From Monday through Sunday, the center of the city of Copenhagen buzzes with life, where shops, boutiques, restaurants, and cafes are aplenty. With many of the streets designed just for those on foot, the area is especially enjoyable to walk through.
In fact, Copenhagen’s city center is home to one of the world’s longest pedestrian street, Strøget. According to VisitDenmark, it was only 53 years ago that the city decided to experiment with forbidding cars from driving through. Although controversial at first, once everyone realized the ease of keeping cars out, they were never allowed back in!
Strøget winds through city center from the DIS area through to King’s Garden, and is decorated with a mosaic of stone tiles. Because the streets are designed for people on foot, Copenhagen comes to life with street performers, sausage stands, outside café seating, and huge crowds of shoppers from all over the world.
The Danish word for a pedestrian street is called a gågade, where the infinitive at gå means “to walk,” and gade, “street.” You can spot these signs at the beginning of the street – and if you’re tempted to bike through, remember: no biking allowed!
One thought