What to see and do

Captain a boat

PICK up sourdough buns, sweet Danish fontina cheese, smoked meats and sugar-coated pastries from Torvehallerne Market and head to Islands Brygge Harbour, where you can rent a solar-powered boat. Drift past parliament buildings and terracottaroofed homes with a glass of chilled Riesling, before mooring up for lunch. The boats (above, from £60 an hour for eight people, en.goboat.dk) are easy to operate and the friendly staff provide maps with suggested stop-off points and itineraries.

Take a bracing dip

JUMP into the squeaky-clean water off some of the city’s hundreds of pontoons, diving platforms and swimming pools. Islands Brygge Harbour has five pools and lots of decked sunbathing areas (admission is free).

In the mornings, locals come here for a dip before work. At night, the area buzzes with friends drinking wine around portable barbecues.

Vino in waterfront Nyhavn

COLOURFUL Nyhavn harbour may be packed with tourists taking photographs, but there is plenty of charm to be found nearby.

Den Vandrette serves excellent wine (from £7 a glass, denvandrette. dk) outside in the cobbled harbour, overlooking vintage yachts.

The informal but knowledgeable staff shimmy to soul music as they take orders and provide blankets and candles.

Explore on two wheels

THE Danes are bike-mad: tiny toddlers are taken to nursery in cargo bikes, while elderly locals pedal slowly next to their dogs.

Copenhagen is as flat as a Danish pancake and has a comprehensive network of excellent bike paths. Pick up a snazzy, 100 per cent recycled bike from Thunderfist Cykler in the Norrebro district (£12 for 24 hours, thunderfist.dk).