he was cheffing at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay) to work at Noma.
Iluka is his ode to the ocean.
The unfussy menu champions fish and seafood plucked from the brackish waters found on Copenhagen’s doorstep.
Everything is cooked simply and sublimely and served up as though you were dining at a friend’s house.
Sea urchin from the Faroe Islands has people coming back for more.
Average price per person $60
Tasting menu from $80
The Best of Copenhagen Dining – Jordnær
50Best Accolades
No.38 The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022
Housed in a warm and friendly hotel in Copenhagen’s Gentofte neighborhood, couple Tina and Eric Vildgaard’s restaurant Jordnær is a true representation of Danish hospitality.
The restaurant takes its name from the Danish word meaning ‘down to earth’ and remains true to form: the team are solicitous, and the food elegant but not intimidating.
Open since 2017, Jordnær’s dining room is replete with comfortable chairs, solid dark wood floors and bursting with bright, natural light. Menu options include monumental-size langoustines, turbot and king crab fished from local waters.
Chef Vildgaard knows his proverbial onions: he works closely with his producers and fisherman, ensuring only the highest quality seafood makes its way on the plates, while front-of-house lead Tina Vildgaard caters for guests’ every whim with subtlety and discretion.
Look out for the wide range of caviar – Vildgaard’s speciality – which features regularly across the vast tasting menu.
Key Information
Tasting menu from $415
The Best of Copenhagen – Hotels
Danish cool is recognized worldwide and the best hotels in Copenhagen only bolster the reputation.
World-class restaurants, a forward-thinking eco-mentality, and an affinity for voguish design not only help make Copenhagen a go-to European destination, but they are just a few of the factors that set the Danish capital’s thriving hotel scene apart.
Old and new neighborhoods are now home to some of the most exciting hotels to have debuted across Europe recently.
Stay on Christiansholm, known as Paper Island, in a repurposed brewery, or find theatrical inspiration at a boutique retreat across from the Danish Royal Theatre.
Take a dip in the open-air pool atop a former post office or join Copenhageners in imbibing natural wines in a courtyard that could just as easily be in Paris.
25hours Hotel Paper Island
Best Copenhagen Hotel for: a Dreamy Danish Hideaway
The handsome work of COBE architects and the designers at Stylt Trampoli in Gothenburg, newcomer 25hours Paper Island has 128 rooms and is the latest 25hours hotel, having launched in July 2024.
It’s the second hotel in the city from the Ennismore-owned brand, with a very distinctive style and a great setting—on one of Copenhagen’s islands, Christiansholm.
The place was formerly used as a paper warehouse.
Unlike other hopping city hotels from the 25hours brand, the tone is a more chilled-out, relaxed one—it’s definitely more of a re-energizing retreat than a buzzing capital stay—and yet, it’s at Copenhagen’s very heart, just a walk or cycle over the bridge to the city beat.
The interiors reflect its natural inspiration: warm wooden flooring, beachy-blue wall panelling, breezy neutrals and coastal hues.
There are also nice nods to industrial harbour design with elements of concrete, timber and brick and there are vintage maritime pieces throughout the hotel.
When it’s dinnertime, tuck into fragrant tom yum or crispy sea bream at the hotel’s Asian restaurant Tiger Lily.
Address: 25hours Hotel, Paper Island, Papirøen 25, 1436 Copenhagen, Denmark
Price: Doubles from about $291
Manon Les Suites
Best Copenhagen Hotel for: the Eco-Savvy
At first sight, there’s little on the outside of this suites-only property on a main road north of the city center that reveals it’s one of the city’s stand-out hotels. But step inside and the story is very different.
The former factory has been reconfigured in funky riad style with a central courtyard garden surrounded by six floors of balconied apartments.
At its epicenter is the indoor hotel pool, lined with day beds and surrounded by greenery like some wonderfully steamy tropical wonderland.
The owner, Guldsmeden, is behind some of Copenhagen’s more characterful small hotels, including the most recently opened Bryggen. This was the group’s first venture into something bigger.
The 87 suites are simply done out with raw concrete ceilings, small kitchen areas, and compact bathrooms, all with cheerful Balinese touches such as bamboo towel rails and bright, handwoven cushion covers.
Down in the basement, there’s a hip gym, which feels a bit like a nightclub with its pumping music and industrial aesthetics.
The sixth floor houses the hotel’s restaurant, Chapung, pairing an Asian fusion menu with great views across the city’s lakes and a roof terrace for summer evenings.
The signature breakfast uses all organic ingredients and for true eco-enthusiasts, there is muesli made from leftover breadcrumbs.
This sustainable philosophy extends throughout the hotel, from the use of organic paint to providing compostable toothbrushes.
Address: Manon Les Suites, Gyldenløvesgade 19, 1600 Copenhagen, Denmark
Price: Doubles from about $292
Nobis Hotel Copenhagen
Best Copenhagen Hotel for: Serenity in the City
This is the Swedish brand’s first property in Denmark, just a few minutes’ walk from the Tivoli Gardens, and the smooth serenity of its sister hotel in Stockholm is very much in evidence.
The stripped-back approach to interior design works well in this hefty building, once home to the Royal Danish Conservatory of Music, with its high ceilings, central marble staircase, and beautiful, ornate coving.
For its latest incarnation, the 77 bedrooms are pleasingly weighty, with dusky-blue walls and herringbone-pattern wood floors, graphic dark-wood four-poster beds and plenty of Danish design details (even the black clothes hangers are from local interiors store Hay).
Of course, in this city of fanatical Nordic foodies, restaurants matter and Nobis’s taupe-toned dining room is a formal affair with ambitions to match.
Local ingredients are celebrated in dishes taking inspiration from across Europe at Restaurant NOI and seasonal cocktails with Scandinavian influence are shaken and stirred at the Marble Bar.
More subdued is the little wine cellar, a cozy but unadorned room which operates as a drinking den for those in the know.
There is also an ultra-secluded (guests only) hammam with a sauna and cold plunge pool.
Hewn out of white marble, it is, like much of the rest of the hotel, a lesson in peaceful, modern minimalism.
Address: Nobis Hotel Copenhagen, Niels Brocks Gade 1, 1574 Copenhagen, Denmark
Price: Doubles from about $342
Hotel Danmark
Readers’ Choice Awards 2019, 2020
Best Copenhagen Hotel for: City Panoramics
The younger sister to Hotel SP34, Hotel Danmark reopened in 2017 with the architect Morten Hedegaard’s makeover transforming its ‘60s façade with mossy emerald-colored tiles and some clever tree planting.
The bedrooms are styled in a hipster-spartan style, painted deep, inky forest green with contemporary Danish designs such as wishbone chairs, leather headboards, and herringbone blankets.
The effect is handsome, although some of the smaller rooms are only as wide as the bed is long.
Those on the sixth floor, however, can’t be beaten for views of the Tivoli fireworks on a summer’s evening, and above that is a sunny rooftop terrace.
The downstairs bar, with its slatted wooden walls and brass lighting, is busy day and night, staff in pretty star-strewn uniforms pouring glasses of Albariño (between 5 to 6 p.m., it’s on the house) while making dinner reservations for guests at nearby restaurants.
Breakfasts are organic smorgasbords: compote stirred through with cream, sticky Danish pastries, and the classic brod piled high with cheese and salami.
Neighboring Vesterbro and the cobbled streets of Christianshavn are easily explored on one of the hotel’s shiny black bicycles.
Address: Hotel Danmark, Vester Voldgade 89, 1552 Copenhagen, Denmark
Price: Doubles from about $205
Hotel Sanders
$$ | Gold List 2019 Hot List 2018 Readers’ Choice Awards 2018
Best Copenhagen Hotel for: Theatrical Inspiration
When it opened in 2017, this property found almost opposite the stage door of the Royal Danish Theatre became the third hotel from Alexander Kolpin, a former ballet dancer and the son of a theater designer and producer.
Here, Kolpin and the British design firm Lind + Almond created an urban retreat in which theatrical inspiration can be seen through spaces such as the Tata cocktail bar (named after the red curtain in the neighboring theatre) designed with gold lights and plump velvet or damask cushions.
Hotel Sanders houses a total of 54 bedrooms, across three handsome 19th-century townhouses, decked out with mid-century modern furnishings and a whole range of textures from hessian walls to marble panelling and Liberty wallpapers.
Bespoke velvet chairs and vintage Danish lamps provide a glamorous touch to the otherwise homely lobby.
The tiny kitchen restaurant with its low-key bistro menu is a laid-back, plant-filled space perfectly in tune with its young, cool diners.
Of all the relaxed public spaces, of special note is the roof terrace, beautifully lit with Moroccan lanterns and stuffed with rattan furniture and woven rugs.
The brilliant staff are multitasking masters in uniforms straight out of a Wes Anderson film and are happy to sort out anything from superb in-room cocktails to arranging a personal trainer.
Address: Hotel Sanders, Tordenskjoldsgade 15, 1055 Copenhagen, Denmark
Price: Doubles from about $653
The Audo
Best Copenhagen Hotel for: Design Aficionados
Design-led Audo fits perfectly into the Nordhavn neighbourhood on the northern edge of Copenhagen – developed from its origins as a port to become a design-centric residential, work and lifestyle enclave in which design studios and cafés are transforming its heritage buildings to retain the warmth and soul of the area.
Bjarne Hansen, who is also behind Menu design company, created The Audo in collaboration with Norm Architects and the co-founder of Kinfolk magazine, Nathan Williams.
Behind the original dark-orange façade of a former trade house, this impeccably designed and styled space now encompasses a 10-room hotel, café, fine dining restaurant and concept store, all centred around an amphitheatrical staircase, in which all items of décor can be bought through the hybrid design concept.
Generously sized, residential-style accommodation including suites, studio suites and a penthouse continue the design concept of the rest of the property and come with a careful curation of complimentary minibar items, breakfast in The Audo Salon and use of bicycles for exploration of Copenhagen using The Audo’s own City Guide. Read our full review of The Audo.
Address: The Audo, Arhusgade 130, 2150 Copenhagen, Denmark
Price: Doubles from around $407
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