The Famous Tivoli Gardens
In the very center of Copenhagen you'll find the world famous amusement park Tivoli. Tivoli is not the regular amusement park you've seen before. This park has something for everyone. The park opened its doors for the first time in 1843 and today it has everything from an 105 year old rollercoaster, a restaurant run by a Michelin chef, Europe's best ride of 2014 and the beautiful gardens.
Walter Disney also travelled to Copenhagen and he of course went to Tivoli Garden. Here he got inspiration to his Disney Worlds.
All in all Tivoli is a must do in Copenhagen. In the winter time you'll wander around the cold park, find a cup of hot chocolate and, due to the short days, see the mesmerizing light. Tivoli Garden also got you covered if you want to experience the danish Christmas atmosphere with their Christmas season running until 5. january.
How to Discover Tivoli
As mentioned before Tivoli Garden is located very central in Copenhagen. You can take the metro, S-train or the bus to København H - Copenhagen Central station - and walk 100 meter from there.
When you get to the park, you can choose between different tickets - make sure you buy an "Unlimited Ride Ticket" if you plan to try all the different rides.
Otherwise just wander around and spectate the things to see. Make sure you try the old wooden rollercoaster and Vertigo which were named as the best ride in Europe in 2014.
If you want the traditional danish food experience then go to the famous restaurant "Grøften". Grøften which means "The Ditch" serves the most classic danish dishes.
Nimb and Nimb Hotel is one of the more high-end places to dine or just have a drink.
As one of the only Thai restaurants with a Michelin star outside Thailand Kiin Kiin opened their Tivoli restaurant in 2017.
If you dont want to spend all your money on fine dining you can go to the Tivoli Food Hall.
When You Have Discovered Tivoli Garden
We have now made it pretty clear that you should go to Tivoli. Tivoli is historical, fun, beautiful and has a lot to offer.
The rest of Copenhagen is historical, fun, beautiful and has even more to offer! In the city center you'll find a lot of the classic big fashion brands, good restaurant and a lot of tourists! If you then go to explore some of the areas surrounding the center. Nørrebro is a very multicultural area with a lot of nice bars, restaurants and small shops, Vesterbro has the meatpacking district, Christianshavn has the calm Amsterdam-ish atmosphere with the canals.
Speaking of the canals - Copenhagen is a harbor city and has water all around it. And as in most other cities - if there's water around - go see it from a boat.
So the biggest recommendations from the bottom of a locals heart: Go see Copenhagen from the water!
See Copenhagen from the water
Copenhagen has water all around the city, which is one of the main reasons why Copenhagen dates back to the Viking time. It was important for transportation of goods and for doing international business. This leads us to one of the most common misconception that Copenhagen was built for biking – it’s not – it’s build for sailing. Therefore, you’ll find more of Copenhagen’s landmarks and a lot of local hidden gems.
In newer time the harbor and water around the city has changed into an area that people can enjoy by being in the water - swimming, next to the water - hanging out or, our favorite - on the water - in a boat. Therefore, you’ll also find a lot of cool places around the harbor. So do as the locals and see the city from the water!
Try #1 rated canal tour in Copenhagen
The by far best way to get a good overview of the city and see Nyhavn is to be on a boat and see the city from the water. In Copenhagen there are several canal tours and ways to do it. You can rent your own boat without a guide, book a tour on the huge boats departing from Nyhavn like all the other tourists or you can do it the local way on a smaller boat and with a more personalized tours. The Hey Captain boats are small, cozy and only have room for 12 guests. This makes the tours intimate, very comfortable, and you get a chance to have a dialogue with your captain. Our personalized style has given us the #1 ranking on Tripadvisor out of +200 tours in Copenhagen. So, if you need some more convictions, ask the almost 1000 other guests that has reviewed us. Learn more about our tours here.
We are also well prepared for the cold weather. We have a canapé for when it’s windy or rainy and blankets and hot drinks so you don’t get cold.
“Landmarks”
Get a taste for the beautiful inner part of the harbor where many of the historical sites and buildings are located. We will explore the main and iconic Copenhagen canals.
“Hidden gems”
Hidden gems is about showing our own favorite spots, which are off the beaten track from the standard path. These are the places we go and hang out in our spare time.
Take a stroll in Christianshavn
In 1618 King Christian IV decided to build Christianshavn named after himself. What he probably didn’t know was, that this area would turn out to be one of the coolest and most cozy areas of Copenhagen 400 years later and one of the things to see when you’re exploring Copenhagen.
If you want to see a place like Nyhavn but with a much more local vibe - then Christianshavn is the place to go!
Take a stroll down the beautiful small cobbled stoned streets with the many colorful buildings. Buy a cup of coffee and sit down by the canals as the locals do, or go to some of the amazing restaurant, including 3 Michelin stared restaurants just in this small area. Christianshavn is without a doubt one of our favorite areas and one the best areas in Copenhagen.
Tired of walking in the footsteps of other tourists?
If you're the type of person that want to see the city in another way than the guy next to you, and see other things than the classics as Tivoli, Nyhavn, Christiansborg and so on, or you just want to see the landmarks in a cooler way, you've come to the right place.
In Hey Captain we've specialized in giving the real local experience. All our tours are unique and personalized. So instead of going to the little mermaid with the hundreds of other tourists we can show you the sites with another perspective.
We have tours that covers the classic landmarks, but also tours that takes you to cool places, that even some locals don't know about. In other words - we're local experts and can show you things that you would never find yourself
So if you want your time in Copenhagen to be special - spend an hour or two with us!
Explore the Hidden Gems
Around the harbor of Copenhagen, you’ll find the landmarks as Nyhavn and the parlament building but you'll also find everything from the best places to hang out, the best restaurants and breweries and the gen-modified mermaid. All these things and places are located in buildings that looks like nothing or at locations off the beaten track. Places that the tourist next to you most likely won’t go to. All these places we, in Hey Captain, call ‘Hidden Gems’. We love the Hidden Gems and therefore we’ve made a Hidden Gem tour where our mission is to show tourists these places. If you want to know more about our Hidden Gem tour, watch the video or go to our experiences to read more about it.
