Since my trip to Copenhagen, I have realized that not many people I know have 1.) been there or 2.) have any desire to visit Copenhagen. I was there for nine days and absolutely fell in love with it, but you can absolutely see most of the popular things to do in Copenhagen over a long weekend.
This itinerary for three days in Copenhagen will guide you through some of the most popular attractions in Copenhagen and what I consider to be some of the best places to eat in Copenhagen.
Getting Around
Public transportation in Copenhagen is great; they have an extensive bus and train system that is clean, affordable, and easy to navigate. But, if you really want to get the true Copenhagen experience, rent a bike.
Copenhagen is a huge biking city, so much so that bikes have their own lanes, their own traffic lights, and they even have the right of way. The layout of lanes on the streets go Cars – Bikes – Sidewalks/Pedestrians. Keep this in mind when crossing any streets because I can promise you that if you don’t pay attention, the bikers will hit you and ultimately you will be in the wrong. Or you can just avoid that potential for catastrophe and join them with a bike of your own! There are bike rental places every few blocks that rent either by the hour or by the day, so it should be easy to find one.
Copenhagen Card
3 days in Copenhagen is the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the Copenhagen Card! The Copenhagen Card can be bought for a variety of time ranges: 24, 48, 72, or 120 hours (1, 2, 3, or 5 days). With the Copenhagen Card you get unlimited access to Copenhagen public transportation and free admission to over 80 of the most popular attractions in Copenhagen. Almost everything in this itinerary is covered by the Copenhagen Card, but you should always double check the most up to date list of attractions on their website. The website also has a great “savings calculator” that can help you determine whether or not it is worth it based on the attractions you plan on seeing.
The Itinerary
Throughout this itinerary you’ll see that I mention quite a few different tours. While I am not usually a huge fan of tours…I could not get enough of them in Copenhagen! And if you only have a limited time in Copenhagen I highly recommend taking advantage of them because you’ll get to see a lot more than you would if you tried to do everything on your own, while learning a lot along the way.
Day 1
-Upon your arrival, it’s time to head into town. You can hire a taxi, which will cost you a small fortune for a mere 15-20 minute drive, or you can take the train which is clean, roomy, and very easy to navigate.
-Drop off your bags off at your hotel or AirBnB and make your way to the City Hall Square for the Sandeman free guided walking tour.
If you’re not able to drop your bags off yet, a great option is always to store them at the Copenhagen Central Train Station. The bag room is all the way at the back left of the station and down a set of stairs. The cost is roughly $10 per bag per day and you have the option of having them kept in a manned room or in a locker (though I believe the lockers cost more).
The free Copenhagen walking tour is about two and a half hours long, but you learn a lot and it will really help you get a good lay of the land. They offer daily tours in English and Spanish at 10:00, 11:00 and 14:00 and you’ll know you found the right group when you see their red umbrella.
On the tour you will see most of the major sites that you would have read about already in your numerous Google searches and it can help you decide which ones are worth the visit, and which ones you’re content just walking past. Your tour guide will also be able to help make suggestions.
If you’re starving, don’t worry. About halfway through the tour you’ll stop at a Danish coffee shop chain (that is remarkably similar to Starbucks…) and all the people on the tour are given a discount on whatever they purchase.
The tour will end at Amalienborg Palace, and then you are free to either chat with your tour guide a bit more or go off on your merry way. One thing to note is that while this is a free tour, the tour guides live off of tips. The mentality behind this is that you tip based on how valuable you think the tour was while also being able to stay within your budget.
-If you’re still hungry after your tour, whatever you do, do not eat in Nyhavn! While it is a beautiful place to see and walk through, it is 100% a tourist trap. Copenhagen is expensive enough as it is without paying Nyhavn prices.
While we’re on the topic of Nyhavn, beware of pickpockets. Nyhavn and the Copenhagen Central Station have the largest amount of pickpocket incidents. I found that they tend to be most active in the middle of the day and early evening (I watched a couple make some attempts). However, I was also there in the middle of the night and for sunrise and there was practically no one around. Like anywhere else, just stay alert and aware of your surroundings.
-After grabbing a bite to eat, it’s time to walk over to the Little Mermaid statue. The 20 minute walk will take you along the water, which is truly the best part. No pictures I have seen have been able to clearly depict how small the Little Mermaid actually is. I’ll be honest, it is a little overwhelming and there are of course plenty of tourists, but it is still one of those things you “have to see” your first time in town.
-Depending on time of year, spend your evening re-living your childhood at Tivoli Gardens, the second oldest amusement park in the world, or head to Brus for craft beer, an incredible burger, and a good time
Day 2
-Start your morning off by getting a freshly baked pastry at Sankt Peders Bageri. If you are lucky enough to be in Copenhagen on a Wednesday then you’ll be able to try their famous cinnamon buns which have been named the best in the city.
-After you’ve eaten your weight in incredible fresh baked goods and properly caffeinated, it’s time to walk over to Gammel Strand for a Canal Tour. This was easily my favorite thing to do in Copenhagen! On this one hour tour you will get to see Copenhagen from new and unique angle, and see sides of some the most historic landmarks that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to see. Even if you don’t feel like listening to the tour guide, it is an incredibly peaceful ride.
A couple things to note:
–Depending on the time of year, tours leave regularly anywhere from every 10 to 30 minutes in high season to every 20 to 45 minutes in low season so make sure you double check the timetable online before your trip.
–Since you already saw the Little Mermaid yesterday, ask the tour guide which side it will be on…and sit on the opposite side of the boat. That is easily the most popular site on the tour and the other tourists will be pushing you to get closer to it if that is the side of the boat you choose to sit on.
–The canal tours also leave from Nyhavn, but there are a couple perks to catching it at Gammel Strand:
~By picking it up at Gammel Strand you get first dibs on where to sit. There are both covered and uncovered seats, so if it is a drizzly day you can make sure you get a covered seat before they fill up.
~If you get the Copenhagen Card, the canal tour is “free”, but only if you take it from Gammel Strand.
-After disembarking, make your way over to Christiansborg Palace. While no longer used as the residence for Danish royalty, it currently houses the Parliament, Ministry of State, and the Supreme Court. State functions are also still held here. There are four different parts of Christiansborg that you can see, but they each require a separate ticket. You can definitely do all four in a day, but if you only have time for one I would highly recommend visiting the Royal Reception Rooms and even doing a tour if time allows. You can read my full post on what I thought of all four areas, and which ones you can skip out on, here.
-If you went into the Royal Kitchens at Christiansborg and smelled all the incredible simulated smells, you’re probably starting to get a little hungry. Walk over to the Bridge Street Kitchen for a beautiful, affordable lunch right on the water. I found Bridge Street Kitchen by accident, but it was a beautiful accident. There are a number of food stands selling everything from a traditional Danish smorrebrod to pizza and tacos, and it is also one of the only places you can buy a relatively affordable draft beer. Have a seat at one of the covered and heated picnic tables or sit in one of the chairs right along the canal to enjoy your meal.
-After lunch, it is time to go to church. A quick ten minute walk will take you to the Church of Our Saviour, where you will find the absolute best views of Copenhagen. An architectural marvel, this beautiful baroque church which was completed in 1752 has 400 steps and you can see the final 150 from the streets. Why? Because the golden spiral staircase is exposed to the elements and wraps around the beautiful spire. Fair warning: these stairs are not for the faint of heart. The staircase gets more and more narrow the higher you go, and you are 100% out in the open once you reach the exposed portion. But it is definitely worth it; you won’t find any other views of Copenhagen quite like these views.
-If you’re up to it after your trek to heaven, wander over to Freetown Christiania. I have never heard of or experienced anything quite like Christiania…Christiania is a commune that was founded by a group of squatters on an old military base in 1971. The residents of Christiania live by their own laws and regulations, including no running as it causes panic, and that no one residing in Christiania may own their own car. While marijuana is extremely illegal in Denmark, it is readily available and openly sold in Christiania in their infamous Green Light District on what is known as Pusher Street.
Christiania is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen; beautifully colorful grafitti covers ever single inch of the town and you could get lost in your own mind staring at some of them too intently.
I’ll be honest…I was a bit nervous in Christiania, but I do not think that is the norm and I also visited at a strange time. Residents request that you do not take pictures in Christiania, mainly because weed is still technically illegal in Denmark and people don’t want to be indicted because of a stupid tourist taking a picture with them in it. This is no longer necessarily the case, and residents just ask that you ask their permission before including them in a picture. But, knowing this and knowing that I simply wanted pictures of the artwork, I went around 6AM before the vendors would be out selling their various goods. It was rainy, which made it dark, and the only people around were the people collecting trash. As a solo female traveler, there were probably better times for me to have been there…like not in the rain…
Again, I cannot stress this enough: I never felt like I was in any kind of danger because of a person or group of people. I did see the occasional resident (all men) and they paid me absolutely no mind at all. I think my nervousness came about more because I was clearly such an outsider in these people’s lives. The early morning hours are some of my favorite in my normal life because there is hardly anyone around and I am able to just enjoy the simple pleasure of existing in silence and peace. Knowing how much I value that time made me realize how intrusive I may have been, and because of that I did not wander too far into the town and only stayed for about 45 minutes. But visit. Talk to the people that call Christiania home (and not just about hash…) Christianians live by such a different code than the majority of us, and what is the point of traveling if not to learn about different cultures?
-I’m going to change your life with this dinner recommendation…go to Baest. While I haven’t been to Italy yet (April 2020!), I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that Baest easily has the best pizza in all of Copenhagen, and probably some of the best in the world. They use a housemade sourdough crust, make their own cheeses and charcuterie, and it is truly to die for. I still dream about it and I have been working on recreating it at home ever since (slowly but surely getting there…kinda…) I go more into detail about this deliciousness here.
-After one of the best meals you can have in Copenhagen, head for a night on the town at Balderdash Copenhagen. Night life in Copenhagen is abundant, and you can find anything you may be looking for, whether it be a club or a brewery. But I personally think Balderdash is the perfect place for anyone. It is a little hole in the wall place, filled with hygge and laughter. The drinks are like nothing you will ever have anywhere else in the world, from a Mushroom Alexander in the fall/winter (my personal favorite) to adult milkshakes topped with grasshoppers in the summer…yupp, you read that right.
I feel like it is my job to warn you that drinks are hella expensive at Balderdash, but they are absolutely worth it. While they sound outlandish, every single drink is prepared with exquisite attention to detail and crafted to appeal to every single one of your senses. From going up in flames, to bergamot perfume, a night at Balderdash isn’t just a night out drinking: it is an experience. On top of the drinks, you will be surrounded by expats. I met people from all over the world: New Orleans, the Phillipines, Germany, and lifelong Danes. It is truly impossible to have a bad time at Balderdash.
In the fall and winter, Balderdash normally has jazz nights on the weekends. Check out their Facebook or Instagram for the most up to date information.
Day 3
-After a night on the town, you’ll need a filling breakfast and some delicious coffee. That’s why you should head over to Mirabelle Bakery. Mirabelle shares a head baker (and I believe an owner as well) with Baest, so if you enjoyed your time there you are sure to fall in love with Mirabelle. I originally went to Mirabelle because I had read that they have the best almond croissants in all of Copenhagen, but when I got there they had a special that I just couldn’t pass up. Because it mid-November and one of the bakers was American, they made a special Thanksgiving pastry. It was a flaky, buttery pastry topped with something akin to the filling in a pumpkin pie. It was easily one of the greatest pastries I have ever had in my life. If you’re not up to a pastry, they also offer some heavier, more traditional breakfast fare. I’m devastated that I waited until my last morning in Copenhagen to try Mirabelle, but it will definitely be a regular morning stop for me on my next visit.
-Depending on how much time you have before heading to the airport, I would recommend a couple different things.
–If you have at least 3-4 hours, head over to the Carlsberg brewery where not only will you taste some absolutely phenomenal beer but you’ll learn a lot about the history of Copenhagen (Hint: the Jacobsen family and Carlsberg Foundation have played a huge part in it).
–If you don’t have that much time, wander around the part of town that Mirabelle is in. This neighborhood, called Norrebro, is beautiful. There are cafes on the water and swans, the national birds of Denmark, can frequently be seen by the dozen having lunch in the river. Want to join them? Rent one of the swan boats!
-If you have time for lunch before catching your flight, I highly recommend Gasoline Grill. As the name suggests, this wonderful little gem is located in a gas station. Their burgers are made fresh daily and they stay open until they sell out (and they will sell out). You can taste the freshness in these burgers, and they are made perfectly every time.
Daytrips from Copenhagen
If you’re looking for some suggestions on day trips from Copenhagen, I have written about quite a few below: