The harbor has always played a vital role for Copenhagen, Denmark. Copenhagen or “København” in Danish directly translates to merchant harbor, indicating the harbors important role for city. Most of the canals in Copenhagen were artificially created as the city expanded. The strategic position of Copenhagen as the entrance point to the Baltic Sea also means that the Danish Navy for many years has had a strong presence in securing and controlling the in- and out-flows of the region. This historical role of the navy is very present in the formation of the buildings and homes along the piers of the harbor, where many of the historical buildings have been preserved and renovated to residential purposes as the navy slowly has been pushed out of the downtown area. Fortunately, often this development has happened with great respect for the history and spirit of the original buildings.

The role of the harbor for the Copenhagen way of life is still extremely important, but the way this comes across has changed from an industrial and military purpose to a more contemporary one. Many of the most important sites like Christiansborg, Amalienborg, the Opera, and the former Stock Exchange are located by the harbor. The mix of new buildings with the old and especially the beautiful scenic canals of Copenhagen is part of why we love our city. Many new restaurants, and residential areas are blossoming up all along the harbor area, giving “old and dead” areas a new sense of life. As this occurs there are also several great options for exploring the water ways of Copenhagen by boat – whether you choose to go for the classical bigger Copenhagen canal tour, a canal trip, renting your own Copenhagen boat, exploring it by Kayak, or maybe a Hey Captain boat tour. They are all great ways of seeing Copenhagen and we hope you will enjoy it with whatever option you choose to take. Exploring Copenhagen by boat is truly in our opinion the best way to see the city, and we really want to show what we believe are the best parts of this fantastic city.

Ofelia Plads where Hey Captain’s canal tour depart from is located right next to Nyhavn, which is a bar area and departure point for the traditional copenhagen canal tours. Ofelia Plads is a little more quiet and less touristic - a great place to enjoy a more relaxed atmosphere. Our pier is an example of the development that has been going on all over the harbor, as this used to be the place where the Oslo ferry departed to Norway, but today is a place to enjoy an ice cream or a coffee before departure. If you do decide that our DNA of being friends on a boat and giving something personal, social, and informative matches what you are looking for you can see our departure times online. We don’t work with a fixed boat departure schedule, but you can always see next slot online, give us a call, or leave us a message. We hope you will come explore the Copenhagen canals with us.