Where to stay in Copenhagen

The former meatpacking district: Kodbyen (the Meatpacking District) has the best bar and restaurant scene in Copenhagen - repurposed slaughterhouses now house excellent restaurants, late-night bars, and a fresh fish market (Fisketorvet). The neighborhood is Copenhagen's most creative - coffee roasters, natural wine bars, and vintage shops. Istedgade runs through the heart of it: affordable restaurants, the best bagels in Denmark, and some of the most interesting street art in the city.

The multicultural northern neighborhood: the most diverse area in Denmark, with the best falafel and kebab in the city alongside Danish coffee shops and the Assistens Cemetery (where Kierkegaard and H.C. Andersen are buried - a functioning cemetery and a picnic park used by locals). Superkilen park (designed by Bjarke Ingels Group) is a public space filled with objects from 60 countries. The neighborhood market at Jaegersborggade has the best street food in Copenhagen.

The canal island across from the old city: Christianshavn has the most charming canals (cycle along Overgaden neden Vandet), the Church of Our Saviour with a spiral external staircase (PS7, not for the faint-hearted), and the entrance to Freetown Christiania - the 50-year-old autonomous commune established in 1971 in a former military barracks. Christiania has its own rules (no photos in the main market area), its own architecture, excellent live music, and the best open-air pizza in Copenhagen.

The historic core: the Strøget pedestrian street (one of the longest in Europe) runs from Rådhuspladsen to Kongens Nytorv. The Latin Quarter around Vor Frue Kirke has the best independent cafes and bookshops. Rosenborg Castle (PS17 - the crown jewels, the treasury, the fairy-tale castle in a park) is a short walk. The Round Tower (Rundetaarn, PS5) has a spiral ramp instead of stairs - built in 1642 so the king's horse could ride to the top.

The canal district: 18th-century colored townhouses reflected in the canal, outdoor tables even in marginal weather, and the most photographed scene in Denmark. Hans Christian Andersen lived at numbers 18, 20, and 67. Touristy and expensive for food, but genuinely beautiful - come for the view and the morning light, eat elsewhere. The harbor bus (PS4.50) runs from Nyhavn along the waterfront past the Opera House to Refshaleoen.

The royal quarter: Frederiksberg Palace and Gardens (free - the most beautiful baroque park in Denmark) and the Frederiksberg neighborhood with Denmark's best design shops and high-end restaurants. The Copenhagen Zoo (PS30) is in Frederiksberg. Osterport has the National Gallery of Denmark (Statens Museum for Kunst, free) and the Botanical Garden (free). The neighborhood is quieter, more residential, and the accommodation options are Copenhagen's finest.