20 Best FREE Things To Do In Copenhagen – Ultimate Guide
On a budget and looking for the best free things to do in Copenhagen?
We recently travelled to Copenhagen as a family and rated it as one of the best European cities that we’ve been to with our kids! However, as well as being amazing fun, it is also one of the most expensive cities in Europe. Which if you’re travelling on a budget, like we were, could feel like a showstopper to your visit before you’ve even arrived. We managed to stick to our budget by researching all of the free things to do in Copenhagen and picking the ones that worked for us as a family with young kids.
Because, even though it is an expensive city you’ll be surprised by the number of free attractions that it has, such as troll hunting, visiting Freetown Christiania, and climbing the tower of Christiansborg Palace. Plus it has lots of beautiful parks you can have fun in and a rich history you can experience by just walking through the heart of Copenhagen. And depending on when you visit, some of the art galleries and museums have free access on certain days
We’ve put together our list of the best free things to do in Copenhagen. If you spot a ⭐T&T⭐ next to it then this is because it was tried and tested by us with our kids when we’ve visited. Everything else remains on our bucket list of things to do when we return!
New for July and August 2024 – CopenPay
Just as we were writing this post, a friend of ours shared this incredible initiative called CopenPay that has launched in Copenhagen. CopenPay is a system where 24 attractions will reward your climate-friendly actions. If you cycle to an attraction you might be rewarded with a free coffee and cake, or if you pledge to collect rubbish you’ll be rewarded with free bike or boat hire. The rewards in CopenPay are incredible and the attractions have been so generous. If you’re looking for free things to do in Copenhagen and love being climate-friendly then you should totally try to work your way through the 24 attractions supporting the CopenPay scheme.
Free Things To Do In Copenhagen – Exploring The City Centre
1. Take a self guided tour of central Copenhagen ⭐T&T⭐
We always start any visit to a city by either doing a free walking tour or taking ourselves on a self guided tour. If we’re doing it ourselves then we use this great app called GPSmyCity, and because it uses GPS it means you’re not faffing around trying to figure out where you’re going. There are plenty that cover central Copenhagen so that you can explore the heart of the city.
If you do decide to book onto an organised free walking tour then most of them start at Copenhagen City Hall. These aren’t actually “free” tours because you’ll give a tip at the end if you’ve enjoyed the tour. However, they work out a lot cheaper and we think the guides are a lot better than on organised tours because they want you to have a great time so you give a bigger tip. The great thing is that we’ve never been on a bad one!
2. People watching at Nyhavn ⭐T&T⭐
This is the famous colourful street is one of the most iconic spots in Copenhagen. Originally Nyhavn was a commercial dock, and today the historic buildings have been restored and refurbished into cafe’s, bars and restaurants. If you enjoy people-watching, like we do, then this is the great place to head because there are plenty of benches to sit on and enjoy the hustle and bustle. Our son enjoyed watching the artists painting pictures that were for sale. The colourful buildings make a fab backdrop for photos if you’re looking for Insta-photos!
Fun fact: Danish author Hans Christian Andersen used to live in Nyhavn and wrote some of his most famous fairy tales when he lived there.
3. Watching the Changing of the Guards at Amalienborg Palace ⭐T&T⭐
Every day at 11:30am guards leave the Rosenborg Castle and head to the royal residence of Amalienborg Palace where at midday the changing of the guard will happen. If the Danish royal family are in residence then the guards will have a marching band with them.
Top tip: Make sure to get there with plenty of time to spare because it can get very busy!
It’s a lot of fun to watch, our son was amazed by the marching band, and a great way to take in some Danish culture. This is one of the best free things to do in Copenhagen.
4. Take a walk around Freetown Christiania ⭐T&T⭐
Freetown Christiania is an area in Copenhagen that was created in 1971 when a community squatted on a disused military base in the centre of Copenhagen. Today is a self-style democratic community made up of 15 local areas which is home to between 750-1,000 residents.
We loved taking our family to Freetown Christiania as there is so much to see such as colourful artwork, live music and people watching galore. It’s the perfect place to spend a few hours just taking in the vibe and atmosphere of this cool alternative community. This is definitely one of the best things that we did in Copenhagen and we love that it’s also free! Copenhagen is really worth visiting to come to Freetown Christania.
Top tip: If you love live music like we do, then head to Nemoland in Freetown Christiania – they have free concerts every Sunday in the summer.
5. Enjoy a panoramic view from Christiansborg Tower
Christiansborg Palace was once the home of the Danish royal family, however, after they moved into the Amalienborg Palace it became the location of the the Danish parliament and the base of the Danish government.
The tower of Christiansborg Palace which stands at 106m high making it the highest tower in Copenhagen, and the great thing is that there is free entry to it. The top of the tower is a great place to head to get the best views over central Copenhagen.
6. Go window shopping at the Strøget
Strøget is one of the longest pedestrian shopping streets in Europe, running a total of 1.1km from City Hall Square to Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen. It’s got a great variety of stores from Luis Vuitton and Prada to Zara and H&M.
Its right in central Copenhagen and you’ll pass by of through it as you visit various free attractions such as the Christiansborg Palace and its tower, City Hall Square and at the far end is Nyhavn. If you like a little window shopping then this is one of the best free things to do, however, just remember that as soon as you start shopping it stops being free, haha!
7. Check out the Lego store ⭐T&T⭐
If you or your kids are into Lego, then you really need to stop into the flagship Lego store in Copenhagen for a little browse. You’ll find it on Strøget which is Copenhagen’s central shopping area that we just spoke about. They often have free events there where you can build a model and take it home with you. Our son Cameron loved it there, it really inspired him with lots of great Christmas and birthday present ideas!
Top tip: If you get hungry in the city centre, you’ll find a food truck serving hot dogs on most street corners. These are a super cheap eats option for food on the go and we should know as we had one most lunchtimes!
Free Things To Do In Copenhagen – Making The Most Of The Outdoors
8. Relax by The Little Mermaid Statue ⭐T&T⭐
This is a very popular spot and is where you’ll find The Little Mermaid statue that is famous in Copenhagen and is based on the fairy tales written by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. However, we have to warn you that it is small (the clue is in it’s name) and so you might get there and be a little underwhelmed.
Even though we’d heard if was a little underwhelming we headed there anyway as it’s by the waterfront and there’s plenty of open green space to enjoy a picnic. It’s also very close to Kastellet Citadel which is one of the best free things to do in Copenhagen.
9. Take a swim in one of the harbour baths ⭐T&T⭐
Yes, you read that right, you can go swimming in the harbour in Copenhagen – surprisingly it has actually got very clean water. The best places to head for a swim are one of the many harbour baths dotted throughout the city, and the great thing is that they are all free.
We visited Islands Brygge Harbour Bath with our kids and it was great fun and because it’s a “harbour bath” it’s totally enclosed and even has a lifeguard. For little kids theres a cool rock pool section, and for older kids and adults that like to have fun there are some cool diving boards to jump off of- we spent a fair bit of time watching a stag do jumping in!
Just remember, that this is Denmark and even in the summer the water has a certain “chill” about it, as we discovered when we had a go swimming there!
10. Head to the skate park at Fælledparken ⭐T&T⭐
If you’ve read any of our other posts, then you’ll know that we love to search out the best skate parks in each city because our son loves a blast about and they’re always free!
The best one that we found was in Fælledparken, and it was both huge and exceptional! It had loads of different ramps and boxes as well as a pump track, plus all the kids and adults there were really friendly. There’s also a great park around it and little cafe for a drinks and snacks!
11. Discover the Kastellet Citadel
The Kastellet Citadel was once part of a defence system that helped protect Copenhagen from attacks. Nowadays its no longer defends the city even though there is still a small military presence. Today it is home to a fantastic public park as well as some historic buildings with free entry.
The two main buildings are the church and the Commanders House (which is still the official residence of the Danish ‘Chief of Defence’ ). If you’re visiting the Little Mermaid or Rosenburg Castle then it’s easy to add on a stop at the Kastellet Fortress.
Top tip: If you’re visiting Copenhagen in the summer then keep an eye out because there are sometimes concerts you can enjoy at the Kastellet Fortress.
12. Spend time in nature at Copenhagen’s Botanical Gardens
The Copenhagen Botanical Gardens are home to more than 13,000 different plant species which includes Danish plants as well as exotic plants. There is free admission to visit the botanical gardens, however, entry to the main Palm House (which is where you’ll find the Butterfly House which is open in the summer months) has a small entrance fee.
13. Relax in Rosenborg Castle gardens
At the Rosenborg Castle is the aptly named King’s Garden (Kongens Have) which is the oldest and most popular park in Copenhagen. This park is the perfect place to enjoy some relaxation during your sightseeing. If you do decide to visit the 400 year old castle then there is an entrance fee.
14. Rent a Green Kayak for free
Yes, you read that right, you can kayak for free with Green Kayak in Copenhagen. The deal is that, between May to September, you can borrow a kayak for free for up to 2 hours and in exchange you collect any rubbish that you find and bring it back with the kayak and also share a post to social media.
This is one of the best free things to do in Copenhagen because the waterways are such a great way to explore the city. We sadly ran out of time to do this, as both of our boys love kayaking, however, it’s top of our list for our next visit to Copenhagen.
Free Things To Do In Copenhagen – Outside Of The City
15. Go on a hunt for trolls ⭐T&T⭐
A Danish artist called Thomas Dambo has created hundreds of massive wooden trolls that can be found all over the world. They’re made of wooden pallets and even with the location of the trolls you still need to actually look for them as they’re not obvious at first. In his home city of Copenhagen he’s created a fun troll treasure hunt called The Six Forgotten Giants.
You can go on out on a day trip to the hunt for his giant trolls using his unique Troll Map which you can download here. We had a lot of fun out on our bikes looking some of the trolls with our boys, each troll has a name and a character, so you really do get into spotting them.
If you don’t want to head out for a day trip hunting for them, then there are a couple in the city centre itself. The easiest to reach and popular one can be found here in Freetown Christiania and he’s called Green George.
16. Visit Bakken the world’s oldest amusement park ⭐T&T⭐
When you’re visiting Copenhagen it’s likely that you’ll hear all about Tivoli Gardens, the worlds second oldest amusement park which can be found in the heart of Copenhagen. However, what a lot of people don’t know, is that a 20 minute day trip outside of central Copenhagen is Bakken, the worlds oldest amusement park. And the best thing is that it has free entry every day! You only have to pay for the rides and amusements once you’re in there if you want to.
We loved it because we took Cam (our 3 year son) and only had to pay for his kids unlimited rides pass and we (the adults) didn’t have to pay anything to be there with him as he bobbed up and down on the carousel for hours!
17. Visit the beach ⭐T&T⭐
Copenhagen is a great city in the summer months as it has some beautiful beaches which are just a short train ride from the city centre. We made the most of visiting Bellevue Beach when we went to Bakken. It had everything you needed from a beach such as toilets, cafes as well as a grassy picnic area. However, there are also a couple of other beaches nearer to Copenhagen to try that were recommended to us.
- Amager Beach Park (or Amager Strandpark, as the locals call it) is only a 5km from the City Hall.
- Svanemølle Beach provides a welcome escape for the residents of Østerbro and is just a 20-minute bike ride from the city centre.
18. Enjoy a meal at Reffen ⭐T&T⭐
We love to eat street food style wherever we go because we’re on a budget and it tends to be a lot cheaper. Refen is the number one place in Copenhagen to head to if you’re looking for street food mixed with a little street culture. You’ll find this lively area out in an old industrial area close to the waterfront, where there are more than 50 vendors offering an eclectic mix of cuisine from around the world. There’s loads happening there, as it’s got a small beach with deckchairs and tables and a very cool skatepark that kids (old and young!) can enjoy.
Our son Cam loved the skate park whilst we got a chance to enjoy a drink in the sunshine! What we loved as a family is that you can grab gourmet food on the go, or easy to eat favourites such as hot dogs, all in one place.
Top tip: They have a great events programme at Reffen such as workshops and live music, and sometimes they have free concerts.
Free Things To Do In Copenhagen – Galleries And Museums
Sadly, our young kids aren’t at an age where they enjoy a display orientated museum unless a large element is immersive. So we’ve had to keep museums and art galleries on our personal “to do” list for when we return when they’re older, which we will! However, in the meantime we wanted to share the free ones that we discovered by researching online.
19. Spend time at one of Copenhagen’s free art galleries
Copenhagen has some great art galleries, and some of them offer free admission. It seems to be that Wednesday is the day that they offer free admission, so if you’re visiting on a Wednesday then you’ll be in luck!
- Kunsthal Charlottenborg Art Museum – free admission every Wednesday
- Thorvaldsens Museum – free admission on the last Wednesday of the month
- Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek – free admission on the last Wednesday of the month
20. Check out some of the free museums in Copenhagen
Some of the museums in Copenhagen offer free entry every day of the week, and some, like with the art galleries offer it just on a Wednesday. We’ve put together a short list of the ones that we found.
- Ballerup Museum – free admission every day
- The David Collection – free admission every day
- National Museum – free admission every day
- Museum of Copenhagen – free every Wednesday
Save Money With The Copenhagen Card
We couldn’t write a post about free things to do in Copenhagen without at least mentioning the Copenhagen City Card.
Buying the card is a good idea if you’re visiting Copenhagen on a budget. It gives you unlimited free public transportation including canal boats, as well as free admission to over 80 attractions. You just pay for a period of time, ranging between 24-120 hours to access the features of the Copenhagen Card. This is a great way to explore the city if you’re keen to get free entry to some of the more expensive attractions such as the castles and museums. Plus your transport from Copenhagen airport is also included so you don’t have to worry about paying for that.
What we love about the card, is that on their webpage they a have a calculator so you can work out if it’s going to be good value for you, plus each adult can get up to two kids free on their card! We didn’t buy one for our trip as we had our bikes with us so cycled everywhere, and also our kids aren’t quite at the age where we could visit enough of the attractions to get enough value from it. Though this is definitely one for our next visit!
