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Lille Langebro

A slender, curving pedestrian and cycle bridge that glows by night and pivots open for ships, Lille Langebro links central Copenhagen with historic Christianshavn.

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Lille Langebro is a sleek pedestrian and cycle bridge arcing over Copenhagen’s Inner Harbour between BLOX and Christianshavn. Completed in 2019 and designed by WilkinsonEyre and Urban Agency, the 160 m steel structure curves gently across the water, with separate lanes for walkers and cyclists and concealed lighting that turns the bridge into a glowing ribbon after dark. Its twin swing sections open horizontally to let tall-masted boats pass, adding a touch of kinetic drama to the harbour skyline.

A brief summary to Lille Langebro

  • Lille Langebro, Copenhagen, Indre By, DK
  • Visit website
  • Duration: 0.5 to 1.5 hours
  • Free
  • Environment icon Outdoor
  • Mobile reception: 5 out of 5

Local tips

  • Time your visit for sunset or after dark to see the concealed handrail lighting turn the bridge into a glowing ribbon across the harbour.
  • Cross once on foot and once by bike; the dedicated pedestrian and cycle lanes offer slightly different vantage points and photo angles.
  • If you are nearby by day, linger a few minutes; you may catch the twin swing sections opening to let a tall-masted boat pass.
  • On windy days the exposed deck can feel cooler than the nearby streets, so pack an extra layer outside of high summer.
  • Combine your crossing with a stop at the BLOX waterfront or a short stroll into Christianshavn’s canalside streets for varied harbour views.
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Getting There

  • Metro and short walk

    From central Copenhagen, take the M3 or M4 metro line to Gammel Strand or Rådhuspladsen; trains run every few minutes and a single zone ticket costs roughly 20–25 DKK. From either station it is about 10–15 minutes’ walk on mostly level pavements through the inner city to reach the approaches of Lille Langebro by BLOX and the harbourfront. The route is suitable for most visitors, though surfaces can be uneven in older streets.

  • City bike

    Using a public bike-share or rental from the city centre, you can reach Lille Langebro in around 5–10 minutes, following existing cycle lanes towards the harbour. Expect to pay approximately 50–150 DKK for a few hours of bike rental depending on provider and duration. The approach ramps on both sides of the bridge are gentle and designed for everyday cyclists, including cargo bikes, but be prepared for brisk local cycling traffic at commuting times.

  • Harbour bus and walk

    The public harbour buses serving inner Copenhagen offer a scenic way to arrive nearby; a standard single ticket costs about 20–25 DKK and is valid across the bus, metro and harbour bus network. Travel 10–20 minutes along the harbour to a stop close to BLOX or Christianshavn, then walk roughly 10 minutes on flat quayside promenades to the bridge. Services run regularly during the day but are less frequent in late evening and in rough weather.

Lille Langebro location weather suitability

  • Weather icon Any Weather
  • Weather icon Clear Skies
  • Weather icon Windy Conditions
  • Weather icon Mild Temperatures
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Discover more about Lille Langebro

A curving ribbon across Copenhagen’s Inner Harbour

Lille Langebro is a graceful pedestrian and cycle bridge that sweeps over Copenhagen’s Inner Harbour just south of the city centre. Its name, “Little Long Bridge”, nods to its neighbour, the larger traffic-heavy Langebro, but this is a quieter, human-scale crossing reserved for walkers and cyclists. Spanning about 160 metres in steel, it links the waterfront by the BLOX complex and Danish Architecture Center on the city side with the historic quays of Christianshavn opposite. From above, the bridge reads as a pale, sweeping arc that aligns with the invisible curve of Copenhagen’s former ramparts and moats. At deck level, that curve creates a gentle sense of movement as you cross, framing changing perspectives of the harbour, towers and rooftops with every few steps or pedal strokes.

Designing movement, light and atmosphere

Lille Langebro was created by London-based architects WilkinsonEyre in collaboration with Urban Agency and engineers Buro Happold. The designers conceived the structure as a pair of slender “wings” running along either edge of the deck. These triangular steel forms dip down towards the quays and rise towards midspan, where the bridge is highest to allow boats the required 5.4 m clearance beneath. As the wings rise and fall, they cast a clean shadow line between light and shade along the deck. This simple gesture lends the bridge a sculptural profile without cluttering its edges. The main steelwork is finished in an off‑white tone that catches reflections from the water and constantly changes character with the weather and time of day.

A bridge that quietly opens like a machine

One of Lille Langebro’s most intriguing features only reveals itself when a tall-masted vessel approaches. The central portion of the bridge is composed of two balanced spans that can swing horizontally away from each other, creating a wide passage for marine traffic. Hidden mechanisms inside the piers use gravity and carefully tuned mechanical and hydraulic components to rotate and then lock the spans back into place. When the bridge opens, its previously continuous curve briefly breaks into two opposing blades, turning a simple harbour crossing into a piece of urban theatre. Once closed, the join between the moving sections is almost imperceptible, preserving the sense of a single flowing line from bank to bank.

Made for cyclists, pedestrians and city life

Lille Langebro was built specifically for non-motorised traffic, with a generous 7 m clear width divided into a 3 m pedestrian walkway and a 4 m two-way cycle track. This layout reflects Copenhagen’s cycling culture, offering commuters and leisure riders a direct and pleasant alternative to busy roads. The bridge eases pressure on Langebro while stitching together the cultural waterfront at BLOX with the historic streets and canals of Christianshavn. By extending the city’s fine-grained network of routes, Lille Langebro encourages people to experience the harbour at a slower pace. Benign inclines and smooth surfacing make it accessible to a wide range of users, from families with strollers to cargo bikes and mobility aids. Subtle lighting integrated into the handrails illuminates both deck and wings after dark, transforming the bridge into a soft, glowing arc across the water.

Experiencing the harbour from a new angle

Walking or cycling across Lille Langebro is as much about the views as the destination. The raised centre of the span produces a gentle “reveal” of the horizon as you approach midspan. To one side you can pick out the spires and roofs of the old city; to the other, the open harbour stretches towards the islands and more contemporary waterfront developments. Because the handrails use transparent mesh rather than solid panels, the connection to water and sky feels immediate. On clear days, light, reflections and the movement of boats below create a constantly shifting backdrop. At night, the bridge itself becomes part of the harbour’s lightscape, its illuminated handrails reading like a fine, twisting line drawn across the dark surface of the water.

A contemporary landmark in a historic setting

Completed in 2019 and gifted to the municipality by the philanthropic foundation Realdania, Lille Langebro has quickly become a quiet landmark of contemporary Danish design. It shows how infrastructure can be both technically refined and visually understated, slipping into a sensitive historic setting without mimicry. By prioritising cyclists and pedestrians, it also embodies Copenhagen’s ambitions as a sustainable, people-first city. Whether you use it as a fast commuting route or a slow promenade, Lille Langebro offers a distilled experience of modern harbourfront Copenhagen: water at your feet, city silhouettes all around, and a piece of engineering that is as elegant in motion as it is at rest.

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