Copenhagen, the world’s happiest city 2025, is the definition of a Scandi getaway with its colourful town houses, oversized canals and ‘too trendy for school’ attitude.
A long weekend in the Danish capital promises scenic cycling (weather permitting), belly busting bakeries and quirky sights from a famous funfair to a rooftop ski slope.
The recipe for happiness starts with an early morning coffee and giant cinnamon bun at Sankt Peders Straede 29, which you can walk off with a 20-minute stroll to Nyhavn harbour.
Lunch is an open top sandwich, a Copenhagen favourite traditionally garnished with cold meat or fish, followed by a trip to Freetown Christiania – a colourful independent community with its own laws and flag.
Ride the iconic swing carousel at Tivoli Gardens then end the day in style at the Meatpacking district, where butchers have been replaced by trendy restaurants and bars.
Do we have you intrigued? Supercharge your trip with our essential traveller checklist for Copenhagen.
Top 10 things to do in Copenhagen
1. Let’s go round again
Ride the iconic swing carousel, or Svingkarrusellen, at Tivoli Gardens open at set times throughout the year.
2. Fit for a royal
Wander the grounds of Rosenborg Castle, built in 1606 as a royal summer house by Scandinavian king Christian IV.
3. Picture perfect
Stroll along the harbour of Nyhavn, Copenhagen’s most iconic landmark lined with colourful 17th-century merchants’ houses.
4. Old bean
Stop for coffee at 108 in Christianshavn, one of the oldest parts of the city
5. Anarchists’ commune
Visit Freetown Christiania, founded in 1971 when a group of people broke into a military barracks and declared it a free area independent of Danish government law
6. Keeping cool
Have dinner at the Meatpacking District, once home to Copenhagen’s meat industry and now a creative cluster of restaurants, bars and clubs
7. Explore on two wheels
Feel like a local and cycle around the Harbour Ring, or Havneringen, an eight mile (13km) route that takes in the waterfront and some of the city’s biggest sights
8. Quirky ski
Glide down the artificial ski slope atop a waste-recycling plant at CopenHill, possibly the quirkiest attraction in Copenhagen
9. That’s art!
Witness the world-beating modern art collection, from Picasso to Henry Moore, at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art
10. Day tripping
Take a day trip to Malmo, Sweden, where you can admire art in a 17th-century castle, steam in a seaside bathhouse and unwind with an afternoon fika (cake and coffee break). Trains depart every 20 minutes from Copenhagen Central Station, take 35 minutes and cost from £25 one-way.
Boutique hotels in Copenhagen
- Hotel Sanders. An elegant stay just 200m from Nyhavn. Doubles from £329 per night.
- Hotel Danmark. A minimalist design with a rooftop terrace. Doubles from £83 per night.
- Manon Les Suites Guldsmeden. Cosy modern rooms and an outdoor pool oasis. Doubles from £237 per night.
Eat your heart out
Breakfast: Cinnamon bun at Sankt Peders Straede 29
Lunch: Open top sandwich, or smørrebrød, at Aamanns 1921
Dinner: A seafood dinner in the Meatpacking district’s Fiskebaren
Drinks: Locally brewed beer at the neighbouring Warpigs’ in-house brewery
Screenshot your Copenhagen Travel Pocket Book
