Copenhagen guide

Dyrehaven is a natural forest park a bit north of Copenhagen and a lovely daytrip if you fancy a walk in the woods. It was originally laid out by the Danish king Frederik III in the 17th century as a hunting ground and was later extended by other hunt-loving kings. Dyrehaven means 'deer garden' in Danish and, as the name indicates, it has an abundance of deers (about 2000 in total). The park is kept as a natural forest with some of the biggest trees (oaks) in the country and with an extensive network of trails favoured by runners, mountain bikers, strolling families and dating couples. If you want to enjoy nature in style (and money is no issue), horse carriages are lined up at the main red gates, ready to take you for a ride. The oldest amusement park in the world, Dyrehavsbakken, lies as an extension of the park in the south end. Here, you can enjoy a ride in a wooden roller coaster constructed in 1932, which isn't as dull as it might sound.

There are quite a few parks in Copenhagen, most are just for hanging out or have a stroll but Fælledparken is different. Here people come for BBQ, playing football or frisbee or other space demanding stuff, for Fælledparken is huge (580.000 square metre). The best day to visit is probably on 1st of May when the park get packed for International Workers' Day. As this is Denmark "demonstrators" show their solidarity by drinking beer, lots of them.

Frederiksberg Park was the royal garden for the Danish king Frederik IV's (1671-1730) summer residence, Frederikbergs Palace. The park got redesigned during the 19th century in fashion with the English landscape garden style of the time by king Frederik VI (1768-1839), who also added a Chinese pavilion which was mostly used for the king's sexual escapades. The pavilion still stands today, though there are not much action going on these days. The park is open to the public and is a favorite place for sunbathing, picnics and wedding photo sessions. The trail system is lovely for strolling and running, and it is possible to have a peek at the elephants who live next door at Copenhagen Zoo.

Christiania started as a free spirit hippie community in an squatted military area in 70s right in the middle of Copenhagen. They never got kick out and slowly the small community grow to a self-proclaimed autonomous neighbourhood with experimental theaters, shops, bars, workshops, imaginative homemade houses and a lot of drugs. In the beginning all kind of drugs were sold which attracted a lot of trouble. But Christiania got its act together and cleaned up so only soft drugs, like hashish, marijuana and mushrooms are sold in the street that had become known as "Pusher Street" - a name that sticks today on official maps (even on Google). Though drugs (including soft drugs) are illegal in Denmark, the street is still lined dealers showing their merchandise just like any other flea market, but police raids are not uncommon. Christiania is the third most popular tourist attraction in Copenhagen after Tivoli and the Little Mermaid.

The Nørrebro neighbourhood is sometime called Nørrebronx referring to its tough reputation. In the old days it was a worker class neighbourhood with small and dreadful apartments. Later came Middle Eastern immigrants who brought with them greengrocer who sold more exotic stuff than just potatoes and carrots. Within the last two decades Nørrebro has reinvented itself as a trendy place to be and live (if you can afford it). There street scene is lively with plenty of funky cafes, sushi bars and interesting fashion stores. You can still find pockets of old Nørrebro with laundromats, Bollywood videos stores and dark bodegas but they are a dying breed. The area is perfectly safe during daytime, but be more cautious during nighttime.

The name for this shopping area behind the main drag Strøget means "piss gutter" and it was probably how it smelled in the old days, when the area housed livestock, home breweries, pubs and brothels. The wonderful old buildings, most of them dating back to the 19th century, still stand today and have become an center for alternative shopping in Copenhagen. Second hand stores and designer fashion mix with sandwich shops and gay clubs. During nighttime in the weekend the streets resume some of its old glory (and smell) when drunk partygoers stagger from bar to bar.

This cobbled stone square is the heart of the hip and trendy part of Nørrebro. The neighbourhood has a thriving cafe scene with several cafes having outdoor seating on the square. A granite sculpture occupies the centre leaving enough space for people to hang out with cheap beers bought from the supermarket down the road. During the week the square might lies unused and empty, but on a sunny weekend the whole place comes alive. During the summer months Sankt Hans Torv might be the scene for street parties and festivals, but every year is different.

Nørrebrogade is plasted with shawarma/kebab shops. Coming from the city centre and travelling out, the closer you get Nørrebros Runddel the higher the density becomes until it reach a level where pretty much every shop is a shawarma joint. It is one of the cheapest places to eat in Copenhagen, but some shops are definitely better than others - try you way down.

The main shopping strip in Copenhagen is Strøget, a car-free pedestrian street lined with brand shops and department stores. Its full length is 1.1km, which apparently makes it the longest pedestrian shopping zone in Europe, and it is made up by four separate streets (Frederiksberggade, Nygade, Vimmelskaftet and Østergade). Strøget starts and ends at two of the main city squares (Rådhuspladsen og Kongens Nytorv) and pass through two others (Gammel torv/Nytorv and Amagertorv) on its way. If you find Strøget too mainstream and touristy (many Danes do) explore the side streets for independent fashion stores and trendy cafes.

The urban landscape in Copenhagen is filled with art and cool design. It is an old tradition that ending of buildings have been used for painted advertising or murals done by famous and less-famous artists. As old building get replaced by new bright architecture with lots of windows, the big murals are slowing disappearing but there are still quite a few left. So go hunting for wall painting in the streets of Copenhagen.