A Map of Copenhagen Districts – The Best Areas To Stay in Copenhagen, Denmark

The first step to finding out where to stay in Copenhagen is obviously to understand which are the main hotel areas. So, here is a map of Copenhagen with all the areas to stay in Copenhagen [City Center, Norrebro, Vesterbro, Amager, Osterbro, Frederksberg, Valby], for your reference, so you can figure out which part of Copenhagen (or København in Denish) is best to stay depending if you are looking for a posh location or not. Don’t worry about the fancy neighborhood names, we will explain everything:

Don’t worry about the fancy neighborhood names, we will explain everything:

Where to Stay in Copenhagen – The areas in a Map of Copenhagen, Denmark

There are actually 9 areas where you can stay in Copenhagen. Let’s have a quick look at them.

#1 Stay at Vesterbro (best area for hipsters, in the top 3 choices for first-time visitors)

The area of Vesterbro used to be the area where the working class of Copenhagen was living. It also used to be the Red light district of Copenhagen (and maybe it still is).

Nowadays, it has become the ultra-hip area of Copenhagen with many boutique hotels. The main things to do and see in Vesterbro is to go to the Tivoli Gardens, visit the Center of Photography, go to the Museum of Copenhagen , visit the Kavelbod Boge which is a relaxed waterfront area. In the evening the hotspots are Vega, a popular party and concert venue, 1656 bar, Ideal Bar, Bremen Theater, Jolene, and KB3.

In Vesterbro, there is an area that is called “The Meatpack District“, which is full of galleries and nice restaurants and it is the place to go out for nightlife.

The Andersen Boutique Hotel is a nice hotel option here.

#2 Stay at the City Center (Indre By) (best area for first-time visitors to be in the middle of everything, in the top 3 choices for first-time visitors)

The city center of Copenhagen is called “Indre By” in Denish, which translates to “The Inner City”. It is the area that will put you in the middle of everything. The center of the city of Copenhagen is the historic and political area of the town. If you choose to stay here, you will have easy access to many interesting things to do and see such as going to the National Gallery of Denmark (SMK), to the Botanical Garden, to Cristanborg Palace, to Nyhavn Harbor and area, to the Rosenborg Castle, to Torvehallerne, to the Danish Design Centre have a tour with the Netto Boats,  go to the King’s Garden, and to Amalienborg Palace.

The city center of Copenhagen started to being built almost 1000 years ago, on 1167. And it is an absolute pleasure to walk around this area.

The nightlife hotspots in the city center of Copenhagen are Strom Bar, Ruby, Condesa, Hive, Balderdash, Jazzhouse and Culturebox.

The best restaurants in the city center are Restaurant AOC, Taller, Kadeau, No.2, Marchal, and Studio.

The best shopping in the city center is at Stroget – one of Europe’s longest pedestrian streets -, Naked, Stine Goya, Malene Birger, Nue, Wood Wood, Hay House, ILLUM – the premium department store in Copenhagen-.

Nimb Hotel and Best Western Hotel are two nice options in the Indre By area.

#3 Stay at ChristianSavn (Canals, best for relax..too much relax maybe)

ChristianSavn area is full of canals and maritime life. It is a relaxed area, preferred by hipsters, with a cool vibe, nice cafes, and cool bars. Here, you will find something that is unique in Europe: There is a self-regulated community, Christiania, with people who love nature, freedom (and cannabis). Since 1989 the community of “modern hippies”, stays at a park area called “Christiania”, which is protected by the law in terms of usage of drugs. The members of the community create nice hand-made art which they sell to tourists and visitors of their area. 

If you love ships, here you can also visit the Royal Danish Naval Museum. Bear in mind, that if you want to visit the sights that are located in the city centre of Copenhagen (the Indre By), you will need to walk around 20 minutes. This is a canals area which connects to the mainland with bridges.

#4 Stay at East Amager

East Amager is a coastal area a little bit outside of Copenhagen.

#5 Stay at Orestad (West Amager)

The West Amager is a fairly new urban area and an architectural hotspot. The area actually is called Orestad and it is built on the island of Amager. It is less than 10 minutes by train from the Central Train Station of Copenhagen and has easy access to the city and to the airport of Copenhagen. One of the architectural wonders here is DR Koncerthuset, 

#6 Stay at Frederiksberg (Best for Foodies, shopping, and luxury)

This is the posh area of Copenhagen. It has nice parks, and many dining and shopping options. Here, except spending all your money on expensive hotels, restaurants, and shops, you can also go to the Copenhagen Zoo or rent a boat at Frederiksberg Have park.

#7 Stay at Valby

Valby is an upcoming area.

#8 Stay at Osterbro (best area for families)

Osterbro is the most family friendly area of Copenhagen with many parks and shopping areas. It is clean, safe and chic. These are some reasons that Osterbro is among the most expensive areas in Copenhagen. Here you will find the Faelledparken which hosts the little mermaid statue (you will be disappointed by the statue, it is probably one of the top tourist traps in Europe). Close to the statue, you will find the Kastellet Citadel and if you love art, you can go to Den Frie Centre of Contemporary Art

#9 Stay at Norrebro (Best for Hipsters, in the top 3 choices for first-time visitors)

Norrebro is a multicultural and hip part of Copenhagen. It is vibrant and it’s not as expensive as other areas in Copenhagen. Here you will find vintage shops, hip bars, and sushi bars. It also hosts the world’s biggest Barbie Doll Museum – .

What is it all about the Nyhavn Area?

Nyhavn is a popular area in Copenhagen. 400 years ago, the Danes were at war with Sweden. And the Danes won. So, the Denish King captivated many Swedish fighters and forced them to dig a canal from the inner city of Copenhagen to the sea.

This canal has been called Nyhavn. The area is full of bars, restaurants, and people walking around. It is certainly a very interesting area to stay in Copenhagen. The famous story teller of Denmark, Hans Christian Andersen, was living here for 18 years.

Tips for Hotels in Copenhagen

Are there any cheap places to Stay in Copenhagen? Why are Copenhagen Hotels So Expensive?  

Copenhagen hotels can be indeed, quite expensive.  And not only the cool Copenhagen hotels, that might be four or five-star hotels. Even the so-called cheap or budget hotels are much more expensive than the average price of hotels you would pay in Amsterdam, London or in Madrid. The reason is that Copenhagen is one of the most expensive cities in Europe as it needs to import a lot of food due to its weather. The land around Copenhagen is also expensive and there is no “black market” for employees working at the hotels, unlike what happens in other countries. All hotel employees in Copenhagen are insured and paid quite well. All these factors drive up a lot the hotel room prices here. Copenhagen is the richest city in Denmark, so the high price of hotels affects mainly tourists who are looking for cool places to stay in Copenhagen and not the locals.

How Much are Hotels in Copenhagen?

If you are looking for a hotel you won’t pay less than 800Dkr a night. However, for this price, you can stay a beautiful double bedroom, in a great location, with breakfast most likely included.

-Moreover, Copenhagen is a small city and the public transportation is excellent, so you should choose the hotel and not the area – with the exception of the areas to avoid that we describe later here. Try to stay at a hotel which is 15 minutes away from Kongens Nytorv, which is the main square of Copenhagen. 

-The Hotels in Copenhagen don’t have often a double bed – they create this by putting two single beds together. Moreover, usually, you will not find a bath tube.

-Copenhagen is noisy and it has a vivid nightlife. If you are visiting Copenhagen during the summer, get a room with air-conditioning, so that you can sleep with the windows closed.

Gay-Friendly Hotels in Copenhagen

Look, Copenhagen is one of the most gay-friendly towns in the world, so all hotels are gay-friendly and there is no need to look for a particular one. People in Copenhagen are really open to gay life and you will feel very welcomed. The area with the most gay-only bars is the Studiestræde street, where you can find bars such as Cozy, Amigo, Jailhouse and Nevermind.

Copenhagen Hotels Close to the Airport (CPH)

There are 9 (nine) hotels which are close to the CPH International Airport of Copenhagen, and they are all located at a distance of up to 3 KM from the airport. The airport hotels in Copenhagen are Clarion Hotel Copenhagen Airport, Zleep Hotel Copenhagen Airport, Ocean Hotel and Conference, Quality Airport Hotel Dan, Copenhagen Go Hotel, Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers, Cabinn Metro, AC Hotel by Marriott Bella Sky Copenhagen and Park Inn by Radisson Copenhagen Airport Hotel. 

You can access the map of Copenhagen Airport Hotels by clicking here.

Copenhagen Hotels for a pre-cruise Stay

Copenhagen is a popular destination for cruises and a lot of visitors are looking for hotels that are convenient to stay before or after the cruise. The best hotels for a pre-cruise stay should have easy access to the ports of Copenhagen. The budget-friendly option is to stay at the Chicken’s Private Pension De Luxe and a more upscale option is to stay at the Copenhagen Marriott. Another interesting option is the Adina Apartments Hotel, which is a 4-star hotel, with prices around 200USD, very close to the docks of the cruises. At the map below you can see that the cruise docks for cruises are at (1), (2) and (3) and you can see all the nearby hotels. Bear in mind that the distance from the docks to e.g. the Scandic or Radisson Blu hotels is around 5 km or 40 minutes walk. 

The hotel Adina Apartment is the one that is closest to the docks and you can get from the hotel to the docks in 10-15 minutes walk. Other nice options are the Copenhagen Admiral Hotel, the 71 Nyhavn Hotel, the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, the Wakeup Copenhagen, and the Scandic Copenhagen hotel. You can access the map below by clicking here. Getting a taxi from the cruise ship dock to the hotels will cost you around 20 USD and it is a 10-minutes drive.

Copenhagen Areas to Avoid

You should avoid staying at the part of Vesterbro which is behind the Central Train Station. There are many cheap hotels there but you should better not choose to stay in that area as it becomes spooky at night. It has many prostitutes and drug dealers walking around. Although it is considered to be a home to hipsters and it has a vibrant club scene, we would not recommend it.

 You should also avoid the outer Norrebro/Nordvest, especially if you are a woman, as it also becomes strange at night. The inner Norrebro is much safer to stay at.