In addition to classic city hiking and exploring the city's historical sights, get ready for the following activities in Copenhagen.
Hygge
If you're not familiar with this name, get acquainted. Hygge is a way of happy living and inner contentment, simply those moments when you are well and happy. We don't know why, but hygge is intrinsically linked to Denmark itself.
Sit on a wooden deckchair by Nyhavn harbour behind the Royal Theatre, buy a takeaway coffee and enjoy it to the accompaniment of sunshine, the smell of the sea and the cries of seagulls. Sooner or later, the hygge will just come.
Drinking coffee
Danes love coffee and they know how to make it well. You'll find countless cafés around town, as well as mobile carts and coffee vendors. Stop by for 15 minutes and enjoy a moment of true Nordic tranquillity.
Espresso will cost around 40 dkk and you can pay with your card everywhere, including the smallest street stalls.
Discover the local sights
Copenhagen may not have world-famous monuments, but even so, just exploring the history will easily take a whole day.
Copenhagen is a relatively young city and the oldest surviving monuments usually date back to the 17th or 18th century. The most important ones are always described in separate mini-guides:
- Amalienborg - the current royal residence
- Christiansborg - Parliament and royal stables
- Rosenborg - the royal summer residence with gardens
- Frederiks Kirke - the church with its huge dome
- theLittle Mermaid statue - an icon of Denmark
- and many more
Hippie chill in Christiania
Travel back to 1960 in the Free City of Christiania, established by a semi-independent anarchist community. In 1971, after abandoning the barracks, hippies rushed into the empty buildings and established their own micronation with its own currency and laws.
You won't be surprised to see stalls selling various types of marijuana or hashish.
Relax in the park
Ideal for more than just a picnic on the grass is the Royal Garden Kongens Have in the centre of the city around Rosenborg Castle. Buy some snacks and sit on the grass or a bench and enjoy another hygge moment.
Just don't count on too much privacy, the Danes just love it here.
A little further away from the centre, visit the larger and quieter Faelledparken.
Cycling
Bikes, bikes and bikes everywhere. Cyclists can rejoice. Of the 12,000 kilometres of cycle paths in Denmark, 500 kilometres are in Copenhagen itself. Rent a bike (see Transport in Copenhagen) and start pedalling.
You can cycle from north to south through Copenhagen in about half an hour to an hour with stops. The city is flat, making it suitable even for completely inexperienced cyclists.
The infrastructure is perfect and very safe. The only drawback is the price. If you cycle all day, it will cost you more than twice as much as travelling by public transport.
Not only with children to the amusement park
Have fun at the world's second oldest amusement park , Tivoli.
Roller coasters, thrill rides and regular rides are all part of the city park, where you pay 155 dkk for entry and ideally more 290 dkk for unlimited rides. For more on the park, see the descriptions under places to visit in Copenhagen.
Day trip to Malmö
If you have more time in Copenhagen and don't know what to do next, head over the Öresund Bridge to Malmö, Sweden. The journey itself is a great adventure, as you'll be crossing the second longest bridge in the world, which is 16 kilometres long.
In Malmö, what better way to get to the beach than to rent bikes at the train station.
Tickets to Malmö can be bought from kiosks at Copenhagen H main station, or cheapest from Skånetrafiken machines marked with the Swedish flag. The journey takes 35 minutes and the ticket costs 135 sek. Trains run 2-4 times an hour on the route.