What is the Copenhagen self-guided walking tour?
The Copenhagen self-guided walking tour is a walk you make at your own speed, with audio narration on your phone where a guide would normally be. Count on about 3 hours: 48 minutes of that goes on walking, the route measures 3.9 km, and at 10 stops you stand still and listen. Nothing is scheduled, and no group sets the pace.
At the Round Tower the narration follows the spiral ramp Christian IV had built between 1637 and 1642, seven and a half turns up to a platform 34.8 metres above the street, and the story that Tsar Peter the Great rode up it on horseback in 1716. On the quay of Nyhavn it turns to the canal dug from 1670 to 1675, partly by Swedish prisoners of war, to number 9 of 1681 and to the two addresses Hans Christian Andersen kept here. At the end you hear why the Marble Church stood as a ruin for more than a century after the Norwegian marble proved too dear in 1770, and who paid for the dome that was finally consecrated in 1894.
- Durationabout 3 hours
- Walkingabout 48 min · 3.9 km
- Stops10
- LanguagesEnglish, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch
What the walk consists of
Listen
Each stop brings the history of the place, the legends around it and the detail most people walk past. The same text waits on the screen if you would rather read.
Walk on
The next stop appears in Google Maps as soon as the last one is finished: 48 minutes on foot and 3.9 km in all, at a pace you set yourself.
Break off
Take a coffee or a hot dog, give an hour to a museum, then pick the walk up later or on another day.
Eat and browse
Tips for food and shops near the route arrive with the stops. The first stop and the order of the rest are yours to change in the app.
See the route and attractions →
How it works
- Book online Choose the number of people. Your booking reference arrives by email straight away.
- Get the app Download the World City Trail app from the App Store or Google Play and enter your booking reference.
- Walk when you like Start whenever you are ready, walk at your own pace and pause any time. No guide, no fixed schedule.
Who the walk is for
A first visit to Copenhagen
One walk lines up the old town, the parliament island and the royal quarter and explains what you are looking at.
Anyone who avoids groups
Nobody to follow and no roll call: you stay as long as something holds you and move on when you decide to.
Half a day on foot
3 hours covers the centre, so Tivoli, a museum or a harbour bath still fits into the rest of the day.
Good to know
- Bring a charged smartphone with mobile data; a power bank helps.
- No entry tickets needed: everything happens outside the buildings. Going inside is optional and paid separately.
- Family friendly; children must be accompanied by an adult.
- Not suitable for wheelchair users and difficult with strollers.
- Groups of up to 5 work best; larger groups split up, one ticket per person.
- Every purchase helps support stray cats and dogs in Greece.
The walk stop by stop: City Hall, the Round Tower, Nyhavn, the Marble Church
10 stops · about 48 min walking · start: Copenhagen City Hall (Rådhuset) · finish: Frederik's Church (Marble Church)
The walk begins on City Hall Square, under the tower that rises 105.6 metres above it. Narrow streets then take in the Church of Our Lady and the Round Tower, and Strøget carries the route east as far as the crossing to Slotsholmen, where Christiansborg Palace stands. Kongens Nytorv and the Royal Danish Theatre come next, followed by the quay of Nyhavn and the bridge over its canal, after which the Rococo squares of Amalienborg lead to the dome of the Marble Church, the last stop. Another opening stop or another order can be set in the app, and no stop asks for an entry ticket.
Open the route map ↗
1Copenhagen City Hall (Rådhuset)Start
Copenhagen City Hall was designed by Martin Nyrop and inaugurated in 1905, and its tower rises 105.6 metres above City Hall Square. Look up at the main façade: above the balcony stands a gilded statue of Bishop Absalon, traditionally regarded as the founder of Copenhagen.
2Church of Our Lady (Copenhagen Cathedral)
The cathedral burned down when a British fleet bombarded Copenhagen in 1807, and Christian Frederik Hansen rebuilt it in Neoclassical style; it was consecrated in 1829. Inside stand Bertel Thorvaldsen's marble statues of Christ and the apostles, and in 2004 the then Crown Prince Frederik married Mary Donaldson here.
3Round Tower (Rundetaarn)
King Christian IV had the Round Tower built in 1637–1642 as an astronomical observatory. Instead of stairs, a spiral ramp winds seven and a half turns up to a platform 34.8 metres above the street, and according to the story Tsar Peter the Great rode up it on horseback in 1716.
Read the full story →
4Strøget
Strøget is a chain of old streets that runs for about 1.1 km from City Hall Square to Kongens Nytorv. It was closed to cars in 1962, making it one of the first and longest pedestrian shopping streets in Europe, and along the way it opens onto squares such as Amagertorv with its Stork Fountain.
5Christiansborg Palace
Christiansborg on the island of Slotsholmen houses the Danish Parliament, the Prime Minister's Office and the Supreme Court, and the monarch uses its Royal Reception Rooms. The present palace, the third on the site, was finished in 1928 to designs by Thorvald Jørgensen, and beneath it lie the ruins of the castle Bishop Absalon built in 1167.
6Royal Danish Theatre (Det Kongelige Teater)
The Royal Danish Theatre was founded in 1748, and its Old Stage on Kongens Nytorv, designed by Vilhelm Dahlerup with Ove Petersen, opened in 1874. In front of the building sit bronze statues of the playwrights Ludvig Holberg and Adam Oehlenschläger.
7Nyhavn
King Christian V had the Nyhavn canal dug in 1670–1675, partly by Swedish prisoners of war, as a gateway from the sea to Kongens Nytorv. Its row of colourful houses includes number 9 from 1681, the oldest on the quay, and Hans Christian Andersen lived at number 67 and later at number 18.
Read the full story →
8Nyhavn Bridge (Nyhavnsbroen)
Nyhavnsbroen carries the street across the Nyhavn canal and links its two quays. From the bridge you get the classic view along the canal, with old wooden sailing ships moored below and colourful gabled houses on both sides, and on the far side the streets lead north towards Amalienborg.
Read the full story →
9Amalienborg Palace
Amalienborg is made up of four almost identical Rococo palaces around an octagonal square, designed by Nicolai Eigtved and built in 1750–1760 as mansions for noble families. The royal family moved in after Christiansborg burned in 1794, and in the centre stands Jacques Saly's equestrian statue of Frederik V, unveiled in 1771.
10Frederik's Church (Marble Church)Finish
King Frederik V laid the foundation stone of the Marble Church in 1749, but work stopped in 1770 because the Norwegian marble was too expensive. The ruin stood for more than a century until the financier Carl Frederik Tietgen backed its completion by Ferdinand Meldahl, and it was consecrated in 1894 under a dome 31 metres across.
Read the full story →
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M.Huebsch – (verified owner) –
Nice tour to get an idea how the city is built. Two updates have to be made: 1. Danmark has a king and not a queen anymore 2. The børse burnt down in 2024
Manon– France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Application très sympa
Gaby Raviola-– Switzerland –
Collected on GetYourGuide
United Kingdom –
Collected on GetYourGuide
tiring
Italy –
Collected on GetYourGuide
DIFFICOLTA’ INIZIALI AL COLLEGAMENTO, MANCANZA DI ALCUNI LUOGHI CHE DOVREBBERO RIENTRARE NELAL GUIDA.
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Die Auswahl der Themen war in Ordnung, die angezeigten Informationen auch. Die App hingegen ist nicht gut, und es w?re wichtig und hilfreich, einen ?berblick ?ber die Themen und den geplanten Verlauf der Tour zu haben. So hat man „die Katze im Sack“ gekauft und hatte keine M?glichkeit zu Vergleichen.