So you are spending three days in Copenhagen and wonder what are the best things to see and do in this captivating city? Look no further, because I have created the perfect 3 day itinerary for your city trip to Copenhagen! Denmark’s capital is home to the Danish royal family. So it is no surprise that the city contains a lot of palaces and castles to see and visit. Copenhagen has a lot more to offer than just its famous Little Mermaid. You can wander around charming colorful streets, admire the views along the picturesque canals, indulge in great food, stroll around in beautiful parks and do a lot of shopping. So get ready to plan your next three day adventure and discover what the best things to see and do are in Copenhagen!
Best things to see and do in Copenhagen in three days
Table of Contents
- Best things to see and do in Copenhagen in three days
- Where to stay during your three days in Copenhagen?
- Watch the best things to see and do in Copenhagen on YouTube!
- Pin your 3 days in Copenhagen for later
Day one in Copenhagen: exploring the castle island, the city center & Rosenborg castle
Rådhuspladsen (City Hall Square)
I stayed in hotel Cabinn City (book here), which was only 500 meters from Copenhagen’s Central Station. So I will start my city walk at the Rådhuspladsen, which is in the same area.
The Rådhuspladsen is Copenhagen’s city hall square and it is surrounded by the most magnificent buildings like the city hall, which was inspired by Siena’s city hall in Italy, and the Scandic Hotel. Make sure to take your time to explore this square, because there are fountains and sculptures to admire like the Dragon fountain, the Weather Girl, the Lur Blowers and the statue of Hans Christian Andersen. This square is the most vivid place of Copenhagen. All celebrations such as New Year’s Eve take place at the Rådhuspladsen.
Slotsholmen
This “castle island” houses important buildings like Christiansborg Slot, the Royal Danish Library and Børsen. Make sure to enter the island via its most beautiful bridge: Marmorbroen. In front of Christiansborg palace, which is the seat of the Danish Parliament, you will find the royal stables and the horse riding track. I especially loved the Bibliotekshaven, which is the garden of the Royal Library where you can sit back and relax with the view of rose bushes and a pond with koi fish. The sound of the fountain in the pond makes you feel zen instantly.
Another impressive building on this island is Børsen. This was the stock exchange in the 17th century. What makes this building so intriguing is its tower. The tower is shaped as a spiral formed by the tails of four green dragons twined together. It looks as if it belongs to a Harry Potter story.
Agnete and the Merman Statue
When you leave Slotsholmen via the Højbro bridge, don’t forget to take a look at the water. Because under its surface there is a statue called Agnete and the Merman. The statue is inspired by a traditional Danish story of a girl Agnete who fell in love with a merman. She decided to live with him beneath the waves and they had seven mer-kids. But when Agnete heard church bells ringing from the land in the distance, she left her mer-family to give her old life a visit. Unfortunately she decided to never return, leaving her merman and kids forever in pain for their lost love. I only saw it on a sunny day. When it is cloudy the water is too dark.
Amagertorv
After passing the Højbro square you’ll arrive at another beautiful square called Amagertorv which is known for its Stork fountain and its central location in the shopping area of Copenhagen. Make sure to give Hay House a visit, one of Copenhagen’s furniture and design products store. Not only for the typical Scandinavian style furniture and decoration, but also to admire the view from its big windows of the Amagertorv square.
Rundetårn
After strolling through the Købmagergade shopping street you’ll arrive at the Rundetårn. This 36 meter high “Round Tower” offers spectacular views of the city. It is also the oldest functioning observatory in Europe. To reach the top you need to do the spiral walk of about 268 meters. It is not hard to do and it’s great to find out how big the city is and where everything is located. The entry fee is only 25 DKK (3,3€).
Lunch at Sporvejen
There are a lot of food options in Copenhagen but I loved to have a burger at Sporvejen. Sporvejen is located at the cozy Gråbrødretorv square and offers outdoor seating. What makes this restaurant so special is that its interior is taken from an old tram. So when you sit inside, it’s like you are having a burger inside a tram! The staff is very friendly and the burgers delicious! I especially loved their red sauce!
Rosenborg Slot
After lunch it’s time to take a walk in the park! King’s Garden is a lovely park where the locals take out their dogs, play garden games such as Kubb or sit on a bench to relax. The park itself isn’t that special, but from here you can go to the Rosenborg castle. I think the view from the rose garden was the prettiest. I loved sitting there on a bench with the view of the roses and the castle and the warmth of the sun on my face. You can visit the castle to see its interior and the crown jewels.
Botanical Garden
Across the street you will find the Botanical Garden, which was my favorite park in Copenhagen. The park’s lake is surrounded by romantic paths and a wide range of vegetation. I was lucky to visit it on a warm sunny day mid September. People were laying in the sun, reading a book or enjoying a picnic on the park’s green fields. Make sure to visit the old Palm House and the Butterfly House! I loved to see all these different colored butterflies. It was also funny to see how people chased them with their photo cameras.
Prepare yourself for the different climate inside the Palm House! It was warm and humid and I got so sweaty even though I was only wearing a cotton dress. It’s as if you enter a jungle. The eye catcher of the old Palm House is the white narrow spiral stairs that leads to a passageway through the treetops. Make sure to take the Southwest entrance of the park as the others are often closed.
University Quarter
This quarter is a cozy neighborhood with narrow streets, colored houses and a lot of juice and coffee bars. Take your time to explore these streets or have a coffee. You will love this area of Copenhagen!
A night at Tivoli
You can’t go to Copenhagen and not visit the Tivoli Gardens! Especially at night this amusement park in the center of Copenhagen is simply magical! The decors are amazing! One moment you are walking through a street that could come out of a Harry Potter book, the next you are in China or on a pirate ship! I loved how they decorated the whole park and the lights were so pretty! I felt like a little child in a wonderful magical world. You can have dinner in the park. I’d say Tivoli is the perfect ending of your first day of three days in Copenhagen.
Day two in Copenhagen: Colorful canals, Amalienborg Palace & the Citadel
Magstræde & Snaregade
The second day of your three days in Copenhagen starts with walking through the two oldest streets of Copenhagen: Magstræde and Snaregade. Magstræde is a charming little street with cobblestones (still the original) and colorful façades. On the corner of Gammel Strand and Snaregade you can find the oldest house of Snaregade. It used to be a royal pawn shop built in 1730. The half-timbered house at No. 5 is from 1732 and was built for a rope maker. Walking through these streets takes you back to the past.
Nyhavn
Nyhavn is definitely one of Copenhagen’s most photogenic places and should not be missing from your list of best things to see and do in Copenhagen! At this colorful harbor you can sit by the water or take a boat trip! The one hour boat tour takes you to the Opera House, the Little Mermaid, Christianshavn, Slotsholmen and back to Nyhavn. I do recommend it because one; you get to see Copenhagen from a different perspective and two; boat trips are always fun, aren’t they? I took the 9.30 boat so I had plenty of time left in the morning to explore the following.
Amalienborg
Walk from Nyhavn along the water to Amalienborg. It is time to meet the royals, or their guards at least… Amalienborg consists of a massive square surrounded by four palaces. During the winter time the royal family lives here. You can also catch a glimpse of the Frederik’s Church.
At noon you can see the guards change. Take into account that you are not allowed to use a tripod here. I didn’t know, so I was setting up my tripod to take a picture, until a guard was marching my way. I took the tripod and smiled at him because I thought it would be in his way, but he stopped right in front of me to tell me that it was forbidden to use a tripod. He said this in such a friendly manner! So I apologized, said I wasn’t aware of it and I put the tripod away. He said it was OK, smiled and marched back to his place. He actually charmed me. Most of the guards I have met in the past were always grumpy.
Gefion Fountain
After watching the change of the guards, take the northeast exit of Amalienborg and go straight ahead. Before reaching Copenhagen’s most famous statue you will pass the Gefion fountain. This fountain consists of a large statue of Gefjun, a Norse goddess and four oxen. The legend says Gefjun created the Swedish island of Zealand by letting her four sons, who she transformed to oxen, ploughing the land during only one day and night. I think this fountain is way more impressive than the next discovery.
Little Mermaid
You probably already know and if you don’t, then now you do; the Little Mermaid really is… little. The bronze statue created by Edvard Eriksen is only 1.25 meters high. There’s usually a crowd surrounding her, because everyone wants to take a photo with her. Because I already knew she would be little, I wasn’t too disappointed, because I thought she would be smaller. So she was actually bigger than I expected!
Kastellet
The next stop is Kastellet. This citadel is one of the best preserved fortresses in Europe. I loved walking on the rampart. From there I had a great view on the citadel. A lot of locals come here to walk or run.
Frederik’s Church
Return back to Nyhavn passing Frederik’s Church, also known as the Marble Church. Apparently its dome is the largest in Scandinavia with a span of 31 meters. I just thought it was pretty.
Lunch at The Bridge Street Kitchen
Cross the Inderhavnsbroen bridge at Nyhavn and you’ll reach The Bridge Street Kitchen. This is a street food market with delicious food and drinks from all around the world. I had a late lunch consisting of a fresh and tasty poke bowl and a ginger beer.
Christianshavn
After lunch it’s time to explore Christianshavn, which is also called Little Amsterdam of Copenhagen. The Dutch quarter was created by the Friesian town planner Johan Semp, on behalf of King Christian IV. It really does feel a little like Amsterdam. I just didn’t see any crooked facades. There were a lot of houseboats though. It’s a fun neighborhood to wander around.
From here you can also visit Vrijstad Christiania, but I decided not to. I heard from a few friends it’s a rather dodgy neighborhood.
Circle Bridge
The Circle Broen is a pedestrian bridge. It resembles a ship with 5 masts and it also opens to let ships pass by. I thought this was the most interesting and pretty bridge in Copenhagen because of its color and shape. It will lead you to Appelbys Plads so you can cross the water again via the Langebro bridge to return to Copenhagen’s center.
Dinner at Gorm’s
I had dinner at Gorm’s with a girl from India I had met the night before. They had good freshly made pizzas with a twist.
Day three: a trip to Hillerød
Frederiksborg Castle
Today it’s time to explore Frederiksborg Castle and its gardens in Hillerød. Take the train around 8.30 at København H, Copenhagen’s Central Station. About 40 minutes later you’ll arrive in Hillerød. After a short walk of about 20 minutes through the city’s center you’ll be walking through the gates of Frederiksborg Castle, the largest Renaissance castle in Scandinavia. I found this the most beautiful castle of my whole Copenhagen trip. The advantage of being this early is that the castle is still closed so there won’t be a lot of people (it opens at 10.00). I was able to take a lot of pictures without anyone around.
But I enjoyed the castle’s gardens the most. It is a huge park with different areas. The Baroque Garden consists of four terraces which descent downwards to the castle lake decorated with straight lined box hedges and shaped trees. At the lake’s level the four royal monograms are cut out of box hedges (Frederik IV, who established the Baroque Garden, Christian VI, and Frederik V, in whose reigns the garden existed and finally Queen Margrethe II, who inaugurated the recreated Baroque Garden in 1996.). I found this the prettiest part of the garden.
The rest of the park consists of walking paths along lakes and through tree lanes. The gardens are free to visit and open 24/24. I didn’t visit the castle’s interior.
In the afternoon you can still explore Copenhagen. Some recommendations:
- TorvehallerneKBH; a food market
- Assistens Kirkegard; cemetary with the grave of Hans Christian Andersen
- Det Kongelige Bibliotek; a huge modern library
- Climb the Christiansborg Palace tower
Where to stay during your three days in Copenhagen?
I stayed in hotel Cabinn City (book here). This budget-friendly hotel boasts a central location, making it the perfect launching pad for exploring the vibrant city. It was only 700 meters from Tivoli and the Rådhuspladsen, and 500 meters from Copenhagen’s Central Station.
Watch the best things to see and do in Copenhagen on YouTube!
Pin your 3 days in Copenhagen for later
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