As a part of my business trip, I got a chance to visit Copenhagen, Denmark in October 2023 . I tried to sneak in some time to visit a couple of major attractions in Copenhagen.
Copenghagen constantly ranks one among the happiest cities in the world. There are many attractions to explore here in Copenhagen, ideal place for a 2-3 days itinerary.
Copenhagen Airport, Kastrup:
Its is an international airport serving Copenhagen, Denmark. The airport is the largest airport in the Nordic countries. I flew from Dublin to Copenhagen. The outside view from plane was really superb. If you’re lucky you’ll get a fabulous view of Øresund Bridge (Architectural Masterpiece, bridge between Copenhagen and Sweden) as you fly into Copenhagen.
It’s a nice and modern airport, which is located just eight kilometres from the city centre.
The airport is well connected with lots of international destinations.
There are a few food outlets within the terminal building. ‘Burger King’ outlet is indeed a big one.
Its quite easy to find the Train, Metro, Taxi and Bus Terminals. There are lots of display boards available everywhere.
If you are looking for Train tickets, you will find the DSB ticket machine / Kiosks (quite near to the Burger King outlet). Please note that such tickets are available in 7/11 shops aswell.
DSB, an abbreviation of Danske Statsbaner (Danish State Railways), is the largest Danish train operating company, and the largest in Scandinavia.
NOTE: You can also use sites like OMIO, for booking trains.
You can also use mobile app Viggo, if you are looking for taxis.
The kiosk is quite easy to navigate. English display is also available. Normally, you will also find a DSB employee near the Kiosk to support you (in case if you are confused how to operate the Kiosk).
There are lots of trains (ex: To Lund, Malmo, Stockholm and so on) from the airport. You will see tracks / platforms clearly indicated.
If you are looking for metro, you will see that also, clearly indicated.
The Metro is well connected to different parts of Copenhagen.
By chance if you want to drop off your luggage in the Airport, there is a self service facility available just outside the terminal building (very easy to use).
If you plan to cover a lot of places within Copenhagen, I strongly suggest to take a City pass (I had personally taken a 24 hours city pass large) .
NOTE:
1) City pass is available in different variants like 24, 48, 72,120 hours. The city pass comes with 2 options Small and Large.
The City Pass Small gives you unlimited access to buses, trains, metro and harbour buses in zones 1 – 4, which includes the center of Copenhagen and to and from the airport.
Meanwhile, the City Pass Large let you travel unlimited in zones 1 – 99, which includes Roskilde, Elsinore and other destinations in Northern Zealand.
A more convenient way to buy the City Pass is by getting the “DOT Tickets” app.
Get more information here : https://www.publictransport.dk/tickets/city-pass
2) There is also a Copenhagen Card worth exploring. See the link : https://www.copenhagencard.com/
COPENHAGEN CARD – DISCOVER is a ‘all-inclusive’ card that covers admission to 80+ attractions, includes public transportation including to and from the Airport.
COPENHAGEN CARD – HOP covers admission to 40+ attractions in the city center and Hop-on Hop-off sightseeing buses in Copenhagen.
Central Station:
The first destination I wanted to cover was the ‘Central Station’. It is quite a big one with lots of platforms.
Both the metro and normal trains run from Copenhagen Airport to the central station. There are direct trains from airport to the copennhagen Central Station (around 15+ minutes). If you are taking Metro, you will have to get down at Kongens Nytorv and connect another Blue/red lines metro to reach the central station. So its obvious that taking a train would be easy/faster, if your destination is central station.
I had taken a train to reach the central station. Cycles play a major role in the life of locals here. You will see dedicated space for cycles in trains and stations. You will also find a lot of bike lanes all over the city. So be careful, while walking and crossing in the roads. You are not expected to walk in the cycle lanes. Copenhagen was ranked as one of the top Bike-Friendly Cities on the Planet. Bycyklen is a good mobile app for the bikes.
In case of you wish to keep your luggage in the Central station, you have self servcie options available.
STROGET Shopping (Walking street)
Once you come out of the central station, walk straight till the main road and turn to right side. If you follow that road (you will pass in front of Tivoli gate), you will get into the walking street which will take you till the famous canals.
If you are going in the corerct direction, you will see Scandic palace hotel on your right.
It’s a very nice walking street (approx 1.1 Kms I guess, It is one of the world’s longest pedestrian street) with lots of shops in both sides. There are lot of souvenir shops (try to get a souvenir from this street) and eateries in both sides. The entire street is also packed with a number of interesting shops, restaurants, and street performers. One of the highlights is Lego’s flagship store which is an excellent place to browse for both the young and young at heart. It is nice to see how many cool Lego structures are available these days in the place where they were invented.
I had tried some Belgian Chips from a shop and it was really tasty.
You will also find lot of important buildings in that road.
After covering some distance, you will start seeing the glimps of Canal.
This Canal and the buildings nearby are famous photography spots, which you would have seen in many wallpapers. There are lots of bars and restaurants here, so it’s a great place to hang out.
Nyvahn Waterfront and Boat ride:
Copenhagen is a waterfront city, and there’s no argument that the most photogenic waterfront spot in the city is Nyhavn. It is the classic picture postcard view that helps everyone recognise Copenhagen. If you are in Copenhagen and would like to cover 1 or 2 main things here, this canal boat ride should be in the Top part of your priority list. I could see 2 companies operating the canal tour (not sure if there are any other companies).
You will find ticket counters in the end part.
The boat jouney is around 45min-1 hour. The boats can acccomodate lot of people and there is also adjustable roof (in case if want to save youself from getting wet during rains). Since the roofs are adjustable and transparent, don’t worry even if you failed to get a window seat.
Onboard, there will be a guide giving you the history and small bits of information about everything you pass by. It’s a great way to get a feel for the city and to get a general overview. Its quite a relaxing journey and you will love every moment of that.
NOTE: You will get to see lot of important attractions / buildings like Frederik’s Church, Little Mermaid Statue, Church of Our Saviour in Christianshavn, the imposing Kastellet fortress, royal palace, Opera house and so on during this boat trip.
Streets of Copenhagen:
After getting down the boat, I spend some time exploring the beautiful city of Copenhagen. It is considered to be an expensive city to visit but you can cover a lot of places on foot (the main sights of the city centre are all quite close to each other) . Also as discussed earlier, its good to grab a 24/48 hours ticket, so that you can hop-on and hop-off in public transport. Ofcourse you can also hire a bicycle aswell.
NOTE: Renting a car isn’t practical in Copenhagen, because parking is limited and might be expensive aswell.
Copenhagen’s public transportation system is efficient and clean and can take you just about anywhere you need to go in the city. Switching from one form of transport to another is very seamless.
Tivoli Gardens:
Later in the evening, I decided to explore Tivoli. It is an amusement park (Did you know that Walt Disney came to Tivoli to get inspiration for Disneyland?) and pleasure garden, operating since 1843. There are 30+ rides and open-air concerts in the summer.
If you’re visiting Copenhagen with kids, it’s a brilliant place to visit. They’ll love all the various rides and attractions. Everyone will enjoy it too, especially on a warm summer’s day. It’s the ideal place to relax or enjoy the rides.
If you visit in the evening, you’ll be treated to a dazzling light display. Thousands of lights adorn the various rides at night creating a sight that is fairytale-like!
Located in the centre of the city (one gate is opposite to Central Station), Tivoli Gardens is one of the top attractions in the city and it is the third-oldest amusement park in the world.
Tivoli Gardens is the fifth most visited amusement park in all of Europe. The 20-acre property is known for its rollercoasters. The most famous of which is the wooden Rollercoast Rutschebanen, which was built in 1914.
People say it takes 4-6 hours to cover full place. As I dint had much intention to explore all the rides, I was able to cover in 2+ hours.
But it’s a interesting place to visit. When I visisted, there were lot of Halloween decorations (additional lights and pumpkins) aswell.
NOTE: https://www.tivoli.dk/en –> Check website for opening date/time.
It opens in 3 seasons (Ex: 2024 timings below) :
- 22 March – 22 September (Summer)
- 10 October – 3 November (Halloween)
- 15 November – 5 January (Christmas)
Worth Noting:
- What I dicussed so far is just a 1 day itinenary for Copenhagen. It’s a place worth 3 days, for sure.
- Copenhagen can be very cold in winter, so prepare yourself by packing a warm coat, hat, scarf and gloves.
- Check opening times before visiting any attractions. In the winter it’s common for some venues to close a little earlier, so make sure to double check their websites so you don’t miss out.
- If you want the highest chances of sunny weather, blue skies, and white clouds, aim for visiting in May-September.
- Don’t foregt to try Danish hotdogs, Waffles and so on.
- You can also find lot of LEGO stores which usually has a Denmark-specific set or two, since Denmark is where LEGO was created and is still headquartered.
Copenhagen has plenty to offer, you will not run out of idea.
Some other places/options worth exploring (in and around Copenhagen):
Amalienborg Palace (changing guards ceremony aswell)
Copenhagen Zoo
Botanical Gardens
Round Tower (climb the tower)
Aquarium (Den Bla Planet)
Frederiks Kirken – Marble Church
The Forest Tower – Camp Adventure
Kronborg Castle
Canal Tour
Christian’s Harbor (Painted Buildings)
Christiansborg Palace
Frederiksberg Palace
Statens Museum for Kunsk
Gefion Fountain
Walk up the Copenhill
Torvehallerne Market (food market)
Kastellet Fortress
Kronberg Slot (Hamlet’s castle)
Freetown Christiania
National Museum of Denmark
Louisiana Museum of Art
Church of Our Saviour
Reffen Market (street food)
Rosenborg Castle
Amager Strandpark
Roskilde
City Hall Square
Gråbrødretorv Square
Kultorvet Square
Illums Bolighus –Stylish Department Store
Free Walking Tours
Copenhagen Hop-On Hop-Off Tour
Malmo (Sweden) : Since you can actually see Sweden from Copenhagen, the temptation to visit a new country is hard to ignore. This is easy to do with a day trip over the Øresund Bridge to Malmö. This Swedish city is full of history and character, and you can see quite a bit of it in just a day. (2 countries in a single trip, who won’t love it). Please note that there are high chances (but not always) that id/passport might get verified.
Best time to visit:
Summer in Copenhagen (June to August) is the best season for good weather and endlessly long evenings, but prepare for the city to be busy with visitors. Spring is also fine.