3 Best Sights in Copenhagen, Denmark

En route from Christianshavn to Refshaleøen is Copenhagen's legendary freetown Christiania, which was founded in 1971, when students occupied army barracks. It's now a peaceful community of nonconformists, consisting of 630 adults and 130 kids, where wall cartoons preach drugs and peace. There are a number of businesses here, including a bike shop, a smithy, a rock-music club, and several good organic eateries. When exploring Christiania, make sure to leave the central, busy part of the community to walk around on the idyllic, pedestrian paths that run through the forest, past the riding school, along the lake, and between the imaginative self-built houses.

A group of residents recount their experiences as well as the history of Christiania on daily English-language tours, which are a great way to discover the nooks and crannies of this quirky community.

Many inhabitants are not fond of cameras, and picture taking is forbidden on Pusher Street.

Once isolated from central Copenhagen, the former navy base north of Christianshavn dating from the 17th century is now an attractive area for arts, culture, and chic living. The Royal Academy's schools of theater, film, music, and architecture are all housed in old barracks here on the island of Holmen. The most famous resident of the island, however, is the new opera house, designed by the famous Danish architect Henning Larsen and placed symmetrically opposite the Marble Church and Amalienborg. Operas are in their original language with Danish subtitles. The building opens three hours prior to performances and includes a café and restaurant, the latter only for ticket holders.

The Danish Architecture Center occupies an old wharf-side warehouse built in 1880. The center hosts rotating exhibitions that cover trends and trendsetters in architecture and architectural design. The displays are labeled in English, and the museum's website has a guide for discovering noteworthy architecture in Denmark's major cities.