If you've already made the walk to the Little Mermaid, then go just a bit further around the marina…read more(to the left) and visit her distant cousin, the Genetically Modified Mermaid. You'll find it to be a bit more approachable and a lot less crowded with tourists, plus the Insta' will be way more interesting. It's a short and pleasant walk along the sea.

Nestled between two large office building in a 100 foot by 100 foot courtyard, and resting on a…read morebrick Surface there is a shallow pool with many stone statues then in the water canal there is a statue resting on rocks; maybe it is supposed to be a mermaid, but that requires some imagination. Leave yourself no more than an hour.

Mixed feelings is not the word, Blågårdsgade is the essential part of my love or hatred towards…read moreNørrebro. Back in the 90ties I were studying Geography, and we were making a analysis of the street. It had been a vibrant street in a working class area with all kinds of shopping. The street died, and it raised again like a phoenix. All the essential shopping is back, but it's a hipster community. Fortunately a lot of the housing in the area is non-profite, so the area known as The Black Square is still black by it's emigrants and drunks. You can also spot a student or two. In the street you can buy to expensive coffee, support Islamic extremists, have icecreme, buy clothing, hang out with cheap beer, or do what you want. We're inclusive at Blågårdsgade. Just remember we live here, and you're a probably a guest.

A great area that embodies Inner Nørrebro perfectly. A lot of Danes (including those "with another…read moreethnic background than Danish," as ethnic Danes would say), international hipsters, and immigrants like me hang out here. Although the street itself is dirty, the shop fronts are colourful and attractive and the graffiti is cool (NOT the tagging). Why are we all hanging out here? Because there is something for everyone. Blågårds Apoteket for the older day-drinking crowd, Harbo Bar for the hipsters, Beyti for drunks in need of a meal, and Cafe N for the vegetarians. Obviously these divisions are not cut and dried and of course there are also some places with a mostly mixed demographic like Props, Hind Marked, or the library. Although this street has had a troubled past, it is a nice blend now and when I'm here I feel at home. It's especially great when there is a block party or fleamarket going on. Definitely check it out if you are visiting Copenhagen, just stay out of the way of cyclists. Eat: Bluetaco, Ahaaa, Beyti, Kimia Drink: Harbo Bar, Blågårds Apoteket, Props Shop: Hind Marked, Insula Music, Blågårds Blomster Hang: Støberiet, Harbo Bar, Arabica

Venice has the Venetian Lagoon, Greece has the Aegean Sea, Spain has Port Vell and Denmark has…read moreNyhavn. Nyhavn is a beautiful waterfront adorned with restaurants, canal tours, and connection to the fairytale writer Hans Christian Andersen, who lived in several of its houses. The vibrant colors of the houses were spectacular. "Nyhavn is a historic 17th-century canal district in Copenhagen, Denmark, famous for its colorful 17th-century townhouses, historic ships, and vibrant atmosphere." I made it a point to pass by daily because the beauty of the waterfront was a great way to start my day. It was a joy to see the shopkeepers get their restaurants ready for business, customers lining up for the canal tours and getting a peek at the Kissing Bridge. My visit in December was special due to the Christmas spirit at Nyhavn, where the iconic harbour is lined with festive stalls selling Christmas decorations, traditional Danish Christmas treats and steaming cups of gløgg (mulled wine). There are numerous restaurants offering fine dining to casual eating, especially the famous open faced sandwich, Smorrebrod. Nyhavn is close to the Royal Opera House, Royal Danish Theater and the Broen Food Market. It is a must see in Copenhagen.

What can I say about Nyhavn that hasn't already been said? It's iconic! You can't visit Copenhagen…read morewithout seeing it. It's just as beautiful and scenic as seen in famous photographs and paintings. It survived the Great Fire that destroyed most of Copenhagen. A famous Danish fairytale writer lived in not 1, but 3 of these houses on the waterfront. That's right! There are wall plates designating the buildings that Hans Christian Andersen lived in along Nyhavn. So, why 4 stars? It's a huge tourist attraction! That means it's super crowded with many travelers taking canal and Inner Harbour cruise tours. It's lined with cafés and restaurants on both sides of the canal. All of which look amazing yet are pricier than the ones you see tucked away from all this hype. The outdoor tables at these restaurants are all taken along the canal. There's certainly lots of people watching going on here. We were told to be aware of pickpocket activities. To be honest, it's just like any other crowded tourist spot. Don't let that discourage you. There's a hot dog stand here that appears to be very popular. Just know that there are many throughout the city that are just as good and with better seating. With all that said, it was still an amazing sight to see. It's probably best to give yourself more time to browse through everything that this area has to offer. It's a fun & happening place to be. Go there in the early morning hours for a calmer experience. You'll get better picture opportunities of the brightly painted buildings with the reflections off the water.

It's one of 3 of the oldest streets in Copenhagen along with Snaregade and Vestergade near Gammel…read moreStrand. You'll still see the original cobblestones on Magstræde. It appears to be the most preserved from the time it was built along the medieval coastline before being shifted to another location. We were told that this alleyway dates back to 1520. It survived the Great Fire of 1728 that destroyed most of Copenhagen. So, why was it named mag? The alley had an outdoor public toilet. The street would eventually become a dumping ground for waste when the residents of Copenhagen had to live in the very few buildings left from the devastating fires. What you see today is a beautiful cobblestone street of colorfully painted buildings that look very much like Nyhavn. A couple of these buildings are the original ones dating back to 1640. It's said that it looks even more beautiful at night when lit up by the hanging street lamps. We visited it while taking a Copenhagen Free Walking Tour. Otherwise, I'm not sure we would have seen it. We also learned about street-mirrors (gadespejl). A device installed on apartment windows to see who is ringing you from the street level. There's a perfect example of one on this alleyway. It was quite the experience. A great way to take in the local flavor of Copenhagen by seeing a historically significant landmark street.

I just love Rantzausgade. You are one of my favourite streets in Kopenhagen; you are home…read more Rantzausgade starts at at Åboulevarden and ends at Jagtvej. It's very crowded with a lot of buses, cars, bikes, and delevering vans for all the supermarket and restaurants. You can buy all our day to day necessities in the supermarkets (Irma, Døgn Netto, Aldi), butcher shop, and the greengrocers, you can have your hair done in at least 4 different places, your nails done, you can buy bikes and have them repaid in a numbers of bike shops, you eat and drink well at the restaurants and you can just hang around and enjoying your time. You meet all kind of people at Rantzausgade. Poor refugees collecting bottles and cans for the refund and the Prime Minister doing some shopping before returning home after a long working day. Rantzausgade only lack clothing and shoes stores, and a less and more save traffic.

It's too iconic to pass up. The Little Mermaid bronze statue sculpted by Edvard Eriksen was…read moreinspired by the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale. You just can't leave Copenhagen without seeing her. Some may find the size of it disappointing. It's only 4 feet tall. The rock it sits on makes it appear a little bit taller. What's cool is that there is a small stairway off to the side so that you can get up close to it. There were kids climbing up on the rocks to take a picture with the mermaid. We walked over to it from Amalienborg Castle where our walking tour ended. It was an easy walk. Just take the pathway over the bridge past the Gefion Fountain. It will lead you to the statue with beautiful views of the Copenhagen Harbour. It's totally worth the walk. It's a symbol of Denmark that shouldn't be missed.

A must stop on any first trip to Copenhagen, the statue of the little mermaid has become the symbol…read moreof Copenhagen. On my only full day, I decided that my only mandatory stop was to find my way to this little landmark. Even on a cold and wet day, I was still glad that I did so. The statue was unveiled in 1913 as a gift to the city from the owner of Carlberg breweries. It is inspired by the famous Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale. The Little Mermaid Statue is located on the NE corner of the outer ring of the Kastellet military fort, situated on some rocks just off the shore of Langelinie Pier. There is a bus stop close by, where both tour buses and ones that are drop off/get on use. Most pictures are from the railing, but one can carefully/gently come down to the rocks of the shore to get a closer picture. I dropped off some pennies near the rocks in remembrance and waited as tourists getting off the bus would rotate through. I was hoping for a sign or at a minimum some possible sunshine to come my way, but alas, no joy. Still, it gave me a chance to rest up, and explore the other parts of Copenhagen by foot.

Queen Louis's Bridge (Dronning Louises Bro in Danish) is across the Copenhagen Lakes. The bridge…read morewas built between 1885 and 1887. It is named for King Christian IX's wife. The bridge is built from granite and has three arches. According to the wikipedia entry, the cast iron railings are decorated by four identical cartouches featuring Copenhagen's coat of arms surrounded by weapons, helmets and lions. I've posted a picture. I found the bridge to be perfectly functional with pedestrian, bicycle and automotive traffic. The counter of the number of bicycles and pedestrians was interesting!

How do you rate a bridge, by the way?…read more As an engineer, I'm tempted to do the whole building and construction analysis to determine if this bridge, despite its prettiness *rolls eyes at architects* is really functioning as it should. JUST KIDDING! But tell me, how do you rate a bridge, really? By the amount of hipsters or the so-called Nørrebronx dwellers squatting the bridge with a six-pack of Grøn Tuborg on a tow in a very summery day? One mississipi, two mississipi.... Anyway, I totally understand if this bridge has become a hangout place for whoever you are out there, be it you with the cheap beers from discount supermarket, the "original" grøn tuborg or the slightly sophisticated hipsters with a bottle of wine and real wine glasses (I swore I have seen those ones several times) - the view is damn nice over the lakes. You can just stand here and stare forever on the vast spread of polluted water *ahem* I meant the beautiful man made lakes that stretches from Frederiksberg to Østerbro. The bridges have walls and shoulders that are broad enough for you to sit on them so you can be a proper Copenhagen hipster if you want. Still, three stars from me, because I don't really know how to review a bridge. Totally ok sounds like it's a functioning bridge.

Like to people watch? Do as the local? Go for a run? Walk in the sunset?…read more The Lakes (Søerne) is a cute little patch for all of the above. Early mornings are for the running people (and the walk of shame people) then comes the fashionable girls walking with a latte, the dog people, the late runners and finally the sunset chasers. Copenhagen's waterfront is facing east, so one of the best places to see the sun set behind the rooftop is here. My favorite is to share a bottle of wine (yes, this is legal here) by the stairs next to the Planetary. From here you can enjoy the last sun and wonderful atmosphere.

Søerne, the small lakes in the middle of Copenhagen, sort of divide the city in two. You have to…read morecross a bridge to either get to Nørrebro or (back) to Indre By. It's hard to miss the lakes, but whenever I'm in Copenhagen, I want to pay them a proper visit too. This time I was staying in an AirBnB very close to the lakes - in Østerbro, and gladly walked all the way pass the lakes to Vesterbro a snowy Friday morning. There weren't many people, but it was the best tour to start my trip with. This is the perfect place for a nature-ish walk (without even leaving the city center!), for a run, for walking the dog, for just sitting and chatting and having picnics when the weather is nice. It simply really is a pretty place! Walking from Østerbro to Vesterbro, along one side of the lakes, takes about 40-45 minutes.