Copenhagen is the epitome of the Scandinavian style. Modernist lamps illuminate restaurant tables, bridges teem with bike commuters, and locals casually display simplicity, detail, and sophisticated beauty. Only here does the morning influx of cyclists look more like a bike show than a commute to work. Forget Milan, when it comes to style, Copenhageners are hard to beat. These principles underpin everything from Copenhagen's achingly fashionable streetwear brands to its world-famous furniture and lighting, to its ceramics and glassware. Together they have created a city of endless visual pleasure, where even the most ordinary activities are filled with a sense of quiet wonder and delight. When cities seek enlightenment, they usually turn to Copenhagen. The hometown of architect Jan Gehl - one of the world's leading authorities on sustainable urban planning - the Danish capital regularly tops global quality of life rankings. It is, after all, one of the greenest, cleanest, and most sustainable urban centers in the world, a place where cycling is serious transport, where buses and the metro run frequently and around the clock, and where the harbor is clean enough to take the plunge. Copenhagen has let the sprawl of cities like Melbourne and Los Angeles take its toll but has kept compactness and accessibility, making it extremely easy to explore.
