Flights to Copenhagen
From 15 June, Icelandair returns to one of our favorite cities. Read all you need to know about travel to Copenhagen this summer, including current restrictions.
Scandinavia's coolest capital has charm in abundance. In recent times, 'Copenhagen style' has become a byword for streamlined design, boundary-pushing food, cool TV dramas, and the healthy worshipping of bicycles. The city can barely put a foot wrong.
Copenhagen
DenmarkPopulation: 1.32 million (2019)Area: 88 km²Transportation: Public transport is easy, fast and convenient. The Metro Line is the fastest way to get around. The city also has a popular, widespread bike-share system known as Bycyklen.Currency: Danish kroneTrendy Neighborhoods: Indre By (Inner City) - Vesterbro - Nørrebro - Østerbro - FrederiksbergLook for hygge, history and hipsters
Lifestyle magazines and blogs appear to have a new crush: it's hygge, the Danish coziness and good cheer that arrives alongside candles, comfort food and good conversation in the company of dear friends. Everyone's looking to recreate it, as some sort of tonic against modern-day ills. Relax, you'll be stumbling across it everywhere in Copenhagen, along with art-filled museums and clever architectural creations that meld old and new.
For traditionalists, there are royal castles, the vintage Tivoli amusement park (from 1843), canals and copper spires. For hipsters, there are cutting-edge galleries, fantastic street food, canal-side swimming pools and hidden bars. Is there a remedy for envy of the locals? If so, you may want to pack it.
Danish dining successes
A Copenhagen restaurant called Noma received a lot of global attention over the past decade, and Danish food came of age. Now, this city is a hotspot for great eats, and Noma alumni are opening fresh new restaurants all over town.
Still, in the race to try new discoveries, don't forget the old. Traditional gets tasty with smørrebrød, open-faced sandwiches with sculptural toppings, and don't miss a chance to visit old-school bakeries to sample pastry delights.
Grabbing a pølse (hot dog) from a pølsevogn (street vendor) is a traveler's rite of passage, and for more street-food sampling head to Papirøen, a cool waterfront venue housing dozens of street-food stalls. For a belly full of local and international flavors, browse the city's stylish food hall and market, Torvehallerne.
Design delights and homegrown brands
The strong design aesthetic that permeates Copenhagen is evident in its stores, and shopping here is a pleasure. The city is known for Strøget, one of Europe's longest pedestrian streets, lined with a heady mix of department stores, design shops and international flagship stores.
Fashion and homewares will call to your credit cards and suitcase space, especially in stores like Illums Bolighus and Magasin du Nord, which are virtual shrines to good taste.
There are some excellent homegrown trinkets to take home as souvenirs - did you know that Lego, titan of the toy world, is a Danish product? Royal Copenhagen makes beautiful porcelain, while Georg Jensen's shiny silverware will dazzle you.