Nyhavn

71 Nyhavn Hotel

★★★★★

71 Nyhavn is the hotel for anyone who wants to wake up on the most famous quay in Copenhagen. It stands at the very end of Nyhavn, where the canal meets the inner harbour, in two historic warehouses: the red-brick Suhr warehouse, built in 1805 and a listed building, and the yellow Puggaard warehouse from around the middle of the nineteenth century, which once stored spices from the Far East. The warehouses were converted into a hotel in the early 1970s, and the conversion kept the character of the buildings, with massive wooden beams and posts, thick brick walls and small, deep-set windows, so the rooms feel snug and full of history. There are about 130 rooms and suites across the two warehouses, and the best of them look out over Nyhavn's painted houses and old ships, or across the harbour to the Opera House, Christianshavn and the Royal Danish Playhouse. The rooms are furnished in a calm, Nordic style with modern bathrooms, air conditioning and good beds; the standard rooms are on the compact side and some have beams in interesting places, while the larger rooms and suites, especially those on the corner, have the best views. The hotel's Italian restaurant, Il Molo, serves lunch and dinner with harbour views, and breakfast is served in the old warehouse cellar. The hotel is part of the Danish Arp-Hansen group, and service is professional and friendly. Rates are upper-mid-range and rise in summer and around Christmas, when Nyhavn is at its busiest. The location is the main attraction: the canal tours leave from the quay outside, Kongens Nytorv and Stroget are five minutes' walk away, Amalienborg ten, and the bridge across the harbour takes you straight to Christianshavn, the Opera House area and Christiania.

The buildings tell a story. When the warehouses were built, Nyhavn was a busy commercial harbour, and goods were hoisted from ships directly into the upper floors; the beams and posts in today's rooms are the original structure that carried those loads. The conversion, made long before industrial buildings became fashionable hotels, was an early example of the idea, and it remains one of the most characterful places to stay in the city.

Rooms and views: choose a room with a view if you can, either over Nyhavn's houses and ships or over the harbour, as the view is a large part of the experience, especially in the morning light or with the Christmas lights of December. Ask for a quieter room if you are a light sleeper, as Nyhavn is lively on summer evenings. Il Molo is a convenient choice for a relaxed dinner, and the cellar breakfast room, with its brick vaults, is atmospheric.

Who it suits: first-time visitors, couples and anyone who wants the classic Copenhagen view will love it. It is well placed for walking to the main sights and for canal tours, and good for travellers arriving by ferry or cruise ship. Families may prefer the larger rooms, and travellers who want a pool, gym or spa should look elsewhere.