Season guide · Copenhagen · Denmark
Copenhagen in winter
December–February: weather, crowds, prices and the best things to do this time of year.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Jiří Komárek, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Cold and dark, with Christmas markets, gløgg and hygge in December, then the quietest and lowest-priced weeks of the year. Expect highs up to 5°C (41°F) and lows around -1°C (30°F), with about 28 rainy days across December–February.
Key facts
- Months
- December–February
- Temperatures
- -1°C (30°F) to 5°C (41°F)
- Rainy days in the season
- About 28
- Sea
- 3°C (37°F) to 6°C (43°F)
- Crowds
- Quiet
- Hotel prices
- Low
Weather in winter
| Month | High | Low | Rainy days | Daylight | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3°C (37°F) | -1°C (30°F) | 10 | 7.6 h | 1/5 |
| February | 3°C (37°F) | -1°C (30°F) | 8 | 9.5 h | 1/5 |
| December | 5°C (41°F) | 1°C (34°F) | 10 | 7.1 h | 3/5 |
Compared with the rest of the year: average highs of 4°C (39°F) against a yearly 12°C (54°F), and 28 of the year's roughly 106 rainy days fall in these 3 months. Crowds rate 2/5 and hotel prices 2/5 on average.
What's on in winter
Recurring events; dates move from year to year, so confirm with the organiser.
- January: Winter sales in the shops (January)
- February: Fastelavn — children's carnival with costumes and cream buns (February or early March)
- December: Christmas markets at Nyhavn, Højbro Plads and Tivoli (usually late November to December)
- December: New Year's Eve fireworks across the city
Good choices for winter
Museum · Frederiksstaden
Designmuseum Danmark
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
Castle · Indre By
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.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Iconic
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Palace · Slotsholmen
Christiansborg Palace
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
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.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Kids
- Rainy day
Museum · Vesterbro
Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek
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
Day trips in winter
- Roskilde (About 25 minutes by train) — Roskilde Cathedral, burial place of Danish monarchs since the 15th century, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Viking Ship Museum on the fjord displays five original Viking ships deliberately sunk around 1070 to block the channel and raised in 1962.
- Malmö, Sweden (About 35–40 minutes by train) — Sweden's third city is a short ride across the Øresund Bridge, with a cobbled old town around Lilla Torg, Malmöhus Castle, the twisting Turning Torso tower and a seawater bathhouse and beach at Ribersborg.
What to pack
- A warm coat, hat, gloves and thermal layers
- Shoes with good grip for icy pavements
- A packable rain jacket for showers
- Comfortable walking shoes
Other times of year
Questions travellers ask
+Is winter a good time to visit Copenhagen?
It is a trade-off: Cold and dark, with Christmas markets, gløgg and hygge in December, then the quietest and lowest-priced weeks of the year. The best months overall are May–September.
+What is the weather like in Copenhagen in winter?
Highs of up to 5°C (41°F) and lows around -1°C (30°F), with about 28 rainy days over the season.