About the Tour
Get to know some lesser known local hotspots on this tour, which will cover 10km (3 hours) and provide you with a unique and in-depth introduction to the city.
A. DIS
Meet at the DIS Student Hub (or wherever works for you).
B. Studenterhuset
Literally ‘the student house’. Situated just a five minute walk from DIS, Studenterhuset offers a wide selection of sandwiches, coffee and beers. This hang-out has been a DIS tradition for years, largely due to the free wifi, cozy atmosphere, and young student vibe. Throughout each month Studenterhuset hosts a number of socials including Quiz Night, Hygge Nights, and International Night. Studenterhuset is also known as one of the best live venues in central Copenhagen – be sure to take in a cozy concert of a local group!
C. Rosenborg Slot & Kongens Have
Rosenborg Castle is another of the very active King Christian 4’s projects, ultimately for use as his summer home. It was finished in 1633, and built in Dutch Renaissance style with red bricks and grey sandstones. It was meant to meet all the needs of a renaissance king:
- Brag about his strength and richness – it was all about branding
- Be an example to visitors of his good taste, style and wealth: “Look how rich I am – and be aware: I am powerful!”
- Provide him and his court with delicious fruit and vegetables from the surrounding garden.
Christian 4 also designed the adjoining castle gardens, known as Kongens Have (The King’s Garden). Besides the lovely flower garden growing next to the castle, the King’s Garden also encompasses a 30-acre green space surrounding the castle. The park turns into an oasis in the city center during the summer, where young people come to play soccer, tan themselves and have picnics. The park is Copenhagen’s most visited park with more than 10,000 daily visitors on hot summer days.
D. Dronning Louises Bro
Dronning Louise’s Bro (Queen Louise’s Bridge) connects inner Copenhagen and Nørrebro and is frequented by tons of cyclists and pedestrians every single day (note the sign that counts how many cycles have come through!). The bridge has also emerged as an incredibly popular hangout spot. Queen Louise’s Bridge was built in 1887 and replaced a previous worn out bridge, that was too small for modern needs, especially since farmers with horse carriages were replaced with heavier traffic. The bridge went through yet another transformation in 2011, which resulted in significantly reduced car traffic and increased bicycle traffic. The transformation did not only affect cars and bikes, because wider sidewalks also turned the sunny side of Queen Louise’s Bridge into a hip and popular hangout for many Copenhageners. The bridge even ended up getting more benches than originally planned due to people’s need to soak up the sun and hang out on the bridge.
E. Assistens Kirkegård
Assistens kirkegård (Assistens Cemetery) was founded as a cemetery in 1757. The area has been a favorite destination for outings from the end of the 18th century, and is now mainly used as a park by joggers and the locals sunbathing in the summer. Not dissimilarly to all other citizens of Copenhagen, Hans Christian Andersen regularly visited Assistens Cemetery. The death rate was high during that period, and thus the number of burials one might attend was great. However, even then the cemetery was also used as a place where one could take a walk in “nature itself”. Hans Christian Andersen also used the cemetery as a place for inspiration, and where he could – in his mind – bury persons with whom he was annoyed. Many famous Danes are buried here, including Hans Christian Andersen himself, as well as the famous philosopher Søren Kierkegaard.
F. Søerne – Sankt Jørgen Sø, Peblingesø & Sortedams sø
”The lakes,” as the three lakes surrounding downtown Copenhagen are called, are man-made and date back to the Middle ages. They were constructed to defend the city from enemies as moats. Later, in the 1700s, the lakes functioned as a water reservoir, and continued to do so until 1959. Today the lakes are a popular hangout place. The minute the sun comes out the vast area around the lakes fills up with strolling couples, panting joggers, brunch devotees, kids feeding the ducks, and best friends sipping thermos coffee while taking in the best views of the city. Do an early morning jog on the paths surrounding the lakes (6km), or head for one of these fine cafés for delicious coffee with excellent views: Kaffesalonen at 6 Peblinge Dossering, Café Front Page at 21 Sortedam Dossering, and Den Franske Café at 101 Sortedam Dossering.
G. Kødbyen
Built over a period of 50 years, the Meatpacking District used to be home to Copenhagen’s meat industry businesses and still consists of three separate areas – the White, Grey and Brown “Meat Cities” – for the dominant color of their buildings. Øksnehallen (the old cattle market – today a cultural and event building) in the Brown Meat City was finished in 1901 and the White Meat City opened in April 1934. The White Meat City is famous for its functionalistic architecture and since opening has inspired other meat producing facilities. The Brown and White Meat City are “listed,” which means they are thereby protected by law. They are further protected as one of the 25 national industrial memorials in Denmark. In recent years, the area has been developed by Copenhagen Properties to give place to a blending of artists, galleries, meat industries, creative and gastronomic trendsetters all in the characteristic white buildings primarily from 1934.