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Christianshavn

Canal district with houseboats & Christiania

This canal-cut island district of houseboats, colourful facades and the free town of Christiania is one of Copenhagen's most picturesque corners.

The yellow Copenhagen harbour bus (DOT route 992) sails along the canal in Christianshavn, flanked by historic brick warehouses.

A little Amsterdam in Copenhagen

Christianshavn was laid out in the early 17th century by King Christian IV on reclaimed land – modelled on Dutch town planning, with rectilinear canals crossed by small bridges. Houseboats, colourful facades and cosy cafés line the waterways. The district is technically part of Indre By (the city centre), but feels like a little world of its own.

Church of Our Saviour and Christiania

Above the rooftops rises the golden spiral spire of Vor Frelsers Kirke (Church of Our Saviour). Right next door begins the self-governing free town of Christiania, with its self-built houses, workshops and concert stages. Together they make Christianshavn one of Copenhagen's most striking contrasts.

A walk along the water

The district is best explored on foot: along the Christianshavns Kanal, past houseboats and small squares, or out onto the modern peninsula of Holmen with the Opera House. Christianshavn is just one Metro stop or a short walk from the city centre.

Around Christianshavn

The striking spiral tower of the Church of Our Saviour in Christianshavn with its golden figure on top against a blue sky.

Church of Our Saviour

Vor Frelsers Kirke in Christianshavn is a baroque church with a golden spire and an external spiral staircase. 400 steps lead up to a viewing platform 90 metres above the city.

Colourful graffiti building with a skateboard ramp in Freetown Christiania, Copenhagen's alternative neighbourhood.

Freetown Christiania

The autonomous free town in Christianshavn has been a self-governed neighbourhood since 1971, with colourful houses, workshops, cafés and the live music venue Loppen.

The magnificent Boersen in Copenhagen, its distinctive dragon-spire tower rising into the blue sky behind the red-brick building.

Børsen

Børsen, Copenhagen's old stock exchange on Slotsholmen, is famed for its dragon-tail spire, lost in a 2024 fire. Now a rebuild site with a free visitor centre.

Imposing facade of Christiansborg Palace with its distinctive tower and an equestrian statue to the side.

Christiansborg Palace

On Slotsholmen, Christiansborg houses Denmark's parliament, government and Supreme Court, plus royal reception rooms and the free, tallest tower in Copenhagen.

Holmens Kirke on the Slotsholmen canal with a tourist boat and Danish flag in the foreground.

Holmens Kirke

Baroque naval and royal church opposite Christiansborg, where Queen Margrethe II married in 1967. 1661 altar, tombs of naval heroes, free admission.

The Black Diamond, the striking extension of Copenhagen's Royal Library, reflected in the water of the inner harbour.

Royal Library

Det Kongelige Bibliotek on Slotsholmen: Denmark's National Library with the Black Diamond from 1999, free exhibitions and a harbourside café.

The baroque courtyard of the National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen, with its distinctive entrance portal and the museum's sign on the pale facade.

National Museum of Denmark

Denmark's largest museum of cultural history fills the former Prince's Palace with 14,000 years of the past, from the Trundholm Sun Chariot to Vikings and world cultures.

Bronze statue in front of the brick facade of the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek.

Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek

Brewer Carl Jacobsen's art museum brings together ancient sculpture, over 40 Gauguin works and one of the largest Rodin collections, around a glazed winter garden.

The colourful chain carousel at Tivoli Gardens spins under a blue sky, with Danish flags and historic park buildings in the background.

Tivoli

Opened in 1843 by Copenhagen Central Station, Tivoli is the world's second-oldest amusement park, with a historic wooden roller coaster, gardens, concerts and hundreds of thousands of lights.