Things to see in Copenhagen

Carlsberg is, according to its own long-running marketing campaign, 'probably the best lager in the world'. Whether or not you agree, the Visitors Centre is an intoxicating experience. The tour details the history and modern processes of the brewery, with a route through the production plant. At the end, there's a chance to sample the finished product. There is also a Carlsberg Museum, rather more old-fashioned, but housed in a beautiful building dating back to 1882, where extensive exhibits relate more to the cultural and historical relevance of the family and the brewery.

Nyhavn (New Harbour) is an inlet off the Inderhavnen. Brothels and bars for visiting sailors once dominated this seedy area, but now the multicoloured, 17th-century gabled buildings accommodate bustling restaurants and pavement cafés serving traditional Danish food beside a pedestrian thoroughfare and the masts of traditional yachts. Children's writer Hans Christian Andersen lived at three different houses here. It is a very pleasant walk from Nyhavn along the waterfront via Amalienborg Castle to the spot in the northeast of the city where Den Lille Havfrue (The Little Mermaid) stares wistfully out to sea. Erected in 1913, the statue commemorates the Hans Christian Andersen heroine and has become a global symbol of Copenhagen.

Visitors can experience over 500 outstanding world records through interactive challenges and displays, from the tallest man to the most poisonous frog, and find out what it feels like to drive at 500kph (311mph) or take on the world's best fighter. You might even bump into Harry Potter, one of the latest additions to the museum.

The Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek was built by the Carlsberg brewer, Carl Jacobsen, between 1897 and 1906. Today, it houses a superb collection of Egyptian, Greek and Roman antiquities, Impressionist masterpieces and Danish and French art by Monet, Gauguin, Renoir, Degas and Cézanne. The café overlooking the beautiful winter garden is a great spot for lunch.

To the north of Strøget is the Rundetårn, the oldest observatory in Europe. Built by Christian IV in 1642, the building forms part of a scholastic complex that also includes a university library (now an exhibition hall) and student church. An impressive 209m-long (686ft) spiral ramp leads to the top of the tower 35m (115ft) above the street, from where there are good views over the old city.