Things to do in Copenhagen
Old-city culture, casual eats, one great dinner, and a proper late drink.
This is Copenhagen for the traveller who wants to eat and drink like a local, see the things that actually deserve your time, and not spend every meal at a tasting menu. Three days covers the medieval centre, Frederiksstaden, and Nansensgade without rushing, and the one blow-out dinner earns its place. If you want designer hotels and omakase every night, this is the wrong guide.
Day 1: Old town, marble, and a brown pub
The medieval centre earns a slow morning at the Glyptotek and Thorvaldsens Museum before two serious meals bookend the day, closing out on cheap beer and good company at Cafe Malmö.
- 9:30 AM
- 10:30 AM
Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek
Palm-filled Winter Garden plus Egyptian, Greek and Roman sculpture and serious French painting, swearby favourite a short walk away.
Map - 12:30 PM
Aamanns 1921
Smørrebrød with a modern hand just off Strøget; order three pieces and a schnapps. Lunch runs every day.
Map - 2:15 PM
Thorvaldsens Museum
Thorvaldsen's marble gods in painted halls by the canal; the frieze outside shows his 1838 homecoming.
Map - 7:30 PM
Admiralgade 26
Acclaimed modern cuisine at Admiralgade 26, multiple swear-bys, $$$, and practically on the doorstep of the hotel.
Map - 9:30 PM
Cafe Malmö I / S
Wood-panelled basement bodega on Havnegade: cheap draught, smoke-stained walls and a mixed local crowd.
Map
Day 2: Frederiksstaden: design, burgers, cocktails
World-class Danish design before noon, a legendary smash-burger for lunch, the palace square in the afternoon, and the trip's one memorable dinner followed by a proper cocktail to finish.
- 9:30 AM
- 10:15 AM
Designmuseum Danmark
Danish chairs from Klint to Jacobsen in the 18th-century Frederik's Hospital on Bredgade; closed Mondays.
Map - 12:30 PM
- 2:00 PM
Amalienborg Palace
The four rococo palaces around one cobbled square, with the Opera across the water; the guard changes at noon.
Map - 7:30 PM
- 9:30 PM
Victory - Cocktail Bar 🍸
Seasonal cocktails with house-made gin and aquavit on a harbour rooftop on Papirøen.
Map
Day 3: Nansensgade, the castle, and a jazz room
A cube croissant and serious espresso kick off a day that moves from royal Copenhagen to a relaxed park afternoon, a great-value dinner, and live jazz to close.
- 9:30 AM
Andersen & Maillard
Noma pastry-chef-founded spot, get the cube croissant and a serious espresso to start the day right.
Map - 10:30 AM
Rosenborg Castle
17th-century royal castle with the Crown Jewels inside the city's oldest park, an easy walk from the café.
Map - 12:30 PM
Ma Poule
Ma Poule's stall in Torvehallerne does a duck confit sandwich; eat it at the counter, then walk the market halls.
Map - 4:30 PM
Ørstedsparken
Hilly park around an old moat lake by Nørreport, with bronze statues along the paths.
Map - 7:30 PM
Restaurant Radio
Seasonal Danish set menus that change monthly near the lakes; closed Sundays and Mondays.
Map - 9:30 PM
Jazzhus Montmartre
Historic jazz club on Store Regnegade where Dexter Gordon played; book the late set if there is one.
Map
Where to stay
25hours Hotel Indre By
25hours Indre By sits at the centre of all three days, costs mid-range money, and has the personality to match this kind of trip.
Hotel SP34
SP34 is a reliable, well-priced base steps from Nansensgade and an easy walk to both the old town and Frederiksstaden.
Make Copenhagen your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App StoreBefore you go
Book ahead
- Tivoli Gardens: a few days ahead
- GoBoat: a few days ahead
- Church of Our Saviour: a few days ahead
- Jazzhus Montmartre: a few days ahead
- Hey Captain: weeks ahead
- CopenHill: a few days ahead
Skip these
- The Little Mermaid as a destination: see her incidentally from a canal boat or with Kastellet, never build a morning around her.
- Eating on Nyhavn: walk it and photograph it, then eat in Christianshavn, five minutes away, for the same canals with real restaurants.
- Strøget as shopping: global chains, souvenir mark-ups and the pickpocket strip. Danish design is in the side streets and Nørrebro vintage.
- Christiania as a drug stop: that era ended in April 2024 and anyone selling to tourists there now is a legal risk.
The full Copenhagen travel guide: when to go, safety, getting around