Copenhagen City Guide - overview

The waterside city of Copenhagen is packed with old-world fairytale charm alongside some of the world's most avante garde architecture. It is a vibrant, modern city with a long and fascinating history, having been the capital of Denmark for close on 600 years and home to the oldest resident monarchy in the world.

The biggest city in Scandinavia, Copenhagen occupies a pleasant and strategic spot on the Baltic east coast of Denmark's largest island, Zealand, its harbour overlooked by the world-famous statue of the 'Little Mermaid'.

One of the first impressions that strike visitors to this busy, dynamic capital is the cleanliness and orderliness that prevails in its narrow medieval cobbled central city streets and along the picturesque canals in Christianshavn. Most of the myriad attractions for visitors are situated within about one square mile (3 sq km) of flat terrain in the centre, making it easy to explore on foot (or bicycle, which is the vehicle of choice for locals).

Five streets in the heart of the city have been merged to provide the world's longest pedestrian mall, running between RÃ¥dhuspladsen and Kongens Nytorv, which are packed with historic gabled buildings, dynamic department stores, stunning shops, restaurants, pavement cafes, theatres, and world-class museums and galleries.

Despite the condensed city centre, Copenhagen is not short on green lungs: parks such as the ever-popular Tivoli Gardens abound in this city, which prides itself on its strict anti-pollution laws and lack of glass and chrome skyscrapers.

The family-friendly city that spawned Hans Christian Andersen is, indeed, a modern fairy-tale: one of Europe's finest capitals that retains a provincial charm and sense of history along with its cutting-edge efficiency, offering its justifiably proud citizens an extremely high standard of living.

Getting around: Copenhagen's public transport is exceptionally safe, reliable, clean and inexpensive. The Metro, buses and trains in the city and surrounds operate on a one-fare system, where tickets are valid for all three types of transport with no extra cost for transfer. Services are frequent between 5am and 12.30am, with several night buses operating from the City Hall Square to the suburbs in between. On Friday and Saturday the Metro runs all night. The Metro runs from Vanløse Station to Lergravsparken in East Amager, to Ørestad in West Amager and to Frederiksberg. Buses are yellow and bus stop clearly marked with matching yellow signs. Tourists are advised to obtain the 'Copenhagen Card', which offers free transport and free entry to most major attractions in the city. Copenhagen is well supplied with licensed taxis, operated by five different companies. Taxis display a lighted sign when they are for hire, and can be flagged down anywhere. A favourite mode of transport for locals and visitors is the bicycle, and the city has cycle paths and routes along all major streets. Free bicycles are provided between May and September in a series of Bike Parks where it is possible to deposit a coin, obtain the use of a bicycle, drop it off at another park later and retrieve the deposit. Cycle taxis, similar to the rickshaws operating in the Far East, have also been introduced and are popular with visitors. Traffic is usually congested in the city centre and a car can be a liability rather than an asset. The city has a complicated colour-coded zone pay parking system in operation during business hours.