Copenhagen City Life Study abroad in Europe - Why Copenhagen?

When choosing a study abroad program in Europe, it is important to know the city you will make your home for the duration of your stay. So let DIS introduce you to Copenhagen, the world’s most livable city and the capital of Denmark, the country with the happiest population on earth!

Copenhagen – Your Study Abroad Home Away From Home

Copenhagen is a bustling metropolis of 1.8 million people. It is the capital of Denmark and the center of the Danish-Swedish Øresund Region with a transnational population of 3.8 million. Copenhagen is a key hub linking Scandinavia with the rest of Europe and lies just 223 miles from Berlin, 387 miles from Amsterdam and under 600 miles from London. The Kastrup international airport has daily international flights across Europe, while trains leave frequently from the Central Station to major destinations.

Despite being a bustling city and key transportation hub, Copenhagen still projects an inviting small-town atmosphere of friendliness, intimacy, and safety, where things never get dull. A charming maze of car-free walking streets, town squares and picturesque waterfront areas cover the old downtown area where DIS is located. Denmark may be one of the most efficient and economically competitive nations on earth (voted the world’s Best Country for Business by Forbes Magazine, 2008 and 2009), but Danes also know how to relax and have fun. You will truly enjoy the cozy atmosphere of this effervescent European capital.

Cultural Copenhagen

Copenhagen has a long-established reputation for being a fashionable and culturally forward-thinking capital; sleek design, varied shopping, cute cafés, dance and rock clubs, concerts, indigenous cinema, festivals and well-dressed people are an ever present. Denmark has historically produced iconic design, with Arne Jacobsen, Verner Panton, Poul Henningsen, Nanna Ditzel and Jørn Utzon, as well as companies like Royal Copenhagen, Georg Jensen, Bang & Olufsen at the forefront of design innovation.

Meanwhile in cinema, enfant terrible Lars von Trier is joined by names such as Carl Theodor Dreyer, Jørgen Leth, Susanne Bier and Bille August in the canon of important Danish directors. On the social scene, Copenhagen is a young city, so the nightlife is varied and always fun. Street art, galleries, ethnic and local restaurants, the Royal Opera, and open-air jazz performances complete the picture of a modern European capital.

The World’s Most Livable City

Copenhagen and Denmark have both picked up a habit of topping international surveys determining quality of life, personal safety, architecture and design and even happiness of its citizens. For instance, Denmark is not only the second most peaceful country in the world (Economist Intelligence Unit: Global Peace Index, 2009), but it also has the happiest people, according to both an international University of Leicester survey and one from the United States National Science Foundation. Copenhagen as a city is in the same league; though relatively big, it has a low crime rate, quality of life is excellent and personal safety is high. Elsewhere, Copenhagen topped Monocle magazine’s World’s Most Livable City survey in 2008.

A Historical Capital

Founded in 1167, every era and epoch in European history has left its imprint on Copenhagen. Winding medieval streets, great Renaissance palaces, Baroque and Rococo complexes, early-modern ramparts, a historic harbor plus all the trappings and amenities of the modern age are central elements of the city fabric. As the capital of Denmark, Copenhagen is home to most national Danish institutions.