Nyhavn

Description:

• This small harbor street is one of Copenhagen's biggest visitor attractions, and while its row of timber-built, brightly-painted 17th-century buildings—most of them cafes—are an obvious tourist trap, there is something delightful about sitting here by the water on a hot summer's day. While all the cafes offer outside seating in spring/summer as well as a mostly traditional Danish lunch menu, a cheaper alternative is to buy a bottled drink from a local supermarket or an ice cream and sit on the edge of the pier. Nyhavn has two very different sides, with the Charlottenborg side much quieter. It also has a lively and chequered past: Just 30 years ago, the street was a rowdy collection of notorious drinking dens frequented by sailors. Heavily cleaned up for tourists, traces remain in the tattoo parlor and the all-night Hong Kong Bar. Note that should you be visiting Copenhagen in wintertime, off-season Nyhavn is virtually deserted.
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