The capital of Denmark, Copenhagen, is a seemingly endless hub of tourist attractions, offering a rich mixture of architecture, local cuisine, music, art, history, and more. Some of its famous tourist attractions include the Tivoli Gardens, the second-oldest amusement park in the world, the Little Mermaid statue, and the vibrant houses of Nyhavn, all of which attract millions of domestic and international visitors to the city every year.
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The city is always filled with tourists renting boats on the canals in the summer, with thousands of tourists lining up the snowy cobbled streets to enjoy the charm of the Christmas markets in the winter. There are countless museums, gardens, opera houses, and natural landscapes to entertain tourists, but Copenhagen also offers plenty of fascinating yet offbeat tourist attractions and activities for those who are willing to explore the city further. These are the top 10 hidden gems tourists should explore when visiting Copenhagen, Denmark.
Visit The Hidden Green Wonderland In The Center Of Copenhagen
Hidden away in the Christiansborg Palace, the Royal Library Garden is a mystical oasis waiting for tourists to get lost in its beautiful gardens and pond. Located on the site of the Danish Parliament, this little natural retreat was first built on top of Christian IV’s historic naval harbor, Tjhushavnen, in 1920 by landscape gardener Jens Peder Andersen and castle architect Thorvald Jorgensen.
A tiny pond in the center of the gardens has been kept as a reminder of its maritime heritage. These gardens are now filled with colorful and blooming flower bushes and big gloomy trees. It’s a lovely place to stroll around, especially in the spring and summer.
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Enjoy The Delectable Reffen Street Food
Copenhagen offers some of the best street food options in Scandinavia, from classic indoor food halls to pop-up food truck squares that are the perfect option to go for after a couple of hours of sightseeing. A visit to the Reffen Street Food Park, a traditional Copenhagen food market, is a must for tourists looking to experience the true flavors of this lively city.
Reffen Street Food Park is right on Copenhagen’s harbor, across from the old city center. The delectable smells of street food let the tourists know they’re in the right place, and it’s quite easy to get overwhelmed with what to eat as this street food paradise offers 41 food trucks, stalls, and shops offering local and international flavors. Tourists can get there in approximately 20 minutes from the city center by either taking a bicycle, bus, or water taxi.
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See The Colorful Houses
Brightly colored house facades are a long-standing tradition in Scandinavian countries, notably Sweden and Denmark. Taking a relaxing walk along a cobbled street with vibrant and colorful houses passing by is an experience like nothing else. For tourists wanting to catch a glimpse of a view like this, Copenhagen, mainly the city center, is full of these colorful houses.
The best area in Copenhagen to see these colorful buildings is Nyhavn harbor, where the canal is surrounded on both sides by beautifully painted 17th and early 18th-century townhouses. These buildings have restaurants, cafés, and pubs open for visitors to take a pause from sightseeing and enjoy the atmosphere of the city. Other areas to visit to see these charming townhouses are the historic Latin Quarter and the neighborhoods of Brumleby and Kartoffelraekkerne, and Olufsgade.
Take A Tour Of The Forest Tower And Forgotten Giants
Tourists who wish to get lost in the lush greenery of Copenhagen can book a half-day guided tour of the Forest Tower, an attraction that’s impossible to find anywhere else in the world. Hill Top Trine is a recycled sculpture created by Thomas Dambo as part of his bigger piece, “Forgotten Giants.” Hill Top Trine is located on top of a small hill in Hvidovre, Copenhagen, where tourists can climb between the sculpture’s palms and enjoy a stunning view over Avedresletten. Climbing to the observation deck and wandering along wooden pathways while admiring the panoramic view of the greenery is an ideal activity for both architectural and wildlife enthusiasts.
The guided tour of the Forest Tour and Forgotten Giants offers hotel pickup and drop-off from the center of Copenhagen.
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Rent A Boat Tour Of The Canals
Many tourists rent a boat tour on Copenhagen’s canals to familiarize themselves with the city’s layout and buildings. It’s an instructive, relaxing, and enjoyable activity that allows tourists to see the beautiful colors of the daily life of the city while enjoying a cool breeze. While it’s common among tourists to book guided tours, they can also rent electric boats and choose their own route and freely tour the city’s bustling harbor, waterways, and canals for an hour or two. Some rental services also provide a boat with a table and the facilities for arranging a picnic, allowing tourists to enjoy an afternoon touring the city while having a floating lunch, an experience quite similar to the famous floating saunas of the city.
Spend An Afternoon In A Board Game Café
The sun sets early in Copenhagen during wintertime, limiting activities for tourists to explore during the cold weather. While the locals are used to it, the tourists visiting the city in the winter may find themselves cooped up in hotels and bored. However, social culture in Copenhagen has evolved and offers a wide range of candlelit pubs, comfortable fireside bars, and board game cafés.
There are various locations in Copenhagen where tourists can reserve a table to eat lunch or dinner, relax on comfortable couches, and play board games. The cafés offer hearty menus and employ staff who serve both as board game enthusiasts and guides. It’s one of the most pleasant things to do in Copenhagen during the weekend, wintertime, or on a rainy day, making for an authentic and cozy experience.
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Visit A Winery In The Rosnaes Wine Region
To take a day trip from Copenhagen’s center for an afternoon filled with wine tasting, sightseeing, and basking in the sun, tourists can visit the Rosnaes peninsula, Denmark’s own rising wine region. Located from a distance of 45 minutes from the city’s center, Rosnaes is a peninsula sweeping 15 kilometers out into the Storebælt (the Great Belt) that’s mostly a landscape of sandy beaches, a lighthouse, vibrant vineyards, and cafés.
The region is full of vast sweeping slopes which have high viewing spots and lower-lying terrains, such as the wetlands of Mademose and the Langsø lake, which attracts a wide variety of avian life. The Rosnaes region is brimming with various vineyards which also provide guided tours to enjoy the unique coastal charm and ambiance of this picturesque place.
Tourists can reach the Rosnaes region by either taking a train from Copenhagen’s center or booking a guided tour car.
Climb Up The Rundetårn Tower
Copenhagen is known as a great walkable city, with most of its tourist attractions and activities reachable on foot. After walking to the corner of the Købmagerade, a shopping street in the Old Town of Copenhagen, the tall Rundetårn, or the Round Tower, comes into view. Built in 1642, the Rundetårn is a 36-meter-high observation tower that offers spectacular aerial views of Denmark’s lively capital.
Tourists are allowed to climb inside the spiral ramp, which ends on a viewing platform at the very top, providing a panoramic view of the colorful city of Copenhagen. The tower also has a glass floor located 25 meters above the ground, which is a recent addition to the building that allows tourists to peek down into the tower’s center. The sweeping Rundetårn also features one of Hans Christian Andersen’s most famous stories, The Tinderbox, a small addition that pays tribute to the cherished writer.
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Explore The Underground Cisterns
The Cisterns in Sondermarken, adjacent to the beautiful Frederiksberg Gardens, is an underground museum showcasing contemporary glasswork from Denmark and throughout the world. Tourists can locate the entrance to the Cisterns represented above ground by two glass pyramids that mark their doorway. The first step descending into the cool concrete steps into the tunnels underneath is enough to set a peculiar ambiance that resonates with the rest of the artwork and architecture of the museum.
Once old water reservoirs for Copenhagen, this dreary underground site used to circulate 16 million gallons of water while being completely devoid of natural light. Tourists can now discover the most fascinating and creative contemporary art space in the city in this shadowy and cold underground realm that’s reminiscent of its old architecture.
Stroll Through The Magical Botanical Gardens
A few steps from Nørreport Station takes tourists to Denmark’s most extensive collection of living plants, the Botanical Gardens. Visiting the Botanical Gardens is one of the most relaxing, natural, and budget-friendly tourist activities in Copenhagen, allowing tourists to learn about the countless types of botanical species while enjoying the natural scenery.
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These gardens are home to more than 13,000 species spread across multiple sections in the park, including 600 species of native Danish plants, 2,200 species of perennial and annual plants, colorful rock gardens with plants from Central and Southern European mountain ranges, and a grove full of tall coniferous trees. Tourists can spend a morning wandering through the park and exploring the rhododendron garden and the old glasshouses dating back to the 19th century, completing this magical world of lush flora and fauna.
Access to these gardens is free, allowing tourists and locals to stroll through the park and view the unique grove of trees and exotic and local species of plants and herbs.
