Copenhagen Canal Cruise with Guide

Nyhavn, Copenhagen's Postcard Harbour

Nyhavn, meaning New Harbour, was dug in the 1670s to bring ships from the sea right into the city. Today its quays are lined with gabled townhouses painted in yellow, red and blue, and old wooden sailing ships are moored along the water. The writer Hans Christian Andersen lived in three different houses here, including number 20, where he wrote some of his first fairy tales.

Seeing Nyhavn from a boat is the classic Copenhagen view, and the canal cruise passes the mouth of the harbour so you can photograph the whole row of houses. The best time to visit Nyhavn is the early morning or a sunny evening, when the facades glow; the quays are only a short walk from the Gammel Strand boarding point.

Christiansborg Palace and Slotsholmen

The cruise begins beside Slotsholmen, the small island where Bishop Absalon built a fortress in 1167, often seen as the founding of Copenhagen. The current Christiansborg Palace, the third on the site, holds the Danish Parliament, the Supreme Court and the Prime Minister's office, as well as royal reception rooms still used by the monarch.

From the water you also see the old Stock Exchange, a 17th-century building badly damaged by fire in 2024 and now being restored. If you want to visit Christiansborg Palace afterwards, its tower has one of the highest free viewpoints in the city, and the royal reception rooms and ruins under the palace can be seen with a separate ticket.

Christianshavn and Its Canals

Across the inner harbour lies Christianshavn, a district built by King Christian IV in the early 1600s on the model of Amsterdam, with narrow canals, merchant houses and colourful houseboats. The boats squeeze under low bridges here, so guests are sometimes asked to stay seated as the boat slips through.

Above the rooftops rises the Church of Our Saviour, whose black and gold spire is wrapped by an outdoor spiral staircase you can climb for wide views. Christianshavn is one of the most pleasant areas to explore on foot after a Copenhagen boat tour, and its canal-side paths are especially lovely on a summer evening.

The Opera House, Amalienborg and the Little Mermaid

Out in the main harbour the cruise passes the Royal Danish Opera House, opened in 2005 on the island of Holmen, with its huge flat roof reaching over the water. Directly opposite stand Amalienborg Palace, the four rococo palaces of the royal family, and the Marble Church with its green dome, lined up on one straight axis.

Further north the boat heads towards Langelinie and the Little Mermaid, the small bronze statue unveiled in 1913 and inspired by Andersen's tale. Many visitors are surprised by how small it is; seeing it from the water avoids the crowds on the shore. Is a Copenhagen canal cruise worth it? It is the fastest way to see all of these landmarks in one hour.