Church of Our Saviour

The Church of Our Saviour was consecrated in 1696, but the thing people come for was added half a century later: a corkscrew spire whose final turns are an external staircase, winding anticlockwise around the outside of the steeple to a gilded globe and figure at about ninety metres. Some four hundred steps take you up, the last stretch in the open air with the treads narrowing and the handrail low. The view takes in the harbour, the spires of the old centre and, on a clear day, across the sound to Sweden. Inside, a heavy baroque organ case and a carved altar are worth ten minutes on the way through.

What you actually see

• The external spiral - the open staircase turning around the outside of the spire.
• The view from the top - the harbour, the city spires and the sound beyond.
• The organ case - the baroque front carried by carved elephants.
• The baroque interior - the white nave, the altar and the royal box.

When to go

The tower opens roughly from spring to autumn and closes in high wind, rain or ice, sometimes at short notice on the day itself. Book a time slot in summer, when numbers are capped. Clear afternoons give the best light over the harbour. The church below is open year-round outside services.

Honest expectations

Four hundred steps with the last stretch outdoors, narrow and steeply pitched, is a genuine problem if you dislike heights, and turning back is awkward once a queue has formed behind you. The tower is charged and often sold out in advance. In bad weather it simply does not open, so keep it flexible in your plans.

Nearby

The Christianshavn canals are below; the harbour buses and Nyhavn are a short walk.