A guide to shopping in Copenhagen

Five great museum shops

Start your shopping tour somewhere a little different: in a museum! Copenhagen's museums and galleries are blessed with beautiful shops giving you the chance to take a prize piece of Danish design home with you.

The Louisiana has a wonderful design, art and lifestyle shop that is worth the trip all on its own; the Danish Architecture Center is also a mecca for design lovers, and the National Museum of Denmark is also a great stop if you want to buy a coffee table book about Danish history, jewellery inspired by Viking art, and other cultural items. 

You could also take a trip out to Arken Museum of Modern Art, which has great kids and lifestyle items in its museum shop, or visit Glyptoteket which has some wonderful books in its shop as well as a great cafe. Combining shopping, art galleries and a bite to eat is an easy way to spend the day. 

Seven great Danish fashion brands

Danish fashion has been making waves internationally, and a visit to the flagship brand stores is a great way to experience them first hand. The Danish fashion houses are located side by side with small design shops in the heart of the inner city, and you'll find everything from edgy interior design such as HAY House to classic mens and women's fashion such as Mads Nørgaard, along with colourful big-name brands Stine Goya and Ganni (pictured above). 

Also in the same area, you can discover hip menswear and womenswear brand Wood Wood (and its archive store, Wood Wood MUSEUM), while in Christianshavn, Ganni Postmodern is an archive shop for the same brand. That's all just scratching the surface when it comes to Danish fashion and design - for a full rundown, take a look here.

Six of the best shopping streets

You have a lot to choose from. Start at Strøget, Europe's longest shopping street, which runs through the centre of the city. It's a good place to shop if you're looking for major international brands such as LEGO, H&M and also the Harrods of Danish design, Illums Bolighus. Hot tip: for the best Copenhagen shopping experience, don't miss the side streets off Strøget, and particularly the street Strædet that runs parallel to it, for unique boutiques and vintage shops. 

Nørrebro is a great place to shop unique boutiques and vintage shops too - try Blågardsgade, Jægersborggade and Elmgade in particular. And for a taste of central Vesterbro, Istedgade is a delightful place to shop, with a mix of design stores, fashion boutiques, bakeries and second hand shops. Just nearby, Værnedamsvej is a delightful street (sometimes called 'The French Street') full of fashion shops, delicatessans and great eateries. Just the thing you need if you've been shopping all morning!

Four delicious foodie haunts

Forget your typical supermarket shop - if you're lucky to be staying somewhere where you can cook for yourself, Copenhagen is the place to go wild when it comes to buying food. It also makes a great souvenir (but check your weight limit if you're planning to take a lot of rugbrød home with you!) 

Torvehallerne, the city's marketplace, has fresh food stalls alongside an oyster bar, a specialist French cheese shop, smørrebrød stands and more. If you need specialist ingredients, you'll find them there.

If your taste is for sweet things, you're also spoiled for choice. Among the city's many bakeries, there are a few special spots to hunt out. In Østerbro you will find Leckerbaer, a bakery that serves the most delicious gourmet cookies made by Michelin chefs Jakob Mogensen and Gabi Bär Mogensen. You could also go to Refshæløen and seek out Lille Bakery, a sweet bakery with fantastic baked goods and pastries to eat in or take away, run by a former Noma chef, or swing by Harts Bageri on Gammel Kongevej, another outstanding bakery with a Noma connection.