On our last day in Copenhagen we decided to venture out and hit the last few tourist spots we had not made it to as of yet. Our first stop was Nyhavn, a 17th century waterfront area turned into a huge tourist trap. Despite the tourism, it’s still worth seeing, and very photogenic.
We had an early lunch at a spot that didn’t seem overwhelmed with tourists. This restaurant, Oranje Nyhavn, is a boat floating next to the Nyhavn dock, which I found quite unique versus the places along the wharf. The best part is all the other outdoor spots allow smoking, so this was a great option for us.
The weather couldn’t have been more perfect, and with it being a Sunday the locals were out in droves! Look at how crowded the dock was across the water!
Here is yet another dock adjacent to the The Playhouse (performing arts theater) filled with sunbathers!
We walked through a large public space called Amalienborg, which has four palace buildings circling this statue. The man on the horse is King Frederik V, who died in 1766. The statue was built in 1771, and is in remarkable shape despite being over 350 years old.
King Frederik’s statue is facing Frederik’s Church, also commonly called The Marble Church. The church was a project started by King Frederik V, and the foundation stone was personally laid by him in 1749 to great fanfare. Despite the common name, the church isn’t made of marble, but that was the original plan.
The church’s history is akin to a California state project. Building progress was slow, and the original architect died in 1754. By 1770, construction was abandoned, and the church sat half-finished for over 100 years.
In the late 1800’s, wealthy businessman C.F. Tietgen financed the completion of the church per the original plans. Due to budget constraints, the church was completed using limestone instead of marble. The church finally opened in 1894, 145 years after the foundation was laid. See, just like a California project!
The dome is incredibly beautiful!
As is the altar. This is likely the most beautiful church in Copenhagen, and it’s free to enter.
We kept walking along the waterfront, headed towards The Little Mermaid statue, and came across another beautiful church. Really love the exterior of this place! This is St. Alban’s Church, an English Anglican church that opened in 1887.
The church is smallish on the inside, but still quite attractive. Again, it’s free to enter, and they were very welcoming!
Just behind the church was the super cool Gefion Fountain. Completed in 1908, it represents the Norse Goddess Gefion (who I’ve never heard of) plowing the sea with 4 oxen.
The oxen even have a fine mist of water streaming from their nostrils, depicting how hard they are being driven. It’s the largest fountain in Denmark, and well worth checking out!
We reached our goal on this trek, The Little Mermaid, based on the Hans Christian Andersen story of the same name. This iconic statue, installed in 1913, is likely the most visited tourist spot in Denmark, and the crowds made that fairly obvious. It took some doing to get a photo without somebody in the way.
It took even more doing to get a selfie!
We walked back via the Kastellet, a 17th century star-shaped fortress. The bridge into the fortress had the optical illusion of being elevated down the center, but it was perfectly flat.
They have built a memorial inside the fortress to all of the Danish troops who have lost their lives in service around the world since 1948. The message on the wall is “A Time, A Place, A person”.
The other side of the wall lists all of the countries that Danish soldiers have served in over the years. It was nicely done.
Another look at St. Alban’s Church as we exited the fortress. Such a photogenic building!
On our last night in Copenhagen we had dinner at Sticks N Sushi, located adjacent to Tivoli Gardens. I had to get one last shot of the original Matterhorn.
I booked this restaurant as it’s supposed to have an incredible view over the city. Turns out there are two of these restaurants in Copenhagen, and I embarrassingly booked one and then took us to the other. Doh! They were able to sit us anyway, so it worked out. Excellent food, just make sure you go to the right one!
On our walk back to the hotel we traversed the stunning pedestrian/bike bridge called Lille Langebro, which opened in 2019. The lighting is very cool!
We crossed the Circle Bridge again, and it was nice to see it all lit up at night. I’ve gotta say that Copenhagen is likely the most beautiful city we’ve ever visited!
Coming up next, we pick up our rental car and head to Aarhus, Denmark, on the island of Jutland.
Amazing Copenhagen. We loved reading your blogs and seeing your magnificent photography. Definitely travel worthy.