A Complete Copenhagen Itinerary + Tips
Looking for an itinerary for Copenhagen? Happy to help!
We spent an incredible 4 nights in Copenhagen as a multi-generational family (my husband and I, my mom, plus our two kids who are 12 and 4 years old.)
We’re glad that we spent 4 nights, and could have spent longer, just soaking up the beautiful ambiance of this gorgeous city.
I’m going to break down a good itinerary that is suitable for any age group.
You can make the modifications you wish, as I will provide alternatives.
Quick Facts About This Copenhagen Itinerary
✅ You don’t need a car. Copenhagen is so walkable, with a great public transit system. Plus, there are many tours to see outside the city.
✅ It’s a 2-day itinerary, with an optional 3rd day where you can choose which of the remaining optional activities are best for you. Copenhagen was so lovely, that we want to go back
✅ You do need decent walking shoes. It’s not a huge city (population-wise) but some of the things to see are fairly spread out
✅ You may have different priorities from myself, or others visiting Copenhagen – so I’m going to provide alternative ideas for things to do nearby so that you can make the best decision for yourself.
A Complete (3-Day) Copenhagen Itinerary
Day 1 in Copenhagen: Self-guided walking tour and boat tour
On day 1, spend the day taking the city in. The order you do things isn’t as important as just getting them in. It’s completely doable to do all of the below in a day (we did them all in 1 day even in Copenhagen with kids. But if you find it to be too much, then move the Round Tower to another day.
1. Walk down the Strøget
The Strøget is the largest pedestrian-only street in Copenhagen (and in Europe.) There are lots of Danish souvenir stores, high-end shopping, restaurants, cafes and treats.
Take your time, and take lots of photos. It’s a beautiful street.
Pro Tip: If you’re on the Strøget around noon, then you may catch the guards marching. They march to Amalienborg Palace every day as apart of their daily routine. Their marching is accompanied by music.
2. Go up the Round Tower
The Round Tower is a 1600s tower built for astronomy. It’s definitely worth a visit, and it’s just a short walk off the main Strøget.
You probably need about an hour to get up the tower, enjoy views from the top, and come back down.
Pro Tips: There’s no elevator. Stop in the gift shop, which is half-way up the tower. Also, there’s a beautiful church attached to the Round Tower that I recommend checking out as well.
3. Take a canal cruise from the Nyhavn Canal
The Nyhavn canal is the place used in most photos of Copenhagen. It’s very pretty, and touristy.
Many canal tours leave from there and I highly recommend them. They tend to be 1-hour long and it’s a great way to see more of Copenhagen.
We booked our canal cruise online with Stromma. Their tickets went to spam, and then I had trouble finding them and they almost didn’t allow us on the cruise – so just make sure you find your tickets before you show up.
4. Take photos of one of the prettiest streets in Copenhagen
While we were in Copenhagen, we stayed in an Airbnb on Magstræde. It’s one of the oldest streets in the city, and we saw many people coming here just to take photos.
From the Nyhavn canal, it’s about a 15-minute walk to this little street. There are some great restaurants in the area (I recommend eating here rather than at Nyhavn, as it can be overpriced at Nyhavn.)
We ate at Bronx Burger a few times while staying on Magstræde, it’s just a stone’s throw!
5. Visit the Christmas shop
A short walk from Magstræde, there’s an adorable Danish Christmas shop. It’s not like other Christmas shops with sparkly, fancy ornaments – it’s a lot more Danish.
With minimalist, handmade and rustic-looking ornaments. I definitely recommend stopping in here for unique souvenirs.
Day 2 in Copenhagen: Castles and Churches
1. Climb to the top of Christ of Our Saviour Church
If you have a decent level of fitness, then I recommend climbing to the top of the most unique-looking church in Copenhagen.
The views from the top are incredible and the whole climb is very interesting, because of how it looks from the inside. There’s a movie where you can learn the history behind it, and I also recommend visiting the chapel area of the church too.
*If a 400-step climb isn’t the best idea for your group, then change it with something else instead, such as Rosenburg Castle, Kings’ Garden or the Round Tower if you didn’t do it yesterday
2. Visit Christianborg Castle
Christianborg Castle is absolutely worth visiting in Copenhagen. It doesn’t look that exciting from the outside, so it’s easy to overlook – but the rooms inside are breathtaking.
In addition to the beautiful rooms, there’s also:
- a tower that you can take an elevator to the top of (free of charge, anyone can do this regardless of if they have a ticket)
- an underground ruins area underneath the current castle that shows the foundations of the original castle, which are over 1,000 years old.
- horse stables, where you can see the royal horses and see the royal carriages that have been used over the centuries
Overall, give yourself a good 2-3 hours at Christianborg Castle. It would be a morning or an afternoon visit.
Day 3 in Copenhagen: Little Mermaid + Other Options
Most people who come to Copenhagen want to see the iconic Little Mermaid statue. I did. The thing is, it’s not exactly close to the downtown core. If seeing the statue is important to you, then I will show you how to fit in into today. If not, there are plenty of other ways to spend today too!
1. Go see the famous Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid statue is located about 3.5 km (3 miles) from downtown Copenhagen.
Here are the options for getting there:
- Taking the metro, and then walking about 10 minutes. This is what we did, and it was very doable.
- Do a hop-on hop-off bus tour, which always includes the Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid area is surrounded by a park. There are washrooms, some food and ice cream stands, and other tour buses visiting the attraction. Overall, visiting the Mermaid, getting your photos and getting out there can take about an hour.
2. Your choice.
There are so many unique and fun things to do in Copenhagen that I couldn’t choose just one important thing for this itinerary.
Here are some ideas for your 3rd day in Copenhagen:
- Do a Danish culinary experience food tour (4 hours, and around $150 per person.) There are a few food tours in Copenhagen, and this is the most popular
- Do a hygge tour. (3 hours, $75 per person.) This hygge tour in Copenhagen brings you to a few locations that weren’t on this itinerary, and includes coffee, tea and teaching you about the concept of hygge
- Go on a Forgotten Giants troll hunting bus tour (4 hours, $100 per person.) There’s a bus tour to take you to the 6 trolls located on the outskirts of Copenhagen. They’re located in natural forest areas, and were created by a Danish artist.
Where to Stay in Copenhagen
- Budget: Scandic CPH Strandpark You can get to the city centre easily on public transit! Serves a great breakfast, and has a pool
- Mid-range: Tivoli Hotel My mom stayed here for 1 night before meeting us in Copenhagen, and she loved it. The staff were kind and helpful. Breakfast is served buffet-style, and there’s an indoor swimming pool too!
- Luxury: Bryggen Guldsmeden This is a place to stay if you’re splurging. There’s an outdoor swimming, fitness centre, a great breakfast. Metro access to downtown Copenhagen
We stayed at an AirBnb on Magstræde, which I mentioned above. We definitely recommend it if you like self-serve (which we do.) It can be a little noisy sometimes at night, but overall we were very happy. Here’s a link to the AirBnb we stayed at.
Copenhagen Itinerary FAQ
How many days is enough to see Copenhagen?
You need about three full days to see everything you want to see in Copenhagen and still be able to enjoy the trip. We spent four nights and three days, but we wish we’d had a fourth day. It’s a beautiful city with a lot to do.
What not to miss in Copenhagen?
In Copenhagen, the main thing to see that you don’t want to miss is the Nyhavn Canal, the Christ of Our Savior Church, the Roundtower, Rosenburg Castle, and the Strøget. Don’t miss the charming little closes and side streets, such as Magstræde.
What city to pair with Copenhagen?
Copenhagen can be combined with Malmö, Sweden which is just over the Øresund Bridge. This tour includes Malmö and Lund from Copenhagen, both of which are great Swedish summer destinations.
Final Thoughts on Copenhagen
I hope that this Copenhagen itinerary was helpful, and that you enjoy Copenhagen as much as we did!