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Our Top Things to Do in Copenhagen on a Budget
Our Top Things to Do in Copenhagen on a Budget
After doing our research, we decided for this trip that buying a city card would actually be the cheapest way to do all the activities we wanted to do. For the first day we were there, we wandered round all the free things to do and just enjoyed exploring the city. Then for the remaining 2 days, we chose the 48-hour Copenhagen Card which costs 80 Euros (about £70). This gave us access to all the major attractions for 48 hours and included unlimited travel.
Our Top 7 Things to Do on the Copenhagen Card
Our Top 7 Things to Do on the Copenhagen Card
1.Canal tour
This would be a great way to start your visit to Copenhagen. The tour gives you lots of interesting facts about the history of the city, as well as about the modern buildings and current uses. We recommend sitting near the front where the tour guide stands if you plan on listening to the commentary as it can be hard to hear from further back.
We actually had to move forward after the first couple of minutes to be able to hear our guide over the engine noise and general chatter of the audience.
I won’t spoil it by telling you all the facts before hand but I will share Will’s favourite one: the country’s incinerator, located in Copenhagen, is the largest hill in the area and because of this they’ve built a ski slope on the roof! It’s important to note that the Copenhagen Card is only valid for tours departing from Ved Stranden.
The cost of this without the Copenhagen Card is 95DKK.
2. Church of Our Saviour
We tried to do this at the end of the day but the queue to go up the tower was so long that we decided not to wait. However, the next day we came here as our first activity and managed to avoid the queue! We went about 9am and were able to go straight in, showed our Copenhagen Card and started the 400-step climb. After the first few flights of stairs there is a cinema room showing a 6-minute animation talking through the Church’s history. They show this in both Danish and English alternately and is worth watching if you want to learn about the background of the Church.
Once at the top of the tower, you could see far across the city (Will assures me of this, as I was too busy clinging to the railings to see!). A great location for a panoramic or selfie if you can brave the height!
It is worth noting that access to the tower closes during winter and bad weather for safety reasons. We recommend checking the weather forecast before going!
The cost of going up the Church of Our Saviour tower without the Copenhagen Card for adults is 50DKK and 40DKK for students.
3. Tivoli Gardens
We loved the Tivoli Gardens so much that we went back twice in one day! The first visit, during the day, was a great way to see the gardens full of life and bustling with crowds. All the food stalls are open and fairground games line the paths.
The evening visit highlighted the beauty of the gardens; the ride lighting and the lack of people gave the place a more private but eerie feel. Most of the rides are still running during the evening so this would be a great time to visit to avoid the queues!
We recommend going both during the day and the evening if you have time, to fully appreciate both atmospheres of the garden. In order to return on the same day without paying twice, you will need to exit through the food court and get a hand stamp from the security guard stationed there.ing both during the day and the evening if you have time, to fully appreciate both atmospheres of the garden. In order to return on the same day without paying twice, you will need to exit through the food court and get a hand stamp from the security guard stationed there.
The cost of visiting the gardens without a Copenhagen Card Is 140DKK for anyone over the age of eight.
4. Rosenborg Castle
If you’re thinking turrets and suits of armour, think again! This is more of a manor house where the royal family used to live (think more of porcelain plates and stories of all the king’s mistresses). The self-guided tour includes an app which contains detailed information about each room and a large selection of artefacts within the building.
Without the Copenhagen Card this costs 115DKK for adults and 75DKK for students.
5. Zoo
The Copenhagen Zoo has lots of different enclosures, several of which you can walk through and see the inhabitants up-close! We particularly enjoyed seeing the baby capybara. The zoo offered an up close experience and several opportunities to feel like a local.
Copenhagen Zoo is one of the only zoos that I have been to that house giant pandas (I love kung fu panda)! It’s not in the centre so getting to the zoo is best done by bus, which are included within the Copenhagen Card (or a day travel pass).
The zoo entry fee is 195DKK for an Adult and 105DKK for children over 3 years old.
6. National art gallery
The gallery is worth a visit if you are an art lover or particularly interested in an artist or painting housed here. Even if you aren’t an art lover, we recommend just popping in if you have the Copenhagen Card as it’s included and has a collection of Danish art that if worth a look at.
As neither Will or I are big into art, we didn’t spend too long here. After dropping off our backpacks at the free cloakroom, we wandered around the different rooms. The paintings and sculptures are sorted by nationality of artist and date. The art gallery houses some of the iconic Matisse paintings which I was interested in seeing.
The prices when not using the Copenhagen Card are 120DKK for adults, 95DKK for under 27’s and free for under 18’s.
7. Guinness World Records Museum, Ripley’s Believe it or Not!, Hans Christian Andersen Experience, and The Mystic Exploratorium
This is a good short activity if you only have an hour or so before heading home for the day or need somewhere inside to wait out some rain. It involves wandering around and reading some of the facts that line the walls.
As this activity is included in the Copenhagen Card, we’ve included it in our top choices because it is a fun way to spend an hour or two. However, we wouldn’t recommend paying the entry fee as we think it is overpriced for what it is and when going around, we were disappointed that many of the interactive exhibits were out of order.
The price without a Copenhagen Card for the fun pass, which provides entry to all 4 museums, is 215DKK (about £25) for an adult.
Our Top 10 Free Things to Do in Copenhagen
Our Top 10 Free Things to Do in Copenhagen
1. Botanical Gardens
This is the perfect location for a stroll or picnic or just somewhere to rest your feet for a while. The lake in the centre provides a beautiful backdrop for any park activity. The gardens have an interesting set of ‘guidelines’ for park visitors to abide by. Will’s favourite of these was the ‘no running’ rule; why can’t you run in a park, isn't that what they're for?!
2. Gefion Fountain
The Gefion Fountain is a tourist hot spot but it is still worth a visit, even if you just pass by. Multiple water streams and the size of this fountain make it an impressive sight and is definitely worth a picture (plus the statue looks really sassy)! The figure driving cattle on top of the tiers is the Norse goddess of agriculture, fertility, abundance, and prosperity.
3. Nyhavn
This harbour is full of colour and bustling with people. Restaurants line the harbourside and covered tables take up most of the pavement. There are artists sat painting the harbour and moored boats.
We recommend if you enjoy just walking along at a leisurely pace, taking in the colourful atmosphere and people watching. Food prices are extortionate so look and don’t touch (think about the budget guys)!
4. Langelinie and The Little Mermaid Statue
We highly recommend a walk along the Langelinie promenade. The breeze off the water is refreshing and it’s fun to sit and watch the boats go past whilst eating ice cream!
The iconic little mermaid statue was beautiful as promised, however, swarmed by tourists. Hans Christian Andersen has clearly done his bit for the Copenhagen tourist industry! It was difficult to get close, let alone take a picture without someone else posing in it. Our top tip: video the statue and then you can just screenshot a frame that doesn’t have someone else’s family member in it!
5. Christianshavn
Christianshavn is a very unique neighborhood within Copenhagen. It has established an independent community that has a lively, young vibe. It’s a great place to wander and explore. We were also told by a local that within Christianshavn is Freetown Christiania where cannabis has been legalised. If munching on edibles whilst enjoying Danish architecture is your dream, then this is the place for you!
6. Kings Garden
These gardens surround the Rosenborg Castle and are picturesque. When we visited they were full of families and groups of friends enjoying the sunshine and were a really nice place to have lunch and relax for a while.
There’s also a cool playground if you’re shameless like Will! The gardens are made up of several grass lawns, as well as more traditional floral gardens and have several interesting statues and sculptures to look at.
7. Kings Square
This is a public square in the centre of Copenhagen with a statue of Christian V riding a horse in the middle. The square is paved and not really the sort of place where you stop for long as it’s a busy pedestrian route. There is however, a cute cafe in a converted kiosk with outdoor seating that you can sit and enjoy a coffee or pastry (people watching is one of our must-do activities whenever abroad).
There is however, a cute cafe in a converted kiosk with outdoor seating that you can sit and enjoy a coffee or pastry (people watching is one of our must-do activities whenever abroad). We passed through to admire the statue and happened to be there on the day of an antique market! This was fun to look around but the items were pricey and not to the taste of Will or myself (anything pricey is not to our taste!).
8. Frederiks Kirke
Frederiks Kirke is a beautiful marbled church found in the centre of Copenhagen. This was a quiet, peaceful place to stop for a few minutes and get away from the busy streets outside.
The marble walls mean that the church is kept cool inside (an engineering degree ruins your ability to just look and not think about a building), so if it’s a particularly hot day, this might be the perfect place to stop and get out of the heat for a while! Entrance is free, just remember to be respectful when visiting, as it is still an active place of worship. There is also the option to go up to the top of the dome on Saturdays and Sundays at 1pm for a cost of 35 DKK for adults and 20 DKK for children.
9. Kastellet
The Kastellet is a fortress located by the waterfront near Langelinie. There is a moat surrounding the fortress, creating a very pleasant walk all the way around. Within the walls of the fortress are various military buildings, many of which are still in use.
Multiple bike tours cut through the site whilst we were there but we don’t recommend using them here since the cobbled streets must be killer on your backside!
10. Walk around and enjoy the architecture
Copenhagen is full of interesting architecture and we recommend taking half a day or so just to explore the city. You never know what hidden gem you might stumble across! Even some of the pubs have extreme facades so you’re bound to see something different.
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