Shopping

Press Information
August 2002

Shopping in Copenhagen

Few cities' shops can match the Danish capital's for inspiration per square metre. The city centre, though not of the scale of London or Paris, is nevertheless full of independent retailers and small, exclusive boutiques, and has several grand department stores. What it lacks in size, Copenhagen's shopping district makes up for in diversity and quality.

Strøget
Copenhagen's largest shopping area is centred on Europe's longest pedestrian shopping street, Strøget, and the streets that surround it. Strøget is Denmark's premier shopping street. It has something for everyone, from the bargain clothes in H&M, to the department store, Illum, and the exclusive silver, porcelain and glassware of the Royal Scandinavia shops. Strøget is also a popular venue for street performers.

Strøget runs through the heart of central Copenhagen from Kongens Nytorv to Rådhuspladsen. At the Rådhuspladsen end of Strøget, are the younger fashion stores like H&M and Zara as well as the souvenir shops, while towards Kongens Nytorv are more exclusive, international stores, including Prada, Max Mara, Louis Vuitton, Cerutti, Mulberry, Chanel, Birger Christensen Furs, Marlboro, Karen Millen, Ralph Lauren, Marc Jacobs and Hermès. Kongens Nytorv is also home to Scandinavia's largest department store:
Magasin du Nord.

Halfway along Strøget is Amagertorv a former market square now laid out with geometrical granite flagstones surrounding the Storkespringvandet. Amagertorv's fountain and two large cafés, Café Norden and Café Europa, are popular meeting places for Copenhageners and are perfectly placed for a coffee break from one's demanding purchasing schedule.

Also on the square is the grand department store Illum, and the four shops that comprise the stunning Royal Scandinavia group: the silversmith Georg Jensen, Royal Copenhagen Porcelain (before you enter, take a moment to admire the building's redbrick Renaissance architecture), Holmegaard glassware and Illums Bolighus, an exquisite designer department store.

Branching off at a right angle to Amagertorv, is the city's second longest pedestrian shopping street, Købmagergade, good for mid-price clothes stores like Benetton and Diesel, and also featuring numerous smaller independent clothes, eyewear and shoeshops.

Fashion in Grønnegade
If you take a slight detour from the eastern end of Strøget into the Grønnegade quarter, you'll find charming, narrow streets lined with colourful, half-timbered houses converted into shops filled with a mixture of contemporary design products and more traditional items. Fashion is this area's strong point, both hip street wear and classic clothing, from leading Danish designers and international names such as Munthe plus Simonsen (a favourite of super model Helena Christensen). This is also the location of several popular cafés and restaurants, like Café Victor and Dan Turells - usually packed to the rafters with stylish young Copenhageners.

Copenhagen's Catwalk: Kronprinsensgade
If any street can claim to be the city's fashion centre, it is Kronprinsensgade. If you want to get in on the next hot designer to come out of Scandinavia, this is the place to do it. A visit to Stig P or Bruuns Bazaar, is a good way to keep ahead of styles in London, Paris or Milan.

Lunchtime usually sees the tables in the wonderfully glitzy Café Sommersko, another Kronprinsensgade landmark, covered in a mountain of designer bags as shoppers let their plastic cool off.

Alternatively, if you want a break from 21st century consumerism, step inside AC Perchs Thehandel (tea shop), the oldest retailer on the street, dating from 1834.

Street Style
The Latin Quarter (contained by the western end of Strøget, Nørre Voldgade and Nørregade) is full of groovy record stores and cheaper, hip clothes shops - both new and second hand.

Not so long ago, this was one of Copenhagen's poorer areas, but these days it is an interesting shopping zone with clothes, record, comic book, and music shops, as well as trendy cafés and bars. A touch of continental style is added to this intimate grid of streets by French restaurants L'Education Nationale and La Galette.

A Browser's Paradise
If you cross Strøget from the Latin Quarter, you come to the quieter pedestrian streets Kompagnistræde and Læderstræde (together known as Strædet), which run parallel with Strøget towards Amagertorv. These offer some of the cosiest shopping in the city and their antique shops - selling silver, porcelain, toys, books and other collectibles - and independent boutiques, offer an absorbing afternoon's browsing.

Grand Shopping
Those with deeper pockets, or a taste for more aspirational window-shopping should make for the so-called royal district of Copenhagen, near to the palace of Amalienborg. The main streets to focus on here are Bredgade and Store Kongensgade, but Store and Lille Strandstræde also cater to finer tastes and the fattest wallets.

Here, behind elegant facades and large plate glass windows shoppers can examine fine and modern art, antiques, fine ceramics and, of course, the classic modern furniture for which Denmark is world famous. Bredgade is the address of the city's top auction houses, and nearby are several major tourist sights, including the Marble Church, Amalienborg Palace and Kunstindustrimuseet (the Danish Museum of Decorative Arts).

Other streets of interest

Silkegade has a bit of up-coming East Berlin atmosphere with Gun-Britt one of Denmark's best hairpdresser, F.Kjær Antik, Hderman H.J.Lynge & Søn, one of the oldest second hand book shops, which has existed since 1821, Stræk og Bøj with special costumes for gymnastics, Tekinoktay a fantastic boutique for lingerie and Advanced Security specializing in surveillance and security equipment, finaly Davidoff offers averything for the exclusive smoker.
Værnedamsvej oozes an air of Paris with many special shops for the gourmet palate and in recent years several small clothes boutiques.
Nansensgade has a number of small interesting restaurants, Suq with arts and crafts from the Middle East, De Ville and others with second hand chic clothing.
And there is Elmegade, which has several hip clothes shops, cafés, bars and take-aways. Men's and women's fashion outlet Juice was one of the first of the new wave of fashionable retailers to set up shop - all in all it's where the young crowd hangs out.

For further information contact the press department - see contact details in the menu.



Øresund Region Meetings & Conventions Hotels Cruise Town areas Fashion, Design & Shopping Gastronomy & Night life Sights & Events Copenhagen Specialities Hans Christian Andersen Press > Press information > Fashion, Design & Shopping > Shopping Shopping Press Information August 2002 Shopping in Copenhagen Few cities' shops can match the Danish capital's for inspiration per square metre. The city centre, though not of the scale of London or Paris, is nevertheless full of independent retailers and small, exclusive boutiques, and has several grand department stores. What it lacks in size, Copenhagen's shopping district makes up for in diversity and quality. Strøget Copenhagen's largest shopping area is centred on Europe's longest pedestrian shopping street, Strøget, and the streets that surround it. Strøget is Denmark's premier shopping street. It has something for everyone, from the bargain clothes in H&M, to the department store, Illum, and the exclusive silver, porcelain and glassware of the Royal Scandinavia shops. Strøget is also a popular venue for street performers. Strøget runs through the heart of central Copenhagen from Kongens Nytorv to Rådhuspladsen. At the Rådhuspladsen end of Strøget, are the younger fashion stores like H&M and Zara as well as the souvenir shops, while towards Kongens Nytorv are more exclusive, international stores, including Prada, Max Mara, Louis Vuitton, Cerutti, Mulberry, Chanel, Birger Christensen Furs, Marlboro, Karen Millen, Ralph Lauren, Marc Jacobs and Hermès. Kongens Nytorv is also home to Scandinavia's largest department store: Magasin du Nord. Halfway along Strøget is Amagertorv a former market square now laid out with geometrical granite flagstones surrounding the Storkespringvandet. Amagertorv's fountain and two large cafés, Café Norden and Café Europa, are popular meeting places for Copenhageners and are perfectly placed for a coffee break from one's demanding purchasing schedule. Also on the square is the grand department store Illum, and the four shops that comprise the stunning Royal Scandinavia group: the silversmith Georg Jensen, Royal Copenhagen Porcelain (before you enter, take a moment to admire the building's redbrick Renaissance architecture), Holmegaard glassware and Illums Bolighus, an exquisite designer department store. Branching off at a right angle to Amagertorv, is the city's second longest pedestrian shopping street, Købmagergade, good for mid-price clothes stores like Benetton and Diesel, and also featuring numerous smaller independent clothes, eyewear and shoeshops. Fashion in Grønnegade If you take a slight detour from the eastern end of Strøget into the Grønnegade quarter, you'll find charming, narrow streets lined with colourful, half-timbered houses converted into shops filled with a mixture of contemporary design products and more traditional items. Fashion is this area's strong point, both hip street wear and classic clothing, from leading Danish designers and international names such as Munthe plus Simonsen (a favourite of super model Helena Christensen). This is also the location of several popular cafés and restaurants, like Café Victor and Dan Turells - usually packed to the rafters with stylish young Copenhageners. Copenhagen's Catwalk: Kronprinsensgade If any street can claim to be the city's fashion centre, it is Kronprinsensgade. If you want to get in on the next hot designer to come out of Scandinavia, this is the place to do it. A visit to Stig P or Bruuns Bazaar, is a good way to keep ahead of styles in London, Paris or Milan. Lunchtime usually sees the tables in the wonderfully glitzy Café Sommersko, another Kronprinsensgade landmark, covered in a mountain of designer bags as shoppers let their plastic cool off. Alternatively, if you want a break from 21st century consumerism, step inside AC Perchs Thehandel (tea shop), the oldest retailer on the street, dating from 1834. Street Style The Latin Quarter (contained by the western end of Strøget, Nørre Voldgade and Nørregade) is full of groovy record stores and cheaper, hip clothes shops - both new and second hand. Not so long ago, this was one of Copenhagen's poorer areas, but these days it is an interesting shopping zone with clothes, record, comic book, and music shops, as well as trendy cafés and bars. A touch of continental style is added to this intimate grid of streets by French restaurants L'Education Nationale and La Galette. A Browser's Paradise If you cross Strøget from the Latin Quarter, you come to the quieter pedestrian streets Kompagnistræde and Læderstræde (together known as Strædet), which run parallel with Strøget towards Amagertorv. These offer some of the cosiest shopping in the city and their antique shops - selling silver, porcelain, toys, books and other collectibles - and independent boutiques, offer an absorbing afternoon's browsing. Grand Shopping Those with deeper pockets, or a taste for more aspirational window-shopping should make for the so-called royal district of Copenhagen, near to the palace of Amalienborg. The main streets to focus on here are Bredgade and Store Kongensgade, but Store and Lille Strandstræde also cater to finer tastes and the fattest wallets. Here, behind elegant facades and large plate glass windows shoppers can examine fine and modern art, antiques, fine ceramics and, of course, the classic modern furniture for which Denmark is world famous. Bredgade is the address of the city's top auction houses, and nearby are several major tourist sights, including the Marble Church, Amalienborg Palace and Kunstindustrimuseet (the Danish Museum of Decorative Arts). Other streets of interest Silkegade has a bit of up-coming East Berlin atmosphere with Gun-Britt one of Denmark's best hairpdresser, F.Kjær Antik, Hderman H.J.Lynge & Søn, one of the oldest second hand book shops, which has existed since 1821, Stræk og Bøj with special costumes for gymnastics, Tekinoktay a fantastic boutique for lingerie and Advanced Security specializing in surveillance and security equipment, finaly Davidoff offers averything for the exclusive smoker. Værnedamsvej oozes an air of Paris with many special shops for the gourmet palate and in recent years several small clothes boutiques. Nansensgade has a number of small interesting restaurants, Suq with arts and crafts from the Middle East, De Ville and others with second hand chic clothing. And there is Elmegade, which has several hip clothes shops, cafés, bars and take-aways. Men's and women's fashion outlet Juice was one of the first of the new wave of fashionable retailers to set up shop - all in all it's where the young crowd hangs out. For further information contact the press department - see contact details in the menu.