Strøget

On the east side of the City Hall Square, we will come across the western edge of one of the longest pedestrian shopping streets in the world, the Strøget. This pedestrian zone spans 1.1 km east of the city hall with the total length of the maze of small streets that stem from its main artery being 3.2 km. It reaches Kongens Nytorv and Nyhavn to the east and passes from several ancient (Gammeltorv, Amagertorv /early 13th century) and other more recent (Nytorv, Nygade /17th century) squares.

Strøget was only turned into a pedestrian zone in 1962 by the visionary mayor Alfred Wassard who took it upon himself to steer the capital towards a car-free future, a decision that not only encountered firm resistance at the time, it even roused threats for the mayor’s life. Over time of course it became harder and harder for the opposition to maintain hate for the pedestrian street. It was hard to argue against the swarm of customers who rushed into the shops on the pedestrianized streets.

Today most Copenhageners rightfully consider Strøget to be the biggest “tourist trap” in their city but most also agree that Copenhagen would not be the same without it. During the Christmas holidays more than 120.000 people on average flock to the capital’s main shopping street for their shopping spree in one of the dozens of retail shops on the posh street.

From luxury fashion brands like Gucci and Prada to the more affordable chains of Zara and Jack & Jones, to fast food chains like Mcdonald’s everything you can ask you can find it here. If you happen to be in the area around noon you’ll have the chance to see the Royal Guard and its accompanying band march from Rosenborg Castle through the Strøget and on to Amalienborg Palace, the residence of Denmark’s royal family. In any case, the walkway is bustling with street performers of all kinds, from musicians to acrobats and magicians.