4-day Copenhagen, Denmark itinerary

M2 from CPH airport, 15 minutes. Buy a City Pass (unlimited transit) if you'll leave central.

First-day graze. Grød's smørrebrød, Coffee Collective, Palægade dumplings.

Waterfront container-food market. Best in summer evenings.

The freetown. Photographs banned in the main area — respect that; the community is real and lived-in.

The gold spiral spire. 400 steps, external final third. Not for vertigo.

Design district — the new development on Christiansholm. Walk the boardwalk.

New Nordic without the Noma price tag. Book upstairs by the window.

40-minute train ride north to Humlebæk. Modern art in a Danish country house on the Øresund. Half-day easily; some argue the best museum in Scandinavia.

Manfreds (small plates, natural wine) or Relæ if you can get in. Skip Bæst if you're not on a pizza mission.

The chair collection is the reason. Bring your camera and your patience.

Walk-through, not linger. The colored houses are the postcard shot. The restaurants along it are all tourist traps.

Yes, you have to. Yes, she's smaller than you expected. Ten minutes and move on.