Design History and a Culinary Renaissance in Copenhagen

Nothing against little mermaids, but Copenhagen's appeal has long since broadened beyond the maritime heroine of Hans Christian Andersen's story and Disney's film.

A Nordic culinary revolution, alongside Denmark's ongoing role as a design capital, has helped keep Copenhagen atop the list of the world's most progressively modern cities.

For a measure of Copenhagen's culinary riches, consider a stroll along Jaegersborggade in the heart of the Norrebro district. The three-block street has become a gastronomic mecca for its roster of celebrated chefs and restaurants, which includes Christian Puglisi's biodynamic enoteca Manfreds and his restaurant Relae, as well as Grod, which is touted as the world's first porridge restaurant.

Across from Meyers Bageri is the renowned Coffee Collective, founded by a World Barista Championship winner. There's also Karamelleriet, the city's only caramel cookery, and Ro Chokolade, a chocolatier whose creations feature raw ingredients such as elderflower juice, honey and Champagne.

Housed in the landmark Hotel d'Angleterre, the Michelin-starred Marchal is named for a servant in the royal court who fell in love with the royal chef's daughter in an 18th-century love story. The elegant restaurant fuses French and Nordic cuisine for a polished take on Copenhagen gastronomy.

While visitors to the Nyhavn district often seek the three residences where Andersen lived and wrote his fairy tales, many locals favor Nansensgade, an oasis of Nordic cool marked by an absence of international clothing chains and brand stores. Instead, the neighborhood is a funky farrago of fashion and furniture designers, quirky cafes and bike shops, specialty bookstores and vintage boutiques.

Aficionados of architecture head to the Ordrupgaard Museum, an erstwhile manor house in tony Charlottenlund that was built in 1918 and transformed in 2005 by a black-lava concrete extension designed by architect Zaha Hadid. Situated next door is the former home of renowned Danish architect Finn Juhl, who built his L-shaped house in 1942 and filled it with furniture of his own design, such as the FJ44 chair, now considered a design masterpiece.

Globally embraced in the 1950s, midcentury Danish design adhered to the philosophy that design could improve quotidian life. Often associated with Palm Springs, Calif., and cultural touchstones such as "Mad Men," the Danish Modern aesthetic was first introduced to the U.S. by Juhl, who designed the United Nations Trusteeship Council Chamber in 1951-52. What was once Denmark's first public hospital in the Frederiksstaden district now houses Designmuseum Danmark, the world's largest collection of Danish design by designers such as Arne Jacobsen, Verner Panton and Jacob Jensen who created furniture that was notable for its sleek lines and simplicity as well as its functionality and affordability.

In nearby Helsingor, Hamlet's castle, the majestic Renaissance structure known as Kronborg has a 21st-century counterpart with the M/S Maritime Museum of Denmark, designed by the Bjarke Ingels Group. Opened in 2013 in a former drydock, the acclaimed museum has been the recipient of numerous awards for an innovative design that mirrors maritime life.

Purchasing the Copenhagen Card covers public transportation as well as fees for 73 museums and attractions. Getting around Copenhagen could hardly be easier, especially since bicycles are a primary means of transport for 90% of Danish adults. No wonder that Denmark is so often lauded as the land of happy people.