Free walking tours: A concept you can find in most mayor cities. You sign up for a tour group and find your guide at the starting place (easily identifiable with a colored umbrella). I recently went on one of these tours and while it was fun and educational, there are things about the format that doesn’t resonate with me. In this post, I will tell you about 4 free digital audio tours in Copenhagen, that you can consider as an alternative to a guided walking tour.
The city walk
As I said, I recently went on a free walking tour in Copenhagen, with Christian IV as the overarching theme. We had a great tour guide and I learned something new about the city I live in –particularly some new small passageways, shortcuts and details I had never noticed. These are the kind of things I love to experience.
But the experience wasn't really free. Nor should it be. You pay what you want after the tour has ended. Almost like tipping the guide, and they have a suggested amount. Paying around 200 DKK for a couple of hours seems fair. And no one in the group ditched out on this payment, so I hope our guide got compensated for the work she puts into these tours.
But even though this was a good experience, the tour group format is not really my cup of tea. Some things I am not a fan of include:
- Being in a large group with strangers. I would rather go alone or with friends.
- Having trouble hearing what the guide was saying – especially in crowded areas.
- Scheduling: I had to plan for the tour well in advance. And time slots for these tours are rarely available outside offices hours on weekdays.
- I am bound to the pace of the group and guide. I like the freedom to go off the beaten path or dwell on something interesting.
- It was freezing outside. If I wasn’t in a group, I would have probably stopped for something warm to drink before continuing.
At StoryHunt, we offer digital tours, that addresses all of these issues. Is the experience 1:1? No, but they offer a way for you to explore the city at your own pace, whenever you want. Our app uses location services to help you guide you to your next audio story – you pretty much have a guide and narrator in your pocket.
In the Storyhunt app (download on Google Play or App Store), you can find several audio tours. Some are free, some cost money. The following are 4 completely free walking tours, that you can go on whenever you want.
Free audio walking tours in Copenhagen
"Know your bro" is a collection of 4 free walking tours made by Copenhagen Visitor Service and the municipality of Copenhagen. They explore the boroughs called Nørrebro, Vesterbro, Østerbro and Amager – known as "bro-kvarter" in danish (hence the title "Know your bro"). They are all free audio tours, and even though there is a suggested route for each of them, you can start where you want. They are quite long, so if you feel like taking a break or diverging from the route, you can do that. It's all up to you.
Check out all 4 free walking tours here or read on to learn more about them.
Nørrebro
Approx 7 km. 2 hours Suggested starting place: Queen Louise Bridge
This tour takes you through the young, multi-cultural and buzzing neighbourhood of Nørrebro.
You will get to see some diverse locations and spots, from the modern to the urban. Many of the spots have a somewhat dark history and over the decades, numerous protests and demonstrations have taken place in the area. All of this is part of the tour and if you are feeling hungry, you can get your fill of shawarma on Nørrebrogade.
The tour has 24 stops and is fully narrated - both in Danish and English. There is also a quiz for each story, so you can test your knowledge or compete against each other, if you are going in a group.
Find the free walking tour of Nørrebro at StoryHunts webpage or directly in the app.
Vesterbro
Approx 6 km. 2-3 hours Suggested starting place: Copenhagen Central Station
My favourite of the the tours. Vesterbro has traditionally been a working class area, but has evolved into a diverse area for hipsters, workers and families.
Vesterbro is probably my most used part of the city, whether it's drinking a cup of coffee at Enghave Plads or eating out. The old meat packing district, which is now an area filled with places to dine and drink, comes highly recommended.
The tour has 22 stops, is fully narrated and I highly recommend it.
The free walking tour of Vesterbro can be found at StoryHunts webpage or directly in the Storyhunt app.
Amager
Approx 7 km. 2-3 hours Suggested starting place: Langebro
Denmarks most densely populated island. Some call it “Copenhagen’s Manhattan”. But the name "Lorteøen” (Shit Island) is the one that has stuck to it, because of its history (which you will learn on the tour).
Amager has urban areas, water and Amager Nature Park, making it a quite diverse island to explore. Islands Brygge has a recreational harbour park and this is my favourite spot in Amager (coincidentally this is also where I live).
The tour has 20 stories along the way. As with the others, it is fully narrated in English and Danish.
Start the free walking tour of Amager at StoryHunts webpage or from the app.
Østerbro
Approx 8 km. 3-4 hours Suggested starting place: Trianglen
Østerbro’ which means ‘Eastern Bridge’ in Danish, is a child friendly and historic neighbourhood – and home to Parken: The home stadium of F.C. Copenhagen and the Danish National Team.
Freemasons, sport, nature and the Danish resistance. These are some of things you will experience on the tour of Østerbro. It is also here you will find "Fælledparken", which is pretty much Copenhagens answer to "Central Park", and the last residence of Hans Christian Andersen.
This is the longest tour of the four audio tours. It has 21 stories to listen to.
Like the rest, find the tour on StoryHunt's webpage or directly in the Storyhunt app.
Other tours
If you made it this far in the post, thank you. It became longer than anticipated.
I hope you'll enjoy yourself, if you decide to try one of our free walking tours. Should you want to explore even more StoryHunt tours - including the paid ones - take a look at the tours page on storyhunt.io
