The Philosopher’s Last Walk: An audio tour on the life of Søren Kierkegaard

Kierkegaard’s Copenhagen comes into focus on this self-guided walk from his family home to his grave. You move through central streets, past Rundetårn, Copenhagen University, the Cathedral, the lakes, and into Assistens Cemetery, where the philosopher is buried. The route links a life story to real places instead of keeping you in a museum or lecture hall.

I like the witty, well-written narration and the way it adds background on both Kierkegaard and 19th-century Copenhagen. I also like the freedom: GPS directions, offline audio, and lifetime access mean you can stop, restart, or take your time without following a group. The main drawback is simple: you need your own smartphone and headphones, and an audio tour cannot answer questions as a live guide can.

Key points at a glance

• Starts near Kierkegaard’s family house: Begin at Nytorv 2 in central Copenhagen and connect the philosopher’s story to the city around him.
• Covers major Copenhagen sights: The route passes Rundetårn, Copenhagen University, the Cathedral, a church, the lakes, and a bridge.
• Ends at his burial place: The walk finishes inside Assistens Cemetery at Søren Kierkegaard’s gravesite.
• Runs about 60 to 75 minutes: Allow extra time if you pause, take photos, or stop along the way.
• Works offline in English: The VoiceMap app supplies audio, maps, geodata, and directions after you download the tour.
• Costs $9.99 per person: For a private walk with lifetime access, that is a fair price, especially if you want to repeat parts of the route.

Following Kierkegaard from Nytorv 2

The tour begins at Nytorv 2, 1450 København, by Søren Kierkegaard’s family house. This is a useful starting point because the experience begins with a personal connection, not just a broad introduction to Copenhagen.

You will use the VoiceMap app on an Android or iOS phone. The app guides you to the starting point, and the audio begins when you are in the right place. That GPS setup takes away much of the usual confusion with self-guided walks. You do not need to keep checking a printed route or guess which corner comes next.

The starting location is in central Copenhagen and near public transportation. The supplied information does not name a specific transit stop, so check your own map before setting out. Give yourself a few minutes to find Nytorv 2, especially if you are arriving from another part of the city.

The tour is private in the practical sense that only your group takes part. You are not joining strangers or waiting for a guide to gather everyone. At $9.99 per person, that makes the walk especially appealing for couples, families with older children, or friends who want a shared outing without paying for a private human guide.

A church, a tower, and the city of ideas

From the family house, the route passes a church before continuing toward Rundetårn. The church stop adds a useful change of mood. Kierkegaard’s life and work are closely tied to questions of faith, and hearing the story while walking past a religious building gives the subject a physical setting rather than leaving it as abstract biography.

Rundetårn is one of Copenhagen’s best-known landmarks, and its presence helps anchor the route in the city center. You pass by it rather than taking a separate admission visit, so do not expect entrance to the tower to be included. That is also a benefit: you can keep the walk moving and save the tower for another part of your Copenhagen visit.

The audio format should suit you if you like to look around while listening. Instead of standing in one place for a long talk, you walk between locations and let the city provide the backdrop. The tradeoff is that you need to pay attention to both the recording and your surroundings. Busy pavements, bicycles, traffic, and other city sounds may make headphones useful.

The narration has been praised for being informative and witty. That combination matters here. Kierkegaard can be a difficult subject if presented only through philosophical terms, but the tour is designed as an introduction to his life and to Copenhagen in the 19th century. You do not need to arrive as a philosophy student to follow the route.

Copenhagen University and the Cathedral

The walk continues past Copenhagen University and the Cathedral. These stops widen the story beyond Kierkegaard’s private life. The university points toward the intellectual world of the city, while the Cathedral brings the religious setting back into view.

The route does not provide a long list of indoor visits, and that keeps the experience affordable. You are seeing the places from the street while the audio explains their connection to the larger story. If you want to tour the interiors or spend time inside these buildings, plan that separately and allow extra time.

This section is likely to work best for listeners who enjoy context. You get more than a sequence of addresses. The narration connects Kierkegaard to the city around him, including the institutions and public places that shaped Copenhagen life. The supplied comments describe the tour as an excellent introduction for someone who knows Kierkegaard’s name but not much about him. That is a good way to judge the level: expect an accessible starting point, not a specialist seminar.

I also like the fact that the walk does not treat the philosopher as an isolated figure. Passing the university and Cathedral gives you a sense of the city’s public and intellectual setting. The experience is still focused on Kierkegaard, but Copenhagen remains part of the subject.

Crossing the bridge and reaching the lakes

The route then goes along a bridge and past the lakes. This is an important change from the tighter streets of the center. The walk opens out, giving you a more relaxed stretch in which to listen and think about what you have heard.

The exact bridge and individual lake names are not specified, so you should use the app’s map and GPS guidance rather than trying to plan the route from a general city map. Offline access is helpful here. You can listen and follow the route even if your phone connection is unreliable, as long as you have prepared the tour in the app.

The lakes also make the timing flexible. The advertised duration is about one hour to one hour and 15 minutes, but your actual outing may take longer if you pause. You might stop for a photograph, take a short break, or replay a section that went by too quickly. The tour is built for your pace, not for a guide’s fixed walking rhythm.

I would treat the 60 to 75 minutes as walking and listening time, not as a total door-to-door schedule. Add time to reach Nytorv 2, locate the start, and continue from Assistens Cemetery afterward. Comfortable shoes are sensible, even though the route is not described as strenuous.

Entering Assistens Cemetery

The tour goes into Assistens Cemetery, a notable shift from public streets to a quieter final section. Here the route becomes more personal. Instead of ending at a general landmark connected to Kierkegaard, it takes you to his burial place.

The end point is listed as Søren Kierkegaard Gravesite, Kapelvej 2, 2200 København. The cemetery gives the walk a clear sense of destination. You have followed the story through streets, institutions, religious sites, the bridge, and the lakes, then arrive at the place where Kierkegaard was laid to rest.

This final stop is one of the strongest reasons to choose the tour if you have a specific interest in Kierkegaard. A general Copenhagen walk might pass the city’s famous sights, but this one has a focused beginning and end. The family house and gravesite create a personal frame around the route.

Do not expect a guide to meet you at the cemetery. This is still a GPS audio tour, so you reach the grave with directions from the app and listen to the closing material there. That independence suits some people and disappoints others. If you prefer conversation, spontaneous questions, or help locating a precise spot, a live guide would be a better fit.

What the audio format does well

The strongest part of this experience is the writing and delivery. The tour has a 4.6 rating from five submitted ratings, and the most positive comments focus on two things: the information is interesting, and the tone is witty. Another comment calls it a well-written introduction to someone the listener knew of but did not know much about.

That tells you what to expect. The tour is not only a navigation tool. It aims to make a complicated historical and philosophical figure approachable while showing you the Copenhagen connected to his life. The balance between biography and city context is useful for first-time learners.

VoiceMap’s offline features are also practical. You receive access to the audio, maps, and geodata, so you are not relying on a live connection at every stop. You also receive lifetime access in English. That means you can revisit the route later, replay sections, or use it again if you return to Copenhagen.

The limits are just as clear. The experience is offered in English only. There is no personal guide, no listed food or drink, no transportation, and no smartphone or headphones supplied. You need to bring a charged compatible phone and your own listening equipment.

The app also requires some self-management. You should download or prepare the tour before you start, check that your audio works, and follow the route carefully. GPS tours are convenient, but they are not completely hands-off. A distracted listener can miss a turn or walk past a stop.

Who gets the best value from $9.99

At $9.99 per person, the price is modest for a private, self-guided activity with lifetime access. If you are already planning to walk through central Copenhagen, the tour adds structure and a focused story without the cost of a private guide.

The value is strongest for three types of visitors:

• You know Kierkegaard’s name but want a clear introduction to his life.
• You enjoy city walks that connect people and ideas to physical places.
• You want to explore independently instead of joining a scheduled group.

The price is less compelling if you only want Copenhagen’s headline sights or if you prefer short audio clips with little walking. The route is built around Kierkegaard, not a general tour of the city. Rundetårn, the Cathedral, the university, and the lakes appear along the way, but they are not separate guided attractions with admission included.

You should also remember that the listed price is per person. A couple pays about $19.98 before any currency conversion or booking charges. Even so, the private format and lifetime access make it reasonable for a focused cultural walk.

Timing, preparation, and practical limits

The experience is available every day according to the listed schedule, with opening hours shown as midnight to 11:59 p.m. That broad window gives you plenty of choice. You can fit the walk around a morning visit, an afternoon in the city, or an evening plan, provided the route and cemetery access work for your chosen time.

The tour itself takes approximately one hour to one hour and 15 minutes. I would not rush it. The whole point is to listen while moving through Copenhagen, and the route has enough stops and transitions that a few pauses will improve the experience.

Bring:

• A smartphone with the VoiceMap app
• Headphones
• Enough battery for the walk
• Comfortable walking shoes
• A way to follow the map if you need to check your position

No transportation is included, but the start is near public transportation. Food and drinks are also not included, so plan any café stop before or after the walk rather than expecting one during the audio program.

Most people can participate, according to the supplied activity information. Still, the route is a city walk with a bridge, streets, lakes, and a cemetery section. Specific accessibility details are not provided, so you should confirm the route directly if you need information about surfaces, steps, or mobility access.

Cancellation is free if you cancel at least 24 hours before the local start time. Inside that 24-hour window, the payment is not refunded, and changes are not accepted. That is worth noting if your Copenhagen plans are uncertain.

Should you book The Philosopher’s Last Walk?

Book it if you want an affordable, independent introduction to Søren Kierkegaard that keeps you moving through real Copenhagen places. The route has a strong shape: family house at the start, city institutions and landmarks in the middle, and his burial place at the end. The witty delivery and clear writing make it a good choice for beginners.

Skip it if you want a live guide, a broad sightseeing tour, or entrance to Copenhagen attractions. You will need your own phone and headphones, and you must manage the route yourself.

For the right listener, $9.99 buys more than an hour of audio. It gives you a focused way to connect Kierkegaard’s story with the streets, buildings, water, and cemetery of Copenhagen, on your own schedule.

FAQ

How long does The Philosopher’s Last Walk take?

The tour takes approximately one hour to one hour and 15 minutes. You may need extra time to reach the start, pause along the route, or continue your plans after arriving at the cemetery.

Where does the audio tour start?

It starts by Søren Kierkegaard’s family house at Nytorv 2, 1450 København, Denmark.

Where does the tour end?

The walk ends at Søren Kierkegaard’s gravesite in Assistens Cemetery at Kapelvej 2, 2200 København, Denmark.

Is the tour available in languages besides English?

No. The experience is offered in English.

Do I need my own phone and headphones?

Yes. A smartphone and headphones are not included. You use the VoiceMap app on an Android or iOS device.

Can I cancel for a full refund?

Yes, if you cancel at least 24 hours before the experience start time. Cancellations made less than 24 hours before the start are not refunded, and changes within that period are not accepted.