It includes the districts of Sydhavnen. The name "Vesterbro" causes some confusion as to its literal translation into modern Danish, as English, "Western Bridge". The word is an old word and does not refer to a bridge, but rather to the paved Danish, brolagt road leading into the city through the Western Gate.
The area has been renovated to a great extent, and its central location makes it a favored place to live. It has had a reputation as a center for prostitution and drug trafficking, where only the poorest would live, and there is still a certain amount of these activities in the area, especially on Istedgade and near Halmtorvet, but there has been police focus on clearing up troublesome areas.
Copenhagen Central and Vesterport stations are at the eastern edge of the district. Copenhagen Central station is a major stop for almost every train line on the island, Vesterport is served by the S-train network. Carlsberg Station is next to and replaced the former Enghave Station.
The backbone of bus transport in central Copenhagen are the A buses operated by Movia [dead link] , which run every few minutes throughout the day. Saying Vesterbro is teeming with attractions would be pushing it by a wide margin. Indeed, the districts most famous attraction is possibly the sorry remains of the once numerous porn shops, dating back from the hey-days of Danish liberalism, when the country was the first in the world to formally legalize pornography in , and Istedgade was the centre of the madness.
Unless you have special interest in the subject, that alone is probably not reason enough for a visit these days. Instead, visitors should turn their attention to the district's shopping opportunities and night-life, which are the real attraction here. An appropriate kick-off to this would be a visit to the only star attraction on offer, the famous Carlsberg brewery. If you like to breeze through small shops, that you don't see on every corner at high streets across the western world, Vesterbro is an excellent place to go shopping, there is a wide range independent fashion and design stores offering local brands, from the traditional Danish design industry, and the up-and-coming Danish fashion industry.
