Copenhagen with Context: An Introduction to the City’s Bustling Center

Copenhagen’s heritage is as colorful as it is captivating. On this walking tour with Context Travel expert and heritage scientist, Tuuli Kasso, you’ll explore the city’s picturesque canals and charming cobblestone streets while learning about the Nordic capital’s history, royal legacy and culture.

The tour starts in the King’s Garden in front of the Rosenborg Castle, which holds Denmark’s crown jewels. From there, you’ll visit Copenhagen’s most iconic landmarks, from the Round Tower and Christiansborg Palace to Nyhavn, the famous waterfront that served as a bustling 17th-century trade port, where our tour ends.

From the towering spires of Copenhagen’s historic buildings to the stories of legendary figures like King Christian IV and the fantasy-like origins of the Dannebrog flag, Tuuli will share insights into this city’s vibrant heritage. Along the way, you’ll dive into Danish sharing culture and the importance of togetherness. You’ll learn about key characters like author Hans Christian Anderson, physicist Niels Boh, and Bishop Absalon.

On this 75-minute journey, you’ll have a chance to:

• Take in the Neoclassical style of Vor Frue Kirke, also known as the Church of Our Lady
• See Børsen, the old Stock Exchange, and learn how it represented Denmark’s dominance in maritime trade before a fire destroyed it in 2024
• Find out why the boats in Nyhavn don’t leave the harbor anymore, and what it means to be a Viking
• Discover how most of the medieval city was lost to the great fires of 1728 and 1795, and rebuilt in a new architectural style
• Hear how Bishop Absalon laid the foundations for the first castle on Slotsholmen and moved the seat of the king to Copenhagen
• Trace Denmark’s evolution from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy and, eventually a parliamentary democracy
• Get to know Niels Boh, a Danish physicist whose groundbreaking contributions to quantum theory and atomic structure helped us understand the world
• Learn how the earliest medieval canals in Copenhagen were constructed for defense and transportation purposes

By the end of this tour, you’ll have a deeper understanding of Denmark’s sweet blend of modernity and tradition, where innovation thrives alongside a strong sense of community and welfare.