Copenhagen, the capital city of Denmark, is a small city with a population of almost 1.2 million inhabitants. Located on the eastern edge of the country across the bay from Sweden, this 800 year old city with its narrow cobblestone streets is sometimes called “The Paris of the North.” Here are just a handful of the many things you can do while visiting this majestic city:

Mingle with the Royals at Amalienborg Palace

Amalienborg Palace has been the home of the Royal family since the late 18th Century. The palace, built in the Rococo style, is actually composed of four houses that open up onto a square. Parts of the Royal residence are open to the public, and guided tours are offered of several period rooms furnished with decorative arts and paintings from the mid- 19th Century to the mid-20th Century. Also open to the public is the official Royal costume gallery. Visitors can also witness the changing of the guard at noon every day.

Shop the Stroget

The Stroget is the longest shopping street in Copenhagen. Cars were banned from it in 1962 when it was converted to a pedestrian-only street. To this day it remains a success. The Stroget begins in the Nyhavn district and ends at City Hall Square.

There are a number of important historic buildings and monuments along the Stroget including Illums, Copenhagen’s oldest department store, a 17th Century house that belonged to a Danish Court painter, the Church of the Holy Spirit (circa 1728), and the Stork Fountain, a fine example of Art Nouveau design. Many of the side streets of the Stroget are filled with cafes and small restaurants.

Stroll along the Nyhavn Canal

The historic Nyhavn Canal was built in the late 17th Century to connect the city of Copenhagen with the sea. Nyhavn, or New Harbor, is a misleading name because it actually dates from the late 17th Century when the canal was built. Bars, cafes, restaurants, and rowhouses painted in bright colors line the canal, where old wooden sailboats are anchored. Built in the early to mid-18th Century, the rowhouses were once owned by wealthy merchants. Cobblestone streets complete the picturesque look of the area.

Marvel at Danish Modern Furniture at the Dansk Design Center

The Dansk Design Center, whose goal is to make itself the design center of Europe, is located near City Hall Square in the center of Copenhagen. Through the use of interactive displays and exhibits, visitors can view 100 years of Danish modern design as it applies to furniture and the decorative arts. There is also a cafe and museum shop.

Visit the Little Mermaid, National Symbol of Denmark

Sitting on a rock on Copenhagen’s waterfront near the Langelinie Wharf is the most well-known statue in Denmark—The Little Mermaid. It is rumored that the principal ballerina from the production of The Little Mermaid modeled for the statue, which was sculpted in 1913 by Edvard Eriksen as a tribute to the Danish Ballet.

View a complete list of top 10 things to do in Copenhagen here.