Last Updated on March 27, 2025
There’s so much to experience you need more than just a weekend
For those looking for a weekend break, travel media often tries to condense a destination down into its ‘’best bits’’, the must-sees, the touristy basics, so that you can say you’ve ‘’done’’ city X – and have the photos to prove it.
Wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen is one of Europe’s most interesting and enjoyable cities, but it needs time to really get to know it properly – certainly more than a weekend.
This is the second part of a canter through what there is to see and do in Copenhagen. Some are personal favourites, others should be on everyone’s list.
For history buffs, there’s a wealth of superb museums.
Denmark’s premier history museum, the National Museum, is where you can find an awesome collection of archaeological finds from the Viking Age. Danish history goes further back than the Vikings, of course, and the prehistory exhibition includes treasures such as the Sun Chariot (more than 3,500 years old), the eery, Bronze Age remains of the Egtved Girl and the Huldremose Woman.
If you do find yourself heading to or from the Little Mermaid, you can drop in to visit the Freedom Museum, which covers Denmark’s resistance movement during the Nazi occupation 1940 to 1945. Not just a repository for war-time artefacts, the museum focuses strongly on the human aspect, such as the choice to join the resistance or be a collaborator.
Home to one of the world’s oldest monarchies, there’s royal palaces galore.
For history between the Vikings and World War II, there’s a number of impressive royal palaces to visit. Each one is a reminder that Denmark was once a rich and influential European power, especially under Christian IV (whose C4 logo seems to be on every old building).
Photo: David Edgar
Beautiful Rosenborg Castle (more of a palace really) in Copenhagen was one of his. Set in pretty parkland in the museum district, it features the Danish crown jewels and many other royal treasures amid some stunning 17th century interiors.
Up the coast a train ride north from Copenhagen you’ll find Helsingør, better known as Elsinore, home to Hamlet’s Kronborg Castle. Well worthy of its place on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, it’s another Renaissance castle which owes a lot to Christian IV. Every August sees an open-air Shakespeare Festival with the castle as an impressive backdrop. It is home, too, to the mythical Holger Dansk, a warrior who sleeps below the castle until called to rescue Denmark in its hour of need.
Photo: David Edgar
Perhaps the most magnificent of the royal palaces, Frederiksborg in Hillerød (another short train ride away from the city centre) is named for Frederik, builder of the first castle. It was his son, though, that man Christian IV, who created this Renaissance castle on three small islands in Castle Lake. The castle houses the Museum of National History, tracing five centuries of Denmark’s story.
Back in Copenhagen, fans of the Danish political TV drama, Borgen, will recognise Christiansborg Palace, Denmark’s seat of political power, next to the old stock exchange with its fantasy dragon-tail spire. The Christiansborg tower is the city’s tallest, offering another super view over the rooftops.
Amalienborg palace comprises four identical buildings: one is home to the Queen, one to the Crown Prince and two guest palaces. Like every good palace, there is a changing of the guard, Den Kongelige Livgarde, (daily at noon) when the guards in their tall bearskin hats process through the streets to Amalienborg.
Although they march smartly, once on guard duty, however, they adopt amusingly (to me anyway) a much more relaxed saunter, arms nonchalantly folded, in a very laid back Scandi way…
If you want yet another super view over Copenhagen, the Rundtaarn (Round Tower) is one of Denmark’s best-known buildings, dating back to the 1630s and another of Christian IV’s projects. Its spiral ramp, winding 7½ times around the tower, means your legs get a good workout, but in the past that wasn’t the only to ascend. Russian Tsar Peter the Great reportedly rode up on horseback (or in a carriage according to some stories).
Tivoli and Bakken
Most cities would be happy to have one world class amusement park – Copenhagen has two. Tivoli is the most famous but, founded in 1843, it’s only the second oldest in the world. Bakken, just outside the city, is older and dates back to the 16th century.
For many Danes, Bakken is the traditional family day-out, offering 32 rides for all ages and adrenaline levels plus other attractions such as an 82-year-old wooden rollercoaster.
Close to Copenhagen’s main railway station, internationally renowned Tivoli is an unmissable must-visit, offering something for everyone. Hans Christian Andersen visited many times in the 19th century, while in the 1950s Walt Disney saw the kind of amusement park he wanted to create in the US.
Photo: David Edgar
Tivoli has its own old rollercoaster but there so much more: exotic, historic buildings; beautiful gardens; concerts, ballet and theatre; light shows; and of course, great places to eat. If you like being thrown around at speed, there’s Vertigo, once voted Europe’s best ride. If you like other thrills, the latest attraction is Villa Vendetta, a haunted house on a grand scale.
So, after this run-through of what there is to see and do, it’s easy to see why Copenhagen really is one of Europe’s most interesting and enjoyable cities. These are some personal favourites, but the best thing is to go and find your own Copenhagen – there’s so much to enjoy!
For more information – see Visit Copenhagen.
