When we were children there was a very popular vinyl record which was comprised of a whole bunch of songs, sung by Danny Kaye, based around Hans Christian Anderson’s fairy tales. One of these was the song, Wonderful, Wonderful Copenhagen. We’ve recently returned from a short trip to Denmark’s capital and the song, somehow recalled from many years ago, gave us a semi-permanent ear-worm as we explored the city. But is Copenhagen wonderful? We think so. We spent five days in Copenhagen, and around, discovering what the city had to offer.
Getting to Copenhagen Central from the Airport
We got chatting to a number of people during our trip, some of whom had very different experiences of getting into the city. An elderly couple from the USA were shocked to have paid around 55 Euros for the journey in a taxi. And at the other end of the travelling spectrum – we met a holidaymaker from the UK on his first ever visit abroad who decided to walk the 8km from the airport for free! We recommend the train.
The easiest and most cost-effective way is to take the train or the metro. On arrival at the airport, after exiting the baggage area, follow the signs to the train station. There will be a whole bunch of ticket machines just before the entrance to the platforms. The ticket machines are red.
You can choose the English language option. Just select the destination, number of passengers and time of travel. You will receive a zone 3 card, which covers both passengers, that can be used within an hour and a half time slot. Head down to the platform. Trains are very regular, there will be signs on the platform indicating the destinations and you want to make sure your train stops at København H. The journey takes around 15-20 minutes and costs 30DKK (August 2023).
Accommodation
Accommodation in Denmark is on the pricey side. We chose a small room at the Wake Up, which was just a 10 minute walk from the main station. We were delighted to be upgraded to a larger room on arrival, but it did rather make us wonder what the small room was like because the large room was pretty compact! Still, as with most accommodation, we don’t need anything more than basic facilities – a bed and a bathroom will do just fine.
Planning Your Visit
There are a fair few things that you can do in Copenhagen for free but many attractions have a charge and Denmark isn’t a cheap country to visit. So, prior to taking our trip, we looked into the Copenhagen Card. Depending on what you are planning to see you can make good savings by purchasing a card which offers admission to over 80 attractions and free public transportation within the Copenhagen area. You can select a card for 24, 48, 72, 96 or 120 hours. Download the app onto your phone and you can activate the card at the first attraction/transport option. It will then count down the time until it expires.
You can only visit each attraction once, with the exception of Tivoli where you can re-enter the park on the same day only, if you get a stamp.
For our five days in Copenhagen we chose to buy a 72 hour card.
Five Days in Copenhagen: Day 1
National Museum of Denmark
The National Museum is located on Ny Vestergade. It showcases Denmark’s long and fascinating history with both permanent and temporary exhibitions. Particular highlights include the Viking history exhibition, which feature wooden parts of an extraordinarily long longboat and include an audio-visual opportunity to join a Viking raid, and the modern collection which shows many aspects of Danish culture.
On our visit there was an interactive exhibit about money and finance around the world which was surprisingly fun.
Ride the Rollercoaster at Tivoli Gardens
One of the most delightful things about Copenhagen is that, rather than having a central business district full of corporate offices and commercial buildings, it has a park right in the middle of the city. Directly opposite the central station and just a 10 minute walk from the National Museum, this delightful amusement park is the third oldest in the world and dates from 1843. It is one of Denmark’s most visited attractions and is a lovely place to visit for both the young and young at heart. Set in a very pretty garden, it has a number of stages for performances and white-knuckle rides for intrepid thrill-seekers.
The Copenhagen card will provide entrance to the park but not the rides. If you plan to spend a lot of time in Tivoli and want to enjoy all the rides it’s worth buying a wristband for unlimited access. There are machines all over the park. If you just want to go on a ride or two you can queue as normal then pay for each with your credit card at the gate just before you get on.
We didn’t plan to spend all day in the park but we did want to ride Rutschebanen, a wooden rollercoaster which dates from 1914 and is one of the oldest still operating. It is one of the few left in the world which has a brake operator in a car on each train, manually slowing the cars on the big slopes if needed.
It’s great fun to ride.
If you are visiting Tivoli you can get a stamp which allows you re-entry to the park on that day only. The security guards at the exits, armed with ink, will be able to provide one.
Tivoli food hall is adjacent to the park and has the same opening hours. You don’t need a ticket to Tivoli to visit the food hall. There are all sorts of Danish and international dishes on offer.
The Planetarium
The Planetarium, on Gammel Kongevej, is well worth a visit. It has a number of exhibitions on the ground floor and also runs a number of films in the largest tilted dome in Europe, a hugely impressive space. It offered a view of the current night sky and then ran a documentary about the probes that have been exploring our planets over the years. Headsets for an English translation of the commentary are available at reception.
Fredericksberg Area
We walked from the Planetarium to the Fredericksberg area. Bus 7A will go there from the city centre if you don’t fancy walking and the Copenhagen card will cover the cost – just show the card to the bus driver. You will need to get on at the front of the bus. There are lots of things to do here, including visiting the zoo. We had some cultural activities in mind.
Storm
This is the museum of humour and satire where we received a very friendly welcome.
The downstairs area showcases the history of Danish humour (only in Danish but you can use a QR code on your phone to get a translation) but also has a few rooms dedicated to humour for children – chock full of surreal objects and fart gags.
Upstairs is an exhibition dedicated to the work of Storm P, the cartoonist, illustrator and satirist Robert Storm Petersen. There is a large collection of his artwork with explanations in English as well as a set-up of his workspace.
Cisternene
A fabulous idea for an art gallery, Cisternene used to be an underground reservoir! Beneath the green, green grass of Søndermarken Park this dark, cavernous space hosts an exhibition by a different artist each year. You need to be a bit walking careful inside – it’s dark and damp and you need to keep on the pathway or get wet feet – but it was one of the most delightful and unusual art galleries we have ever visited.
We saw the display from South Korean artist Kimsooja whose light installation was colourful, beautiful and otherworldly.
Evening at Tivoli
The 7A bus (the bus stop is just outside the zoo) will take you back to the city centre to enjoy dinner and a beer. Because the stamps on our arms were just about visible, we popped back to Tivoli. There were performances on some of the stages interspersed with squeals of delight as the white-knuckle rides simultaneously enthused and terrified.
Day 2
A Day Trip To Hamlet’s Castle and A Fabulous Art Gallery
The Copenhagen card also includes the opportunity to take some day trips outside of Copenhagen. You can take the train from Copenhagen Central to Helsingor to visit Kronborg castle. Just get on the train. If you are asked for a ticket, show the officer the card and they will scan it. If Helsingor sounds familiar, it is more commonly known as Elsinore in England and is, of course, the location of Shakespeare’s Hamlet’s Castle. Kronborg is a 15 minute walk from the station – you can see the castle from the station.
Originally built as a fortress in the 15th century, it was significantly upgraded by Frederick II between 1574-1585, and again by Christian IV following a fire. A UNESCO heritage site, it’s a highly interactive attraction with actors and jesters throughout the castle as well as guides who can offer information about the history of the castle. You can even meet ‘Hamlet’ and ‘Yorrick’ in the grand ballroom.
Yes, that’s Hamlet and Ophelia just outside Helsingor station.
Louisiana Museum of Modern Art
The return train stops at Humlaebek, just 10 minutes from Helsingor, and this is an essential stop for the Lousiana Museum of Modern Art. A 15 minute walk from the station this remarkable modern art gallery, also included on the Copenhagen Card, offers an amazing collection, including works by Warhol, Lichtenstein, Picasso, Bourgeois, Bacon, Hockney and Moore, amongst many, many others, as well as temporary exhibitions showing the work of local and international artists.
It has the most wonderful setting as well, a light, airy space for the network of galleries that all surround a sculpture park which looks out to the sea. Highly recommended.
Day 3
A Boat Trip
We got up early to be first in the queue for a boat trip around the canals of Copenhagen. These are included on the card if you are boarding at Stromma (but not at Nyhavn). You need to show your card at the ticket office then get a ticket to board the broad boat for a journey that takes around an hour. There will be a commentary in English and usually another European language.
It’s a pleasant way to see Copenhagen from a very different perspective.
Visit Christiansborg Palace
Although Christiansborg Palace now houses the Danish Parliament it used to be the palace of the Danish kings and queens.
A visit to the ruins underneath the palace offers a fascinating history of the development and construction of the building and you can also visit the former kitchens and stables. The card covers entry to all these, but you need to show it at each location.
The Round Tower
We then headed to the northern part of the city. The Round Tower was constructed between 1637 and 1642 and is the oldest functioning observatory in Europe. Located adjacent to Trinity Church it was designed to be Denmark’s national observatory. You can climb the tower. One of the great things about this is that there are very few stairs. Like Seville’s Giralda tower, you ascend via a ramp with just a few steps at the top.
The Round Tower’s final staircase is quite narrow but, thanks to Danish efficiency, there is a red light/green light system to allow visitors to go up and down in turns. The view from the top is wonderful.
Rosenborg Castle
Another construction built by Christian IV, Rosenborg palace was apparently the revered king’s favourite. Set amidst a large park, this impressive castle is very popular as a tourist attraction, so tickets should be pre-booked (go to the website and select the Copenhagen card option). One of the top attractions are the crown jewels, and apparently the only jewels in the world that are on display and used by the Danish queen.
The Design Museum of Denmark
Highly recommended, the Design Museum of Denmark, on Bredgade, is a brilliant space showcasing art, crafts and design from a number of Danish and international designers. It explains the difference between art and design and also reinforces how important design is within our everyday lives. Thought-provoking and interesting, this was a highlight museum.
Day 4
On day 4 we sneaked in a visit to the Museum of Copenhagen, during the very last hour of our Copenhagen card. If the card expires during a visit, don’t worry, they won’t kick you out!
Museum of Copenhagen
This interesting museum takes you on a historical journey through the development of the city. It also has temporary exhibitions and we were lucky to catch one about commercial artist and designer Ib Antoni, known as The Great Dane, who created highly distinctive art, much of which was to promote Denmark and Copenhagen.
Nyhavn
No visit to Copenhagen would be complete without seeing Nyhavn, the gloriously colourful canal district. The canal was constructed between 1670 and 1675, intended to enable a passage from King’s Square in the city to the sea. It was notorious for being an area of ill-repute, where salty sailors and prostitutes hung out and much beer was consumed – the water not being very conducive to healthy living at the time.
Hans Christian Anderson lived at no 67 between 1845 and 1864. It became less important as ships became larger and these days there are loads of bars, restaurants and tourists. The area is undeniably pretty though.
Visit the Kastellet Fort
Walking further north from Nyehavn is the Kastellet, also known as the citadel. It is a fort designed in the shape of a pentagon. Originally part of the wider ramparts that circled Copenhagen, this is all that remains. It was constructed by Christian IV in 1626 and is one of the best preserved fortresses of its type in Europe.
There is a lovely park to wander through and a number of buildings within the site’s grounds. It currently houses military barracks and offices but some of the buildings are open for visitors with exhibitions to explore.
The Little Mermaid
Located on the shore on the far side of Kastellet is the city’s most photographed attraction. Based on Hans Christian Anderson’s fairytale, this bronze statue by Edvard Eriksen, depicts the mermaid as she transforms into human form.
Be prepared for a plethora of tourists surrounding the mermaid, who is genuinely little at just 1.25m tall, climbing over the rocks to snap that perfect shot. A zoom on your camera and a bit of patience is a safer option.
A Quick Trip to Hospital
Okay, so almost certainly not top of anyone’s list of places to visit (or indeed on anyone’s list at all) we just had to check out Rigshospitalet. As fans of Danish cinema and TV, we adored Lars Von Trier’s utterly bonkers and completely brilliant series, The Kingdom. Realising it was set in Copenhagen’s actual hospital, we just had to stop by to take a photo!
Day 5
A Day Trip to Sweden
Another TV connection with Copenhagen is that of The Bridge, the popular Scandinavian-noir drama series. It was set on and around the Oresund Bridge, a remarkable construction that joins Denmark with Sweden.
There are loads of trains that leave from the central station to Sweden. You can reach the nearest city, Malmo, in around 45 minutes and it’s a nice place to spend the day. If you do take the train, pick up at ticket from the machine at the station and don’t forget to bring your passport. We weren’t asked to show ours but checks do happen.
Malmo is a pretty city with a cute canal, where you can take a boat trip. And there are plenty of squares filled with restaurants.
Lilla Torg is a popular – and very picturesque – square with plenty of restaurants.
Disappointingly they were all serving international food and we really struggled to find a Swedish restaurant in Sweden!
Malmo castle is well worth a visit. Part castle, part museum, part art gallery, part natural history museum and part aquarium, there is something for everyone! A combined ticket for 100 SK will also ensure entry to the science and maritime museum across the road.
Five Days in Copenhagen – ‘Let Us Clink and Drink One Down!’
Copenhagen has a plethora of restaurants and drinking establishments. Chatting to some local people about Danish cuisine we were told that it wasn’t that exciting, largely in the realms of meat and potatoes.
But it’s good, honest, filling grub – meat, potatoes and pickles. Pork is a popular menu item – and the best restaurants deliver crackin’ crackling!
But Denmark is also the land of the smorrebrod – the open sandwich of great deliciousness and beauty!
We enjoyed a lunchtime special of a smorrebrod platter at the Canal Caffeen restaurant. You are provided with bread, butter and a platter of various ingredients. Then you butter the bread (smorrebrod literally means ‘buttered bread’) and combine the toppings to make your own smorrebrod. We were advised about traditional Danish combinations but also told it was perfectly okay to make our up own.
The platter comprised: fried fish fillet with remoulade, herring (to be eaten with the rye spread with lard instead of the usual butter), roast beef with onion, horseradish and remoulade, chicken with mayonnaise, roast pork with cabbage and pickles and brie with radish. It was a feast.
The meat packing district behind the central station (i.e. on the opposite side to Tivoli) is a former market trading area and now home to a large number of restaurants.
Brewpub War Pig not only offers a range of its own beers but the smokehouse has a variety of meaty dishes on offer.
Copenhagen also has many varieties of beer on offer. In centuries past the water supply wasn’t as clean as it could have been so it was safer for the locals to drink beer than water. They developed a taste for it. Denmark may be the home of Carlsberg but there are also lots of (more) interesting craft beers to try. Brewpub on Vestergade offered a tasting flight featuring a variety of their own brews.
Cheap Eats and Drinks
There’s no getting away from the fact that Copenhagen, like many Scandinavian countries, is not a cheap place to visit if you are not from Scandinavia. We found Denmark to be cheaper than other countries we have visited in this region but still more pricey than home. However, we did find a few places to eat and drink that weren’t bank-breakingly expensive and offered good value.
Lilian’s Smorrebrod on Vester Voldgade was our top breakfast location. With a friendly welcome and huge variety of smorrebrod on offer from around 22-25DKK each, plus a cup of good coffee for the same price, we enjoyed breakfast/brunch at Lilian’s almost every day.
Rio Bravo on Vester Voldgade offered typical Danish fare including an all-you-can-eat pork, potato and parsley sauce dish if you’re feeling super-hungry. Well, you have to try Danish bacon in Denmark, right? The plate comes piled high and you are offered seconds – but we couldn’t manage them!
For cheap beer, Heidi’s on Vestergade offers a selection of good beers at what we would term UK prices (probably cheaper than London prices!).
The amusingly named Bastard Café on Rådhusstræde also offered a decent selection of reasonably cheap beer. This sprawling café, sited across multiple rooms within a large building which also houses a deeply cool cinema, has a plethora of board games you can borrow. The beer is good but the food not that exciting – toasted sandwiches and fried things – but you’re not really there for fine dining.
Singing Copenhagen, wonderful, wonderful – Copenhagen for me!
Our five days in Copenhagen were pretty packed and that reflects the diversity of things to do in this vibrant and cosmopolitan city. It really does have something for everyone.
Danny Kaye was right all those years ago. Copenhagen is truly wonderful.
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Glad you enjoyed Copenhagen. I loved it too and also found it to be on the pricey side for a Brit.
I went to many of the sites you did and it brought back fun memories looking at your photos. You also did more than I did but I was there for a weekend not 5 days like you.
Great that you found The Bastard café in Malmo. I also did and just had to get a pic of its name on the menu board, such fun that I bet they knowingly play along with.
I was captivated at the journey over to Sweden via the Oresund tunnel/bridge – such a feat of engineering!
This guide is superb and so informative. Loved that you included some food suggestions too to enjoy after long day sightseeing there.
Thanks so much for your kind words! We’re so glad you loved Copenhagen, it’s a fantastic city! Yes, we had to laugh at the Bastard Cafe!! You’re right the Oresund bridge really is an engineering marvel.
What a fabulous and informative post that gave me so many ideas to add to my list. The Copenhagen card is a good tip that I will remember.
The museums look amazing. I know I would spend a lot of time appreciating the National Museum’s Viking history and the exhibits in the Design Museum.
You covered so many intriguing places and activities along with some excellent advice. I’ve bookmarked it for future planning purposes. Thanks for the great read!
Lyn | http://www.ramblynjazz.com
Thank you so much! We do recommend the Copenhagen card, it saved us loads of money and was a terrific way to see so much of the city and beyond. Hope you get to visit, we are sure you will like the city – it has so much to offer.
Love the variety you got to taste of smorrebroad in Copenhagen. I’m definitely taking notes and dropping some pins on Google maps for my next trip. Glad you had enough time to also visit Malmö on the other side of The Bridge. I found Wake up to be one of the best accommodation options for Copenhagen, as the city is super pricey and the hotel offers just about a balanced price/quality. I usually visit the city in the summer and then rarely spend time at the museums. The National & Design Museum have sparked my interest.
Carolin | Solo Travel Story
So glad that the guide was useful. We highly recommend the Design Museum and the National, they are both fantastic places to visit and genuinely interesting. Yes, the Wake Up definitely offered the best value in the city. And the smorrebrod – so delicious!
Copenhagen does look like a fun place to visit for 5 days. The food looks terrific too! It is a good idea to pre-book tickets online if it will be popular. The worst thing is to miss out on an attraction because no places are left. Really cool to be able to visit another country from Copenhagen too. Sweden is another place I would love to spend a few days exploring. Christiansborg Palace looks very cool! Great post and it is useful for anybody considering a visit to Denmark!
Thank you. We’d definitely recommend Copenhagen, it’s such a vibrant city with so many diverse things to see and do. Pre-booking some attractions is definitely worthwhile. And it’s really nice to be able to cross to Sweden for a day!
Are we not all fans of Scandinavian thriller dramas? And the best way to really get into the action is visit the places where these high suspense footage took place and perhaps throw a little mermaid in the mix 😉 Great to hear that you both enjoyed Copenhagen. There is also this hotel smacked right in the Tivoli garden called Nimb that I’ve been wanting to score a point. They throw perks to thier guests to play in the themepark to all heart’s content. Pricey, so I have heard! I look forward to visiting the city one day #flyingbaguette
Jan – https://flyingbaguette.com/
Hee! Yes, we’d have been foolish to have visited *without* seeing some of those dramas, although you’ll be pleased to know that we didn’t encounter any crime at all on our visit! The Nimb hotel sounds interesting. We really loved Tivoli and were just delighted about how important a part of the city it is.
What a fantastic guide for those who want to visit Copenhagen! I’m very curious to see the city, but I confess that the fact that it’s a bit overpriced (at least for a Portuguese) has deterred me from visiting.
I’d love to visit the design museum, it looks really interesting. In addition, the food looks very appealing and it’s good to know that there are several options, not only in terms of flavors but also prices.
Thanks so much for your kind words, really glad you enjoyed this guide. We can understand the hesitation at visiting, Denmark is an expensive country to visit. We did manage to find some cheaper options and were very pleased to have discovered great value food and drink as well. Copenhagen is a really marvellous city – hope you can visit one day!
You’re bringing back so many good memories of a trip to Copenhagen I made years ago. I went on a school trip and lived with a family for 2 weeks. It was also my first plane ride – although I didn’t walk from the airport, kudos to that guy you met. I remember the theme park, the little mermaid and all the lovely buildings as well as a day trip to Malmo, but there’s a lot here I either didn’t do or have forgotten about so maybe it’s time for another trip
How lovely that Copenhagen was a school trip and your first plane ride! We’d definitely recommend another visit if you get a chance. We very much want to return.
What a great post. So much information. The Copenhagen card is a good tip.
The museums look amazing. The National Museum’s Viking history would be fascinating. I’ve been to Norway and I’m heading to the Orkneys next year to see more Viking heritage.
Thanks for the info.
Thanks so much! We can really recommend a visit to Copenhagen, there is so much to see and do.
The viking museum and rollercoaster piqued by interest, but looks a great city. As per usual, the local beer is of interest.
It is a fab city. We loved the rollercoaster! And there is a wide variety of great craft beers on offer – definitely worth exploring the beery possibilities.
Rosenborg Castle is truly breathtaking. I love the roofing – so it’s good to know to book early so I can explore (and spot the jewels haha). I didn’t know Copenhagen had a fort. It makes sense, but I never really thought about it before. Copenhagen looks like a really charming and not-overwhelming city (like NYC haha). Beautiful.
Thank you. Yes, Copenhagen is a lovely city. There is plenty to do but is very walkable – or indeed cyclable – definitely not overwhelming.
I just watched the movie Copenhagen, which I do not recommend, but it did showcase a few of these places like Tivoli and the mermaid statue. In any case, the city is beautiful! The assessment of the food made me smile, but I believe that food doesn’t have to be exciting, it just has to be good! Glad that it was 🙂
Thank you! Yes, the city really is beautiful and there is so much to see and do. You’re absolutely right about food not having to be exciting – tasty will do just fine! But we thought the smorrebrod really was amazing – we’ve recreated it at home.
Copenhagen is like a dream place many things ot do and many places to visit and ofcourse the food look tasty thanks to share all of these information will be very helpful in my next travel , I am from Cusco Peru I hope you can also have the opportunity to visit us one day 🙂 will be a pleasure to help you Colin & Mitch