Five Days in Copenhagen

Known as being the happiest city in the world, the most bike-friendly (forget Amsterdam!) and a lot of hygge (I’m still not sure how to pronounce it!) going on, Copenhagen the capital of Denmark has so much to see and do!

I visited Copenhagen between Christmas and New Year, which means that a few things in my itinerary may not be available all year round. However, I hope five days in Copenhagen itinerary will give you some inspiration and help plan your trip to happiest cities in the world! 

Where To Stay?

We visited Copenhagen between Christmas and New Year, meaning we visited during quite a busy and expensive period. We found Copenhagen Go Hotel on Booking.com, which was around £130 each for four nights. 

I was a little wary at first as the hotel was a little out the centre, meaning we’d have to get a train every day, but the train came regularly and didn’t stop on New Year’s Eve & Day. It was a lovely hotel, and one I’d highly recommend to anyone visiting! 

Day One

Pick Up The Copenhagen Card

We always weigh up whether we should get a card for the city on whether it is worthwhile money-wise, and for Copenhagen it was. For 120 hours the card was £110 and included travel for our whole time in the city as well as a number of other attractions. We picked up the card in the airport, which meant we could use it for transport into the city straight away. 

Check-In

If you’re visiting Copenhagen for five days, you’ll likely have a suitcase to drop off. Our hotel was only one stop on the train from the airport, so within around half an hour of landing, we were checking into our room. We love an early flight, so once we checked in, we freshened up and got ready for the day!

Ice Skating at Skøjtebanen

If you’re visiting Copenhagen from the end of November to the end of February, get your skates on! The ice rink at Frederiksberg Runddel is free! All you have to do is pay for hiring skates which is DKK 50 (around £7) which you can hire for an hour; you also get an extra fifteen minutes to put your skates on, so you don’t eat into the hour of skating!

Explore Meatpacking District

The Meatpacking District is a must when visiting Copenhagen. It was another place we were told was a must to visit when in the city! With events, underground bars and some incredible eateries, we spent one of our evenings here for the food. 

We went to Warpigs, known for their BBQ meats and craft beers. You are able to select the weight of the meat you’d like, and they’ll carve in front of you. I had a slice of beef with a side of mac n cheese!

Day Two

Coffee at Union Kitchen

One I found on Instagram! Union Kitchen is known for their word art on their cappuccinos. Their breakfast menu is also extensive, whether you fancy something savoury or sweet. I had the breakfast burrito, which was delicious!

Do A Free Walking Tour

Maybe one of the best walking tours I’ve been to! We did our tour with Sandeman’s, they do daily tours which start at either 11 AM or 2 PM, and the meeting point is City Hall. 

On the two and half hour tour, we picked up a lot of knowledge, including why Copenhagen is the happiest country in the world. All of their education is paid for (even university!), shorter workdays, more holidays, full maternity leave pay, just to name a few! 

As well as the happiest city, it’s also known as one of the safest! If you ever walk by a shop and spot a pram outside with a baby in, it’s common in Copenhagen to leave prams with children in outside!

Walk Up The Rundetaarn

Included in the Copenhagen Card

The round tower was built in 1642 and is one of the oldest observatory towers in Europe! There are no steps, so you walk around the cobbled walkway until you read the top. Be sure to head out to the observatory deck to get the amazing views of the city!

• 

• 

Explore Nyhavn

The main pictures you’ve seen of Copenhagen as likely to be of Nyhavn! Nyhavn means the New Harbour and is the most photographed place in Copenhagen and what most probably associate with Denmark. The waterfront district of the city is picturesque, with the colourful buildings and canal boats. 

Treat Yourself To A Waffle Stick

One of the main reasons I wanted to visit Copenhagen was seeing an image of these waffle sticks from Gelato Rajissimo pictured at Nyhavn! There are many of the shops around Copenhagen, but there is one situated in Nyhavn. 

Grab Food At Torvehallerne Food Hall

Copenhagen has a few food halls, and Torvehallerne is a highly rated one. Situated in the centre of Copenhagen with plenty of options, there aren’t too many places which you can sit to eat, but I’d recommend visiting. I picked up some calamari with chips!

Day Three

Breakfast at La Glace

Denmark’s oldest confectionery, La Glace, offers up the most amazing pastries and hot chocolate. The hot chocolate came with a free refill and a pot of cream and was one of the best I’ve had. 

Visit Christanborg Palace

Included in the Copenhagen Card

Pay a royal visit to Christanborg Palace, made up of five areas: the royal kitchen, the ruins, the royal reception rooms, the chapel and the royal stables. The Danish Parliament, the Supreme Court and the Ministry of State are all located within the island of Slotsholmen too!

Feel Like a Princess at Rosenborg Castle

Included in the Copenhagen Card

With 400 years of royal treasures located within the castle, if you can appreciate the architecture, then I’d recommend visiting. You aren’t allowed to take luggage in; even a small backpack will have to be placed in a locker when you visit. 

Hop-On A Canal Tour

Included in the Copenhagen Card

In sixty minutes, explore Copenhagen by boat! Sail by Freetown Christiana, the famous Mermaid statue (from My Little Mermaid!) and Amalienborg as you learn about the history of the city. 

Visit Tivoli

Entry included in the Copenhagen Card

Probably my favourite place in Copenhagen, Tivoli Gardens is an amusement park which opened in 1843. It’s said that it was inspiration for Disneyland Paris!

Inside the park, you’ll be able to jump on some rides, watch a show as well as do a spot of shopping. Tivoli also has a food court, which you don’t need tickets to access if you’d like to visit on a day you aren’t exploring the park. 

We visited during the evening, which was magical at Christmas, we actually went on New Year’s Eve when they do a fireworks display around 11 PM. I would have also liked to explore the park during the day too!

Day Four

Have Breakfast at Central Hotel & Café

The smallest hotel in Copenhagen (it has one room!) also has a small café which sits underneath. We headed here for a morning coffee and croissant before starting our day. 

Hire a Scooter 

After our morning coffee and croissant, we decided to hire scooters so we could get to Copenhagen Zoo. The scooters we hired were from Lime, which is an app which you’ll need to download, it’s super easy to use. We travelled around 1.5km, which took 20 minutes and cost DKK 60, which is around £7. So much fun, but also a little scary!

Head to Copenhagen Zoo

Included in the Copenhagen Card

There are polar bears!! And if that’s not the only reason to visit the zoo, we were told that the zoo was a must when in Copenhagen, so we knew we had to come. 

It’s one of the oldest zoos in Europe, founded in 1859. You could easily spend hours here, with giraffes, flamingos and elephants amongst the 3,000 animals which call this place home. 

Rooftop Drinks at Illum 

If you fancy a spot of shopping, head to Illum, which is a luxury department store which is also home to rooftop bars and restaurants. We spent a few hours hear sipping on some delicious cocktails! 

Day Five

Try Smørrebrød

Wherever I go, I like to try some of the countries delicacies, and Denmark is known for Smørrebrød, an open-faced sandwich which is usually made with rye bread and topped with a variety of different things. The one I tried was topped with pate, bacon and mushrooms and was incredibly delicious! 

At the food halls we visited they also had them on offer, so it’s quite easy to get your hands on one to try!

Discover Freetown Christiana

Freetown is known as the hippie place in Copenhagen. It’s a former military base, and in 1971, a group of hippies broke in and decided it would be there home. When entering you’ll notice there are signs which say don’t take photos! We didn’t spend a lot of time here, but it was an interesting place to walk through.  

Head To Ripley’s Believe It Or Not

Included in the Copenhagen Card

We were interested in heading to Ripley’s as it was also home to The World of Hans Christian. Hans was a Danish author who wrote the famous stories such as The Little Mermaid (hence the mermaid statue in Copenhagen!) and The Ugly Duckling. In Ripley’s, you’ll be able to discover some of his dark stories as well as stand up against the world’s tallest man!

Got Some Extra Time?

Copenhagen is situated only a short train ride from Malmo in Sweden. So, if you have the time, I would suggest hopping on the train and visiting Sweden, we didn’t, but if we had more time I would have loved to! 

And there is my five days in Copenhagen itinerary! I could have written a lot more, but feel like this is long enough already. I was surprised by how much I actually loved Copenhagen, and you can definitely see why it is rated as one of the happiest places in the world!

Pin Me For Later