Having hosted the start of this year’s Tour de France, Copenhagen further expanded its cycling-­capital bona fides: the Danish Ministry of Transportation dubbed 2022 the Year of the Bicycle, investing $64 million in additional bike lanes around the country this year alone. Copenhagen is also on track to achieve the goal of 50% of all work and school commutes on bicycles by 2025.

Travelers can take a biking break at Ark for a gourmet plant-based dining experience, or its new sister vegan restaurant, Souls. Then cycle over to the newly renovated Design Museum Denmark, where a “Matters—rethinking materials” exhibit will showcase five cutting-­edge Nordic designers in the Museum Plaza this fall.

A public garden in Copenhagen. (Laerke Posselt—Agence VU/Redux)
A public garden in Copenhagen.
Laerke Posselt—Agence VU/Redux

Plenty of impressive hotels can serve as home base. Now that international tourists have finally returned to Denmark, they can be among the first non-Danes to stay at the gorgeous Villa Copenhagen, housed in the historic Central Post & Telegraph head office. The rooftop bar at the new Scandic Norreport hotel offers spectacular views of the city. Its sister property, Scandic Spectrum, also opened this year and is the Nordic hotel chain’s largest property in northern Europe. And the new five-star NH Hotel Copenhagen opened late last year in a former shipyard headquarters, with views of the harbor.

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