Nyhavn to the Little Mermaid, Copenhagen: free self-guided walking tour
Quick answer. A free self-guided walking tour from Nyhavn to the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen: 3 stops, about 1.8 km, about 25 minutes of walking plus about 19 minutes of listening. Start at Nyhavn, the canal King Christian V had dug in the 17th century, where Hans Christian Andersen lived. Walk north to Amalienborg, four palaces with matching Classical façades around an octagonal square, home to the Danish royal family since fire struck Christiansborg in 1794. Finish on the Langelinie waterfront at the Little Mermaid, a bronze only 125 centimetres tall, inspired by Andersen’s fairy tale of 1837 and unveiled in 1913.
- Stops:
- 3
- Distance:
- about 1.8 km
- Walking:
- about 25 min
- Listening:
- about 19 min
Nyhavn to the Little Mermaid, Copenhagen: how long does the walk take?
About 44 minutes in all: about 25 minutes on foot over about 1.8 km, plus about 19 minutes of audio at the 3 stops. Time inside the sites is extra.
Nyhavn to the Little Mermaid, Copenhagen: in what order should you visit the stops?
Follow the stops in this order: Nyhavn, Amalienborg, and The Little Mermaid. The longest stretch between two stops is about 1.1 km, about 15 min on foot.
Route and map
Navigate with Google Maps, listen with Mappu: the stories keep playing while you follow the route.
Opens Google Maps with walking directions through every stop.
Stop 1
The “New Harbour” is more than 350 years old, a canal lined with ochre, crimson and mustard-yellow townhouses.
about 7 min of audio
Next stop: Amalienborg · about 0.7 km, about 9 min on foot
Stop 2
Under King Frederick V the site went to four noblemen, who committed themselves to building identical palaces designed by the court architect Nicolai Eigtved.
about 6 min of audio
Next stop: The Little Mermaid · about 1.1 km, about 15 min on foot
Stop 3
In 2010 she left her rock for six months to be shown at the World Expo in Shanghai, in a pool of water from Copenhagen harbour.
about 6 min of audio
The stop stories are AI-generated audio guides and can contain mistakes. Check opening hours and tickets on the official sites.
How does this self-guided walking tour work?
The audio guides on this page stay free: open any stop to listen in your browser.
Walk Mode uses your location to narrate places as you walk. It opens in the Mappu app at the first stop, Nyhavn. Your first walk is free for three stops with a free Mappu account.
Walk Mode: 2 hours for 50 credits (€4.99 Starter pack)
Self-guided audio walk. No guide accompanies you. Not affiliated with the sites.
Before you go
- Check opening hours, tickets and access on each site’s official page before you go.
- Distances and times are estimates: the walking route between stops, from OpenStreetMap, at 4.5 km/h. Your route on the street may differ.
More walking tours in Copenhagen
Route checked by Mappu on October 21, 2026. Stop descriptions come from each place’s published Mappu audio guide. Mappu is a Fenutech product.