Copenhagen’s Royal History: The King’s Square to the Queen’s House

(122 reviews)

Copenhagen audio tour: Copenhagen’s Royal History: The King’s Square to the Queen’s House

This is a 1.1mi walking tour

It takes an average of 90 mins to complete.

Copenhagen

Denmark

$9.99

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About the Tour

Discover how Copenhagen transcended its medieval past to become a great power, on a walking tour between two famous city sites. Our walk starts at Kongens Nytorv, the King’s New Square and ends at Amalienborg, home of the Danish royal family. Along the way, you’ll hear stories of the triumphs and disasters that have enriched the city. I’ll share some of the dramatic tales that helped shape Copenhagen, including the catastrophic fire of 1795, the deadly bombardment of 1807, and the secret tunnel built to rescue a king. Copenhagen’s history is one of constant threat of attack by rivals – and, at one point, a plague of rats!

Highlights include:

Charlottenborg palace, with its restrained baroque aesthetic
Amalienborg palace’s resplendent grandeur
The glittering dome of the Marble Church, the largest dome in Scandinavia
Thott and Erichsen mansions
Copenhagen’s modern playhouse and opera house, with their bold design

During the course of this walk, you’ll also hear stories of important characters from the city’s past. There’s the queen who rallied a frightened people and made them heroes in a time of war, the builder king who transformed Denmark, and the king who rode on horseback with his people and defied Nazi occupiers. And let’s not forget the drunken king who let the arts flourish, and the mad king who was confined to his glittering palace.

All along our route, take in the majesty of the city’s architecture and the colourful jollity of Nyhavn’s famous harbourfront buildings, revealing clues of times gone by on their walls.

Music and sound effects help bring the past to life during this walking tour, and much of the walk takes place on traffic-free routes.

Updated to include the 2024 accession of the new Danish King, Frederik X.

Tour Producer

James Cowan

11 tours

I love creating audio tours of cities which lie close to my heart in the hope that others will share my love and passion.

I wrote my first audio tour of Cardiff, Wales in 2018. I grew up with Cardiff on my doorstep and lived there most of my adult life. Discovering its incredible but still largely unknown history became an ever-growing passion. This led me to develop walking tours and telling people the history, legends and ghost stories of Cardiff and Wales – tales of Kings, Princes, and a one-time tiny town on the Taff that overnight become the world’s biggest coal port, from which emerged the grand domes, towers and columns of its beautiful civic centre….and all the time, in its woodlands and castles lurk ancient legends and tales of ghosts!

I am delighted that, thanks to VoiceMap, I have been able to convert some of these tours into self-guided audio tours.

Since 2019 I have had a new home, Copenhagen, and I have fallen in love with this city. Discovering its history, its character, and its characters past and present, has been an all-consuming pleasure, always full of surprises. In 2021 I was delighted to offer my first Copenhagen audio tour, which was a labour of love to research and develop, as a prelude to more Copenhagen tours following in 2022 and 2023.

In 2023 I was very excited to introduce my first ever audio tour in Poland, of Warsaw’s beautiful Old Town. I have been fascinated and deeply moved by Polish history since childhood, and as an adult I have been spellbound by the beauty of its cities, and awe struck by the resilience and determination of the Polish character despite everything the country has experienced.

In 2025 I published a series of audio tours of Łódź! I hope that my tours of Łódź shed new light on this striking, exciting, and much underrated city! Moreover, I hope that my audiotour of the site of the Łódź Ghetto serves as a powerful informational and educational tool, shedding light on the city's darkest chapter. Indeed, I hope all my Polish audio tours convey my admiration and respect for the country's history and culture.

Preview Location

Location 10

Nyhavn

Hello again! Please keep walking, taking extra care on the cobbled surface, and if the area is busy.

Nyhavn means New Harbour, although it is far from new! It was constructed in the 1670s to provide access from the sea right into the new heart of Copenhagen, at Kongens Nyto... Hello again! Please keep walking, taking extra care on the cobbled surface, and if the area is busy.

Nyhavn means New Harbour, although it is far from new! It was constructed in the 1670s to provide access from the sea right into the new heart of Copenhagen, at Kongens Nytorv. It was never meant to be called Nyhavn, which was just its nickname during the construction. It was officially called "Gyldenløves Kanal", named after Christian V's half brother, but people preferred the much simpler Nyhavn, and have been calling it that ever since!

Properties quickly sprung up along the length of the canal as soon as it was completed. We are walking right past the oldest ones right now, dating from the late 1600s, and although they have been adapted and modernised over time, most still look more or less as they did then. In fact as you walk, several buildings have tell tale signs of their history through dates carved into the wall or symbols linked to one time businesses. It is difficult to spot them as you walk, behind the crowds and the canopies, but I will have a suggestion later on for something you can do.

Today, Nyhavn is colourful, lively and cheerful, with thousands of visitors every day. But turn back the clock 200 years and a very different scene greets you. Cargo ships pack the harbour from all over Europe and beyond, as well as fishing vessels.The air is filled with the smell of rope, tar and fish, and the voices, shouts, cries, seagulls and creaking wood of the galleons rocking in the waters.

On the quayside, goods are loaded and unloaded, horses pull carts to and from nearby warehouses, crewmen push past, speaking many different languages and danish dockers and fishermen go about their daily work. Inns, taverns, hotels jostle side by side with merchants' homes and businesses.

At night Nyhavn and its nearby streets become a place of raucous pleasure as the inns are packed with sailors, drinking, laughing, gambling, fighting, while for prostitutes it's business as usual! And all this within sight of regal and sedate Kongens Nytorv! What a contrast!

In the 1700s more buildings followed further down this length, labelled the "sunny side" because it had the best sunlight. On the opposite side, grand townhouses and business buildings followed in the later 1700s and 1800s.

But I think the most surprising thing about Nyhavn is who lived here. By the late 1700s, as well as housing merchants and businessmen, it had become a cultural melting pot - teeming with artists, writers, poets, musicians, actors, radicals, most living a pretty meagre existence in rented rooms along both sides of this harbour. Hans Christian Andersen, probably Denmark's most famous author, lived at three different addresses here in the 1800s.

What brought them here? Probably a mix of cheap rent and the chance to live in a pulsating, vibrant - even risky - part of town.

Ahead you can see a light controlled crossing. When it is safe to cross, please keep walking ahead, and I will join you.

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Major Landmarks

Kongens Nytorv
Kunsthal Charlottenborg
Harsdorffs Hus Office Club
The Royal Playhouse and The Old Stage
Magasin du Nord
Nyhavn
Amaliehaven
Amalienborg Palace
Frederik VIII's Palace (Brockdorff's Palace)
Frederik's Church

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Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
Kongens Nytorv 21, 1050 København, Denmark
Total distance

2km
Final location
Amalienborg Slotsplads, 1257 København, Denmark
Distance back to start location

565.65m

Directions to Starting Point

The tour starts at Kongens Nytorv, the large square in central Copenhagen, which lies adjacent to the world famous Nyhavn harbour. Kongens Nytorv is a major hub of the Copenhagen metro and when you exit the metro you are right in the square. Make your way, using one of the many pedestrian crossings, to the large pedestrianised area in the centre of the square. You will see that there is an enclosed garden in the centre, with a statue of a man on horseback, walk around the outside of this garden, stayng close to its railings until you reach the side of the square nearest to Nyhavn, and near to the large grand dark brown brick building.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

Charlottenborg art gallery is open Tuesday-Sunday from 12pm-8pm (11am-5pm at weekends). There is an admission charge, except after 5pm on Wednesdays when admission is free. Covid-19 restrictions apply. Further information can be found here: https://kunsthalcharlottenborg.dk/en/visit/

Although it has a reputation for being touristy Nyhavn is a fun place to take a break half way along the tour route and have a snack or a drink in one of its outdoor cafes, while soaking in the atmosphere. Alternatively, you can bring your own snack or drink with you and simply find a place to sit along the harbour wall and have a break. It is perfectly legal and acceptable to drink alcohol in public in Denmark (within reason of course).

The National Playhouse Theatre on the waterfront also has a cafe with seating outdoors on the waterfront.

On the second half of the route, as you walk towards Amalienborg, there are fewer venues for refreshments, although at weekends there are often vans and portable kiosks selling refreshments along the waterfront.

Amalienborg Palace Museum is currently (July 2021) only open on weekends. There is an admission charge, and covid-19 restrictions apply. Further information can be found here https://www.kongernessamling.dk/en/amalienborg/plan-your-visit-amalienborg/#Admission

Best time of day

The route is always open to the public and can be done at any time. The route is usually quieter before midday, but during weekdays Kongens Nytorv tends to be busier with road traffic throughout the day. This will not interrupt your walk, as you on the pedestrianised area for the entire time spent in the square. However, the noise from the traffic might at times diminish the atmosphere of the historical stories. Kongens Nytorv is much quieter traffic wise at weekends.

Nyhavn is quieter in the mornings, but even when it gets busier in the afternoons and evenings, it is still easy to navigate on foot.

The waterfront route can also get busier with pedestrians in the afternoons, especially during good weather at weekends but, again, even when it is busy it is still easy to navigate on foot.

Precautions

Comfortable flat-soled footwear is recommended, as parts of the route consist of cobblestones.

Copenhagen is by and large a very safe city. However, normal precautions should be taken to look after belongings, especially in popular tourist areas such as Nyhavn.

In hot weather Kongens Nytorv can become a bit of a sun-trap because of its openness, so protective covering and sun cream are recommended.

The weather in Denmark can be notoriously unpredictable and changeable, so it is a good idea to check the forecast beforehand and take layers of clothing which can be added/removed if needed, as well as a jacket and/or umbrella.

The large square in Amalienborg is not exclusively pedestrianised but has very little vehicle traffic. Vehicles do from time to time pass through, driving slowly, so remain vigilant while in the square.

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