Copenhagen

Copenhagen is the effortlessly stylish Danish capital, a city built for bikes, good design, and the cozy contentment the Danes call hygge. The colorful gabled houses lining the Nyhavn canal are its signature image, best enjoyed with a coffee or a beer as boats bob in the harbor. Compact and relaxed, the city is easily explored on two wheels like the locals.

It punches well above its weight for food and design. The New Nordic movement that reshaped fine dining was born here, but there is just as much pleasure in the street-food halls, bakeries, and canalside cafés. Add the historic Tivoli Gardens amusement park, the free-spirited enclave of Christiania, and a wealth of galleries and shops, and there is far more than a weekend's worth to enjoy.

Copenhagen shines in the mild summer months, when long daylight hours draw everyone outdoors to the parks and waterfront. Winters are cold, dark, and often wet, softened by candlelit cafés and, late in the year, festive Christmas markets.