Exploring Denmark’s capital

Øresund Bridge

As the song goes, Copenhagen is indeed wonderful and especially in December, when it is cold, full of snow and everything glitters under a white blanket. The Danish capital is known for being clean, green, and repeatedly ranked as the ‘world’s most liveable city’. By Maarten Hoffmann

WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL COPENHAGEN

Panorama of Nyhavn in the Old Town of Copenhagen

The Moorish Palace of Copenhagen

But there is a hip, multicultural side to Copenhagen that is getting it a reputation as one of the up-and-coming destinations for city-breakers.

The multicoloured waterfront town houses of Nyhavn, Tivoli Gardens (the second oldest theme park in the world plonked in the heart of the city) and the dockside statue of Hans Christian Andersen’s Little Mermaid at Langelinie are all well known.

Just a short stroll, however, and you are into a more modern world of cutting edge eateries, boutique shops and forward-thinking design in the uber-cool Vesterbro district and cultural melting pot of Nørrebro. In December, Tivoli Gardens has so many Christmas lights, l’m surprised it can’t be seen from space! It takes a while to work out what is different about the urban experience in the Danish city; clean air, an unhurried pace and lack of congestion is normal throughout the city centre. Bikes are king in Copenhagen – there are nearly twice as many as people, while car ownership is less than half the population.

You can grab an electric bike off the street at ranks everywhere in the city centre, and the idea is inviting rather than intimidating – the bike lanes are often the same width as the main carriageway, and every bit as well-connected and as thought out in an unprecedented commitment to get people out of their cars and into the saddle. Be aware, that cyclists demand right of way so if driving and turning right, you have to really crane your neck to ensure you are not about to run over anyone – and if you do, it is your fault!

It is not just bikes that are making Copenhagen greener in its aim to become the first carbon-neutral city by 2025, with recycling bins on the streets and evidence of re-used ‘upcycled’ materials everywhere, from fences full of plants growing in old drink bottles to the proliferation of city-centre flea markets.

❛❛ Jægersborggade is now one of the hippest streets in the city, boasting a vast array of quirky boutique shops ❜❜

Park and Palace Frederiksborg Slot, Hillerod

Nowhere is this more in evidence than in multicultural Nørrebro. Its streets are decorated with equal parts graffiti and greenery, with plenty of quiet little green spaces created where its densely packed ‘back houses’ were demolished in the 1990s. It also boasts Assistens Cemetery, the final resting place of Hans Christian Anderson, which doubles as a public park the size of 26 football pitches. Relae and its affordable sibling Manfreds across the way.

Brus Bar proved such a hip concept in such a lively district that it also attracted Christian Gadient, the city’s youngest Michelin-starred chef, to jump ship from the D’angleterre Hotel just moments after earning his star, to start Spontan restaurant under the same roof.

Jægersborggade is now one of the hippest streets in the city, boasting a vast array of quirky boutique shops selling everything from liquid-nitrogen ice cream to hand-crafted ceramics, and even has Michelin-starred restaurant Dining out is a big deal in Copenhagen, and a similar story of a working class area becoming the place to go for food and drink is Vesterbro’s Meatpacking District. It’s a strange combination of still-functioning meat industry and

❛❛ Bikes are king in Copenhagen – there are nearly twice as many as people ❜❜

trendy bars, brew-pubs, eateries and art galleries, all jostling together in a complex of white industrial-looking buildings around a huge courtyard. Prices vary from budget to high end, but even fine dining is in reach with places such as the unfussy Restaurant Gorilla offering a whopping 10-course taster menu including oysters, octopus, shrimp radiatore and a beautiful beef brisket for just DKK 375 (about £40) per head. The main drag of Værnedamsvej has often been compared with the streets of Paris for its street-spilling cafe culture, with the 1950s-themed Granola perhaps the most famous of its eateries serving traditional Danish open-faced sandwiches, or smørrebrød, with a delicious variety of toppings, just down from the equally charming Central Hotel and Café, which with just one cosy room, is the world’s smallest.

All in all, Copenhagen is a fascinating mix of the familiar and the inspiringly fresh.