KEY POINTS:
The message is loud and clear. Do not even think about taking photographs on Pusher St.
Cartoon images of cameras with red lines running through them have been splattered on the outer walls of various buildings, while a polite but firm warning urges you to "respect" the rules of this self-governing alternative living enclave that lies a kilometre from Copenhagen city centre.
It's quite ironic, considering the folks of Christiania aren't too keen on following the laws of the land themselves and also a bit of a shame because there are some unconventionally picturesque sights here.
The kaleidoscopic graffiti-riddled shops, cafes and restaurants, packed with latte-sipping students, are undoubtedly eye-catching, but it's the locals who most intrigue me.
Some are approaching pensionable age, have shaved heads and myriad tattoos, are accompanied by terrifying growling dogs and are smoking something that smells distinctly Amsterdam-like. And that's just the women.
Christiania, which spans 34ha of old riverside military barracks, could well be Europe's most bohemian environment.
It's technically part of Copenhagen, but it's a stark contrast to the beautiful fairytale city of twisting spires, copper domes and verdant spaces that is the home of Tasmanian Mary Donaldson, who married Prince Frederik, the heir to the Danish throne, in 2004.
Christiania has been a bone of contention since 1971 when it was formed by hippy-trippy squatters who yearned for an economically self-sustaining society free of the shackles of the Danish government.
Not only did residents refuse to pay tax, they also adopted a carefree drug policy. As the years passed, hash and cannabis were sold openly on Pusher St's stalls and unruly dealers hawked about the harder stuff, despite it being against the Christiania "code of conduct". Inevitably, turf wars occasionally ripped through the usually peaceful society.
While most of Denmark was gripped by royal wedding hype four years ago, police started raiding Christiania, and to this day they pay regular zero-tolerance visits.
Indeed, as I walk through today, there are five officers casting suspicious glances at a bonfire that's smoking on the outskirts of Pusher Street. Despite the increased police interference, which has sometimes met with Molotov cocktail-fuelled resistance, around 1000 people still live here, many whom have built their own houses - and until the authorities decide otherwise, Christiania isn't going anywhere.
Although it's certainly an interesting slice of Copenhagen, I'm glad to pass the exit - because the real city offers not just normality but an array of sumptuous sights.
Excellent art galleries and museums abound in Copenhagen, but it's such an eminently strollable place that it seems a shame to spend too much time indoors, especially on a sunny day like today.
I spend three hours wandering through its many cobbled squares, peppered with shaded al fresco cafes, sculptures, fountains and monuments, pausing every now and then for a coffee or a pint of Tuborg (Carlsberg's main rival).
One of the most enticing patches of Copenhagen is the photogenic quayside of Nyhavn, which has colourful Dutch-style townhouses, bustling restaurants, seedy bars and several sailors (who are actually tour operators) trying to get you on to their old wooden vessels.
I resist their advances and instead laze around the city's delightful green spaces. The English-style Churchill Park is a laidback treat complete with World War II memorials and an old military citadel, but the best is King's Gardens, which lures sunbathers, joggers and cyclists, as well as visitors to the 17th-century renaissance castle, Rosenburg Slot.
It was commissioned by Christian IV, the most famous ruler of Europe's oldest monarchy, which was founded in the 10th century by Gorm the Old, the son of former Viking chieftain Hardegon.
The castle, whose interior is gilded to the extreme, gives a nice insight into King Christian, who was known for his expensive tastes and embarked on a mass building spree across Copenhagen during his reign between 1588 and 1648. It was a rule that ultimately ended in chaos because of his extravagant spending and ill-advised foreign wars, but much of the gorgeous architecture that you see throughout the city today - especially the opulent churches and striking clock towers - is down to him.
Christiania was also named after him and, indirectly at least, he provided the inspiration for the city's - nay the country's - most famous son, writer Hans Christian Andersen, who in a 2005 poll was voted the greatest-ever Dane.
A museum dedicated to this quirky individual is sited in the Radhaspladsen, rather conveniently located at the end point of my looping walk around Copenhagen.
Amid period furniture and fake street lamps, plus several kitsch displays depicting his legendary fairytales, I'm told how Andersen was born in Odense, 150km from the capital, in 1805, before moving to Copenhagen after the death of his father when he was just 11.
After failed attempts to become a singer, ballet dancer and playwright, he began travelling, drawing and writing short stories, eventually crafting the likes of The Ugly Duckling, Thumbelina, The Emperor's New Clothes and, of course, The Little Mermaid. The same themes recur in his stories ... princes and witches, good and evil ... but Andersen's stories have a magic that still resonates today, 200 years after his birth.
Indeed, his work has been translated into 123 languages and the Bible is the only publication with a bigger international following.
Imbued with a fairytale mood, I cannot resist a peek inside Tivoli, the historic amusement park across the road from the museum.
While many people flock to the out-of-the-way Little Mermaid statue - which in truth is rather forlorn and has been vandalised several times - this is the place that better reflects Andersen's spirit, even though it's not officially a tribute to him.
Denmark's number one tourist attraction since it opened in the 1840s, Tivoli has white-knuckle fairground rides to cater for the more adventurous visitors, plus a long-standing family-orientated wooden roller-coaster, but I'm content to stay on the ground, soaking up the charming, if schmaltzy atmosphere.
There are several attention-grabbing pieces of architecture scattered around, including Oriental and Islamic-inspired concert halls and restaurants, plus painted wooden characters from some of Andersen's tales (I pass plenty of tin soldiers), but, for me, the gardens are the best part.
Teeming with blooming flowers that emit the most wonderful scents and represent all the colours of the rainbow, they look - and smell - almost too good to be true.
But the same can be said for much of irresistible Copenhagen - gritty Christiania notwithstanding, of course.
GETTING THERE: Qantas flies to Copenhagen from Auckland via Sydney and London.
STAYING THERE: Hotel27, a lovely four-star hotel, is close to the train station and Tivoli gardens. Doubles from DEK1395 ($366) per night. Click here for more information.
MORE INFORMATION: If you plan to visit Copenhagen's museums and art galleries and use its public transport system, buy a Copenhagen Card, which offers free entrance to many attractions and unlimited city-wide travel. It's DEK199/429 ($52/$112) for 24/72 hours. For more details see here.
