42 Best Sights in Copenhagen, Denmark

For an evocative collection detailing Copenhagen's history, head to this 18th-century building in the heart of Vesterbro. A meticulously maintained model of 16th-century Copenhagen is in front of the building. Inside there's also a memorial room for philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, the father of existentialism. The museum is free on Fridays.

The contemporary architect Gustav Friedrich Hetsch borrowed from the Doric and Egyptian styles to create the arklike Copenhagen Synagogue. Women sit in the upper galleries, while the men are seated below. Access to the synagogue is limited, so call ahead.

Though the green spire of the imposing Nicholas Church—named for the patron saint of seafarers—appears as old as the surrounding medieval streets, it's actually relatively young. The current building was finished in 1914; the previous structure, which dated from the 13th century, was destroyed in the 1795 fire. Today the church is a contemporary art gallery that often has good exhibitions.

Entry is free on Wednesday.

City Hall Square is dominated by the 1905 mock-Renaissance Rådhus (City Hall). Architect Martin Nyrop's creation was popular from the start, perhaps because he envisioned that it should give "gaiety to everyday life and spontaneous pleasure to all." A statue of Copenhagen's 12th-century founder, Bishop Absalon, sits atop the main entrance.

Besides being an important ceremonial meeting place for Danish VIPs and a popular wedding hall for locals, the intricately decorated City Hall contains the first world clock. The multi-dial, highly accurate, astronomical timepiece has a 570,000-year calendar and took inventor Jens Olsen 27 years to complete before it was put into action in 1955.

Topped by two Vikings blowing an ancient trumpet called a lur, the Lurblæserne (Lur Blower Column) displays a good deal of artistic license—the lur dates from the Bronze Age, 1500 BC, whereas the Vikings lived a mere 1,000 years ago. City tours often start at this landmark, which was erected in 1914. 

While Christiansborg was being rebuilt around 1900, the national museum excavated the ruins of Bishop Absalon's castle beneath it. The resulting dark, subterranean maze contains fascinating models and architectural relics.

Instead of climbing the stout Round Tower's stairs, visitors scale a smooth, 600-foot spiral ramp. Supposedly, Peter the Great of Russia once ascended this ramp on a horse alongside his wife, Catherine, who took a carriage. From its top, you enjoy a panoramic view of the twisted streets and crooked roofs of Copenhagen. The unusual building was constructed as an observatory in 1642 by Christian IV and is still maintained as Europe's oldest such structure.

The art gallery has changing exhibits, and occasional concerts are held within its massive stone walls. An observatory and telescope are open to the public evenings mid-October through mid-March, and an astronomer is on hand to answer questions.

Completed in 2008, the newest addition to the Danish Royal Theatre focuses mainly on drama. While theater stagings are primarily in Danish, more accessible dance and music performances are also featured. A beautiful wooden ramp extends in front of the striking glass building. In summer, the café and restaurant move onto this deck and offer one of the best views of the Copenhagen harbor. The theater closes for part of the summer.

The 19th-century artist Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770–1844) is buried at the center of this museum in a simple, ivy-covered tomb. Strongly influenced by the statues and reliefs of classical antiquity, Thorvaldsen is one of the world's greatest neoclassical artists, having completed commissions all over Europe. The museum, once a coach house for Christiansborg, now houses Thorvaldsen's interpretations of classical and mythological figures, and an extensive collection of paintings and drawings by other artists that Thorvaldsen assembled in Rome, where he lived for most of his life. The outside frieze by Jørgen Sonne depicts the sculptor's triumphant return to Copenhagen after years abroad. A free English audio guide is available.

The museum is free on Wednesday.

Situated at the western end of the lakes that divide Copenhagen, this modern, cylindrical planetarium appears to be sliced at an angle. It's Denmark's most advanced center for popularizing astronomy and space research and promoting knowledge of natural science. The on-site IMAX Theater is devoted to visual odysseys of the natural environment—below the sea, through the jungle, or into outer space. These films aren't recommended for children under age seven.

This Renaissance structure—built by King Christian IV and one of central Copenhagen's oldest—contains impressive displays of uniforms, weapons, and armor in a 600-foot-long arched hall. Children usually like this museum, but it's very much a look-but-don't-touch place. Each artifact has a label in English.

The site of Denmark's main cathedral, the Church of Our Lady, has drawn worshippers since the 13th century, when Bishop Absalon built a chapel here. The previous church, consecrated in 1738, was burned to the ground in 1807 during the Napoleonic wars. Despite the country's poverty after the defeat, the city built a new place of worship, in the then-modern neoclassical style. Inside you can see Thorvaldsen's marble sculptures depicting Christ and the 12 Apostles, and Moses and David cast in bronze. The funerals of both Kierkegaard and H. C. Andersen were held here.

Established in 1859, the Copenhagen Zoo blends the old with the new. The elephant house, by acclaimed architect Norman Foster, is an elegant structure topped by two glass domes, providing its inhabitants with plenty of light and stomping ground. Modern glass enclosures for hippos and polar bears also make for spectacular viewing. But children are just as likely to gravitate to the small petting zoo and playground, which includes friendly cows, horses, rabbits, goats, and hens. The indoor rain forest has butterflies, sloths, alligators, and other tropical creatures. On sunny weekends, the line to enter can be long, so come early.

There are often extended weekend and summer opening hours

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