Things to do · Copenhagen · Denmark
20 best things to do in Copenhagen
20 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: European Commission, CC BY 4.0
Quick answer
The essential sights in Copenhagen are Tivoli Gardens, Nyhavn and Rosenborg Castle. Of the 20 picks below, 9 are free, 7 work on a rainy day and 7 suit children. Allow about 4 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Tivoli Gardens
- Free sights
- 9
- Good on a rainy day
- Rosenborg Castle
- Time to see the highlights
- 4 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tivoli Gardens | Vesterbro | 3–5 hours | Mid-priced |
| Nyhavn | Nyhavn | 45 minutes | Free |
| Rosenborg Castle | Indre By | 1.5 hours | Mid-priced |
| Amalienborg | Frederiksstaden | 1 hour | Free |
| The Little Mermaid | Langelinie | 30 minutes | Free |
| Strøget | Indre By | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Canal and harbour boat tour | Nyhavn | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Christiansborg Palace | Slotsholmen | 2–3 hours | Mid-priced |
| National Museum of Denmark | Indre By | 2–3 hours | Mid-priced |
| Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek | Vesterbro | 2 hours | Mid-priced |
| SMK – National Gallery of Denmark | Indre By | 2 hours | Free |
| Freetown Christiania | Christianshavn | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Church of Our Saviour | Christianshavn | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Rundetårn (Round Tower) | Indre By | 45 minutes | Low cost |
| Torvehallerne | Nørreport | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Islands Brygge Harbour Bath | Islands Brygge | 2 hours | Free |
| CopenHill | Amager | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Assistens Cemetery | Nørrebro | 1 hour | Free |
| Designmuseum Danmark | Frederiksstaden | 1.5 hours | Mid-priced |
| Copenhagen Zoo | Frederiksberg | 3–4 hours | Mid-priced |
The 20 best things to do
Theme park · Vesterbro
1.Tivoli Gardens
Opened in 1843 opposite what is now Central Station, Tivoli is one of the world's oldest amusement parks: a garden of lakes, pavilions and thousands of coloured lights with a wooden roller coaster dating from 1914. It opens in seasons — summer, Halloween and Christmas — with concerts, pantomime and restaurants alongside the rides.
Come in the evening when the lights come on; an entry ticket alone lets you stroll, and ride passes only pay off for several rides.
- Time needed
- 3–5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Check season dates before you travel; Tivoli closes between its summer, Halloween and Christmas seasons.
- Iconic
- Kids
- After dark
- Couples
Waterfront · Nyhavn
2.Nyhavn
Dug in the 1670s to bring ships into the city, Nyhavn's canal is lined with 17th- and 18th-century townhouses painted red, yellow and blue, with wooden sailing ships moored along the quay. Hans Christian Andersen lived at numbers 18, 20 and 67.
Buy a drink from a shop and sit on the quayside like the locals instead of paying restaurant prices, and come early in the morning for photos.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Photo spot
- Couples
Castle · Indre By
3.Rosenborg Castle
Christian IV's Dutch Renaissance castle, built in the early 17th century, keeps its royal interiors, a Knights' Hall guarded by three life-size silver lions and, in the basement treasury, the Danish crown jewels and regalia. The King's Garden around it is the city's oldest royal park.
Head to the treasury first, then picnic in the King's Garden afterwards.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Timed tickets are recommended in summer, when the small rooms fill quickly.
- History
- Iconic
- Architecture
- Rainy day
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Palace · Frederiksstaden
4.Amalienborg
Four matching rococo palaces around an octagonal square form the Copenhagen home of the Danish royal family, with a museum of royal apartments in one wing. The Royal Life Guard changes at noon every day, and the green dome of Frederik's Church rises directly behind the square.
Watch the guard change at noon, then walk through to Frederik's Church, whose dome can be climbed on guided visits on some days.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Iconic
- History
- Kids
Landmark · Langelinie
5.The Little Mermaid
Edvard Eriksen's small bronze of Hans Christian Andersen's mermaid has sat on a rock at Langelinie since 1913. It is much smaller than many visitors expect, and the harbour walk there past the Gefion Fountain and the star-shaped Kastellet fortress is half the point.
Walk the grassy ramparts of Kastellet on the way, and come early in the morning before the tour coaches arrive.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Iconic
- Photo spot
- Outdoors
Street · Indre By
6.Strøget
One of Europe's longest pedestrian shopping streets runs about 1.1 km from City Hall Square to Kongens Nytorv, past department stores, Danish design flagships and the squares of Gammeltorv and Amagertorv.
Turn into the parallel lanes of Strædet, such as Læderstræde and Kompagnistræde, for independent shops and cafés.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Shopping
- Free
- Iconic
Experience · Nyhavn
7.Canal and harbour boat tour
A one-hour boat tour from Nyhavn or Gammel Strand loops through the canals of Christianshavn and round the harbour, passing the Opera House, the Little Mermaid, Christiansborg and the Black Diamond extension of the Royal Library. The low boats squeeze under some very tight bridges.
Sit on the open side, bring a layer even in summer, and pick a boat with live commentary.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Views
- Couples
- Iconic
Palace · Slotsholmen
8.Christiansborg Palace
On the island of Slotsholmen, Christiansborg houses the Danish Parliament, the Supreme Court and the Prime Minister's Office, alongside the Royal Reception Rooms with their colourful modern tapestries, the royal stables and the ruins of earlier castles in the basement. Its tower, the tallest in the city, has a free viewing platform.
Go up the free tower first (expect a security check), then choose which paid sections to visit.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Views
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Museum · Indre By
1.National Museum of Denmark
Denmark's largest museum of cultural history, in a former royal palace near Slotsholmen, runs from prehistory to the present: the Bronze Age Sun Chariot, the 3,400-year-old grave of the Egtved Girl, Viking weapons and silver hoards, and a hands-on Children's Museum.
Start with the Danish prehistory galleries, then take children to the Children's Museum to dress up and climb aboard a Viking ship.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Kids
- Rainy day
Museum · Vesterbro
2.Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek
Brewer Carl Jacobsen's art collection fills a museum beside Tivoli with Egyptian, Greek, Roman and Etruscan sculpture, French Impressionists and Rodin, arranged around a glass-domed Winter Garden of palms and a fountain. The rooftop terrace looks over Tivoli.
Pair it with Tivoli across the road on a rainy day; the Winter Garden café is a calm place to warm up.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Gallery · Indre By
3.SMK – National Gallery of Denmark
Denmark's largest art museum covers Danish Golden Age painting, European art from Mantegna to Rubens and a strong 20th-century collection including Matisse, in a 19th-century building joined to a modern extension overlooking the Østre Anlæg park. The permanent collection is free.
Combine it with Rosenborg and the University Botanical Garden across the road.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Art
- Free
- Rainy day
Neighbourhood · Christianshavn
4.Freetown Christiania
Founded in 1971 when squatters occupied a disused military base, Freetown Christiania is a self-governing community of colourful self-built houses, workshops, galleries, cafés and lakeside paths along the old ramparts. Residents ask visitors to respect their homes and the signs about photography.
Walk the paths along the ramparts and the lake to see the most inventive homes, and follow the residents' signs.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- Outdoors
- History
Religious site · Christianshavn
5.Church of Our Saviour
This baroque church is famous for its spire, whose outer spiral staircase winds round the outside to a gilded globe about 90 metres above the ground, with views over the harbour and the city's rooftops. Inside is an elaborately carved organ supported by stucco elephants.
The last stretch of steps is outside and very narrow, and the tower shuts in bad weather, so pick a calm, clear day.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Views
- Architecture
- History
- Active
Landmark · Indre By
6.Rundetårn (Round Tower)
Built by Christian IV in the 1640s as an astronomical observatory, the Round Tower is climbed by a smooth spiral ramp instead of stairs — wide enough, legend says, for Peter the Great to ride up on horseback. The platform at the top looks over the old city's rooftops.
Stop at the library hall halfway up for its exhibitions, and peer down through the glass floor into the tower's hollow core.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Views
- History
- Kids
- Architecture
Market · Nørreport
7.Torvehallerne
Two glass-and-steel market halls beside Nørreport station hold around 60 stalls of fish, cheese, bread, coffee, smørrebrød and pastries, with an outdoor fruit and flower market between them. It is the easiest place in the city for a good, casual lunch.
Go before noon on a weekday to avoid the Saturday crowds, and try a smørrebrød from one of the open-sandwich counters.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Food
- Shopping
- Rainy day
Waterfront · Islands Brygge
8.Islands Brygge Harbour Bath
Copenhagen's best-known harbour bath has free swimming pools, diving towers and lifeguards in summer, filled with harbour water clean enough to swim in, beside a long waterfront lawn where locals picnic and sunbathe.
Come on a warm weekday evening when locals arrive after work; lifeguards are on duty only during the summer season.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Active
- Kids
Architecture · Amager
9.CopenHill
Bjarke Ingels' waste-to-energy plant has an artificial ski slope on its sloping roof, a hiking trail to a rooftop viewpoint and one of the world's tallest climbing walls on its facade. The walk to the top is free and looks over the harbour towards the Øresund Bridge.
Walk up the free trail on a clear day; skiing and climbing sessions need booking in advance.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Views
- Active
- Architecture
- Free
- Off the beaten path
Historic site · Nørrebro
10.Assistens Cemetery
This leafy 18th-century cemetery doubles as a park where locals cycle, read and picnic between the graves. Hans Christian Andersen, philosopher Søren Kierkegaard and physicist Niels Bohr are buried here.
Pick up a map at the entrance to find the famous graves, and keep your voice down near recent burials.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Off the beaten path
- Outdoors
Museum · Frederiksstaden
11.Designmuseum Danmark
In an 18th-century former hospital near Amalienborg, Designmuseum Danmark traces Danish and international design and crafts, including a long gallery of chairs by Hans Wegner, Arne Jacobsen, Kaare Klint and other Danish modern designers.
Spend time in the chair galleries and the garden courtyard, and browse the museum shop for design souvenirs.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Zoo · Frederiksberg
12.Copenhagen Zoo
Founded in 1859 and one of Europe's oldest zoos, Copenhagen Zoo has an elephant house designed by Norman Foster, an Arctic Ring with polar bears and an underwater viewing tunnel, and a children's zoo.
Combine it with Frederiksberg Gardens next door, where you can glimpse the elephants over the fence for free.
- Time needed
- 3–4 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Nature
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | National Museum of Denmark, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, SMK – National Gallery of Denmark and Designmuseum Danmark |
| History | Rosenborg Castle, Christiansborg Palace, Amalienborg and National Museum of Denmark |
| Views | Christiansborg Palace, Church of Our Saviour, Rundetårn (Round Tower) and Canal and harbour boat tour |
| Outdoors and nature | The Little Mermaid, Freetown Christiania, Islands Brygge Harbour Bath and Assistens Cemetery |
| Food and markets | Torvehallerne |
| After dark | Tivoli Gardens |
| With children | Tivoli Gardens, Amalienborg, National Museum of Denmark and Rundetårn (Round Tower) |
| On a rainy day | Rosenborg Castle, Christiansborg Palace, National Museum of Denmark and Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek |
What to book ahead
- Tivoli Gardens: Check season dates before you travel; Tivoli closes between its summer, Halloween and Christmas seasons.
- Rosenborg Castle: Timed tickets are recommended in summer, when the small rooms fill quickly.
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Copenhagen?
Tivoli Gardens. Opened in 1843 opposite what is now Central Station, Tivoli is one of the world's oldest amusement parks: a garden of lakes, pavilions and thousands of coloured lights with a wooden roller coaster dating from 1914.
+What can you do for free in Copenhagen?
Nyhavn, Amalienborg, The Little Mermaid, Strøget and SMK – National Gallery of Denmark. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Copenhagen when it rains?
Head indoors to Rosenborg Castle, Christiansborg Palace, National Museum of Denmark and Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek.
+What is there to do in Copenhagen at night?
Tivoli Gardens are best after dark.