In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Nyhavn is free and always open, a canal harbour dug between 1671 and 1673. Hans Christian Andersen lived at Nos 20, 67 and 18. The Netto-Bådene canal boat leaves from the quay at DKK 80 for an hour, with no booking. In winter the boats are glass-roofed and heated and run from 10:20 to about 15:00. It is a short walk from Kongens Nytorv metro station. Or book a tour: the guided canal cruisead is from DKK 149 (GetYourGuide).
What Nyhavn is
Nyhavn, “New Harbour”, was dug between 1671 and 1673 by soldiers and Swedish prisoners of war as an inner commercial harbour for Christian V. For three centuries it was a sailors’ district with pubs, brothels and tattoo parlours, and only in the 1970s did the quay become the tourist street of today. The brightly painted 17th-century houses now hold cafes and restaurants, and many canal tours start on the quay. It is free, open at all hours and runs from Nyhavn 1 to 71.
Nyhavn’s painted houses along the canal. Photo: Jakub Hałun, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Andersen: the writer lived at Nos 20, 67 and 18. VisitCopenhagen says The Tinderbox and The Princess and the Pea were written while he lived there.
- Summer: the quay fills with pavement cafes, and jazz is often played outside.
- Getting there: a short walk from Kongens Nytorv metro station. Broens Street Food, the Royal Danish Playhouse and the Royal Danish Opera House are close.
Boats from Nyhavn
Many canal tours leave from Nyhavn, and Stromma’s also from Ved Stranden, near Christiansborg. The prices are the operators’ own, for about an hour.
| Boat | Adult price | Buy at | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netto-Bådene (blue boats) | DKK 80 | The Nyhavn ticket office; no booking | A guide in Danish, English and German. Glass-roofed and heated from October to March |
| Stromma Classic Canal Tour | From DKK 135 | Stromma’s own site | Covered, heated boats in winter |
| Guided canal cruise on GetYourGuide | From DKK 149 | GetYourGuide | A live guide in English and Danish |
- Netto-Bådene: the tour is 60 minutes and passes Holmen, Nyhavn, Amalienborg, Christianshavn, the National Museum and Christiansborg. The ticket office opens at 9:45, and you meet 20 minutes before departure. Children aged 3 to 14 pay DKK 40. Reservations are not taken from 27 June to 9 August. The boats do not sail in high tide or when the canals are blocked.
- Timetable: 1 September to 31 October 10:00 to about 17:00, and 1 November to 25 March 10:20 to about 15:00. October weekday departures are at 10:00, 10:40, 11:20 and so on to 16:40.
- The Copenhagen Card covers Stromma’s Classic Canal Tour, but not the Netto boats. Copenhagen’s canal tours compares them all.
Tours worth paying for
The blue boat is DKK 55 cheaper than Stromma’s tour for the same hour, and the GetYourGuide listings add a booked seat and free cancellation. Prices are the lowest “from” prices, per person.
Canal cruise with a guide
From DKK 149 · 1 hour · 4.6 stars from 13,070 reviews
Copenhagen: Canal Cruise with Guidead is run by Stromma Danmark in English and meets at Ved Stranden 26, near Christiansborg. It is DKK 14 above Stromma’s own price, and the reason to pay it is the booked seat and the free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Guided boat tour on an electric boat
From DKK 279 · 1 hour to 65 minutes · 4.8 stars from 2,511 reviews
Copenhagen: Exclusive Guided Boat Tourad is an electric boat with a bilingual guide. It costs more than three times the blue boat, so it is for a guided hour on a quieter boat. Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Practical information
- Hours: none. Nyhavn is a street, and the cafes and restaurants keep their own hours.
- Cost: nothing to walk it. A drink or a meal on the quay is the spend, and the boat is DKK 80.
- Next on the harbour: the Little Mermaid is the other free sight on the harbour, and the guard at Amalienborg changes at noon. See the changing of the guard.
- The one thing that ruins a visit: reaching the quay for a winter boat late. From 1 November the last Netto departure is about 15:00.
What to book in Copenhagen has the closed days for every sight, and free things to do in Copenhagen lists Nyhavn with the rest. Copenhagen’s walking tours and bike tours pass through. 3 days in Copenhagen puts the harbour on an evening. For a bed nearby, see where to stay in Copenhagen, and Copenhagen public transport has the fares. Hotels near Nyhavn lists the hotels by distance from the quay. The Nyhavn to Little Mermaid walk takes the canal as its second stop and carries on to Amalienborg, the Gefion Fountain and Kastellet.
Common questions
How old is Nyhavn?
Nyhavn was dug between 1671 and 1673 by soldiers and Swedish prisoners of war as an inner commercial harbour for Christian V. For three centuries it was a sailors' district of pubs, brothels and tattoo parlours. The quay became the tourist setting it is now in the 1970s.
Where did Hans Christian Andersen live in Nyhavn?
He lived in three houses, Nos 20, 67 and 18. VisitCopenhagen says he wrote classics such as The Tinderbox and The Princess and the Pea while he lived there.
How much is a canal boat from Nyhavn?
The blue Netto-Bådene boats are DKK 80 for adults and DKK 40 for children aged 3 to 14, for a 60-minute tour with a guide in Danish, English and German. There is no advance booking. Stromma's Classic Canal Tour is from DKK 135 on its own site. The guided canal cruise on GetYourGuide is from DKK 149.
Is Nyhavn free?
Yes. It is a harbour street with no ticket and no opening hours. The cost is in the cafes, the restaurants and the boats.
How do I get to Nyhavn?
It is a short walk from Kongens Nytorv metro station. The address range is Nyhavn 1 to 71, 1051 Copenhagen K.
