The capital of Denmark, and maybe of Scandinavia, Copenhagen lies in the east coast of Zealand (Sjælland) looking over to southern Sweden. Copenhagen is cosmopolitan and charming, and hosts some of the best restaurants in the Nordic region. As recent as in 2010 Restaurant Noma was awarded the World’s Best Restaurant Award.

In the centre of town you can find Tivoli, a fun park that caters well for both adults and children, and is a nice half day activity. An evening beer at the pier in Nyhavn (New Haven) is not to be missed. Buy a few beers in a nearby shop and sit amongst the locals watching life go by with the backdrop of beautiful old wooden boats. For those with more sophisticated tastes, they can enjoy a meal at one of the many excellent seafood restaurants along the pier.

Our secret place to visit in Copenhagen and close to where the director of 50 Degrees North lived in the late 90’s is Christiania. Christiania is a self-governing community that has been squatting on an old naval area since the seventies. Their inventive, brightly coloured, home built houses are spectacular, as is the relaxed atmosphere — this is truly one of Copenhagen's most unique and best attractions. Be sure to check out the markets and handmade crafts in the area.

Copenhagen is a town that lends itself to various ways to spend the day. You can see the sight and galleries or just have a lazy shop and long lunch. You can be energetic and hire a bike or you can sit back on a canal boat and have the sights glide by. You can be thrown about on a ride at Tivoli or you can sit in the sun in one of the town parks and squares to watch the locals. The choice is yours.

Things not to miss in Copenhagen are:

Shopping in Copenhagen

Copenhagen has wonderful shopping, but not cheap. Strøget, the main pedestrian street is a great place to see a good spread of what is on offer with ease but don’t forget all the back streets filled with unique and design/antique focused shops.

Another option is to visit the two wonderful Flea markets if you are visiting over a Saturday. Nørrebro Flea Market is Denmark's longest and narrowest. It stretches for 333 metres on one half of the sidewalk by the wall of the Assistants Cemetery on Nørrebrogade. Here you may find a Royal Porcelain Christmas Plate or a Chesterfield chair if you are lucky. Runs 4 Apr–31 Oct Saturday morning from 6AM-3PM.

The oldest flea market in Copenhagen is on Israels Plads, close to the Nørreport S-Train Station. Here private individuals as well as professional dealers put up for sale all kinds of old stuff, antique furniture, His Masters Voice gramophones, and objects d'art. In 2009, the flea market celebrated its 35 year anniversary. It runs from 18 Apr–10 Oct on a Saturday morning from 8am until 2pm.

Art Galleries and Museums

Entrance to most museums and galleries are free once a week, mainly on Wednesdays. Most galleries and museums are also closed on Mondays. You can always count on the principal attractions to be well signed in English and for these places to be generally geared towards tourists. As Danes are usually fairly fluent in English, you can always try to ask staff if they could give you a brief tour if there are no English descriptions.

There are several large public art galleries in Copenhagen, but it is also fun to make some time to visit the private local galleries which crowd Copenhagen. The Meatpacking District in Vesterbro in Copenhagen has blossomed in recent years with restaurants, nightclubs and art galleries. The art galleries are assembled on Flæsketorvet square and surrounds.

Statens Museum for Kunst (The National Gallery)

Statens Museum for Kunst, the Danish national gallery, is the only place in Denmark, which features 700 years of Western art and cultural history under one roof. Consequently a visit to the museum means an artistic encounter between classical, modern and contemporary art, just as the museum building in itself represents a fusion of new and old. Anna Maria Indrio's white, modernist extension building opened in 1998 and is situated in parallel with Vilhelm Dahlerup's old museum building from 1896. The vastly different buildings are separate entities, yet linked by a glass-roofed Sculpture Street.

Address: Sølvgade 48, 1307 København K Website: http://www.smk.dk/ Opening hours: Tues to Sun 10:00 - 17:00 Wed 10:00 - 20:00 Closed Mondays

For Sunday visitors the museum offers a free concert weekly at 15.00 at the museum stage. Admission to the collections is free, while entry to the temporary exhibitions is DKK 80.

Transport: A few minutes’ walk from S-train and Metro Station Nørreport.

The National Museum

At the National Museum children as well as adults can dive into the history of the Danish kingdom and you can expect a vibrant historical depiction through light, sound and sight in the palace, which was originally built for King Frederik V in 1746.

In the permanent exhibition of the National Museum you can move through time during one afternoon - from the pagan mystique of prehistoric times trough medieval centuries and their dim reputation and all the way to contemporary, Danish everyday life. You can take a look at the embalmed body of a young girl, the Egtved girl, whose mere existence tells tales about bygone days. You can follow the first female ruler Queen Margrethe I on her quest to unite the Nordic countries or listen to the speeches of the Danish industrial era tycoon and activist Georg Brandes.

Even though the National Museum is first and foremost about Denmark you will sometimes be able to find temporary exhibitions about the history of foreign and exotic places such as Greenland and Latin America. For those who are short on time, the museum offers a quick do-it-yourself guide, which will give you an overview of the 10.000 artifacts of the museum in only an hour. Children will enjoy the Kid's Museum, where copies of historical objects and clothes can be used for imaginative play. The admission is free and you will find a café as well as a museum shop under the high ceilings of the museum.

Address: Ny Vestergade 10, 1471 København K Opening hours Tues-Sun, daily from 10:00 to 17:00

Transport: Ten minutes walk from the Central Station

Louisiana Museum of Modern Art

Louisiana Museum of Modern Art is undoubtedly the best attempt at a Danish MOMA you will find. In beautiful surroundings approximately 40 kilometres north of Copenhagen you can experience renowned, international artists, when Louisiana's changing exhibitions bring world class art to the forefront of the Danish art scene.

Louisiana has gained a reputation of being in touch with the zeitgeist of the contemporary art world all the while never neglecting the obvious and established names that draw in the crowds. Thus you can always be sure to take in refreshing and innovative contemporary art as well as modernist classics when you visit Louisiana. Besides the impressive permanent collection with over 3,000 works, the museum has four to six special exhibitions annually. The museum has a kid's area where the little ones can express themselves creatively in a fun and educating manner. You can either enjoy lunch in the magnificent sculpture garden with a view across the sound to Sweden or at the museum café adjacent to the concert hall.

Address: Gammel Strandvej 13, 3050 Humlebæk Opening hours Tues to Fri, 11:00 - 22:00, Sat, Sun 11:00 - 18:00

Transport: Bus number 388 or train to Humlebæk Station. Then ten minutes walk from train station. Please confirm details with the reception if you are planning to travel out to Louisiana.

Tivoli

Tivoli is a little like Luna Park is to us – somewhere all Scandinavian kids know about and visit in their childhood (even Norwegians). It is right in the middle of town and you can stroll through by paying a small entrance fee (approx AUD$13) and pay for rides separately. Tivoli is one of the oldest amusement parks of the world and the park consequently exudes tradition and history. The garden is used as much by local Copenhageners as by tourists and there are lots of nice eating areas to enjoy. The fairytale garden is to this day a vibrant meeting place, where young concert goers, families with children, business men lunching and elderly couples strolling all gather in the picturesque, elegant and atmospheric garden.

Address: Vesterbrogade 3, 1630 København V Website: http://www.tivoli.dk/composite-3351.htm Opening hours: 11am – until late, closed during Jan, Feb and March

Nyhavn

Nyhavn is a 17th century waterfront, canal and entertainment district, stretching from Kongens Nytorv to the harbour front just south of the Royal Playhouse. It is lined by brightly coloured 17th and early 18th century townhouses and bars, cafes and restaurants. Serving as a "heritage harbour", the canal has many historical wooden ships. The northern side of Nyhavn (odd numbers) is lined by brightly coloured townhouses built with wood, bricks, and plaster. The oldest house, at No. 9, dates from 1661. The southern side of Nyhavn (even numbers) has lavish mansions lining the canal, notably Charlottenborg Palace at the corner of Kongens Nytorv.

Along its northern, sunnier side, Nyhavn is lined with bars and restaurants facing the harbor. Even in cooler weather the heartier types sit outdoors with a beer and a blanket over their legs, provided by the restaurant on each seat. Nyhavn serves as a hub of canal tours. It is a great place to be after business hours, when the suits come down and relax.

Canal Tours

A tour on the old canals is one of the biggest tourist attractions and an experience you should not miss. The boats take you through all parts of the old city and pass many of the most famous sights.

There are many options depending on your taste and preferences. DFDS Canal Tours operates both an unguided hop-on hop-off service, branded as the water bus, arranged into three circular trips at the northern, central and southern part of the inner harbour and canals. They also have three guided tours, either by a pre-recorded tape available in many languages, or live English & Danish commentary by a guide. Be forewarned though, after 75 minutes this can get a bit loud if you are not normally attracted to this sort of tourism.

Netto-bådene offers a single fixed tour, but at a much lower price. Please note that services are scaled back considerably between October and mid-March. If you are visiting during winter, you might want to opt for DFDS' red guided tour, as it offers a heated, glass-roofed boat at this time of the year. Both companies offer starting points in either Nyhavn or Gammel Strand (opposite the parliament).