Copenhagen’s compact waterfront links some of the most iconic images in Scandinavia — the brightly painted 17th-century houses of Nyhavn reflected in still canal water, the Rococo mansions of Amalienborg Palace, and the alternative community of Freetown Christiania — all within walking distance of one another. This post accompanies the YouTube walking tour “COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Nyhavn & City Walk | 4K Walking Tour,” which covers the city centre and its canal district. It is the companion to your copenhagen walking tour.
About This Walking Tour
This 4K tour explores the colourful heart of Copenhagen, starting at the iconic Nyhavn canal and working through the city’s most celebrated districts. Nyhavn (New Harbour) was dug in 1671 to connect the city centre to the sea; its south quay is lined with 17th- and 18th-century merchant townhouses in ochre, terracotta, and rust, with wooden sailing ships moored along the waterfront. Hans Christian Andersen lived at numbers 20 and 67 Nyhavn at different periods of his life and wrote some of his first fairy tales here.
From Nyhavn the walk covers the formal royal quarter around Amalienborg Palace — four identical Rococo mansions arranged around an octagonal square, designed by Nicolai Eigtved in 1750. The Royal Guard changes daily at noon. The video also covers Strøget, the pedestrian shopping street connecting Kongens Nytorv to City Hall, and the Rosenborg Castle and King’s Garden, before crossing to Christianshavn and its Amsterdam-inspired canal network.
Highlights of Copenhagen
Nyhavn is Copenhagen’s most photographed location and one of the most recognisable canal scenes in northern Europe. Hans Christian Andersen — author of The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling, and over 150 other fairy tales — lived at several addresses on this canal, and a memorial plaque marks his house at number 20. The bronze statue of The Little Mermaid, created by sculptor Edvard Eriksen in 1913 and inspired by Andersen’s tale, sits on a small rock at the edge of the harbour; it is one of the most visited sculptures in Europe. Rosenborg Castle, a Dutch Renaissance palace built between 1606 and 1624 by Christian IV, houses the Danish Crown Jewels and is surrounded by the King’s Garden — Copenhagen’s oldest royal park. The Round Tower (Rundetårn), completed in 1642, is an astronomical observatory with a unique internal spiral ramp (rather than stairs) wide enough for a horse and carriage; it offers panoramic views over the city’s rooftops. Freetown Christiania was established in 1971 when hippies occupied an abandoned military barracks in Christianshavn and declared an autonomous community with its own rules and governance; it remains one of Europe’s most unusual urban experiments.
A Brief History of Copenhagen
Copenhagen was a small fishing village called Havn (the harbour) until Bishop Absalon fortified it with a castle in 1167. It became Denmark’s capital in the early 15th century under Erik of Pomerania. Christian IV (1577–1648) transformed the city with an ambitious building programme including Rosenborg Castle, the Round Tower, and the Christianshavn canal district — modelled explicitly on Amsterdam. Copenhagen was bombarded by the British fleet in 1807 and much of the old city burned; the largely 19th-century city centre visible today was rebuilt in the aftermath. Denmark’s constitutional monarchy and welfare state are among the most stable institutions in Europe.
Practical Tips
Copenhagen is in the Central European Time zone (UTC+1, summer UTC+2). The currency is the Danish krone (DKK), not the euro. Danish is the language; English is universally spoken and understood. The Metro M1 and M2 lines stop at Kongens Nytorv (for Nyhavn) and Christianshavn. The city is extremely cycle-friendly and a bicycle is a popular way to cover longer distances. Nyhavn is busiest in summer weekends; early morning light is particularly beautiful on the canal. The Little Mermaid statue is at the far northern end of the harbour front, about 20 minutes’ walk from Nyhavn.
Watch & Explore More
The 4K video above is a thorough introduction to Nyhavn and Copenhagen’s city walk — watch it before visiting for the best orientation. More content at @walkingtoursvideoscom. Related guides: Stockholm: Gamla Stan to Södermalm and Amsterdam’s Canal Ring.