BEST Things to Do in Copenhagen with Kids +

Visiting Copenhagen with kids? Copenhagen is a beautiful, safe and family friendly city. It was my favourite city of the two months we spent in Europe with our two kids, and I couldn’t recommend spending a few days there enough to other families. Our family spent 4 nights in Copenhagen, and I believe we easily could have spent longer.

I was travelling with my 12 year old and 4 year old and can also say that Copenhagen is also great for all ages We explored the downtown, took a canal cruise, climbed a few towers (the Round Tower and the Church of our Savior tower) to get views over Copenhagen, visited some indoor playgrounds, saw the Little Mermaid statue, which was my lifelong dream, and even rented bikes.

Here’s a full guide on the things we did, plus many other options of things to do as a family in Copenhagen!

Things to Do in Copenhagen with Kids

1. Take a walk down the Strøget

The Størget is a must when visiting Copenhagen, and you’ll probably end up walking on it whether or not you plan to. Its the main pedestrian street in the city, and the longest pedestrian-only street in Europe (1.1 km or 0.6 miles.) Its also very central, so if you’re staying in Copenhagen and walking around you’re very likely to wind up on it. It’s a laid back place for a stroll, and has a few notable things to check out too.

Obviously, you can walk as much or little as the Størget as you wish – it would take around 15-20 minutes to if you were to walk from one end of it to the other, more if you’re going into shops. The street is lined with shops, lots of big luxury brands, but also Danish souvenir shops and some fast-food chains.

A few highlights to look out for on the Størget with kids:

• The Lego Store Copenhagen (did you know that Lego was invented in Denmark?)
• A large stork fountain in the centre (pictured above)
• The Guinness World Records Museum and an illusion museum called The Mystic Exploratorie, both beside each other

2. Get photos at Nyhavn, the main canal

Nyhavn is the beautiful canal that the city is known for, which is most depicted in photos. Its very accessible from the city centre. If you’re at the end of the Størget, you can walk to Nyhavn in only 5 minutes.

Honestly, Nyhavn wasn’t my favourite part of our Copenhagen stay. It’s the main tourist magnet of Copenhagen, and it was pretty packed. Copenhagen receives cruise ships, and most of the passengers make a beeline for Nyhavn, so this is part of why! The rest of Copenhagen felt pretty calm, but Nyhavn was the one exception. Expect crowds at Nyhavn, especially in the warm months. There are free public washrooms there, down a small staircase that leads underground. They were clean and well managed, but there may be a small lineup at busy times.

3. Do a canal cruise

While you’re in Nyhavn, you can hop on a canal cruise that will take you to parts of Copenhagen that you wouldn’t see otherwise. A canal cruise in Copenhagen tends to be 1-2 hours long (at most) and gives you a chance to see the city from different perspectives. You’ll likely see the Little Mermaid (from a distance), the operahouse, and go under many bridges.

Copenhagen is nicknamed “Venice of the north” because of all its canals and cruises here are very poopular. Stromma operates the most popular cruises, and they leave from the Nyhavn canal. This is who we booked our cruise with. You can check out their cruise options here. All ages are welcome, and kids sail for half price.

There’s another cruise line I found out about called Netto-Bådene that also leaves from Nyhavn; their website isn’t as user-friendly, but their prices are a little cheaper. Their cruises are 1 hour long and you book via email.

4. Head to ICONO

ICONO is an underrated attraction right in the old town of Copenhagen. It’s an indoor play, illusions, and photo-op place. (That’s the best way I can think of how to describe it.) I saw adults visiting on their own without children, but most people visiting were families.

There are different ICONO locations around the world, but this was our first time visiting or even seeing one. It takes about an hour (90 minutes at the most) to get through at all, depending on how long you or your kids want to play in the rooms for. Some of it is just playfulness, like balloons, others are optical illusions, mazes and a photobooth. Both my 12 and 4 year old were very engaged in it, as we were we.

It very quiet when we were there. We had the ball bit to ourselves for a while (it was a Monday late afternoon in early June) but I can imagine it would get busier on weekends or in the summer months.

5. Climb the Round Tower!

The Round Tower was one of our highlights of Copenhagen. The Round Tower is right in an astronomy tower from the 1600s, located right downtown Copenhagen. You can climb all the way to the top of it (over 100 feet) and get views of Copenhagen from the lookout at the top. In addition, there’s an astronomy observatory that you can take a peek in.

The walk to the top of it is more of an incline cobbled walk, and fairly easy for kids. My 4-year-old climbed to the top, no problem at all. There’s a gift shop and museum halfway up the tower as well, and many littel windows to take a peak at the outside as you climb up.

We simply showed up at the Round Tower and bought tickets on the spot (early June.) There was no line up at all, but I’ve heard that you could encounter one at busier times.

6. Rent bikes

Copenhagen is a very bike-friendly city. Since its not as busy as Amsterdam, biking there is a bit easier and safer. Renting a bike may allow you to see more, with less time or even get around quicker. For instance, we walked almost 25 minutes to get to the Christ of Our Saviour tower, and it only took us 10 minutes to bike back.

We decided to just rent bikes with our 12 year old and bike around with her, while my mom looked after our 4 year old. Here are some things to keep in mind about renting a bike in Copenhagen:

• It’s so easy to get a simple 1-seater bike. You can rent them 30 minutes for free and they’re everywhere
• If you’re looking for a bike with a child seat, or child bucket, it’s much harder. They don’t have those kinds just laying around to rent, and you may have to reserve one in advance
• You have to use an app to rent one of the bikes that are parked at the rental stations

7. Play at a playground

There are plenty of parks and playgrounds around the city, but they aren’t as easy to find if you’re sticking to the tourist path. You need to almost being looking for them.

Here are a few suggestions where kids can run wild and play outside:

• Nikolaj Plads Playground, very central to downtown, just a short walk from the Strøget
• Ørstedsparken, a large open park in the city. It happens to be just a 5-minute walk from the iconic Danish candy shop, called Sømods
• Rasmus Klump Playground, very cool playground but its inside Tivoli so you’d need a Tivoli ticket to access it
• Konditaget Lüders – this is a bit out of your way, in northern Copenhagen but was very fun. It’s a rooftop jump and play area, for both adults and kids. More on this below as I’ve written a special tip specifically about this!

For a more detailed list of playgrounds only, I found this great resource that had so much information about all of them.

8. Enjoy soft play at Konditaget Lunders

Konditaget Lunders is a soft play and activity area on the rooftop of a car park in North Copenhagen.  Kids (and adults) can swing, jump, and climb with a view of the surrounding Nordhavn harbour. Also, its completely free!

Nordhavn is quite an urban area of Copenhagen, and this play, exercise, and rest area was the solution – giving a space for exercise and rest without taking up more land space.

One thing you should know is that Konditaget Lunders is not specifically made for kids (locals use it to exercise), but it is family-friendly and children are welcome. It can be accessed anytime between 7 am and 11 pm. There are both elevators and a staircase to lead you to the top (although we had trouble finding the elevators, and just took the stairs. Its a bit of a climb to get up there!)

Pro Tip: In the Nordhavn area, there are plenty of restaurants and there’s a public washroom right outside of the building where Konditaget Lunders is!

9. Spend half a day at Christianborg Palace

Christianborg Palace is a really good place to visit with kids because it’s central to the city centre. From the outside it doesn’t look as exciting, but don’t let that put you off – we were so glad we visited Christianborg and would definitely recommend it to families.

As you can see, the interior areas of Christianborg Palace are quite breathtaking, so beautiful and instagrammable. If you’re looking for brag photos about an amazing castle you went to, this place is it. You can walk all through it, admiring the staircases, gorgeous rooms, the little detail, kitchen, bedrooms, etc.

It’s also a very interesting place politically, historicially. It houses the royal palace, prime ministers residence and supreme court all in one building. The castle site dates back to the 1100s, and if you go into the basement, you can see the original foundation of the first castle there.

We enjoyed walking through the horse stables, and seeing all the carriages that they use (and used hundreds of years ago.)

To do everything I mentioned above (the tower, walk through the rooms, see the stable, see the underground ruins) you should give yourself at least 2 hours at the Castle. It was a really nice castle, not crowded, and made for such a nice visit!

Pro Tips: They close the stables early – around 3:30pm on the day we were there, so don’t leave the stables to the very end. Also, the one hiccup with the palace is that you need to keep showing your ticket every time you enter another spot. So, have it somewhere handy on your phone and easily accessible.

12. Go see the Little Mermaid Statue

I’ve heard mixed things about visiting the Iconic Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen, but for me – I had to see it regardless. The statue is small, and doesn’t take long to look at. However, we still decided to make the trip. I couldn’t go all the way to Copenhagen and not see a statue I’ve wanted to see my whole life. We took the metro from downtown Copenhagen, as it was pretty easy and straightforward.

Of course, the Little Mermaid Statue is a prime attraction in Copenhagen, people arrive by the busloads -from the cruises, and the hop on hop-off buses stop here too. So it does get busy, but just adjust your expectations and you’ll be able to see this unique and special little statue.

We came later in the day (after 4pm) and while there were lots of people, it wasn’t too intense. Nothing like what I’d read about online. So trying to come either very early, or later afternoon might be the trick!

Near the statue, is a large green space, so you could take the time to relax and spend time in nature or just along the coastline. There are food trucks and people selling souvenirs.

10. Ride the hop-on, hop-off bus

There is a hop-on, hop off bus in Copenhagen. All ages are welcome, and its pretty straightforward. The Hop on Hop off Bus is an easy way to get to attractions that are a bit further away, such as the Mermaid Statue and Tivoli Gardens.

Book your Hop on Hop off Bus ticket here (cost is around $43 USD, and kids 15 and under are 1/2 price. Kids 5 and under are free.)

13. Spend time in the Botanical Gardens

The Botanical Gardens in Copenhagen are quite spectacular – it’s 24 acres in total, and has a butterfly house. It’s free, as long as you’re sticking to the outside only. If you want to get into the glass houses, including the butterfly house, then it costs money.

It’s the kind of place that is set up for you to spend the day if you want to. It’s a museum, a park, and an outdoor natural area. Their website shows the extent of everything, including an on-site café. It’s not far from downtown at all, maybe 5-10 minute walk from the Storget, depending on where you are exactly!

4. Spend an afternoon at Tivoli Gardens

Tivoli Gardens is an amusement park in Copenhagen and is the second-oldest amusement park in the world (Another park called Bakken, just north of Copenhagen, is the oldest!) You can pay just to get into Tivoli Gardens, and walk around, or you can pay extra to be able to go on the rides. Grab an entrance ticket here on Get Your Guide (around $22 USD for adults, and $10 for kids.)

Unfortunately, with only 4 full days in Copenhagen, we didn’t have enough time for Tivoli which I regret as I’ve heard amazing things. I hope to fit it into a future trip.

Fun fact: There’s a Tivoli Amusement in Stockholm as well. Both parks are named after Tivoli Gardens in Paris, which were 18th-century amusement parks that are no longer there in present day. That’s where the name came from in case you were curious!

14. See the changing of the guard at the Amalienborg Royal Palace

The Amalienborg Royal Palace is where the Royal Family of Denmark currently lives. There’s a changing of the guard ceremony every day at 12pm and is accompanied by music.

The best thing is, the Royal Palace is practically right downtown Copenhagen. You can walk to it in about 10 minutes from Nyhavn, or bike in less than 5 minutes.

Pro Tip: You don’t necessarily have to go to the palace to see the guards. They march through the streets from their barracks to the palace as part of their ceremony, every day. So if you’re on the lookout around 12-12:15, you may see them! We were lucky to see them just walking down the street, with music

15. Visit King’s Garden

King’s Garden is a beautiful park and garden in Copenhagen. It has a beautiful view of Rosenburg Palace, and there’s also a Hans Christian Anderson statue.

In the spring, Kings Garden is are full of cherry blossoms. You can expect lots of flowers in the summertime. Simply a nice spot for a day outside, and to have a picnic.

16. Step into history at the Danish National Museum

The National Museum is central in downtown Copenhagen. It’s a bright place with many interesting things to look at. The coolest thing is that under 18s are free of charge. You can book online, or show up. Sadly, we ran out of time to be able to visit this museum, but it was something that was high on my list. Perfect for a rainy day too.

7. Get views of the city

Copenhagen is such a beautiful city, from the ground and from a bird’s eye view. There are a few places around town that can give you and your family some panoramic city views.

• Christiansborg Palace tower. Completely free to go up, you simply line up at the elevator and can take it to the top.
• Round Tower, which is the historic astronomy building in Copenhagen. *This was great with both our kids, 12 and 4 years old. The younger one climbed to the top no problem!
• Marble Church (also known as Frederick’s Church)
• Church of our Savior Tower (pictured below!)- 400 steps to the top. We brought our 12-year-old only. However, I saw a couple carrying a 2-year-old up there, so it can be done but you must be comfortable and fit enough to carry small children that high. You must reserve online in advance to climb this; it’s fairly popular.

17. Go troll hunting

There are about 6 large wooden trolls hiding in the forests surrounding Copenhagen, plus more located in the city. The six trolls in the forests are called the “Six Forgotten Giants” and were built and made by Danish artist, Thomas Dambo.

The problem with these trolls is that they are not central to downtown – so this is something where you’d be going beyond the city bounds to see them. You can book a 4-hour bus tour (all ages) with Get Your Guide to take you to see the six giants. You can also see some trolls if you’re able to rent a bike.

Here are the trolls in the Copenhagen city area that you can check out via bike (as many of them would still be a pretty far walk.)

• “Kaptain Kalle” in the Norhavn area (about a 15-minute bike ride from the soft play place I mentioned)
• “Green George” is in the Freetown Christiana
• “Ivan Evigvår” in the Sydhavn area

Fun fact: Thomas Dambo has also designed these trolls that sit in many forested areas all over the world – check it out here!

18. Take a walk through Freetown Christiania

Freetown Christiana is Copenhagen’s “free town,” which started in the early 70s, and aimed to reject all things authority and political. It is seen as a hippie, bohemian area of the city, and when I first saw it, I thought, ‘we have to go there!’ It’s car-free, full of street art, colourful houses.

Upon reading about the area further, I started to question how suitable for kids the neighbourhood was. A quick Google search will yield results about people smoking, yelling at tourists, and yelling. In other words, it may not be all it’s cracked up to be. I’d put this under your ‘maybe’ list to do with kids in Copenhagen. It’s going to be up to how badly you want to see it, and how it changes over time.

Nowadays, Christiana is mostly a place that celebrates alternative living – it kind of has a hippie, bohemian vibe. You’ll see lots of plants, playgrounds, food, and more. Until a couple years ago, Freetown Christiana was known for openly selling cannabis illegally. You can read about how the Danish government decided to put a stop to that here.

Here are a few things to look out for while wandering through Christiana with kids:

• Blue Beach
• Eat at the vegetarian café, which looks really good
• See the horses

I was certain that we were going to take a wander over to Freetown Christiana, as we were staying nearby. But sadly, it was one of the many things that we didn’t have time for.

19. Visit the Copenhagen Zoo

The Copenhagen Zoo is located west of Copenhagen and is one of the main family attractions in the city.It has animals from all over the world, and a cool lookout tower. You would need to arrange some sort of transport to get here, as it’s not walkable from the city centre. You can take a bus, or the metro.

20. Mingle with wild deer

Another off-the-beaten-path thing to do in Copenhagen with kids is visiting Dyrehaven (which means “the deer park” in English.) Dyrehaven is located north of Copenhagen.

It’s basically a large nature preserve where you can hike, bike, and see several wild deer! Its a great way to spend time outside and see wildlife. Plus, if you’re in Copenhagen with kids, you should know that there’s a small theme park located within the Dyrehaven called Bakken (it’s the oldest amusement park in the world) – more on that below!

21. Visit the oldest amusement park in the world

Bakken, the theme park inside Dyrehaven, is the world’s largest theme park. It’s located within the mentioned above, and it’s full name is Dyrehavsbakken.

Trying to choose between Bakken and Tivoli? Both are the oldest theme parks in the world, but the age is more noticeable at Bakken. Bakken is visibly more old-fashioned, more low-key, and less touristy. Tivoli Gardens is more renovated, modern, cosmopolitan and entertaining -it’s also busier too, as it’s right within the city limits.

Family-Friendly Places to Stay in Copenhagen

• Budget: Scandic CPH Strandpark This one is a bit out of the way from the city centre, but its on public transit! Serves a great breakfast, and has a pool
• Mid-range: Tivoli Hotel Choose between different family rooms, or joining two rooms together. Breakfast is served buffet-style, and there’s an indoor swimming pool too!
• Luxury: Bryggen Guldsmeden This is the ultimate place to stay as a family in Copenhagen if you’re treating yourself. It’s outdoor swimming pool is in an outdoor oasis, and you can choose between family rooms and 2-bedroom suites

We stayed at an AirBnb on the street above. It was a good place to stay, and I’d recommend it overall – but it can be loud on weekends, and at times during the week too. I gave it 5 star and we enjoyed our time there.

Tips for Visiting Copenhagen as a Family

• ✅ Have at least 3 full days. It’s such a great city, and if many of the above ideas appealed to you, then make sure you have around 4-5 days to enjoy it all. We had 3 full days and had to cut out some of the things above
• ✅ There are so many amazing things to do here, don’t try to squeeze too much into one day, especially if you’re travelling with a toddler.

A Note on Food in Copenhagen as a Family

• Get Danish baked goods. There’s definitely a café culture and bakery scene here. Lots of hot chocolate, cinnamon buns, etc.
• There are many hot dog stands, with a bit of a healthier take than the kind you’d see in North America. Some come with buns, some with mashed potatoes on the side and they have lots of interesting toppings. There was one right outside the Round Tower when we went.
• Our favourite place to eat was Riz Raz. It had an amazing Mediterranean buffet, our whole family enjoyed it. You can order from the buffet only, from à la carte, or both. Great place, nice environment and such friendly staff too.

Copenhagen with Kids FAQ

Here are the most commonly asked questions about Copenhagen for families

Is Copenhagen a good place to go with kids?

Copenhagen is a great place to go with kids. It’s safe, walkable, and has a lot of attractions where people of all ages are welcome and would enjoy.

Is Bakken or Tivoli better?

Bakken and Tivoli amusement parks are very different. Ultimately, Tivoli is the better park. It’s bigger, and the attractions feel more modern and renovated. Bakken is more simple, and rustic feeling – almost like a country fair rather than a big theme park. So the one you choose really depends on the vibe you’re looking for.

Is 3 days in Copenhagen too much?

3 days in Copenhagen is definitely not too much. It’s such a nice city, you’ll be glad you gave it a few days to take it in. We had three full days in Copenhagen with kids (4 nights) and it was the perfect amount of time.

Where to go in Denmark with kids?

Definitely spend some time in Copenhagen if you’re in Denmark with kids. It’s an incredibly family-friendly city, with many child-centred activities – and its also close to other family experiences too, such as the troll dunt, the deer park, and the oldest amusement park in the world.

Final Thoughts on Copenhagen

I hope that this article helped you plan an amazing visit to Copenhagen with kids. You’ll see that it’s a beautiful, laid back, family-friendly city and the Danish are so good at keeping their culture and their cities safe and welcoming for children. It was safe, clean, friendly, and very walkable. It was also low-key compared to other places we’d been to on our big trip, which I liked. We were really glad we made Denmark a stop on our 2-month family Europe trip, and I hope that you have as great of a time as we did!