Cruising Copenhagen's Canals

I was lucky to get two full days in Copenhagen. Back in the summer of 2018, my mother and I embarked upon a Baltic Cruise aboard Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas. We were not so lucky towards the back end of our trip in that we lost a day in Stockholm due to strong winds preventing boats from sailing into its harbor. Instead, we were left wondering, what would we do with our extra time since Stockholm was a no-go? Fortunately, our ship found its way into Copenhagen's shores a day earlier than we were anticipating, giving us one full extra day to sight-see in this beautiful city.

And wouldn't you know, we were blessed with some incredible weather, blue skies and nary a cloud in the sky. However, because we were there a day earlier than planned, there really were no pre-planned excursions for us to do, and so my mom and I bought tickets on a hop-on/hop-off bus, one of the few times in my life I've ever purchased such tickets. The bus itself seemed like it was dug up from retirement, essentially held together with some twine and some duct tape, but alas, it took us around the city to our main destination - the embarkation of the free canal cruises that came along with the bus ticket.

The canal cruise operated in the same vein as the bus, as a hop-on/hop-off format. But my mom and I figured we were better off doing one full loop, and then seeing where we might want to get off and explore. I'm apprehensive about getting off of these vehicles because if the next one is full, you have to spend your time waiting and waiting. The first time I used one of these buses, my cousin and I visited Washington, D.C. during one hot and humid weekend. We decided to check out the Thomas Jefferson memorial, one we had never visited before, and then spent the next hour pleading with our eyes to entice riders to get off the bus so that we could get on. Alas, we were unsuccessful, and needed to hail a taxi (this was pre-Uber) simply to get a ride to the next stop on the bus's route. I have since learned that it is much better to get off at the main place you really want to see, and then if worse comes to worst, take a taxi to your next stop.

Or, if I'm really honest, I would never buy tickets for these buses again with the intention of ever getting off and on, and just simply using them as a means to get from my main points with some sight seeing along the way. Use that information how you will.

So here we were, in Copenhagen, trying our luck at this hop-on/hop-off system again, struggling for it to work, but finally making it to the canal cruise launch. Just like we had done in Amsterdam and in St. Petersburg, my mom and I were really looking forward to seeing the city from the water. Come along as we set sail through this charming city's canals, and see some of its highlights by boat.

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Canal Cruise

We hopped off our bus near the Gammel Strand metro station, and then waited to board our boat at the nearby docks.

We boarded a boat that didn't have an awning, which appealed to us to be able to have unobstructed views.

We boarded across the street from Christiansborg Palace (above), as well as Børsen, Copenhagen's 17th century stock exchange (below). The Børsen's spire is made up of 4 dragon tails intertwined together.

After exiting our narrow canal, we hung a left on a bigger, wider canal where we next sailed alongside the National Workshop for the Arts.

Cruising along this (marginally) wider canal allowed for us to see a number of different vessels as well as structures. Below, we passed by The Standard, a structure that houses 3 restaurants. It was originally built in the 1930s and actually functioned as a customs house for goods coming from Sweden.

I particularly love it's striking color and unusual shape - on a future trip to Copenhagen, I would love to dine here to check out its interiors and its food.

We would soon turn into the Nyhavn, perhaps Copenhagen's most famous canal and waterfront. Here, colorful buildings line the shore, each vying for your attention with their charming architecture, color, and covered patios.

But first, we passed under the Inderhavnsbroen, a bridge built in 2016 just for pedestrians and bikers. Copenhagen manages to do a great job of blending modern ideas with its more classic architecture, creating a truly fascinating aesthetic.

Here we made the actual turn into the Nyhven, being bombarded by the explosion of color, activity and incredible number of ship masts for such a small location. This was one of my "must-do/see" things for Copenhagen, so I knew we would have to get out and explore the area a bit more - but we would save that for when we had done the whole tour first.

This area was originally where all of the commercial goods would come into the city, and each building served as a perfect place for the sailors to unwind. Today, things are not much different (if perhaps somewhat calmer?). This was also the home of Hans Christian Anderson for a little while, the place where he wrote some of his famous fairy tales, including the Princess and the Pea. For now, enjoy some of the scenery of the Nyhavn below.

Below, where you could disembark and explore the area. For now, we opted to stay on board and finish the loop.

It was such a lovely day, and many people opted to sit canalside and enjoy the views.

Or go for a ride in a kayak!

I found myself fascinated by the shapes, colors, and sizes of the boats we passed along the canal - some looked like they had been plying the seas for a number of years!

Once we left Nyhavn, we turned back onto the main canal, turning left and working our way towards the Royal Danish Opera House (Operaen). Completed in 2004, this opera house is one of the newest and most modern opera houses in the world, and it can hold around 1,500 - 1,700 audience members per performance.

Meanwhile, across from the Royal Danish Opera House is the Royal Danish Playhouse, also a bold, striking structure, fully modern and yet blending in well with its surroundings.

We next caught a glimpse of Amalienborg, the home of the Danish Royal Family. My mom and I would visit this castle the following day, but for now, we would have to make do with views of it from the canal.

Next up was one of the things my mom was most looking forward to (and was subsequently most disappointed by) - the statue of Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid. (We would later disembark to see the statue more clearly, pictures of which are found at the bottom of this page).

I'm not totally sure why my mother had been so excited, but her disappointment was due to the size and scale of the statue. I knew what to expect, so was happy to see the statue, but if you're expecting something totally grand, perhaps now is the time to brace yourself.

After our visit to The Little Mermaid, we turned around towards the Mastekranen and the Nyholm Central Guardhouse. The latter was used as part of the Nyholm Naval Base, and would guard the watery passageways of the city. The former is a masting crane built in the 18th century to help ships load their enormous masts into place. There, we could also see the Danish royal family's yacht, Dannebrog.

We next headed towards a smaller, quieter Christianshavn Canal. For more information on this canal and the surrounding neighborhood, visit this website.

This neighborhood felt a bit more modest than the more "downtown" canals we had previously visited, and felt like people actually lived here. It was a very pleasant look at this corner of Copenhagen.

Below, the spire/tower (which you can climb to the top!) of the Church of Our Savior.

We began to leave Christianshavn Canal behind as we neared the Cirkelbroen, or Circle Bridge, which features masts that harkens back to Copenhagen's shipping past.

Below, a self portrait on the windows of The Royal Library (Det Kongelige Bibliotek), also known as "The Black Diamond."

Right before turning into the canal we started on, we passed by the Danish Architecture Center.

Though we were now back in our original canal, this section was still new to my mom and I.

We next came up upon Christiansborg Palace, which has been the main seat of Danish royal power for over 800 years. However, while it is not currently the main residence of the Danish royal family, it is still used for state events. Meanwhile, visitors can take tours of the palace.

The massive spire in the background of the picture below is the Nicolaj Kunsthal, a museum dedicated to contemporary art. Housed in a former church, this looks to be an interesting place to add to a future visit.

Annnnnnd, we're back. We finally made it a whole way around the city on the Hop On/Hop Off boat, though, as you could see above, we didn't do any "hopping off." However, now that we had made one full loop, our plan was to hop off in Nyhavn as well as at The Little Mermaid statue, where we could catch our bus back to our ship.

Below, you'll see some pictures of places we already sailed by, but this time from a different perspective.

Nearly two hours later, we entered Nyhavn for the second time, and this time we were determined to get off the boat and enjoy the wharf side.

My mom and I stopped by one of the wharfside cafes and enjoyed a quick tea while watching the hustle and bustle of the life around us. Though it was a brief reprieve, it was a fun way to explore this side of Copenhagen.

It felt like Nyhavn got more crowded during our loop, so go earlier in the day if you want to beat some of the crowds.

Not our ship, but others enjoying a Baltic Cruise.

As I mentioned earlier when we first passed her by, we eventually disembarked at The Little Mermaid statue to admire her more in person. We had heard tales of how she had been vandalized several times, including losing her head more than once, but I found her quiet elegance moving and beautiful.

She was created after a local brewer watched a ballet performance of The Little Mermaid in Copenhagen in 1909 (which, if you are familiar with the original tale and not the Disney version, is much more tragic and poignant). A sculptor was commissioned, and in 1913, The Little Mermaid herself found a new home to watch over the city's seashore.

Note that you will not be the only one visiting the statue, and you will have to spend some time jockeying for space. However, the statue was the perfect place to end our canal tour. From here, we would "hop on" our Hop On/Hop Off bus, and head back to our ship for the evening. With our first day of Copenhagen completed, we would next be set for another full day exploring this beautiful city.

Until then!

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Copenhagen Details

As mentioned above, this day in Copenhagen was a surprise extra day that we dedicated to the Hop On/Hop Off bus, but mainly to use the same company to get a canal cruise of the city. Whether or not you are on a cruise ship like we were, or had to use a Hop On/Hop Off option, I would still highly recommend a canal cruise of the city, as it allows you to see so many of its architectural delights, while also learning a lot from the skippers as you go. I would recommend this as a great "Day 1" adventure, as it would help give the city some context and you, the traveler, some bearings.

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Day of travel: June 6, 2018