Nyhavn

Nyhavn is the picture-postcard heart of Copenhagen, a short seventeenth-century canal lined with tall townhouses painted in cheerful reds, yellows and blues, old wooden ships moored along the quay, and a row of cafes and bars spilling onto the cobbles. Once a rough sailors' harbour, it is now the city's most photographed spot and the departure point for canal tours.

History

King Christian V had Nyhavn dug in 1670-1675 by Danish soldiers and Swedish prisoners of war, as a gateway from the sea to the old city at Kongens Nytorv, where ships unloaded cargo and fishermen their catch; it was notorious for beer, sailors and prostitution, and Hans Christian Andersen lived here for 18 years. The first bridge across it, a temporary wooden footbridge, opened in 1874 and was replaced by the present bridge in 1912. As ocean-going ships grew, Nyhavn was left to small Danish freight vessels, and when land transport took over their trade it was largely deserted of ships. The Nyhavn Society was founded in the mid-1960s to revive the area, Nyhavn was inaugurated as a veteran ship and museum harbour in 1977, and in 1980 the quay, which had been used for parking, was pedestrianised, since when it has served as one of the city's great public squares (Wikipedia, Nyhavn).

What you'll find

• The painted houses - the bright gabled townhouses along the canal.
• The old ships - the historic wooden vessels moored along the quay.
• The quayside cafes - the bars and restaurants on the sunny side.
• Canal tours - the boat trips through the city's waterways departing here.

When to go

Summer for the sunny quayside and terraces; December for a cosy Christmas market on the canal. It is lovely by day and lively by night.

Good to know

It is the most touristy spot in the city, so it is busy and the quayside dining is pricey for what it is. Its charm is the view and the atmosphere rather than the eating. It is small, an hour or so, best paired with a canal tour.

Nearby

The royal Amalienborg palace and the Little Mermaid are a short walk; the city centre spreads around.