Copenhagen, Denmark 6 Day Itinerary
Copenhagen 6-Day Itinerary
Copenhagen has been cleaning its harbour since the late 1990s, and it’s now clean enough that locals swim in it from May through September at harbour baths like Islands Brygge and Sandkaj in Nordhavn. That detail tells you something about the city: pragmatic, quietly ambitious, and better in practice than the Instagram version suggests.
Getting In
Copenhagen Airport (Kastrup) sits 13 minutes from the city centre by Metro M2. A three-zone ticket costs around 36-38 DKK (roughly EUR 5) and covers 90 minutes of onward travel on any bus, metro, or train. The M2 runs every four to six minutes during the day and leaves from Terminal 3. Taxis exist and cost around 300 DKK to central Copenhagen, but they offer nothing the metro doesn’t except door-to-door convenience. Get a rechargeable Rejsekort card at the airport if you plan to use transit heavily across the six days.
Where to Stay
For first-timers, the area around Vesterbro puts you within walking distance of the Meatpacking District without paying Indre By prices. Mid-range hotels along Istedgade run from about EUR 100-140 per night. If budget is not a concern, Hotel d’Angleterre on Kongens Nytorv is the classic choice. Avoid booking anything described as “central” that turns out to be near Amager; check the map carefully.
Day 1: Arrival and Getting Your Bearings
Arrive, drop your bags, and walk rather than plan. Head immediately to Torvehallerne, the covered food market at Nørreport Station, which opened in 2011 on a site that has been a marketplace since the 17th century. Two glass-and-steel halls hold around 60 stalls selling smørrebrød, specialty coffee from The Coffee Collective, fresh pasta, and oysters. Eat lunch here. It is better value and more genuinely local than most restaurants you’ll find on arrival day.
In the afternoon, walk fifteen minutes south to Tivoli Gardens. Entry tickets start at around 150 DKK for adults, and rides are priced separately. Skip the evening light show on Day 1 and save it for later in the week when you’re more settled. Instead, walk east to Nyhavn for a drink at one of the canal-side bars, accept that it’s touristy, and enjoy it anyway. The coloured facades are exactly as photogenic as advertised.
Dinner: Bæst in Nørrebro, where chef Christian Puglisi makes his own mozzarella and charcuterie in-house and uses them on sourdough pizzas that are consistently ranked among the best in Northern Europe. Book ahead. Mid-range by Copenhagen standards, which means roughly 300-400 DKK per person with wine.
Day 2: Palaces, Christiania, and a Proper Dinner
Morning: Amalienborg Palace is four identical Rococo mansions arranged around an octagonal courtyard. The changing of the Royal Guard happens at noon daily and is worth watching once. The palace museum costs 115 DKK and is genuinely interesting if you have any curiosity about Danish royal history. Rosenborg Castle, a ten-minute walk away, houses the crown jewels and is better than it sounds. Budget 90 minutes for each.
Lunch: Walk back through the Latin Quarter to Jægersborggade in Nørrebro, one of the best streets in the city for eating and drinking. Manfreds at number 40 does natural wine and small, vegetable-forward plates at lunch. Affordable and reliably good.
Afternoon: Freetown Christiania occupies 34 hectares on the eastern edge of Christianshavn. It has been a self-governing community since 1971 and the cannabis market on Pusher Street is openly visible, but photography there is aggressively discouraged and you should respect that. The surrounding streets have interesting murals, independent galleries, and a good cafe called Morgenstedet. Do not bring it up as a novelty; just walk around and observe.
Dinner: Kadeau, which sources almost everything from the island of Bornholm and applies serious technique to it. More expensive (tasting menu territory, 1,200-1,500 DKK per person), but one of the best arguments for why Copenhagen became a global food destination. Book weeks in advance.
Day 3: Museums and the Harbour
Start at the National Museum of Denmark on Ny Vestergade. The prehistoric collection, including a 3,500-year-old sun chariot, is the standout. Admission is free for permanent collection. Allocate two hours, then walk fifteen minutes to the Black Diamond, the Royal Library’s modern extension on the waterfront. The reading rooms are open to the public and worth seeing even if you don’t borrow anything.
Lunch: Cafe Atelier September on Gothersgade. Small, calm, good eggs and open-faced sandwiches. Very popular, so arrive before noon or expect a wait.
Afternoon: Take a canal boat tour, which leaves from Nyhavn and runs past the Little Mermaid, the Opera House, and the old naval base. About 75-90 minutes and 100 DKK. The Little Mermaid is smaller than you expect. The Opera House, designed by Henning Larsen and funded entirely by the Maersk shipping family, is more impressive.
If it’s summer (May to September) and the weather holds, walk to Islands Brygge harbour bath afterwards and swim in the harbour. It is genuinely clean, free, and one of the experiences that separates Copenhagen from every other major European city.
Dinner: Stay in Vesterbro and eat at Kødbyens Fiskebar in the Meatpacking District. Good seafood, reasonable by Copenhagen standards (250-350 DKK per person), and the industrial setting works well with the menu.
Day 4: Design, Architecture, and Vesterbro
Morning: The Design Museum Denmark on Bredgade covers 300 years of Danish applied design. The permanent collection includes Arne Jacobsen chairs and Kaare Klint furniture alongside contemporary sustainable design. Admission is 145 DKK. Worth two hours.
The Black Diamond and the Royal Library extension deserve a proper look from the waterfront side. Then walk east to see the Copenhagen Opera House from the quay opposite. Both are products of the aggressive architectural investment the city made in the 2000s.
Lunch: The Meatpacking District in Vesterbro has War Pigs, a collaboration between Danish craft brewer Mikkeller and Texas BBQ chain 3 Floyds. Smoked brisket and pork ribs in Copenhagen sounds ridiculous and tastes excellent. Budget option in an otherwise expensive city.
Afternoon: Explore Vesterbro properly. The neighbourhood transitioned from red-light district to design hub over about fifteen years and still has the texture of a place in motion. Visit the original Mikkeller bar on Viktoriagade and browse the concept stores around Værnedamsvej, which Copenhageners informally call “the French street” for its cheese shops and wine bars.
Dinner: Nimb inside Tivoli Gardens for a higher-end French-influenced dinner in a setting that is theatrical without being ridiculous. Buy a Tivoli entrance ticket for the evening and walk the illuminated gardens afterwards.
Day 5: Day Trip to the Louisiana Museum
Take a DSB train from Copenhagen Central Station to Humlebæk, 40 minutes north. Trains run frequently and cost around 85-100 DKK each way. The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art is a five-minute walk from the station. Admission is 145 DKK for adults, free for under-18s.
Louisiana is one of the best art museums in Europe, and it should be said plainly: if you only do one thing outside central Copenhagen, make it this. The permanent collection includes Alexander Calder mobiles, Alberto Giacometti sculptures, and major works by Asger Jorn, the Danish CoBrA painter who deserves to be better known internationally. The building itself, which opens directly onto a sculpture garden above the Oresund strait with views to Sweden, makes the art better.
Spend at least four hours. The museum cafe has good food and outdoor seating with exceptional views. Skip Restaurant Geranium on this day trip, as it requires booking months ahead and is worth its own dedicated evening in the city rather than a rushed lunch visit.
Return to Copenhagen in the late afternoon. If you have energy, Reffen, the outdoor street food market on Refshaleøen, is open until late in summer, with around 35 food stalls, 10 bars, and harbour views. Take a water bus or a short bike ride from the centre.
Day 6: Nørrebro and Departure
Nørrebro is the most genuinely multicultural neighbourhood in Copenhagen. The main drag of Nørrebrogade and side streets like Blågårdsgade have Pakistani, Middle Eastern, Turkish, and East African restaurants alongside Danish-owned natural wine bars and bakeries. Jægersborggade is the concentrated version: Coffee Collective for the best flat white in the city, Poulette for a fried chicken sandwich (they make two sandwiches and both are very good), and Relæ alumni projects if you want natural wine at lunch.
Morning: Browse the independent shops and vintage stores around Elmegade and Sankt Hans Torv. The weekend flea market at Ravnsborggade is worth a detour for ceramics and mid-century Scandinavian furniture at prices that make you want an extra checked bag.
Lunch: Villette in Nørrebro, a former school building with high ceilings and a courtyard, does a dish of the day at lunch that is one of the most affordable good meals in the city.
Kiin Kiin on Guldbergsgade is the only Thai restaurant outside Thailand with a Michelin star. If you want a final dinner of serious ambition, book it here.
Practical departure note: the Metro M2 from anywhere in the city to the airport takes 13-15 minutes and runs until around 1am. Do not arrange a taxi unless your flight is at an hour when the metro genuinely doesn’t run. Buy your airport ticket before boarding; inspectors check frequently and fines are steep.