Copenhagen was my last stop on my month-long trip in Scandinavia. My luggage was a bit heavier and fuller than when I landed in Scandinavia in June. This is why I bring an extra fold-up bag on my travels. So far I had already bought a cute green and white blanket with a cat motif from Vaxholm, a couple of books from museums, and Swedish glassware. Also, a beautiful teacup the Svolvær gallery shop on Lofoten Islands shipped home for me.
So while I was keen to check out the shops in Copenhagen, I was also mindful of the space I had left in my bags. There were a few places I had planned on visiting, including Kerimaker for its paper-thin ceramics. And of course I couldn’t pass up HAY.
Strøget
This is a 1.1 KM long pedestrian shopping area in the old town of Copenhagen. From Town Hall Square (Rådhuspladsen) to the King’s New Square (Kongens Nytorv). Dating back to the 17th century, Kongens Nytorv is where The Old Stage of the Royal Danish Theatre is located.
Strøget’s layout of streets goes as far back as 1728. Its oldest building was built in 1616.
It was in 1964 that it became pedestrian-only, after testing it for a couple of years. Given its attraction today, it’s interesting to note the resistance the idea initially faced. The mayor at the time was even threatened and police presence was needed when it first opened. This area officially got its present-day name Strøget in the 1990s.
Here, you find the most well-known and expensive brand names. In last year’s Lonely Planet Guide, the area is described as “a fun place to stroll.” There are buskers and so can be quite lively. It also gets very crowded.
From our hotel, Raddison Blu, it is a casual, easy, pretty-much a straight-shot walk to the Stork Fountain in Strøget. Otherwise you can head to Central Station, which is close to our hotel, and walk from there. The 15-minute walk takes us down Vesterbrogade. This street changes names a few times, becoming Amagertov. Along the way is the Church of Our Lady (Vor Frue Kirke).
Church of Our Lady | Old Market | Royal Danish Theatre (Old Stage)
Nørrebro
Nørrebro is a melting pot. A multicultural neighbourhood.
North of the city centre, Nørrebro was easy to get to by bus. I went there for ceramist Inge Vincents’ shop. I also found liquid nitrogen ice cream and grabbed a bite to eat at another place. Wandering the neighbourhood, I walked past the red-brick wall of Assistens Cemetry (Assistens Kirkegård). The gate is just opposite Jægersborggade, where I was shopping. This is the final resting place of writer Hans Christian Andersen, physicist Niels Bohr, philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, and other prominent Danish figures. Covering twenty-five hectares, this is also a public park.
Frederiksberg
This residential neighbourhood sits between Nørrebro and Vesterbro. Here you find Frederiksberg Palace, Frederiksberg Gardens, and the Copenhagen Zoo.
Shopping
The Stork Fountain (Storkespringvandet) at Amager Torv is an easy and popular meetup point. Lots of people were sitting at the fountain the few times we were there. The Amagertov Square has been a gathering place for a long time. From where coronations were celebrated with knight tournaments and parties to political protest. It was also here that thousands of people came together in 1848 to call for the end of absolute monarchy in Denmark.
The department store ILLUM is also here. What pulled me inside was their pink window display.
The fountain was a silver wedding anniversary present to Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Louise. Unveiled in 1984, this famous fountain has a nine-sided stone basin that collects water cascading from the bronze bowl at the top. Decorative motifs include frogs and aquatic plants. It’s called Stork Fountain because of the three storks on the pedestal stand, in readiness for flight. Storks symbolize happiness and luck.
Photos (clockwise): Stork Fountain and Illum taken in 2015. Copyright. Amagertorv photographed by Frederik Risse, from his collection. Public Domain, Museum of Copenhagen.
Hay House
I love Danish design. I took my friend to HAY House and left with a wool blanket and a few Kaleido Trays by Clara von Zweigbergk. These are colourful power-coated steel oblong trays that can be nested, creating various shapes. I also purchased a couple from her Themis Mobile series, as gifts for my nephew.
One of my favourite chairs is from HAY. It’s a low armchair with a stainless steel frame. Red and white fabric is woven to create the back and seat, a flexible and comfortable support. It was Abby’s favourite, and then Luna’s. Low to the ground, it was easy for Abby to climb up onto.
What I admire about art is the unexpected, the originality; architecture is of course the context and the home of what we make, and fashion has a wonderful dynamism to it, reflecting the spirit of the time and what’s happening right now. I would say that the best products we have done, they may exist somewhere in between these three environments, drawing from a little bit of everything.
— Rolf Hay, co-founder & creative director
Hay
Østergade 61, 2nd & 3rd Floor
1100 Copenhagen
+45 3164 6133
website
Kerimaker
I was excited to investigate the neighbourhood of Nørrebro and visit the store of ceramist Inge Vincents. Her paper-thin creations caught my eye in a magazine article I read. Her shop at No. 27 on the trendy street of Jægersborggade was fun to visit anyway. A few people came into the shop while I looked around. It turned out that she ships worldwide. I had no space for such fragile cargo in my luggage anymore, Copenhagen being my last stop. Even in Solvær in the Lofoten Islands, I had already purchased a delicate porcelain teacup that the gallery shop shipped for me.
So, I chose several vases of a few sizes.
Restaurant Formel B
Jægersborggade 43
2200 Copenhagen N
+45 4070 1750 (also text and WhatsApp)
website
Dining
Copenhagen has incredible food, for the tummy and for the eyes. Simple verging on transcendent and elegant arrangements.
ISTID
In Danish is tid means ice, time or ice age. I came across this little shop when I was in Nørrebro looking for Kerimaker. ISTID serves liquid nitrogen ice cream. I first tried it last year (2014) at a cooking workshop using liquid nitrogen.
First of its kind in Scandinavia, ISTID just opened, as the owner explained. So of course, I had a scoop. And then I was off to my dinner at Formel B.
ISTID has a differnet weekly menu of organic ice cream flavours , including one vegan option. You can choose from a cup or their cardamon waffle. Bravo to this small business that has endured over a decade! They celebrated their 10th anniversary on March 29, 2025.
ISTID
Jægersborggade 13
2200 Copenhagen N
+45 6131 1834
website
FormEl B
My travel plans were fluid. One hard date was flying into Copenhagen to meet my friend from Munich. I was investigating islands to visit for the days after her departure. There were some very beautiful options. When I decided to stay in Copenhagen, I looked for one fine-dining experience to wrap up my trip.
In 2003 Rene Redzepi opened Noma and put New Nordic cuisine on the international scene. Always pushing the envelope in innovating gastronomy, this restaurant has three Michelin stars. Noma, however, is booked way ahead of time. So I looked elsewhere.
I chose Formel B, which is a one-Michelin-star restaurant in the Frederiksberg District. My reservation was at 6 PM.
Arriving early, I discovered that my online reservation did not go through. There was one table available and so I sat down for a delicious three-course dinner. I didn’t have room for dessert. Actually I had it first, at ISTID.
Langoustine a la Nage with carrot purée and local Danish vegetables
Roasted lobster with new peas and small carrots, salted lemon and lobster foam
Monkfish with Danish potatoes, sauce béarnaise, crisp and caramelized garlic
Roasted turbot with parsley/garlic sauce and braised veal tails
Small pointed cabbage from Kieselgården with stuffed morels and morel cream
Roaster Ibérico pork with onions, Danish peas, mint and comté sauce
Pigeon Imperial with chanterelles, Danish raspberries, pâté and malt croutons
Ceviche of cod with Danish rhubarbs, crunchy radishes and herbs
Raw marinated scallop with cauliflower rose hip, almonds, and nasturtium
Salted turbot with new Danish potatoes and cream of smoked mussels
Smoked salmon from Faroe Islands with grilled asparagus, lemon thyme, and sour cream
Tartar of beef with dehydrated tomatoes, Danish Hay cheese and pepper
Restaurant Formel B
Vesterbrogade 182
1800 Frederiksberg C
+45 3325 1066
website
Frederiksberg Gardens
From ISTID, I cut through the Frederiksberg Gardens to get to Formel B. The Frederiksberg Castle is only about a ten-minute walk from the restaurant.
Dating back to the 1700s, this was King Frederik IV’s summer palace and where King Christian VI lived permanently. It was a royal palace until 1852.
The palace was originally a one-storey building completed in 1703 for then-Crown Prince Frederik IV. Its baroque style was introduced a few years later, with the next build enlarging it to three stories. You can visit both the palace and the chapel, which I didn’t have time for.
Originally a symmetrical Baroque garden, the beautiful English landscape garden that we see today was created at the turn of the 19th century. Windy paths take you through the park. According to the map at the park, there are fourteen points of interest, some only opened in the summer and late summer. You can also watch the elephants from the zoo next door [13].
Frederiksberg Gardens is a beautiful and quiet place to spend some time. Until 1865, the public had limited access to this palace garden, where King Frederik VI sailed his gondola in the canals. Here people also gather for Midsummer’s Eve, a tradition that continues in the Scandinavian countries. This year I was in the Lofoten Islands, one of my favourite places in the world.
Frederik IV to Frederik VII
The Danish monarchy is one of the oldest in Europe, going back to the 10th-century Viking king, Gorm the Old.
The first king of the House of Oldenburg was Christian I (1426 – 1481), who reigned from 1448 to 1481. The last Oldenburg king was Frederik VII (1808 – 1863), who reigned from 1848 to 1863.
Since 1513 until Frederik VII, the names of Danish kings alternated between Christian and Frederik.
There have been two female monarchs – Queen Margrethe (1376-1412) and Queen Margrethe II (1940-), who ascended the throne in 1972. She formally signed her abdication on January 14, 2024. Her eldest son became King Frederik X. The only other time an abdication occurred in Denmark was by King Erik III Lam in 1146.
Reading about all the Frederiks and Christians, I got confused and created a brief summary for myself.
Life: <– House of Oldenburg: Frederik IV (1671-1730) -> Christian VI (1699-1746) -> Frederik V (1723-1766) -> Christian VII (1749-1808) -> Frederik VI (1768-1839) -> Christian VIII (1786-1848) -> Frederik VII (1808 – 1863) –> House of Glücksburg
Reign: <– House of Oldenburg: Frederik IV (1699-1730) -> eldest son, Christian VI (1730 – 1746) -> eldest son, Frederik V (1746 – 1766) -> second son, Christian VII (1766 – 1808) -> eldest son, Frederik VI (1808 –1839) -> Frederik VI’s half-cousin, Christian VIII (1839 – 1848) -> eldest son, Frederik VII (1848 – 1863) –> House of Glücksburg
King Christian VII became Crown Prince at birth as his elder brother died as an infant. Due to his mental illness (and suspected schizophrenia), he was King in name. From 1770 to 1772, his personal physician, first his political advisor, was the de facto ruler. Johann Friedrich Struensee was a progressive and radical thinker. As a confidante and lover of Queen Caroline Mathilde, he oversaw Crown Prince Frederik’s education. Influenced by Rousseau, Struensee eschewed formal instructional education and let the prince learn through play with two commoner boys.
When Struensee was overthrown in a coup, King Christian VII’s half-brother, Hereditary Prince Frederick (1753 – 1805) was made Prince Regent. It would be his son, Christian VIII, who would succeed King Frederick VI, who had no heir. (Christian VIII was the son of Frederik V and his second wife, the half-brother of Christian VII, and half-cousin of Frederik VI.)
Struensee was later executed and King Chrisian VII divorced and exiled his first wife, Queen Caroline Mathilde. Christian VII’s own mother, Louise of Great Britain (1724-1751), died in childbirth shortly after his birth.
The real power, however, was with his stepmother, the Queen Dowager, Juliane Marie of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and Danish Minister Ove Høegh-Guldberg. From 1784 to 1808, after a palace revolution, the Prince Regent was King Christian VII’s son, who ascended the throne as King Frederick VI.
King Frederick VI reigned from 1808 to 1839. He was the last king of Denmark and Norway, which he ruled until 1814.
King Christian VIII’s heir, King Frederik VII as the last absolute monarch. The Danish parliament was established as a result of him signing in a constitution, first ratified in 1849, and Denmark became a constitutional monarchy as it remains to this day. King Frederik VII was the last of Frederik III’s male line and his death ended the hereditary line of Oldenburg kings.
The next king, Christian IX (1818 – 1906), was of the House of Glücksburg, which continues to sit on the throne in Denmark today.
Left: the formal garden in front of Frederiksberg Palace in 1718 (image from the public domain). Right: using my photograph of the map at the Frederiksberg Gardens, I created this to show the highlights in English. [Print version] You’re welcome to use and share this map in this format, which includes attribution to Here to Explore Our World.