Explore These Places When You Visit Copenhagen

Copenhagen is not only one of the most family-friendly cities in the world; it is also amongst the most female-friendly. This is mainly because it is a generally safe city for everyone, regardless of gender, but also because of its strong feminist traditions. Women here walk home alone-and always have done so.

Travelling as a woman here is really the same as travelling as a man-your gender isn’t that important. Enjoy it; it’s one of the reasons why I’ve stayed here.

One of the most striking sights in the Danish capital is seeing a woman in improbably high heels cycling, perfectly competently, down a busy street. This is actually a pretty common sight, and this mix of the immensely practical with the colorful, the fashionable or the fun is one of the reasons why Copenhagen has been dubbed an especially feminine capital.

Explore These Places When You Visit Copenhagen

While some of Copenhagen‘s liveliest bars and clubs can be a little too popular, Cafe Retro is a quieter, cosier place to hang out in both afternoons and evenings. A fair trade, not-for-profit cafe run entirely by volunteers from all over the world, you’re sure to hear English there as well as enjoy a warm soup and relax in one of the comfortable armchairs and sofas. The cafe also has DJ-evenings. Cafe Retro is located on Knabrostræde, not far from walking street Strøget.

Those with a love of pretty things and retro design should check out three of my favorite cafes: Mormors, on Bredgade in the Frederiksstaden quarter makes reasonably-priced, simple sandwiches and just has an easy atmosphere; While nostalgic cafe Granola, on Værnedamsvej in Frederiksberg is a great place to go for breakfast (check out the oatmeal with coconut flakes, cinnamon and grated apple).

Then there’s the Royal Cafe, next to Royal Copenhagen on the walking street. This kitsch cafe makes doll-sized open sandwiches they call ‘smushi’-a cross between smørrebrød (the Danish word for open sandwiches) and sushi.

I urge you to visit any and all of these places with friends or on your own. But most of all, just wander.

Don’t forget to explore the city’s museums. I love the glorious greenery of the Ny Carlsberg Glyptoteket, with its lush winter gardens and wonderfully romantic collection of impressionist paintings, as well as the way National Gallery Statens Museum for Kunst has arranged its vast collection in a slightly confusing, non-chronological way that makes viewing the art that much more exciting and surprising.

Then there are the parks: Kongens Have, the King’s Gardens, which overlook the splendid Rosenborg Palace, while Frederiksberg Have is big enough for almost any visitor to find her own special spot. The Danish capital can also boast plenty of newly developed or still-developing neighborhoods, like the architecturally fascinating waterfront, the dramatic old brewery Carlsberg Byen (now being developed as a cultural quarter) and meat-packing district Kødbyen, with its great cafes, bars and art galleries: I urge you to visit any and all of these places with friends or on your own. But most of all, just wander. Explore, and don’t be afraid to get out there and find your own special places.

Jane Graham is local expert for Copenhagen for NileGuide. You can visit her blog page here: http://www.nileguide.com/destination/blog/copenhagen/