Copenhagen seems to have several distinct images, each accurate but incomplete. It's an old merchants' town overlooking the entrance to the Baltic Sea, a progressive city tolerant of a wide range of social behavior, a metropolis whose efficiency rivals that of the Swiss and a city that's so associated with architectural treasures that it's known as the "City of Beautiful Spires." Its wealth of statues and fountains, combined with the Danes' highly tuned environmental awareness, make Copenhagen a city perfect for strolling and exploration. The city is the seat of all the nation's institutions of politics, finance and the arts.



Copenhagen has been called Scandinavia's most affordable capital, and one of Europe's most user-friendly cities, welcoming and fairly small, with a compact, strollable centre largely given over to pedestrians. In summer, there's a varied range of lively street entertainment, while at night there's a plethora of bars and a club and live-music network. The city has first-rate galleries housing collections of Danish and international art, as well as worthy smaller museums.