Denmark · City break

Copenhagen City Guide

Colourful harbour houses along Nyhavn, royal splendour and hygge right on the water. Copenhagen makes it easy for you. The Little Mermaid sits on her stone, and the lights of Tivoli come on in the evening. One ready-made day route from the metro strings it all together, no planning needed.

🗺️ Open Copenhagen interactively with map & navigation

Our walking tour of Copenhagen

The walk starts at Metro M1-M4 Kongens Nytorv and takes you on foot in 12 stops (about 9 km) through Copenhagen. These are the highlights.

Copenhagen on foot with Nyhavn, Little Mermaid & Tivoli

From Kongens Nytorv to Nyhavn and Amalienborg, along the water to the Gefion Fountain, the Little Mermaid and the Citadel, then via Rosenborg, the Round Tower and Strøget to the town-hall square and Tivoli.

Nyhavn. Copenhagen's postcard row, with colourful gabled houses, old wooden ships and terraces along the 1673 canal. Hans Christian Andersen lived at nos. 20 and 67. At the end of the canal, the Inderhavnsbroen cycling bridge takes you across to Broens Gadekøkken, where open-air street-food kitchens sit almost with their feet in the water. Perfect for an evening sundowner with harbour views.
Amalienborg. Four identical Rococo palaces around an octagonal square form the Danish royal family's residence, built from 1750 as the heart of Frederiksstaden, with Frederik V's equestrian statue in the middle. At 11:30 the Royal Life Guards march here from Rosenborg Castle across the city, and at noon the changing of the guard follows. With views of the Marble Church and the opera house.
Marble Church (Frederik's Church). The 'Marble Church' carries one of Scandinavia's largest church domes (31 m across), inspired by St Peter's. Surprisingly light and airy inside.
Gefion Fountain. Legend in bronze. The goddess Gefion ploughs the island of Zealand out of Sweden with her four sons turned into oxen. Copenhagen's most monumental fountain, right by St Alban's Church.
The Little Mermaid. The small bronze figure (1913) from Andersen's fairy tale has gazed out over the water for more than a century. The city's icon, and smaller than many expect. Early in the morning you'll have her almost to yourself.
Kastellet. The star-shaped fortress of 1664 with its red barracks, ramparts and windmill is still military ground today. And one of the city's loveliest walks.
Rosenborg Castle. Christian IV's Renaissance pleasure palace in the King's Garden guards the Danish crown jewels and the coronation throne with its three silver lions.
Rundetaarn. The Round Tower of 1642: instead of stairs, a 209-metre spiral ramp leads up to the viewing platform. Tsar Peter the Great once rode up on horseback.
Strøget & Amagertorv. Around 1.1 kilometres of pedestrian street between Kongens Nytorv and the town-hall square, one of Europe's longest, with shops, pubs and restaurants in beautifully restored 18th-century houses. On Amagertorv with its Stork Fountain, Royal Copenhagen and Danish design sit side by side.
Christiansborg Palace. Copenhagen was founded on the Slotsholmen castle island in 1167, and Denmark has been governed from here since 1417. Today the palace houses parliament and government. Inside await the Royal Reception Rooms, the royal stables' carriages and the castle ruins; the city's tallest tower is free to visit.
City Hall Square. The broad square in front of the national-romantic city hall, with the Dragon Fountain and the Andersen statue. The tower (guided visit) surveys the whole city.
Tivoli. The 1843 amusement park in the heart of the city enchanted even Walt Disney, with historic rides, gardens, concerts and thousands of lights after dark.

Planning your visit

Two days fit well. The route from Kongens Nytorv is the longest on offer at nine kilometres and strings together Nyhavn, Amalienborg, the Little Mermaid, Rosenborg and Tivoli. Manage that in one day and you have seen plenty by evening. Otherwise split at Kastellet and take the rest on day two. Bikes are everywhere and the city is flat. Twelve evening tips are ready, and the Louisiana on the Øresund deserves a half day of its own.

Going out & nightlife

Rooftop bars

Illum Rooftop. Roof terrace of the Illum department store with cafés and bars and a view over the city spires. A relaxed sundowner right on Strøget.
The Socialist. Rooftop cocktail bar near the town-hall square with a view of the Tivoli lights. Small, popular, come early.

Nightlife quarters

Kødbyen (Meatpacking District). In the former slaughterhouse district behind the central station, bars, clubs and restaurants fill white-tiled halls. Copenhagen's coolest night-out strip.
Nørrebro. Multicultural quarter beyond the lakes, with natural wine on Blågårdsgade, bars on Ravnsborggade and young Copenhagen among itself.
Nyhavn am Abend. Once the day-trippers are gone, the harbour row with its terraces and old sailing ships becomes the most atmospheric backdrop for an evening beer.

Food & restaurants

Torvehallerne. Two glass market halls full of stalls, with smørrebrød at Hallernes, coffee, fish and Danish specialities. Perfect for a quick treat.
WarPigs. Texas BBQ meets Danish craft beer in Kødbyen. Long tables, smoky meat and 20 taps.
Restaurant Schønnemann. Since 1877 THE address for classic smørrebrød with aquavit. A lunchtime institution, booking essential.

Bars & clubs

Ruby. Cocktail bar in a townhouse on Nybrogade, regularly among the world's best. Living-room atmosphere with world-class drinks.
Lidkoeb. Hidden bar in an old pharmacy annexe in Vesterbro, three floors up to the whisky room in the attic.

Stage & concerts

Det Kongelige Teater. The Royal Theatre on Kongens Nytorv (1874) stages world-class drama and ballet in a magnificent auditorium.
Operaen (Opernhaus). The spectacular modern opera house on Holmen island, right across the water from Amalienborg. The crossing alone is worth it.

See all stops for Copenhagen in the app →

Practical information for Copenhagen

Public transport

Operator. Din Offentlige Transport (DOT) is the shared fare association for public transport in Copenhagen and across all of Zealand. Under the DOT umbrella, four operators run on a shared zone-based fare. Movia operates the buses, DSB the S-train (S-tog) as well as regional and long-distance trains, Metroselskabet the four automated metro lines M1 to M4, and Hovedstadens Letbane the tram along Ring 3 outside the city center. A single ticket or a single check-in account is valid across all four systems within the chosen zones. The physical Rejsekort was permanently switched off on May 28, 2026 in Jutland and Funen, and on June 29, 2026 in Zealand, including Copenhagen; it has been replaced by the Rejsekort app and the Basiskort.

Network. Four metro lines, two of them driverless around the clock, plus S-trains, buses and harbour buses.

Modes of transport. Bus · S-train (S-tog) · Regional and long-distance trains (DSB) · Metro (M1, M2, M3, M4) · Harbor bus · Letbane (tram along Ring 3)

Operating hours. The metro is the only mode of transport in Copenhagen that runs around the clock, all seven days a week, on all four lines M1, M2, M3 (Cityringen) and M4, with no nightly service break. Buses, S-trains and regional trains, on the other hand, follow regular timetables that differ from line to line and are noticeably more frequent during the day than late in the evening. Binding, minute-precise departure times for each individual line are available only from the official journey planner Rejseplanen; a blanket start and end time for the system as a whole cannot be reliably given.

Night service. The metro also runs continuously at night. On the route between Vanløse and the airport (line M2), the frequency drops to 15 to 20 minutes at night instead of the 4 to 6 minutes during the day, according to the airport line's operator. In addition, Movia runs a network of night bus lines whose routes differ from the daytime buses. The exact route network and frequency of the night buses could not easily be found on the Movia website at the time of research and is therefore noted as a gap; for individual night trips, the Rejseplanen app is recommended.

Buying tickets. For one-off needs, single and day tickets are enough, available in the Rejsebillet app, at ticket machines in stations, selected local rail stops and metro stations. The machines accept both card payment and cash. On the bus, the driver sells single tickets for up to 8 zones, provided he has change on hand; there is no senior discount, however, when buying from the driver. For more frequent travel, you instead set up an account for the Rejsekort app or a Basiskort, both of which are ordered or activated online or in person at sales points. The old physical Rejsekort with its own chip was permanently taken out of service on May 28, 2026 in Jutland and Funen and on June 29, 2026 in Zealand.

App and payment. Two official apps cover ticket purchase. The Rejsekort app replaces the old physical Rejsekort; you check in with a single swipe on your phone and check in again, not out, when transferring, and a built-in Smart Check-out feature can handle the checkout automatically, with the fare calculated automatically for the cheapest zone combination. Anyone who doesn't want to use a smartphone gets a physical equivalent with the Basiskort, which is checked in and out at the yellow readers on buses, trains, the metro and the Letbane. Separately, the Rejsebillet app is available for the classic purchase of single, day and City Pass tickets. Direct contactless payment with a bank card or smartphone wallet at bus, train or metro readers, as found in some other European cities, is not offered, according to DOT's official information.

Which ticket. The Enkeltbillet (2-8 zones) costs adults a price staggered by number of zones. 2 zones 24 kr. with 1 hour 15 minutes validity, 3 zones 30 kr. with 1 hour 30, 4 zones 40 kr. with 1 hour 45, 5 zones 46 kr. with 2 hours, 6 zones 50 kr. with 2 hours 15, 7 zones 54 kr. with 2 hours 30, 8 zones 60 kr. with 2 hours 45. Children aged 0 to 15 pay half price, two children under 12 travel free with an adult, travelers aged 67 and up and early retirees get a 30 percent discount, except when buying on the bus. For longer stays, the City Pass is worth it. City Pass Small covers zones 1 to 4, that's the city center including the airport, and costs adults 100 kr. for 24 hours, 160 kr. for 48 hours, 220 kr. for 72 hours, 280 kr. for 96 hours and 340 kr. for 120 hours. Mathematically, the 24-hour pass at 100 kr. already covers just over four single trips at 24 kr. each, and every further trip on the same day is essentially thrown in for free. Anyone who also wants to travel outside the city center, say to Roskilde or Helsingør, needs the City Pass Large for zones 1 to 99, sold at double the price of the Small variant. Anyone who also wants free entry to more than 80 attractions can choose the Copenhagen Card instead. Travelers using the Rejsekort app or Basiskort instead of single tickets automatically get a 20 percent discount on weekends, public holidays, and on weekdays from 11 am to 1 pm and from 6 pm to 7 am.

Fare zones. The city center and the airport are both in zones 1 to 4, so a single City Pass Small covers both the city routes and the trip to and from the airport.

Tip. The harbour buses count as ordinary rides and are the cheapest harbour tour.

Getting there

Main station

Location. Centrally located, right next to Tivoli.

Long-distance trains. København H is Denmark's central long-distance and regional station, with DSB trains departing from here across the national network, including toward Odense, Aarhus and Aalborg. Internationally, there are through DSB connections to Germany, specifically to Hamburg and Berlin, and since May 2026 also onward to Dresden and Prague, with the number of daily departures varying by season. Between June 26 and August 16, seat reservations are compulsory on the Denmark-Hamburg route due to high demand. Across the Öresund Bridge, there are also through train connections to Malmö and onward into Sweden. The exact opening and operating hours of the station building, as well as the times of the first and last train departures, could not be found on the official DSB website and are noted as a gap.

Opening hours. København H operates almost around the clock. The last InterCity toward Jutland departs in the evening around 11.50 pm, followed by night departures at 12.35 am and 2.35 am, and regular daytime service resumes shortly before 5 am. Only the waiting hall closes from 2.15 am to 4.30 am for cleaning, except on the nights following Friday and Saturday.

Airports

CPH

Into the city. Metro line M2 to Nørreport in the city center, about 15 minutes. DSB long-distance trains also run directly from Terminal 3 into the city center, though the journey time is not officially given in minutes.

Frequency. Metro every 4 to 6 minutes during the day and evening, every 15 to 20 minutes at night, continuous service around the clock with no service break.

Local quirks

Bike lanes are wider than traffic lanes. More than half of commuters cycle. Keep to the right and signal with your hand, or you'll be overtaken and told off.
No card tap-in. Unlike in London or Amsterdam, for example, Copenhagen's public transport cannot be paid for directly at the reader with a contactless bank card. You need a ticket from the Rejsebillet app or a check-in with the Rejsekort app or the Basiskort.
Old Rejsekort no longer works. A physical Rejsekort from an earlier visit to Copenhagen has been worthless since June 29, 2026, as the Danish chip card was switched off nationwide. The only replacements are the Rejsekort app and the new Basiskort.

Good to know

Currency: DKK kr
Emergency number: 112
Plug type: C · E · F · K
Time zone: Europe/Copenhagen
Driving: right

Speed limits. built-up areas 50 km/h, outside towns 80 km/h, motorway 130 km/h

130 km/h is the absolute upper limit, even with a clear road and daylight there are no unrestricted motorway stretches like in Germany. On motor roads (motortrafikvej), the limit is 80 km/h, locally raised to up to 100 km/h.

Tipping. Service is included. Rounding up is nice, nobody expects more.

Tolls. No motorway tolls. Charges apply on the Great Belt and Öresund bridges.

Access restrictions. Copenhagen, Aarhus, Odense and Aalborg have environmental zones. Older diesels are mainly affected, petrol cars usually not.