Copenhagen

Lars Eriksen

Hotel Fox
This boutique art hotel launched in 2005 as part of Volkswagen's campaign for the car of the same name. Twenty-one designers and artists, including London-based collective Container Plus and Danish graphics agency e-types, got together to create 61 rooms in varying degrees of kitsch, camp and cool. Next year Fox is undergoing a makeover but it still offers a quirky and affordable option in the heart of the city. The rooms come in four sizes and (obviously) are all individually designed, so check out their website for detailed descriptions of each room.
• Small doubles from £85. +45 3313 3000, hotelfox.dk

Hotel Sct Thomas
 Værndedamsvej, a street between the trendy Vesterbro area and the independent municipality of Frederiksberg, has been described as a small slice of Paris in Copenhagen, due to its array of restaurants, bars and food shops. Sct Thomas is only a baguette's throw away from this culinary hotspot, and the hotel is perfectly located for exploring the parks around Frederiksberg and the hipster bars of Vesterbro. The rooms and showers are rather small but tastefully decorated. The location in a residential area should guarantee a quiet night's sleep.
• Doubles from around £78 B&B. +45 3321 6464, hotelsctthomas.dk

Wake Up Copenhagen
 If you don't mind the slightly industrial surroundings, this newly opened budget hotel south of the main train station offers great value in a central location. Wake Up punches above its weight when it comes to the interior design, with its slick, modern Scandinavian style, and the compact rooms (12-15 sq metres) all come with free Wi-Fi and flatscreen TV. If you pay an extra £25-35 per night you can get a room on one of the top floors, which have views over the city centre.
• Standard doubles from £60, singles from £40. +45 4480 0000, wakeupcopenhagen.com

Tivoli Hotel
 Located next to Wake Up – its budget sibling owned by the same company – the Tivoli opened last year as a place to stay for visitors to Tivoli Gardens theme park. Although it doesn't quite convey the same historical charm as the 168-year old amusement park, you will find classic Tivoli elements incorporated into the interior design and there is plenty of options to keep the family entertained, including a swimming pool as well as indoor and outdoor playgrounds. Look out for special family deals if you are staying for two or more nights.
• Double rooms, including entrance to Tivoli Gardens, from £110. +45 4487 0000, tivolihotel.com

Hotel Christian IV
 Although its relation to the court of King Christian IV is only by name, this hotel is located on the doorstep of royal Copenhagen, between the leafy Rosenborg Castle gardens (also known as the King's garden) and Amalienborg, where the Queen resides during the winter season. It is a good position from which to explore the historic parts of the city while avoiding the hustle and bustle of the main pedestrian drags. Rooms are basic but with a homely touch, and there are bikes for rent at £14 per day.
• Doubles from £110. +45 3332 1044, hotelchristianiv.dk

Danhostel Copenhagen City
 This is probably the only hostel in the world to share a furniture designer, Danish company GUBI, with the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The 15-storey "design" hostel is located in an old trade union headquarters and overlooks Copenhagen's central canal. From here it is a short walk to the main railway station and the town hall square, or you can pop over Langebro bridge and jump in the open air harbour pool by the Islands Brygge waterfront. The hostel has shared rooms with four, six, eight or 10 beds, all en suite with shower, and you can also reserve them for private use. There are extra charges for linen and a special guest fee if you don't hold an international hostel card, so make sure you add the extras to the price.
• Beds from £15. Family room for four people including bath, from £70. +45 3311 8585, dgi-byen.dk/hostel

Axel Hotel Guldsmeden
 The old red light district west of the railway station is virtually unrecognisable to anyone who visited the area 20 years ago. Although you can still catch a glimpse of Copenhagen's seedier side, the gentrification of the area has brought along the usual mix of eclectic fashion stores, cafes and gourmet restaurants, some of the best of which are in Kødbyen, the meatpacking district. Although you can find cheaper options, the Axel Guldsmeden spa hotel is the pick of the bunch with its Balinese-style rooms, kitted out with Persian rugs, stone sinks and four-poster beds (some also include balconies and bathtubs).
• Doubles from £110. +45 3331 3266, hotelguldsmeden.dk

Ibsens Hotel
 Ibsens is on the corner of the charming shopping street Nansensgade, nestled between the downtown area and the lakes surrounding the city centre. The hotel will wrap up renovation of its rooms and lobby area later this month and has found inspiration among the local shops and designers. These include Piet Breinholm (the man who turned the vintage Danish leather schoolbag into a style object), who has crafted leather tags for the room keys. The hotel is a short walk from Nørreport station which has train connections to Sweden and the northbound coastline heading up to the Louisiana art museum.
• Doubles from £100. +45 3313 1913, ibsenshotel.dk

Hotel Cph Living
 Instead of just ogling at the boats docked along the city's waterways, you can go one better and book your own floating holiday home. Cph Living is a hotel boat in the heart of Copenhagen's canals, between Islands Brygge and Christianshavn. The 12 cabin rooms on the old transport pram have floor-to-ceiling windows and French balconies, while you can lounge on the deck and take in the view of the "Black Diamond" royal library building across the water.
• Doubles from £110 B&B. +45 6160 8546, cphliving.com

And if you want to fork out a little bit extra …

Bella Sky
 With two massive towers leaning away from each other at 15 degrees, Bella Sky is as much an architectural landmark as it is a hotel. Opening in May 2011, the 814-room building designed by architects 3XN will be the largest hotel in Scandinavia. It's located in the developing new-townish area of Ørestad between the city centre and the airport, and although the area is probably better known for its innovative architecture than cosy atmosphere, the metro next door will take you to central Copenhagen in 10 minutes. Otherwise, the sky bar on the 23rd floor should provide you with unrivalled views of the cityscape and the surrounding meadows.
• Singles from £130, doubles from £150. +45 7027 4274, bellaskycomwell.dk

• Norwegian Air Shuttle flies to Copenhagen from Edinburgh and Gatwick; easyJet flies from Gatwick, Manchester and Stansted
Guardian