Getting Around Copenhagen

Walking the centre

Strøget was pedestrianised in 1962 at 1.1 km and runs through Gammeltorv and Nytorv, which puts the two most historically loaded squares in the city on a straight line you can follow without a map. Jan Gehl's study of the street from 1962 shaped the pedestrian and bicycle policy that followed, and the result is a centre built for people on foot. The surfaces are old and uneven in places — see the access page and how walkable it is.

The cycle lanes

They are roads. The lane between the pavement and the traffic carries bicycles moving faster than visitors expect, and stepping into one to take a photograph is the most common mistake people make here. Look before you move sideways. More on that in Danish etiquette.

Where the walks put you

The guided ghost walk meets at Nytorv in front of the courthouse and ends at Kongens Nytorv beside Nyhavn, so you finish in the middle of the restaurant district rather than somewhere awkward. The nightman's tour meets by the statue of Absalon on Højbro Plads and the folk legends walk in front of the University steps, both in Danish. The Round Tower hunt runs Rundetårn to Gråbrødretorv, Købmagergade, Strøget, Vor Frue Kirke, Gammeltorv and Vor Frue Plads; the Amalienborg hunt runs the Pier to Aleksander Nevskij Church, Skt Annæ Plads, the Odd Fellow's Mansion, Nyhavn and Lille Sandstræde. Every meeting point is listed on where the walks start.

The one that leaves town

The six forgotten giants trip meets at Valdemarsgade 15, in the building marked VESTERBROS K.F.U.M., and includes private transport, a coffee break and a meal across four hours, because Thomas Dambo's wooden giants are out in the landscape rather than in the city. See the six giants page.

Frequently asked questions