Best Areas To Stay In Copenhagen

Copenhagen is one of the most stylish and laid-back capital cities in Europe and there are many reasons why it’s often called the happiest place on earth.  If you spend time in the city it’s easy to see why. It has an incredibly vibrant food and drink scene, stunning public spaces, bags of history and it’s surrounded by beautiful waterways. The city is at the forefront of design and fashion and a hub of creativity, with excellent galleries, museums and year-round cultural events. The city is liberal minded and the cycling capital of the world, with an eco-conscious and social population. Also check out our post on how to spend 2 Days in Copenhagen.

It has a unique vibe and the city buzzes with life, yet has a peaceful harmonious edge.

It’s easy to see why Copenhagen is the envy of many other cities on the planet.

Join us as we explore the best areas to stay in Copenhagen….

Best Areas To Stay In Copenhagen

Indre By 

Indre By is Copenhagen’s historic heart, right in the centre of the city, where pastel coloured, picture perfect, buildings house tasty cafes, cosy bars and high-end restaurants. 

The area is surrounded by water, with some of the city’s most famous tourism sites based in and around its canals and waterways. 

These include Nyhavn port, the 19^th century amusement park Tivoli Gardens, the city’s Kastellet fortress and many other imposing examples of the city’s historic Scandi architecture. 

Mixed among the historic streets is the city’s main shopping district, called Strøget, which is one of the longest pedestrianised streets in Europe and is flanked by 100s of bars, cafes and restaurants. 

Among the endless historic monuments and sites, there are striking of examples of Copenhagen’s new wave of architecture, with futuristic shapes lining the waterfront. 

It’s in this area where you’ll find some of the city’s best museums and visitor attractions, including the National Museum of Denmark, the Botanical Gardens, the city’s Design Museum and the famous Little Mermaid Statue. 

There are many parks dotted around this central Copenhagen area, an excellent cycle network and fantastic places to swim in the nearby harbour, along with many excellent walking trails. 

This is, without a doubt, the best place to base yourself on your first visit to Copenhagen.

The area has great transport links due to its central location, taking on 15 minutes by metro to the city’s airport. 

Nørrebro

Nørrebro has been named as the coolest neighbourhood on earth by Time Magazine and it’s easy to see why.

The area is a creative, liberal and multi-cultural melting pot, just north of the city centre and Indre By. 

The area is teeming with incredible eateries, some of the world’s best craft beer bars, outstanding coffee roasteries, boutiques and vintage clothing stores. 

Street art oozes out of every corner and the city hosts many exhibitions, performances and street festivals. 

The neighbourhood has a vast array of excellent public spaces, parks and skateparks, with its community coming together on the streets regularly in the summer months, providing a welcoming and easy-going vibe. 

In this area you can find Michelin Star restaurants, sitting near to authentic cheap eats selling cuisine from across the world including Uganda, Lebanon and Indonesia. 

The area is the city’s hipster paradise, with fashionable folk whizzing around its network of crisscross streets on bikes of all shapes and sizes. 

The neighbourhood plays host to large arts and creative festivals on a regular basis, particularly over the warmer months of the year – with some attracting 10,000s of people. 

The area has a unique vibe, which is hard to replicate and it certainly isn’t one to be missed, particularly for the creatives amongst us.

Nørrebro is only a 5 minute metro or cycle into the historic heart and 20 minutes from the airport by metro. 

Vesterbro 

Vesterbro is just west of the city’s main train station and Indre By, and is another hub for the city’s drinking and dining scene. 

The area has gentrified in recent years and old warehouses have been turned into cool breweries, restaurants, nightclubs and event spaces, particularly around the Meat Packing District. 

Like Nørrebro the whole area is scattered with 100s of incredible independent businesses, with brilliant eateries, bars and galleries throughout the neighbourhood.

One of the most famous is War Pigs, which has an enormous brewery site where they also smoke their own meat – it’s a carnivore’s dream. 

Although this was once the red-light district, it’s now a buzzing area filled with students, young families, artists, musicians and other creativities. 

It has a youthful and fun vibe, with many street markets, big music events and other cultural events throughout the year. 

You can find impressive boulevards here, just north of the Meat Packing District, which house boutiques and other trendy stores. 

Meanwhile, in its far west you can find one of the city’s most famous music venues, called Vega, which attracts big international artists every year.

Vesterbro is another excellent creative area in Copenhagen and it’s only a 10-minute cycle or metro to the city’s historic heart.  

Christianshavn

Christianshavn is a stunning and peaceful neighbourhood on the city’s waterfront, just over a series of bridges from Indre By and the historic heart. 

It’s another Copenhagen district, which has a laid-back feel and it’s seen a boom in recent years with new businesses opening, to make the most of the great waterside location. 

There is a long promenade lining the harbour, with many excellent parks, fantastic swimming spots and great public facilities – including outdoor gyms and skateparks. 

The wave of new businesses opening has transformed the area, with great coffee roasteries, breweries and top restaurants, including 1 with a Michelin star, all sharing the street with impressive looking residential buildings. 

To the south-east of the area you can find the world’s best restaurant, Noma, which holds 3 Michelin stars and the nearby waterfront houses the city’s imposing and modern Opera House, which hosts the Red Bull Cliff Diving Championships off its roof every summer. 

You can also find quaint canals running off the harbour, which have many tall masted ships, canal boats and waterside restaurants. 

One of the area’s most unique attractions is the hippy commune Freetown Christiania – a former army barracks, which was taken over by squatters in the 1970s. 

It’s still commandeered by squatters today, with 1,000 people living in a network of colourful handmade houses, which are covered in street art and house restaurants, bars, cafes, shops and art exhibitions.

Despite the illegality of the site, where cannabis is sold in open air markets, Freetown Christiania is one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions and is even promoted by Visit Copenhagen and the city’s council.  

It’s only a short walk or cycle to the city centre from Christianshavn and a 15 minute metro to the airport. 

Frederiksberg

Frederiksberg sits in between Nørrebro and Vesterbro, just north west of Indre By. 

It’s slightly more peaceful and residential than its hipster neighbours, but it’s an excellent place to base yourself when visiting Copenhagen.

You’re in easy striking distance to the cool neighbourhoods nearby and only a 10-minute cycle to the city’s historic heart.

That’s not to say there aren’t cool things to do in Frederiksberg, far from it, the area is seeing a boom in new cool businesses opening, as entrepreneurs run out of room to expand in nearby Nørrebro and Vesterbro. 

You can find excellent eateries, bars and cafes among the area’s tree-lined streets, with the city’s lakes separating it from the city centre. 

There are some top attractions in the area too, including the city’s zoo and some of the city’s major parks. 

A great spot to base yourself when visiting the city, particularly for families if you want a more peaceful night’s sleep, away from the hustle and bustle of the likes of Nørrebro, Vesterbro and Indre By, but still close enough to make the most of them. 

Amagar 

Amagar is one of the best areas to stay in Copenhagen if you would like to be close to the city’s beach.

It sits half way between the city’s airport and Indre By and offers many kilometres of wonderful sandy coastline, which is lined by cafes, bars and restaurants. 

There are excellent cycling and running routes in the area, with a long promenade taking you all the way into the city centre. 

It’s also a hub of sporting activity, with the city’s dry ski-slop based in the north, on the top of a power station. There are also many opportunities to take up water sports, including kite surfing, kayaking, surfing, swimming and there’s a wakeboard cable park.

You can also find an indoor climbing centre in the north, along with the city’s National Aquarium, award winning modern buildings, the National Symphony Orchestra hall and some lovely parks. 

In recent years it has gentrified further, with Nørrebro and Vesterbro businesses opening new sites in and around Amagar. 

It’s quickly becoming a very popular neighbourhood in the city and it offers a beautiful coastal escape from the busy streets of the capital. 

It’s very well connected – only 5 minutes metro from the airport and 10 minutes to Indre By. 

Final Thoughts

We hope you’ve enjoyed our guide to the best areas to stay in Copenhagen.

The city is one we can’t stop returning to and we think it’s one which will have you returning again and again too.  

It’s a very special place – a beautiful, creative, vibrant, fun and welcoming city, with a unique vibe that’s hard to match. 

With excellent drinking and dining options, bags of history, arts and culture and famous and impressive attractions by the bucket load, it’s a truly great city.

We think it’s up among the best cities in Europe, so go take a peek yourself and use our guide to find the spot for you in the wonderful Danish capital.