Dragør - The Old Town | Visit Dragør

The old part of town

Step into the old town of Dragør and experience a living piece of Danish cultural heritage. Here, cobbled streets and narrow alleys wind their way between yellow half-timbered houses and historic seafarers’ homes. Dragør’s old town is a unique example of a maritime community that thrived during the 18th and 19th centuries—an era immortalized by Danish artists like C.W. Eckersberg and Julius Exner.

Almost every house in the town center retains its original character, shaped by Dragør’s golden age of shipping and trade. Three distinct periods of prosperity—around 1770, 1830, and 1890—left their mark, driven by herring fishing, commerce, and seafaring. With 76 listed buildings and many more historic structures around the harbor, Dragør has the highest concentration of protected houses in any small town in Denmark.

The many small, similar-looking homes reflect a time when most men worked at sea as captains or sailors, while many women earned a living weaving or bleaching textiles. You can still spot the town’s maritime roots in the “kikkenborge”—small rooftop lookouts often fitted with windows—used by families to watch for returning ships on the horizon.

Welcome to Dragør Old Town – where past and present meet

The cobbled streets and yellow houses form the setting for both everyday life and history. People live here who value these unique surroundings – and we are delighted that you do too. We hope you will help us take good care of the atmosphere and the town:

Thank you for enjoying the town’s special atmosphere – and for helping preserve its sense of peace and presence
Thank you for staying on paths and streets – also when taking photographs
Thank you for helping protect our shared cultural heritage

The Classic Dragør House

Photo: Annette Nyvang

Photo: VisitDragør© Annette Nyvang

The Bailiff's Square

The Bailiff's Square (Fogdens Plads) has its name after the penultimate bailiff in Dragør - Isbrandt P. Schmidt - who worked 1870-1901 and lived in the house on Fogden's place 7.

Photo: VisitDragør

Jens Eyberts Square

Jens Eyberts Square is perhaps the most picturesque square in the old town.

Photo: VisitDragør© Annette Nyvang

Dragør Inn

The city's great builder, Johan Heinrich Blichmann, stands behind Dragør Inn in Strandgade, which is the largest building in the old town. It was erected in the late 18th century and rebuilt in the first half of the 19th century - it was granted an inn in 1721 by the city's then-current toll.

Photo: VisitDragør© Annette Nyvang

Alleys

The houses in the old town are built in rows going east-west. To the south are the gardens of the houses, and to the south is the next house - which also has a garden to the south.

Photo: VisitDragør© Annette Nyvang

The Street Names

The Street Names in the old town are not as old as one might think.

Photo: VisitDragør© Annette Nyvang

Wheelbarrow Alleyways

On the eastern side of Strandstræde (Beach Street) there are several small Alleyways that connect Strandstræde with Strandlinien (Beach Edge), which is parallel to Strandstræde.

Photo: VisitDragør© EK

Kings Street

Kings Street (Kongevejen), which today is the most important commercial street in Dragør, and the main artery of the old town, was paved in 1790.

Photo: VisitDragør© Annette Nyvang

Badstuevælen Square

The square Badstuevælen has its somewhat irregular shape because it has been the city's clay grave where the residents brought clay to the clay-clad houses. It served as a clay tomb for well into the 19th century. The word 'væl' is an old Dutch word for a watering hole.

Photo: VisitDragør© Annette Nyvang

Hollyhocks

In the season you will find Hollyhocks, Alcea Rosea, everywhere in the old town. They pop up between the crevices of the cobblestones and color the city in all colors: from delicate white, cream and yellow over salmon and pink to deep dark almost purple and burgundy colors.