The travel experts at Lonely Planet have named Copenhagen the world’s top city for travelers in 2019. The city tops its Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2019 list, showcasing the best travel destinations, trends, journeys and experiences to have in the year ahead.

Among the many reasons to visit Denmark’s capital, Lonely Planet highlighted Copenhagen’s current hotel boom, its popular and influential food scene, and the anticipated completion of the City Ring metro line as key reasons to make 2019 the year to visit. This extension to Copenhagen’s metro line is the city’s largest construction project for 400 years, and connects all the central districts to make transport around the city much easier.

Welcoming even more tourists

The publisher’s review reads: “Denmark’s capital of cool is unstoppable. New Nordic Noma has gourmands swooning with its new digs, urban farm and groundbreaking Scandinavian menus. The city’s booming street-food scene is smashing it on Refshaleøen, where a former shipyard is now rebooted food and craft market Reffen. Amusement park Tivoli Gardens is beating the winter blues with a new February season, while waste-management centre Amager Bakke has jaws dropping with its rooftop ski slope and hiking trails. “

Copenhagen is the only Scandinavian city to feature in the top ten list. Mikkel Aarø-Hansen, CEO of Wonderful Copenhagen, the city’s official tourism organisation, is delighted:

“In Copenhagen we enjoy our own special way of life. Cycling is our preferred mode of transport. We swim in the harbour's clean waters. We love gastronomy and great dining experiences – no matter if it’s Michelin starred or street food and we are very into culture and design. The city lives and breathes these things. And this is why Lonely Planet recommends that you come to Copenhagen and join us in enjoying our way of life. We’re really excited to welcome even more guests.”

A golden period for growth

Each year, Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel lists start with nominations from Lonely Planet’s vast community of editors, researchers, locals and influencers, and are then decided upon and ranked by a panel of judges. Inclusion in their list and accompanying book and website leads to exposure in newspapers, magazines and websites worldwide. This list puts Copenhagen firmly on the must-visit list for travellers around the world.

Inclusion in the list comes at a time when Copenhagen’s tourism industry is going through a golden period for growth, with a 2.9% uptick in bed nights from 2017-2018, and much more anticipated for 2019, with a large number of hotel openings to follow over the next three years. Denmark is the largest tourism nation in the Nordic region, capturing 45% of the international bed nights available across Sweden, Norway and Finland, and saw growth of 26% from 2008-2017.

Further information on Copenhagen can be found at VisitDenmark.com and VisitCopenhagen.com.