Copenhagen: Visiting the Little Mermaid
What a difference perspective makes. I remember seeing the pyramids for the first time in real life, after many many photos of them looking ageless and timeless against the shifting sands, and being taken aback by the fact that they’re actually just outside Cairo rather than marooned in the desert.
Take your photo the other way around and instead of the classic desert shot, you get something rather different. And, admittedly, less romantic and iconic.
So I probably shouldn’t have been quite so surprised about the Little Mermaid. For some reason, I’d always assumed she was right out in the harbour, solitary and sad on her lonely rock, against the backdrop of the waves.
Check out my complete guide to Denmark with kids here
Well, she is in the harbour. But if you felt like it, you could probably wade out (which explains how people have managed to make off with her head before now).
And depending on your camera angle, you can get a backdrop of the glittering blue waves or a rather more industrial scene on Copenhagen’s opposite bank.
But whether you hop off a boat tour or take the long walk up Langelinie, as we did, visiting the city and missing the iconic statue is rather like going to Paris and managing to ignore the Eiffel Tower entirely.
Starting at the Havnebadet in Islands Brygge, we crossed the bridge towards the city centre, skirted Slotsholmen and Nyhavn, to walk up to Kastellet, the five-pointed star-shaped fortress built in the 17th century.
You can wander around the grassy ramparts, with views out to the mermaid, visit the small museum on the Danish resistance (currently closed after a fire) or saunter the paths past the Anglican church up and ornate fountain.
There are some cafes along the banks, although almost everything was shut up for winter or Sunday as we walked past, until you reach Den Lille Havfrue herself – smaller than expected, but surrounded by a clustering crowd snapping their pictures. I can’t begin to imagine how frenetic it gets in summer.
For a real close-up, scramble down the rocks to get close to the foot of her rock, or there’s also a section above enclosed by a railing with views back across the water in the direction of the Amalienborg palace, where the changing of the guard takes place at noon.
Instead, pausing only to jump as guns/cannon fired at midday, we headed south-west via the parks of Ostre Anlag and Kongens Have, towards the Torvehallerne food market for lunch.
Check out my posts on the best things to do in Copenhagen with kids, what there is to discover at Torvehallerne itself and ideas for places to eat in Copenhagen with kids.
PIN FOR LATER: A WALK TO COPENHAGEN’S LITTLE MERMAID
All images copyright MummyTravels/Cathy Winston
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