10 Most Instagrammable Places in Copenhagen

The bronze sculpture called The Little Mermaid (Den Lille Havfrue) is, despite its modest size, one of Copenhagen’s biggest tourist attractions and presumably also one of the most photographed. You can certainly snap a few pictures for your Instagram account here, either with or of the famous mermaid sitting on her granite rock at Langelinie Kaj at the entrance to the Port of Copenhagen. You can walk along the water from the centre, which takes about 20 minutes from Nyhavn. The sculpture was inspired by H.C. Andersen’s famous fairy tale of the same name, and over time, it has lost its head several times and had paint poured over it.

With its many beautiful flowers, fountains, lamps and colours, Tivoli Gardens is the right place to go if you want a little mystique on your Instagram profile. Year after year, the old amusement park tops the list of the most visited attractions in Denmark, and you can find it just a few minutes’ walk from both the City Hall Square and Copenhagen Central Station.

Among other things, you can take pictures of the bubbly fountain, with its Moorish-inspired Nimb palace in the background, the charming main entrance, the small street called Smøgen and the Chinese area. You can also go on some of the numerous rides and, if you stop by during autumn, you can admire all the Halloween pumpkins and lanterns. Similarly, leading up to Christmas, the park will glow with Christmas lights after dark.

The colourful, old and crooked houses along the canal by Kongens Nytorv in the Nyhavn area make for ideal Instagram pictures. Despite the name, New Harbour is one of the oldest areas at the Port of Copenhagen. It was once a place for sailors and pubs, but it is now full of tourists and pavement cafés. You can still find some of the old tattoo parlours from back then, where the likes of King Frederik IX was tattooed.

From here, you can also go on a canal tour in the port or sit down with a cold beer or soda pop while looking at all the people.

At Den Blå Planet, National Aquarium, you can get below the surface of the sea and explore its hidden life. Denmark’s National Aquarium is located right next to the sea in Kastrup, about a 15-minute metro ride from the centre.

The actual building is inspired by an eddy, and with its backdrop against the Øresund strait, it practically begs to be photographed. Inside there are 400 different animal species, and the 53-foot-long underwater tunnel in the Ocean Tank lets you get close up to hammerhead sharks and rays. With such an experience, it’ll be hard to limit yourself to just a single photo for your Instagram account.

Right in the middle of Frederiksstaden, in the centre of Copenhagen, you can find Amalienborg, where the Danish kings and queens have lived since 1794. The structure consists of four nearly identical palaces, which face the impressive Amalienborg Slotsplads, where you can take some great pictures for your Instagram account. Depending on where you stand, you could get the rider statue and the Marble Church (Marmorkirken) in the background, or on the other side, you have a view to the port, the beautiful Amalie Garden (Amaliehaven) and the Copenhagen Opera House (Operahuset). The Royal Life Guards stand guard in the square, and every day at 12 pm you can see the changing of the guard.

If you want to get even closer to the life of the royal family, you can visit two of the palaces, which are open to the public under the name the Amalienborg Museum (Amalienborgmuseet).

Rosenborg was originally built as a country seat, with a moat and drawbridge, in Christian IV’s new kitchen garden, the King’s Garden (Kongens Have). Today, the renaissance castle is just a few minutes’ walk from Nørreport, where you can take pictures for Instagram of the imposing towers with verdigris green roofs and the surrounding trees in the foreground.

You can also walk in the king’s footsteps and explore the former kitchen garden, which has since been transformed into a park. Within the walls, you can take a closer look at the royal family’s art treasures, including the collection of crown jewels and crowns.

Freetown Christiania (Fristaden Christiania) is a self-governed society, which was founded in a previous military barracks. The area is in the Christianshavn district, half an hour walk or a 10-minute metro ride from Nørreport. Here you can find lots of beautiful murals for Instagram, or you can take pictures of a wooden troll, the famous entrance and the beautiful do-it-yourself houses if you take a walk around the lake. You can also visit restaurants, galleries, gaming establishments or you can drink Christiania beer and watch outdoor concerts in the summer.

However, please do keep in mind that Christiania is a residential area, and not everyone wants to be photographed, particularly not around Pusher Street, so think twice before you snap a photo.

Christiansborg is a palace that is home to both the democratically-elected government and the Crown, and it is located in the middle of Copenhagen on the island of Slotsholmen. Here, you can take pictures of the imposing building, which is actually the fifth building on the site since the 12th century and the third version of Christiansborg, after the first two burned down.

The royal part of the castle is in the north wing, and it includes the Royal Reception Rooms (De Kongelige Repræsentationslokaler) and stables as well as the Ruins Under Christiansborg (Ruinerne under Christiansborg), while the Danish parliament is located in the south wing. It is possible to go inside the royal and parliamentary sections of the castle if you want to play politician or king/queen for a day.

One of Copenhagen’s most charming small streets has to be Magstræde, and its beautiful and colourful houses are some of the oldest residential buildings in Copenhagen. The street is located in the middle of the Inner City a few steps from Gammel Strand and Christiansborg. Here, you can walk along the narrow paved roads and take pictures of the lucky houses which survived a number of the fires that ravaged the city throughout history. The name is derived from the town’s public “mag”, which was located nearby and used to be the Danish word for toilet.

Continue your walk down Snaregade, which extends from Magstræde and is just as charming as its neighbour.

Further on, the street becomes Gammel Strand, which in Danish means old beach. As the name implies, it used to lead out to the water. The street is named after alderman Erling Jonssøn Snare, who built a farm here which was later called Snarens Gård. Here, you can take even more Instagram pictures, including of a listed half-timbered house at number 5. The bumpy paving stones give the area a very special feel.