From waterfront saunas to designs that make you do a double take, this guide will put you in the know at the heart of Copenhagen's chic central district.
Long before hygge became a global export, merchants, monarchs and master builders created a city that was made from world-class design within Copenhagen. At the heart of it all was the neighbourhood of Indre By – literally translated as the "Inner City". Today, it's the capital at its most concentrated, where cyclists outnumber cars, pizza joints nudge up against multi-Michelin-starred restaurants and locals sit shoulder-to-shoulder with tourists to take in the sun set over its pastel-painted, postcard harbour.
What to try
Get under the skin of Danish living with locals' favourite pastime. sauna. Group sessions are standard, but for a more private experience, head to La Banchina, in the Holmen area. Once a closed-off naval base founded in the late 17th century, this man-made cluster of islands is now home to architecture schools, creative studios and this private sauna, where you can sweat solo or with up to seven friends. Warm you up post cold plunge at the café and bar, which serves freshly shucked oysters, sturdy sandwiches, granola smothered in local yoghurt and honey and an impressive selection of natural wine.
Copenhagen Contemporary is housed in a former welding hall for the Burmeister & Wain shipyard
Continue past warehouses packed with antique furniture and rugs to Copenhagen Contemporary museum. Wander through its cavernous, white-washed chambers to encounter everything from soundscapes, lightshows and organic sculpture from the likes of Alia Farad and renowned British artist Monster Chetwynd.
Before heading across Holmen's bike-friendly water bridges back to the thick of the city, break for coffee in Christiania, Copenhagen's living, breathing monument to counterculture and a self-proclaimed autonomous community. Grønsagen started life as a small fruit and veg stand, but is now a fully-fledged café-bistro offering organic, homemade cuisine, decent coffee and an welcome antidote to the polished order of the rest of Indre By in its rustic, street-art-splattered surrounds.
Where to eat
Copenhagen is stacked with top class restaurants, including Alchemist at No.5 on The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2025 list and Geranium, which took the No.1 spot in 2022.
In Indre By, Kadeau (ranked No.41 in last year's global list) should be on your hit list. Helmed by devotee to Danish produce Nicolai Nørregaard, the 15-course tasting menu explores the flavours of the Baltic island of Bornholm, offering plates of steamed brown crab with caviar and pumpkin seeds to delicate forkfuls of preserved leaves, walnuts, baked shallots and Havgus cheese.
At Kadeau, guests must ring a bell before being welcomed into the restaurant
For local flavours in slightly more rustic surrounds, Høst is a lively neighbourhood bistro where trailing vines fall across its white-washed walls, serving simple dishes gussied up with locally foraged floral garnishes.
If you're craving all-flavour and minimal fuss, Barraba is one for lazy suppers and, rumour has it, culinary star spotting, being the off-duty haunt for many of Copenhagen most decorated chefs. Work your way through four or eight courses of Italian cooking with a distinctly Nordic twist – think octopus, pumpkin, cime di rapa and radicchio or pappardelle with game ragu, black cabbage and plums – the perfect prep to continue the night at some of Indre By's best bars.
Tasting and a la carte options are on offer at this neighourhood bistro (Image: Barraba)
For a nightcap
First on your cocktail tour should be vinyl bar and café Bird. What began as a neighbourhood spot on Gl. Kongevej in Frederiksberg has since expanded to a second location on Palægade in Indre By. Both spaces share a laid-back, all-day vibe, complete with stripped-back blonde wood, white tiles and ambient suspended lighting.
The pre-batched Bonfire Manhattan comes in 200ml and 500ml formats to take home
Soak up the low-fi sounds spilling from custom-built speakers, inventive pre-batched drink in hand. The Bonfire Manhattan – made with smoky mezcal, whisky, amaro and coffee bean vermouth – is a fan favourite.
If you're craving something a bit more sultry, Ruby offers the best of both with a bright, Scandi-style front room and a darker, more intimate lounge at the back. Sink into one of the plush leather chairs to sample a drinks range that veers from simple to the taste-bud baffling. Depending on how adventurous you're feeling try the Margarita No.10 (tequila, tarragon, apples, pumpkin seed orgeat) or go for a complicated Deep Purple (Michter's bourbon, beetroot-salted caramel, white miso, sherry, almond).
End your night at Tata, a chic hotel bar, splashed in shades of bronze and walnut within the Sanders Hotel, where white-waistcoated bar staff shake theatre-driven cocktails, with its current drinks menu themed around operas, ballets and famous plays.
The Single Coupé rooms at Sanders take inspiration from the elegant, retro charm of luxury train cabins
Where to sleep
For a home away from home, only infinitely more stylish, then Sanders is the spot. Founded by former Danish ballet dancer Alexander Kølpin, this boutique bolthole takes inspiration from the golden age of luxury train travel, with leather travel trunks, rattan furniture and retro pendant lights in every room.
The rooftop breakfast terrace serves a Danish spread of sourdough, homemade butter, fat slices of cured, smoked salmon and excellent coffee – perfect for fuelling up before checking off Indre By's big hitting attractions: Amalienborg Palace, Christiansborg Palace and the Royal Danish Opera, just a short stride away.
The rooftop terrace at Sanders also transforms into a cocktail bar Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings (Image: Daniel Rasmussen)
If you're feeling more fairytale escape, the very grand Nimb Hotel overlooks the glitzy expanse of Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen's premier theme park and events destination. 
Completed in 1909, Nimb Hotel was designed by Knud Arne-Petersen, the then-director of Tivoli Gardens (Image: Lasse Salling)
Don't be fooled by the gleaming white tiled and domed façade – the property may have started life as a small market known for its Moorish architecture in 1843, but today it's an ode to modern Danish interior design and its leafy surrounds, with all rooms offering sweeping views of the park outside. Tempting though it is to bed down in its gorgeous rooms, make time for a visit to the hotel's vast rooftop bar – the place to see and be seen – preferably while lounging beside the green mosaic-tiled pool, cocktail in hand.
Header image credit: Filip Andrejevic
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