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Running down to the Inner Harbour, this canal is flanked by 18th-century houses that belonged to merchants. A large anchor, in honour of sailors who lost their lives in Word War II, marks the starting point of Nyhavn.

These brightly painted merchants’ houses were built at the same time as the harbour. Fairy-tale writer, HC Andersen, has lived in all. He wrote his first tale, The Tinder Box (1835), at No 20.

This bronze statue in the middle of Kongens Nytorv commemorates Christian V (1646–99) who rebuilt the square in 1670 in Neo-Classical style. Sculpted by the Frenchman Lamoureux, it shows the king dressed as a Roman emperor.

Copenhagen’s oldest hotel (1775), it has played host to royalty and countless celebrities. When Michael Jackson visited, he was so impressed with a suit of armour outside the Royal Suite, he offered to buy the entire hotel.

An early example of the Danish Baroque style, this palace was built by Frederik III’s illegitimate son Ulrik in 1672–83. It has belonged to the Royal Academy since 1734 and often holds interes-ting exhibitions. If you walk along the north side of Nyhavn, you will get a better view of the palace walls and also find an entrance into its courtyard.

This Baroque-style theatre is the third one to stand on this site since 1749. It is home to the Royal Theatre Company and the Royal Ballet.

Originally the famous Hotel du Nord, this is Copenhagen’s oldest de-partment store and is considered to be the city’s answer to London’s Selfridges or New York’s Bloomingdale’s. Standing to the north side of the Kongens Nytorv, the store will strike you as an impressive sight when you pass by. A variety of restaurants are scattered throughout the building. Make sure you pay a visit to the Food Hall that is housed in the basement of the department store. It features on its menu a wide variety of delicious preparations that are worth sampling.

HC Andersen lived in this attic room for a year at the age of 22. You can enter the room from the third floor of the Magasin du Nord . No 6 is one of the oldest buildings in Copenhagen. Its 13th-century wine cellars (there used to be a vineyard here, hence Vingårdsstræde) now house a Michelin-starred restaurant.

Once full of seedy pubs and brothels, “Big Beach Street” and “Little Beach Street” are now home to art galleries and stylish designer wear shops. For a taste of its past, there are a couple of tattoo parlours down Store Strandstræde.

Set in a house dating back to 1606, this museum displays an exquisite collection dedicated to Denmark’s national gem, amber (also called Nordic Gold). You will find amber antiques, pre-historic pieces and a 8.8-kg (19- lb) amber stone. Amber jewellery is also sold at a shop on the premises.