Copenhagen Like a Local: Bikes, Harbour Baths, Smørrebrød

On my first morning in Copenhagen I stood at a crossing on Dronning Louises Bro and watched hundreds of bikes roll past in silence: suits, cargo bikes full of children, a man with a ladder. Nobody was in a hurry, and nobody was in anyone's way. That is the city in a picture. To see Copenhagen like a local, you need three things: a bike, a towel for the harbour and a long lunch of smørrebrød. Everything else follows.

Get on a bike

Close to half of all trips to work and study in Copenhagen are made by bike, and the city is built for it. Lanes are wide, separated from traffic and have their own signals. You can rent from many shops, use the city's shared bikes, or ask your hotel, as many lend them to guests.

Locals are patient with visitors but expect you to know the rules:

• Keep right and overtake on the left, after a glance over your shoulder.
• Signal with a raised hand when you stop and an outstretched arm when you turn.
• Turn left in two steps: cross the junction, stop on the far corner, then go when your light turns green.
• Use lights after dark, and never ride on the pavement.
• Do not stop in the lane to check your map. Pull over first.

For an easy first ride, follow the harbour. Cross the Inderhavnsbroen footbridge from Nyhavn to Christianshavn, then loop south over the Cykelslangen, the orange bicycle bridge that snakes above the water near Fisketorvet. Copenhagen is flat, and nothing is far.

Swim in the harbour

A generation ago nobody would have swum in Copenhagen's harbour. After a long clean-up, the water is now clean enough that the city has built public baths into it. The best known is Havnebadet Islands Brygge, with pools, diving boards and a lawn that fills with people on summer evenings. Further south, Havnebadet Fisketorvet has lanes and diving platforms by the shopping centre, and up in Nordhavn, Sandkaj has wooden steps into the water.

Water quality is monitored and occasionally a bath closes after heavy rain, so check the city's updates before you jump. Plenty of Danes swim year round, often with a sauna nearby to warm up. In winter, a cold dip then a hot sauna is a very Danish way to spend a morning.

Learn to eat smørrebrød

Smørrebrød is the Danish open sandwich, and lunch is its time. It starts with a slice of dense rye bread, rugbrød, spread with butter or fat, then piled with toppings that are carefully arranged. Classics include pickled herring, egg and hand-peeled prawns, leverpostej (warm liver pâté with bacon and mushrooms), and stjerneskud, a fried and a steamed fish fillet with prawns and dressing.

There is an order. Start with herring, move on to other fish, then meat, and finish with cheese. Eat with a knife and fork, and if you like, have a cold beer or a small glass of akvavit alongside.

Schønnemann, open since 1877, is the old-school lunch room, and booking ahead is wise. Aamanns does a lighter, modern version. For grazing, Torvehallerne by Nørreport is a covered food market where several stalls sell smørrebrød alongside coffee, fish and pastries.

In Copenhagen the bike gets you there, the harbour cools you down, and lunch takes as long as it takes.

Neighbourhoods to wander

Nørrebro is multicultural and lively, with Jægersborggade's small shops and cafes and Assistens Kirkegård, a cemetery that doubles as a park where Hans Christian Andersen and Søren Kierkegaard are buried. Vesterbro was the old working class and red light district; now its Kødbyen, the former meatpacking area, is full of restaurants and bars. Christianshavn has canals, houseboats and the twisting spire of the Church of Our Saviour, which you can climb for the view. Frederiksberg is elegant and green, with gardens to picnic in.

Mornings start with coffee and a pastry. Locals call what the rest of the world knows as Danish pastries wienerbrød, Viennese bread, and the bakery queue on a weekend morning is part of the ritual. Try a kanelsnegl, a cinnamon swirl, still warm, and eat it on a bench by the water.

On summer evenings, go out to Refshaleøen, a former shipyard island with street food, open water views and a crowd that stays until the light finally fades.

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Good to know

• The metro runs around the clock and connects the airport to the centre in about a quarter of an hour.
• Cards are accepted almost everywhere. Denmark uses the Danish krone, and many places are cashless.
• Best season for baths and long evenings is June to August. Spring and early autumn are calm and pretty.
• Book popular restaurants ahead, especially at weekends.
• Tipping is not expected, since service is included, but rounding up for good service is welcome.

Copenhagen is not about ticking off sights. Ride, swim, eat a slow lunch, and let the city's easy rhythm take over. That is how the people who live here spend their best days.