Rebecca Engel
Copenhagen doesn’t hide from the cold. The days get short, the candles come out in every café window, and the whole city leans into the cozy Danish idea of hygge until spring shows up.
These things to do in Copenhagen in winter run in the order the season does, from Tivoli at Christmas and the holiday markets to harbor saunas, castles and a light festival in February. Each one says when it runs, so it’s easy to match the list to your dates.
1. See Tivoli Gardens Lit Up For Christmas
Tivoli Gardens opened in 1843, which makes it one of the oldest amusement parks in the world. At Christmas the whole park turns into a winter village, with lights strung through the trees, little wooden stalls and a handful of rides still spinning in the cold.
The Christmas season usually runs from mid November to the first days of January. Go after dark, which comes early here, and grab a cup of gløgg and a bag of æbleskiver, the round Danish pancake balls dusted with powdered sugar.
Tivoli closes after the holiday season and doesn’t reopen until spring, so plan a December trip if this is the one you really want to see.
2. Sip Gløgg At The Nyhavn Christmas Market
Nyhavn is the colorful old harbor you’ve seen on every Copenhagen postcard. From about mid November until just before Christmas, a market runs along the water with wooden stalls selling ornaments, knitwear and warm drinks.
Order a gløgg, the Danish take on mulled wine, served with raisins and chopped almonds at the bottom of the cup. It’s busy and a little pricey, but the canal houses glowing behind the stalls make it worth it.
There are more Christmas markets around town too, including one in the square at Højbro Plads, so it’s easy to hop between a few in an evening.
3. Walk Strøget Under The Christmas Lights
Strøget is one of the longest pedestrian shopping streets in Europe, running through the old center from City Hall Square to Kongens Nytorv. From late November to early January it’s strung with hearts and stars that light up the whole walk.
Stop at Illum, the department store on Amagertorv, and take the escalators to the Illum Rooftop. It’s open all year, with a few restaurants and a view over the rooftops and church spires of the old town.
It’s also the best place in the city for last minute Christmas shopping, from Danish design stores to the flagship Royal Copenhagen shop.
4. Take A Harbor Sauna And Cold Dip At La Banchina
Winter bathing is a real local habit in Copenhagen. Danes sweat it out in a wood fired sauna, then climb straight down a ladder into the cold harbor, and then do it all again.
La Banchina is a tiny restaurant and sauna on the water at Refshaleøen, and it’s the easiest place for a visitor to try it. Book a sauna slot online, bring a swimsuit and a towel, and warm up with something from the kitchen afterward.
For something more private, CopenHot nearby rents out saunas and wood heated hot tubs by the hour. It costs a lot more and doesn’t open every day of the week, so check the calendar before you go.
5. See The Crown Jewels At Rosenborg Castle
King Christian IV built Rosenborg in the early 1600s as a summer house, and it still looks like a fairy tale castle, all red brick and green copper towers. Inside, the rooms are packed with royal furniture, tapestries and portraits.
The real highlight is down in the treasury, where the Danish crown jewels and royal regalia sit behind glass in the castle’s old vaults.
In winter the castle is closed on Mondays and keeps shorter hours, so it’s a good one for a late morning. Afterward, take a walk through the King’s Garden right outside.
6. Warm Up In The Glyptotek’s Winter Garden
The Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek was founded by Carl Jacobsen, the son of the Carlsberg brewery’s founder, to show off his huge collection of ancient and French art. It’s one of the most beautiful museums in the city.
At its heart is the Winter Garden, a glass domed hall full of tall palms and a fountain, with a café tucked inside. On a gray January afternoon it feels like a trip somewhere much warmer.
The museum is closed on Mondays and stays open late on Thursdays. Admission is free on the last Wednesday of every month, which also makes those days the busiest.
7. Climb The Rundetaarn At Dusk
The Rundetaarn, or Round Tower, was built in the 1600s as an observatory, and there are no stairs inside. Instead, a wide spiral ramp winds up to the top, smooth enough that a Russian tsar is said to have ridden up it on horseback.
The viewing platform looks out over the old town’s rooftops and spires. In winter the sun sets around four, so going late in the afternoon means you’ll catch the city lights coming on.
The tower keeps late hours on a couple of evenings a week in winter, and on some clear nights astronomers open the telescope to visitors, weather permitting.
8. Take In The View From Christiansborg Tower
Christiansborg Palace is home to the Danish Parliament, the Supreme Court and the Prime Minister’s office, all under one roof on the little island of Slotsholmen.
Its tower is the tallest in the city, and the viewing room at the top is free to visit with no booking. It’s a great way to get your bearings on the first day of a trip.
The tower is closed on Mondays and always closes between Christmas and New Year, so plan around those days.
9. Eat Smørrebrød At Torvehallerne
Smørrebrød is Denmark’s classic lunch: a slice of dense rye bread piled with toppings like pickled herring, roast beef, egg and shrimp, or potato with crispy onions. You eat it with a knife and fork.
Torvehallerne is the best place to try it. The two glass market halls near Nørreport station are full of food stalls, bakeries and coffee bars, and they’re warm and bright on a dark winter day.
The smørrebrød counters are busiest at lunch and the best ones can sell out by mid afternoon, so go earlier rather than later.
10. Order A Slice Of Cake At La Glace
La Glace has been serving cakes just off Strøget since 1870, and it still has an old fashioned tearoom feel, with a long glass counter full of layer cakes.
Order the Sportskage, the bakery’s famous cake of whipped cream and crunchy caramelized nougat, with a pot of hot chocolate or coffee.
It’s a very Danish way to spend a cold afternoon. Expect a short line on weekends, especially in the weeks before Christmas.
11. Go Ice Skating At Frederiksberg Runddel
Every winter a free outdoor rink goes up at Frederiksberg Runddel, right by the entrance to Frederiksberg Gardens. It usually opens in late November and runs until the end of February.
Skating is free if you bring your own skates, and you can rent a pair on site for a small fee. It’s a local spot, so expect families and after work skaters rather than tour groups.
Closer to the center, the Broens Skøjtebane rink sits by the harbor near Nyhavn from November to February. Both are outdoors, so a mild spell can close them for a day or two, which makes them weather permitting.
12. Cruise The Canals On A Heated Boat
A canal tour is one of the easiest ways to see a lot of Copenhagen in an hour, and it doesn’t stop for winter. The boats switch to covered, heated cabins so you can stay warm while you look out the windows.
Stromma runs its tours from Nyhavn all year, and Netto Bådene is a cheaper option with a few departures a day through the colder months. Most routes pass the Opera House, the colorful houses of Christianshavn and the Little Mermaid.
Some boats pause for a few days around Christmas and New Year, so check the schedule if you’re visiting that week.
13. Meet The Vikings At The National Museum Of Denmark
The National Museum is Denmark’s biggest museum of history, and it’s the best place in the city to learn about the Vikings. The prehistory galleries walk you through thousands of years, from Bronze Age treasures to Viking swords, jewelry and runestones.
It’s a big museum, so pick a few galleries rather than trying to see everything. The Viking age rooms are a must, and the kids’ section is a good bet for families.
It’s closed on Mondays. Since it’s all indoors, it makes a great plan for one of those rainy, windy days Copenhagen gets a lot of in winter.
14. Watch The Changing Of The Guard At Amalienborg
Amalienborg is the Danish royal family’s winter home, four matching palaces set around an octagonal square. Every day at noon, all year, the Royal Life Guards change shifts in the square in their tall bearskin hats.
The guards march from their barracks at Rosenborg Castle at about 11:30, so you can follow them through the streets. When the monarch is home, a marching band comes along too.
Afterward, walk ten minutes north to Kastellet, a star shaped fortress from the 1600s with red barracks and a windmill. It’s free, and the path along its ramparts leads down to the Little Mermaid statue.
15. Take The Train To The Louisiana Museum Of Modern Art
The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art sits on the coast in Humlebæk, about 35 to 40 minutes north of the city by train. It’s one of the most loved art museums in Scandinavia, with works by artists like Picasso, Giacometti and Yayoi Kusama.
What makes it special is the setting. The low buildings open onto a sculpture park and a lawn that runs down to the sea, with Sweden visible across the water on a clear day.
Trains leave Copenhagen Central Station often, and it’s a short walk from Humlebæk station. It’s closed on Mondays and open into the evening most other weekdays.
16. Visit Hamlet’s Castle At Kronborg
Kronborg Castle in Helsingør is the Elsinore of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It sits right on the narrow strait between Denmark and Sweden, where it once collected tolls from every passing ship.
Walk through the royal apartments and the great ballroom, then head down into the dark casemates underneath, where a statue of the legendary hero Holger Danske sits sleeping.
It’s about 45 minutes by train from the city. Winter hours are shorter and the castle is closed on some Mondays, so check before you go. You can easily pair it with the Louisiana on the same line.
17. Sit In The Famous Chairs At Design Museum Denmark
Denmark is famous for design, and Design Museum Denmark on Bredgade tells the whole story. The collection of Danish chairs alone is worth the trip, with classics by designers like Arne Jacobsen and Hans Wegner.
The museum is set in an old hospital building from the 1700s, built around a quiet courtyard garden.
It’s closed on Mondays. The café, garden and shop are free to visit even without a ticket, so it’s an easy stop on a walk between Nyhavn and Amalienborg.
18. Catch A Show During Copenhagen Winter Jazz
Every February, Vinterjazz fills clubs, cafés and concert halls across Denmark with jazz, and Copenhagen gets a big share of the hundreds of shows.
Many of the concerts are small and intimate, in jazz clubs, cafés and bars. It’s a great excuse to spend a dark evening somewhere warm with a drink and live music.
Even outside the festival, the city has a long jazz history. Jazzhus Montmartre, one of Europe’s best known jazz clubs, hosts concerts all through the year.
19. Follow The Copenhagen Light Festival
The Copenhagen Light Festival runs for about three weeks each year from late January into February, when the city is at its darkest. Artists set up light installations along the harbor, the canals and the streets of the center.
Most of the works are outdoors in public spaces, so you can see them on your own evening walk. Grab a map from the festival website and follow a route through town.
It’s the perfect way to end a winter in Copenhagen, and it gives February a reason to visit that the rest of the year doesn’t have.
Tips For Visiting Copenhagen In Winter
Winter days are short here. In December the sun rises around 8:30 in the morning and sets before 4:00 in the afternoon, so plan museums and castles for daylight and save markets, lights and dinner for the evening.
It rarely gets bitterly cold, but it’s damp and windy, with temperatures hovering around freezing. Bring a warm coat, a hat, waterproof shoes and layers you can peel off indoors.
Many museums and attractions close on Mondays, so use Mondays for walks, markets and saunas. Many things also close on December 24 and 25, since Danes celebrate Christmas on the evening of the 24th.
The metro runs around the clock and reaches the airport in about 15 minutes. If you’re planning several of these things to do in Copenhagen in winter, look at the Copenhagen Card, which bundles public transport with entry to many of the city’s museums. If you’re weighing up other festive cities, this list of holiday destinations for a Christmas vacation is a good place to compare.
Final Thoughts
Winter might be the most Copenhagen time of year. The city is quieter, the cafés are candlelit, and there’s a real joy in coming in from the cold to something warm.
Pick a few of these things to do in Copenhagen in winter, from Tivoli in December to the light festival in February, and let the dark evenings be part of the fun. If you’re heading farther north afterward, these things to do in Lapland in winter make a great next stop.
