36 Hours in Copenhagen

Copenhagen’s once-industrial harbor is today a welcoming public space with an eight-mile pedestrian-and-cycling path looping past swimming areas, playgrounds, the postcard-perfect Nyhavn canal and modern architectural landmarks. Find the Danish Architecture Center, or DAC, inside one of those landmarks: the multi-use Blox building which resembles a stack of greenish glass boxes. In March, DAC unveiled its first permanent exhibition, “So Danish!,” an engaging introduction to the country’s influential architectural designs from the Viking Age to present day, with plenty of Arne Jacobsen functionalism along the way. The current third-floor exhibition, “Copenhagen in Common” (through Oct. 22), investigates how the city employs architecture to improve the lives of locals. Don’t miss the rooftop with views across the harbor, or the option to exit via a thrilling, four-story spiral slide (DAC admission, 115 Danish kroner, or about $17).

On a tree-lined boulevard in the Vesterbro neighborhood, Folkehuset Absalon is a welcoming community house in a deconsecrated brick church where the neighborhood gathers for morning yoga, ceramics and dance classes, weekly bingo, drag shows and nightly communal dinners. But come after dark when the color-splashed nave hosts themed parties (often free) with crowds dancing to Danish disco and pop hits beneath the steepled ceiling. If there’s no event on the schedule, your backup is Bird. This laid-back cocktail bar, just farther north in Frederiksberg, is known for its vinyl collection and invites musicians and D.J.s to steer the weekend playlists. Whether it’s jazz classics, hip hop or soul, slide into a blond-wood booth and start with a margarita made with orange bitters and vermouth flavored with sea buckthorn berries (130 kroner).

Copenhagen is often commended for its focus on sustainability, but what does that mean in practice? To find out, head to Nordhavn (North Harbor), an industrial area being transformed into a series of waterfront neighborhoods packed with glass-and-steel architecture, climate-neutral housing and clever green spaces. From the Nordhavn metro, which opened in 2020, walk to Konditaget Lüders, a rooftop playground atop a multi-story car park with panoramic views of the harbor and distinctive architectural marvels such as the Portland Towers, the Silo, FN Byen and CopenHill, a sloping power plant with a rooftop ski hill and vertiginous climbing wall. Order a cortado (38 kroner) at the artisan bakery Andersen & Maillard, then continue to the Sandkaj harbor bath, a popular spot for swimming and sunbathing with a wide wooden boardwalk along the water.

The charming lane Værnedamsvej has been called “Little Paris,” but Italo Caffé, which opened there last year, is resolutely Italian. Stop for a panino — best is the thin-sliced octopus with grilled peppers, crisp greens and pesto on fluffy focaccia (110 kroner). Then pop around the corner to Thiemers Magasin, an independent bookstore with an English-language section well-stocked with Danish authors. Down the block, CAN Family is the place to unearth rare vinyl from the collector Martin Aalykke Kristiansen as well as paintings and ceramics made by his wife, Stine Maria Aalykke. Next door, Shrig Shop stocks limited-edition prints, posters and postcards with whimsical illustrations from the British artist David Shrigley. For mint-condition designer vintage, cross the street to Tootsie, or visit IBlameLULU, a nearby shop that often has recent-season voluminous dresses from the Danish rising-star designer Cecilie Bahnsen.

One could spend an entire weekend exploring art institutions in and around the city, from Glyptoteket with its ancient marble busts and palm-filled Winter Garden, to the Louisiana Museum of Art, with its brilliant Alberto Giacometti collection and seaside sculpture garden just up the coast. When time is limited, prioritize Cisternerne, a subterranean exhibition space in Søndermarken park (admission, 115 kroner). Descend into the dark, damp cave — formerly a water reservoir — to experience the current installation by the South Korean artist Kimsooja (through Nov. 30), a series of iridescent screens projected with rays of light. Tread carefully on the over-water walkways that wind past dreamy, ever-changing rainbows and spot-lit stalactites.

Danes insist that smørrebrød should be eaten only at lunch — it’s tradition! — but bucking the norm has worked well at Selma, the first Copenhagen restaurant specializing in the classic open-faced sandwich to earn a Bib Gourmand in the Michelin Guide. Opened by the Swedish chef Magnus Pettersson, this restaurant serves exquisite seasonal creations (and a non-smørrebrød tasting menu for sticklers). Reserve a table in the cozy dining room, with warm pendant lighting, wooden tables and floral Josef Frank wallpaper, where recent highlights included green-anise-flavored herring on Danish rye topped with petal-like pieces of pearl onion, wild-garlic cream and tiny dollops of herring caviar. To drink, try the housemade aquavit — a bracing local spirit that here is infused with flavors like herbaceous lovage and brown butter — and a draft beer (the restaurant partners with the Copenhagen craft beer pioneer Mikkeller and local microbreweries are well represented). Dinner for two, without drinks, about 700 kroner.

An explosion of noteworthy new bakeries — Bageriet Benji, Albatross og Venner in the Torvehallerne food market, Lille Bakery and Hart Bageri among them — means you’re never far from a custardy spandauer pastry or a fresh loaf of Danish rye. One that absolutely shouldn’t be missed, however, is Juno the Bakery, opened by Emil Glaser, a former chef at Noma. On a residential corner in Østerbro, this popular bakery draws customers from across the city for its seasonal rhubarb-vanilla tarts, sweet buns stuffed with pistachio cream and frangipane-filled almond croissants. My go-to order is a buttery cardamom bun and a seeded sourdough roll with butter and cheese. It’s best paired with a creamy cappuccino from the new Prolog coffee bar that opened nearby in February.

Back on land, follow the stream of people headed north toward Refshaleøen, a rough-edged industrial area and former shipyard that today houses creative start-ups, fine-dining restaurants and much more. Many go directly to Reffen, a street-food market with stalls in old shipping containers and tons of seating beside the harbor. Instead, stop at Copenhagen Contemporary for large-scale art exhibitions, including a glowing James Turrell installation (admission, 120 kroner). Grab something sweet at Lille Bakery, or pop into Hart Bageri, which opened this location in May, for a sticky bun made from leftover scraps of croissant dough. Then visit Mikkeller Baghaven to sample spontaneously fermented sour beers — maybe a peachy Pántáo wild ale? (60 kroner) — or sunbathe on the pier at La Banchina, an idyllic waterside wine bar with a swimming area and sauna.