This summer, we went back to Copenhagen as a family for a sailing competition for Ticoeur. It was our second time in the Danish capital. The first time, we visited Copenhagen when Ticoeur was only 2 years old! Just a baby! This year, we experienced Copenhagen with two older children (aged 12 and 15). Because of their ages, we didn’t quite have the same sightseeing wishes. So this trip was a mix of places we wanted to revisit and new ones we were keen to discover. Here’s a roundup of our family visits to Copenhagen, 2024 edition!

Copenhagen with kids: 10 ideas for visits

1 – Nyhavn: we never tire of it! It’s the little harbour everyone recognises from photos. With its colourful houses, it’s extremely photogenic. It was the first place we wanted to take the kids. Ticoeur obviously didn’t remember it. Last time, he was in his pushchair. And for Titpuce, it was her first time. Returning to a city years later gives you quite a sense of how time flies – softened, fortunately, by a lovely nostalgia for us happy parents. The facades haven’t changed; only our children have grown a lot! Last time, we took a one-hour cruise from this harbour. It was perfect and family-friendly. Highly recommended.

2 – The Glyptotek: this was hands down our cultural favourite of the trip! I visited the Glyptotek with Titpuce while Ticoeur was sailing. My daughter loves art and this museum, initially dedicated to sculpture, won us over with its architecture, its winter garden, and its collections. It features famous sculptures by Rodin, among others. There’s also an impressionist painting section. See the NY Carlsberg Glyptotek museum website for more details on opening times and prices. Just to help you get your bearings, the Glyptotek is located near Tivoli.

3 – The Rundetarn: great for the view! The tower you can spot in the photo below isn’t very tall, but it’s high enough to offer a lovely view over central Copenhagen. It dates back to the 17th century and is Europe’s oldest observatory. To reach the viewing platform, you walk up a spiralling stone ramp. All in all, it’s a quick but very enjoyable visit, in a lively neighbourhood. We went there in the late afternoon after Ticoeur’s regattas.

4 – The National Museum: Titpuce visited with Papa Voyage while I was working remotely and Ticoeur was out at sea. It’s a bit like the British Museum in that it has a wide variety of sections: an Egypt section, an art section… as well as more local curiosities like the area dedicated to Inuit culture, which is a must-see, and a beautiful dollhouse collection. The museum is close to Tivoli and the Glyptotek. In addition to the permanent collection, the temporary exhibitions are very well curated. Titpuce and Papa Voyage really enjoyed a wonderful exhibition on Viking witches, “The Viking Sorceress” (on until 2027!):

5 – Reffen, Copenhagen-style street food: we loved the vibe! Reffen is a large area by the water on a former industrial site. It’s clearly undergoing regeneration. We took a boat to get there (shuttle from the station near the Little Mermaid). On-site, there’s an incredible variety of food stalls offering global specialities. There’s something for everyone! It’s a bit pricey for street food – this is Copenhagen, after all – but still cheaper than eating elsewhere in town. We went for the Asian stand “Manila” and it was great. You’ll see – it’s hard to choose! More than the food itself, what we really loved was the relaxed, friendly atmosphere, with deckchairs on the sand. Perfect for watching the sunset. It’s truly a great experience and definitely worth the trip! Just to clarify, it’s nothing like the nearby hippie district of Christiania, which has a rather different crowd. As a side note, it was a Danish family we hosted in Paris via HomeExchange who tipped us off to spending an evening at Reffen. It was amazing! Thank you to them!

On the way back from Reffen, the boat dropped us off near the famous Little Mermaid… So we saw her again with hardly any effort. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have gone back – she’s a bit of a letdown.

6 – Wandering through the streets of central Copenhagen: on foot or perhaps by bike?

Central Copenhagen (Indre By) is truly beautiful with its cobbled streets, Scandinavian buildings, and unique atmosphere. The Danish capital is a very pleasant and child-friendly destination (although last time, navigating cobbles with a pushchair was a bit of a sport!). This time, we opted for walking at our own pace. But something that really struck me – and had changed a lot since our last visit – was the sheer number of bikes! There were already quite a few back in 2011, but now it’s wild! I’d even say the bike traffic is too much for me! Being surrounded by dozens of bikes at a red light isn’t really my thing. Yet last time, we really enjoyed cycling around with a Christiania Bike in the Kartoffelaekkerne district, so it’s definitely an option depending on the time of year. This year, we were there in early August – probably peak season and peak bike traffic. So this time, we stuck to walking and it was great!

In the city centre, we stopped by the Lego store as a souvenir of our first trip here (back then, Ticoeur didn’t want to leave the shop!). Since then, Lego shops have opened in many other cities, so it’s not exactly a must-see, but as usual, there’s always a great local display:

We passed by the Thorvaldsens Museum (modern art museum), but we didn’t visit it:

We also walked past Christiansborg Palace, which looked rather austere from the outside. We didn’t go in.

7 – Browsing interior design shops: Denmark is famous for its design objects and furniture. While visiting Copenhagen, you’ll come across an incredible number of design shops, especially in the centre (Indre By district), along the main shopping street: Strøget. There are well-known names like Hay House and Illums Bolighus, as well as many small independent stores.

Illums Bolighus

8 – Taking a break in a café with 5,000 board games! One evening it rained, so we looked for a café to take shelter in. As usual, everything is expensive, but we found somewhere a bit more affordable and, more importantly, a lot of fun for the kids because it has thousands of board games! A great little break and a really impressive place! Bastard Café, Rådhusstræde 13, Copenhagen (city centre).

9 – A stroll through the parks, around Rosenborg Castle and the botanical gardens:

We’d already walked around these parks on our first visit. It was lovely to return and walk past the big glass greenhouse and Rosenborg Castle. We didn’t go inside the castle, but it’s a classic. Maybe next time! You can also watch the changing of the guard here. This time, the weather was just too nice and we already had enough visits planned.

10 – Torvehallerne Market and the smørrebrød! I was really keen to visit a market in Copenhagen because markets often reflect the vibe of a city. I chose Torvehallerne Market. Outside, it’s a fairly classic market with fruit and veg. Inside the hall, there are loads of stands where you can try smørrebrød, the typical open sandwiches. I wanted to introduce the kids to this local speciality. So yes, there was a huge selection of places to buy and try them, but I was disappointed: it’s so expensive for so little on the plate, and for my taste, there’s often way too much sour cream! Not my thing at all! But it is very typical! I may need to track down the one smørrebrød place that could change my mind. Meanwhile, the kids preferred a little Danish treat: the Flødeboller, a big marshmallow covered in chocolate. Not for me either!

After the market, we kept walking towards the lakes, an area we hadn’t explored before:

Dronning Louises Bro Bridge

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In addition to the visits I’ve just described, if this is your first time in Copenhagen, don’t miss: Church of Our Saviour (Vor Freisers Kirke), a Baroque church with a fantastic view over the city. We climbed it back in 2011 and loved the view and the quirky spiral spire. And if your children are little, they’ll probably enjoy a few rides at Tivoli.

Tivoli

Day trips from Copenhagen:

For Copenhagen itself, I’d recommend dedicating three full days. So, if like us you stay longer, you can plan a few day trips too. This time, we visited Malmö in Sweden and Roskilde in Denmark. Last time, we went to the Louisiana Museum. Here are all the details:

Malmö

While Ticoeur was at sea for his sailing competition and Papa Voyage was helping him at the marina, I went on a mother-daughter day trip to Malmö in Sweden. It’s a very easy trip to plan by train for a day from Copenhagen. Malmö is much smaller than Copenhagen. You can see the centre quickly, but it was lovely with perfect weather and much more reasonable prices! We could finally sit on a terrace without breaking the bank and even enjoy a restaurant meal! The best part was Lilla Torg, a charming old square:

Personally, I also wanted to go to Malmö to experience the impressive bridge-tunnel: the train goes across the bridge and then suddenly – splash! – it dives into the water into a tunnel! Once in Malmö, we went to view the bridge-tunnel from the platform below. See it? The bridge disappears into the sea right in the middle of the stretch between Sweden and Denmark!

Roskilde

After the mother-daughter day trip came the father-daughter one. I was working remotely again, and Ticoeur was still at sea. Papa Voyage and Titpuce visited Roskilde, the Viking town about half an hour from Copenhagen. It’s small but charming. The main draw for families is the Viking Ship Museum, but Papa Voyage and Titpuce had to leave suddenly before seeing it because Ticoeur had a sailing accident (more on that below!).

The Louisiana Museum

About 40 minutes from Copenhagen. We went there last time. The Louisiana Museum is an all-time favourite that we recommend to any modern art lover! Plus, it offers beautiful views out to sea.

Ticoeur’s sailing competition in Copenhagen Bay

We returned to Copenhagen for an international regatta that Ticoeur was competing in. A fantastic sporting adventure and a very warm Danish welcome! Ticoeur had four races a day over four days. That meant spending full days on the water with the top juniors in his boat class. Sadly, on day 3, his boat gave out – it was sinking! The hull was pierced by mast pressure in tough conditions. The Danish team kindly lent Ticoeur a boat for the final day, but of course he lost many places in the rankings after missing Day 3. Still, it was an incredible experience in a brilliant sporting spirit! The World Champion turned out to be a British sailor from the South Region team that Ticoeur is part of. Congratulations to him! He’s incredibly fast! I reckon he’ll be in the Olympics one day!

The bay where the regattas were held is just southwest of Copenhagen (in Greve). The beaches and marina are lovely. It’s not an area we would have visited otherwise.

So we were happy to get off the beaten track and discover a lovely little museum nearby: the Arken Museum.

Between the marina and the museum is this giant wooden troll, by artist Thomas Dambo. He has installed seven trolls around Copenhagen and the surrounding area. We only saw this one, but there’s one in Christiania too.

Copenhagen with kids: practical info

How to get to Copenhagen? This time, we drove via northern Germany, specifically via the German island of Fehmarn where you can take ferries for the short crossing to Denmark (45 minutes, with departures every half hour). A tunnel is under construction and will link the two countries in a few years (scheduled to be finished by 2029).

Where to stay in Copenhagen? This time, we stayed in an Airbnb in the family-friendly residential area of Valby and found it ideal for several reasons: much cheaper than staying in central Copenhagen; free street parking; peaceful and very green. It’s well connected by public transport. There’s a train and buses. We were close to the line 11 bus stop, which took us straight to Tivoli in 20 minutes! Very convenient. Other areas to consider a few kilometres from the centre: Frederiksberg, Østerbro, and probably many more. Just check transport connections.

• In Valby: here’s the link to our Airbnb. Pros: price, peace and quiet, great decor, and a piano! Cons: tiny bathroom and both bedrooms have double beds (we’d have preferred twin beds in the kids’ room). But overall, we really liked it!
• In Frederiksberg, I had bookmarked this family flat (Frederiksberg apartment) which has the advantage of two separate beds for the kids. It wasn’t available for our dates, but otherwise it has lots going for it: price, location, and even a shared outdoor space, all near the metro.
• In Østerbro, there’s this aparthotel (Bob W) with superior studios or one-bedroom flats for four people at decent rates. However, the setup is a double bed + sofa bed for the kids, so better for families with younger children.

Getting around Copenhagen: To buy our bus, train or metro tickets, we downloaded the DOT app. It’s super easy to use for finding the right fares and routes. In the evenings, we twice drove into the city and had no trouble parking. We used the small outdoor Havnegade car park (free after 5pm). Warning: there are very few spaces!

Length of stay: 5 days is a great amount of time to cover the essentials of central Copenhagen and fit in one or two day trips. This was our second visit, so we didn’t revisit everything! If we’d added one more castle or museum or visited Tivoli, we’d have needed the full 5 days just for central Copenhagen. So 3 to 5 days is ideal, in my opinion!

A quick note on budget: this is the catch with this destination, so it’s worth mentioning. Copenhagen is expensive, especially for accommodation and dining. As I said earlier, we solved the accommodation issue by staying in the suburbs – a great choice! For food, we mostly cooked in. Having a kitchen is essential here!

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So? Tempted by Copenhagen with the family?