Skip to content
Ethos
Make a gift
All trips

City break

A hygge weekend in Copenhagen

Candles in every window, cinnamon buns, a harbour clean enough to swim in, and a museum by the sea that is worth the train on its own. Rent bikes on the first morning; the city is built for them.

Length
3 days
Budget
€€€ (Over €300 a day for two. What you spend there, not the flights.)
Best months
May–Aug, Dec
Kind
City break
Make it a surpriseFind flights

The route

Where you'll go

  1. 1

    Christianshavn

    2 nights

    Canals and houseboats, a short walk from everything, and quieter than Nyhavn.

    Date spots here
  2. 2

    Nørrebro

    On the way

    The small shops and bakeries of Jægersborggade, and the cemetery park where Kierkegaard is buried.

    Date spots here
  3. 3

    Louisiana, Humlebæk

    On the way

    Forty minutes north by train: modern art in a garden that runs down to the sea.

    Date spots here

Day by day

The plan

  1. Day 1

    Harbour and canals

    • Rent two bikes and ride the harbour, past the Opera, to the Royal Library's Black Diamond.
    • Cinnamon buns and coffee at a bakery in Christianshavn.
    • Climb the outside spiral of the Church of Our Saviour, for the whole city from the top.
    • Evening: dinner in the old Meatpacking District, Kødbyen, then a candlelit drink in a basement bar.

  2. Day 2

    Louisiana by the sea

    • The train from Central Station to Humlebæk, forty minutes up the coast.
    • The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art: Giacometti's figures, Kusama's room of lights, and the sculpture lawn over the Øresund.
    • Lunch on the museum café's terrace, looking at Sweden across the water.
    • Evening: back in town, a swim at the Islands Brygge harbour bath in summer or Tivoli's lights in December, then a wine bar.

  3. Day 3

    Nørrebro, slowly

    • Breakfast on Jægersborggade, then a walk through Assistens Cemetery, which locals use as a park.
    • The lakes: a loop of Sortedams Sø, and the swan pedal boats if they're out.
    • Smørrebrød for lunch, two open sandwiches each, and a cold aquavit if you dare.
    • Late afternoon: the short canal boat tour from Nyhavn, sitting at the front.

Book ahead

Tickets for this trip

The things on this plan worth booking ahead: a time slot, a seat on a boat, a pass. Book before you go and skip the ticket desk.

Tickets through Tiqets. We may earn a commission if you book through some of these links. It costs you nothing extra.

Getting there

Flights to Copenhagen

Where this trip starts. Add where you're flying from, change the dates if you like, then pick a site.

2 travellers
Search on AviasalesGoogle FlightsSkyscannerKayak

Pick both airports and the searches appear here.

These open the search on each site, and the fares are theirs. We may earn a commission if you book through some of these links. It costs you nothing extra.

Make it a surprise

Don't tell them where.

Turn this trip into a gift: a ticket they open on their phone, with Copenhagen already on it and the packing list as clues. You choose when they find out.

Make it a surprise

Opens the gift editor. Free to start.