Visit The Little Mermaid, Copenhagen

The sculpture of The Little Mermaid is one of Copenhagen's most iconic tourist attractions.

Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale, the statue has stood at the entrance to Copenhagen harbour since 1913.

First up, a little warning:

The statue of The Little Mermaid does live up to her name.

It’s quite small. But that doesn’t mean it’s not worth seeing though. In fact, it’s a must-see for any new visitor to Copenhagen and situated in a beautiful area to explore on foot (or bike!).

A brief history of the mermaid

The statue was unveiled on 23 August 1913, as a gift from Danish brewer Carl Jacobsen to the City of Copenhagen. Carl’s father, Jacob Jacobsen (cool name) was the founder of the Carlsberg brewery in Valby - and yes, the brewery was named after his son.

Getting back to the sculpture, it’s made of bronze and granite.

As H.C.Anderson’s story goes, every morning and evening the mermaid would swim to the surface and, perched on her rock in the water, gazing towards the shore hoping to catch a glimpse of her prince.

Jacobsen (Carl the son) fell in love with the character (and the actress Ellen Price) after watching a ballet performance based on the fairy tale at the Royal Danish Theatre in 1909.

Creating the Little Mermaid sculpture

Jacobsen was so captivated by what he’d seen at the theatre that he commissioned the sculptor Edvard Eriksen to create a sculpture of the mermaid.

However, Ellen Price would not model in the nude for him, so Eriksen’s wife, Eline Eriksen, did the posing instead.

Vandalism of The Little Mermaid

For some reason, a few people have taken against the statue over the past century.

She has lost her head twice, had her arm sawn off and had paint poured on her a number of times (as well as someone bizarrely painting ‘racist fish’ on her last year (source)).

But she is a hardy mermaid and has been restored to her minimalist glory every time, bidding a welcome to new arrivals into Copenhagen harbour.

Visiting the Little Mermaid

The waterside pedestrian area is accessible at all times. During the summer season, this can mean the area around the mermaid gets pretty busy with coach loads of tourists, so if you are in Copenhagen for a few days consider making an early morning or evening visit.

It is also worth planning other sites to see when you visit the Little Mermaid. I mean, it’s great, but it is also a pretty small statue of a mermaid! So while in the north of Copenhagen, consider a trip to Kastellet fortress which lies just beside the statue, or a stroll south to Amalienborg Palace - the home of the Danish Royal family.

The Little Mermaid is easiest reached on foot or by bicycle from central Copenhagen. Simply stroll north along the harbour front from the Nordre Toldbud (Maersk building). Pedestrians can get to the statue by walking up from the Gefion statue (beside the Kastellet fort) while cyclists can cycle underneath this passage.

N.B. Cycling is not allowed directly on the paths next to the statue.

Public Transport to the Little Mermaid

While no public transport stops directly at The Little Mermaid, the nicest way to get to the statue is to walk from the nearby Marmorkirke metro station which is around 1km to the south.

The closest bus stop is Indiakaj – use bus 27 with Færgeterminal Søndre Frihavn as the final stop. From here, it is a short walk past the yacht harbour to The Little Mermaid.

The easiest way from Copenhagen Airport to The Little Mermaid is to take the train from the airport (direction Helsingør), get off at Østerport station, and from here hop on the bus 27 I mentioned above (included in the ticket price) or a ten-minute walk.

Alternatively, take the metro from the airport, change at Kongens Nytorv to Metro line 3 or 4, then walk from either Marmorkirken or Østerport.