Copenhagen is one of my favorite cities in the world – but a trip to Denmark can also be expensive. I lived in Copenhagen for a summer and loved exploring all the hidden corners of this magical city.
If you’re visiting Copenhagen on a budget, this guide is for you! These are all the best free things to do in Copenhagen to help you also fall in love with this colorful city on the water.
Save Money With The Copenhagen City Card
If you’re traveling on a budget, this city card is going to be your bestie! For an upfront fee, you get free access to countless museums and tours, plus discounts on food and even free public transportation!
I’ve tried a lot of these types of city cards all around the world, but Copenhagen’s is truly such a great deal. We used it for the first week we were living in the city and saved over 500 Euros on activities. Grab it here!
We love this city pass. It includes tons of amazing museums and sights PLUS transportation (and the trains in CPH are so so good, you'll want to take them!) You'll save a few hundred dollars with this pass.
- Includes Public Transport
- Most major sights
- Great value for money!
Fantastic Free Things To Do In Copenhagen, Denmark
1. See Dambo Trolls
Denmark is home to the famous artist Thomas Dambo. He uses recycled materials to build beautiful, large trolls and then hides them all over the world. Of course, since he is Danish, there’s tons of these giant trolls hidden all around Copenhagen and Denmark.
You may have seen the Dambo troll in Breckenridge, Colorado (he was the first one I visited IRL) but it’s so worth it to set aside some time in Copenhagen to visit some of the city’s trolls.
I have a whole guide on where to find Dambo trolls in Copenhagen to check out! They’re totally free to visit, the easiest one to start with is Green George in Freetown Christiania.
2. Stroll Rosenborg Castle Gardens
Located right in the city center is Robernborg, a historic castle that does offer paid tours. But, the Kings Garden of roses is totally free to visit!
In the spring and summer, come wander this famous 17-century garden with stunning backdrops of the palace. It makes for a great photo opp, too! I lived nearby the gardens and found myself wandering them a lot during our summer in Copenhagen since they’re so peaceful.
Pro tip: If you do want to go inside the palace, consider buying a Parkmuseerne ticket, which is one mega ticket for 295 DKK that grants you access to 6 museums, saving you over 50% of the ticket price!
3. The Tower at Christiansborg Palace
Christiansborg Slot has an 800 year-long history as Denmark’s centre of power. It used to house the royal family (there are even the royal stables here!) but after a hire, the family moved to Amalienborg. Now, Christiansborg is where the Danish Parliament meets.
While the tours inside are paid, you can visit The Tower for free! This 341 foot tower overlooks all of Copenhagen and all you have to do is wait in a small line to take a free elevator up to the top for good views!!
Though, I do highly recommend buying a ticket to go inside Christiansborg, it was by far my favorite Royal Palace of the Big Thee Scandiavania cities I’ve visited (Oslo, Norway + Stockholm, Sweden + Copenhagen, Denmark). While Danes are known for loving their neutrals, this palace is packed with colors and bright interiors, it’s absolutely beautiful.
4. Go For A Harbor Swim
Copenhagen’s canal water is extremely clean and the locals adore swimming in the waters year round (yes, even in the winter!) There are tons of habour baths around Copenhagen – pick one, grab your swimsuit and a towel, and go for a free swim!!
When I was in Copenhagen you could find me here pretty much every day, I was hooked on this local thing to do. So refreshing, good for the body and didn’t make a dent in my wallet.
5. Go Kayaking In The Canals
I love kayaking at home in California, and since Copenhagen is such a water city, I had to find a kayaking place! And, to my luck, there is a company called Green Kayak that has a couple hubs in the city!
You can rent a kayak totally for free, the only hook is you have to pick up trash in the canals during your paddle. I had so much fun gamifying this, it didn’t feel like a chore at all. Plus, you get to do a lovely paddle around some of the more beautiful streets in the city. All for free!
6. Højbro Plads Christmas Market
If you’re coming during Christmastime, Copenhagen has a fantastic free Christmas Market! Unlike some Christmas markets in Berlin which require an entry fee, this one is totally free to walk around.
The Christmas Market Højbro Plads is an old fashion holiday market full of decorations, 28,000+ lights, secret fairies, reindeer decor, even Santa! Of course there are also tons of stalls selling wine, food and artisan goods.
Don’t skip out on buying a cup of mulled wine, though. I truly think one of the best things in the world is wandering a European Christmas Market at night with a warm cup of mulled wine in hand. LOVE. If you are visiting in the cold months, the markets are one of the best free things to do in Copenhagen in winter.
7. Free Walking Tour
Speaking of wandering around, there are a few great free walking tours of Copenhagen to check out. I love to kick off time in a new city on the first day by doing a free walking tour so help my body get over get lag and also give me a basic mental map of the city.
Plus, I love to ask the tour guide questions and get some local tips on places to eat or visiting certain areas I was maybe not sure of. This is a great Copenhagen walking tour to book, but you have to book ahead!
8. National Museum of Denmark On Wednesday Free Days
I LOVED the National Museum of Denmark. It’s in a central location, has fantastic art and when we went, a beautiful Viking history exhibit. My husband, Robin, loves Vikings and Nordic history, so this was right up his alley.
Every Wednesday the museum is FREE to enter, though expect crowds since it’s a free day. But, if you are to visit one museum in Copenhagen, this is the one I would recommend.
9. The Royal Danish Library
Aka Det Kgl. Bibliotek, this giant black building can be seen from your water tours and had crazy cool architecture inside. It doesn’t earn the name The Black Diamond for nothing.
The designers merged new age with the old, so some areas are very modern and back right into rooms that are clearly a few hundred years old. As with any library, it’s free to explore on your own.
I recommend heading upstairs to the top floor and looking down to the Royal Library’s lobby below for a fun sight.
10. Changing Of The Danish Royal Guards
Every day you can watch the palace guards leave their barracks at Rosenborg Castle and march through the streets of Copenhagen where they end up at Amalienborg Palace around Noon.
Amalienborg itself is worth a visit, it’s a large sprawling palace with a huge courtyard right in the city centre. There is a small museum here (paid, but free with your Copenhagen Card) so take some time to explore this area before the guards arrive!
11. Tour The Marble Church
Aka Frederik’s Church, a grand cathedral dome that sits atop the Marmorkirken train station. I studied abroad in Rome, and this church reminded me a lot of the religious sites I would see in Italy.
It’s free to enter (just go when they don’t have an active service happening) and please whisper or don’t talk. It’s a quiet space, but really, the beauty of the interior dome will leave you speechless anyway.
12. See The Little Mermaid Statue
Hey, you can’t come to Copenhagen without seeing the famous Den lille Havfrue! Made famous by Hans Christian Andersen’s story, this little statue was installed on Copenhagen’s bay waters in 1913, making her an old gal!
There will always be folks crowding her, so unless you go very early in the morning, expect other people. You just need a few minutes, but she’s iconic.
13. Explore Kastellet Park
Right next door to the Little Mermaid is Kastellet, a star-shaped park slash 17-century fortress. They have some museums and things here with are paid, but the park itself is totally free to walk around and it’s very cool.
You almost forget you are in the middle of a major city here since parts of it feel so wild and lush. Make sure you see the Kastelsmøllen aka red windmill! The Netherlands aren’t the only ones with windmills.
14. Copenhagen Botanical Gardens
The Botanical Gardens is Denmark’s largest collection of living plants and is incredibly lush. Oh, and insanely photographable.
The gardens are totally free to visit, but the glass greenhouse (aka The Palm House) with the butterflies is a paid entry, but only 40 DK. It’s one of the best cheap things to do in Copenhagen in the winter — warm up inside a lush palm house!!
15. Explore Freetown Christiania
Christiania is an anarchistic utopia that technically is part of Denmark, but they sort of operate on their own rules here. It’s a very neat place to explore, and it’s totally free.
Buildings are covered in art, the folks here ride around on bikes, there’s a big free library in the center of the town, they operate on their own economy and it’s just over all cool.
Day Trip To Kronborg Castle
Just an hour North of Copenhagen by train is the famous Kronborg Castle in Helsingør – aka the Hamlet Castle!! If you have yourself a Copenhagen City Card, you can ride the train for FREE and enter the castle for FREE!
I have a whole guide on how to visit Helsingør in a day and see this epic castle. It’s worth the day trip or half day trip, even if you don’t have the pass it’s worth paying for. I still can’t shut up about how beautiful this town is (the streets like something out of a Disney movie!) and Kronborg Slot is massive.
Best Almost Free Things In Copenhagen To Do
Thankfully, there are some insanely cool things to do in Copenhagen that are almost free. Once you went through the free attractions in Copenhagen, set aside just a little bit of money to do these activities as well, they will make your trip a million times more memorable!
1. Canal Tour
YES this is touristy, but I loved this so much we went twice while living in Copenhagen. It’s especially great to do in the morning when you are kind of tired, since you can bring coffee on board and just sit for an hour as you see amazing sights of the city.
Oh, and canal tours are about $14 USD, so very affordable! Book your canal tour here. You may be able to get last minute tickets at booths, too.
2. Reffen Market Dinner
Street food markets are all over Denmark, but Reffen is my favorite. It’s in Refshaleøen, an urban industrial part of the city right on the water.
While you have to pay for food from the stalls at Reffen, you have so many options of various types of cuisine, drinks and price points so you can easily find something within your budget. And it’s such a fun vibe here, even if you don’t buy anything you simply have to pay a visit for the experience.
Torvehallerne Market is another fun market stall stop that’s neat to walk around. It’s smaller than Reffen but much easier to get to.
3. Copenhill
Want to go snowboarding or tubing in the middle of Copenhagen? CopenHill is a very cool and utterly unique experience over on Refshaleøen. From afar you can probably spot a grey building with green grass on the rooftop.
Well, that’s not just for the aesthetic, that grass is actually a green ski slope! Entrance to the rooftop and cafe is totally free, and tickets to hit the “slopes” is about $22 USD an hour.
4. The Round Tower
While downtown you can probably spot a circular tower. This is the Round Tower, aka Rundetårn in Danish. This is a 17th-century astronomy tower that is now a library/rooftop observatory and open to the public to tour.
Tickets are under $6 USD and YES, it’s very much worth your time. You slowly climb up a sloped interior and pop out on top with an epic view of the city.
5. Climb The Golden Spire
The Church of Our Saviour can be spotted everywhere in the city – it’s that large golden spire! Tickets to climb the spire is about $10 USD.
This is NOT for the faint of heart. The interior is neat, felt like I was Quasimodo. But once I got to the outside, my fear of heights kicked in.
I hope this helps you plan an awesome trip to Copenhagen even if you are on a budget. If you have more tips on free things to do in Copenhagen, drop a comment below so everyone can see!
6 comments
Located right in the city center is Robernborg, a historic castle that does offer paid tours. But, the Kings Garden of roses is totally free to visit!
This post makes me want to visit Copenhagen and catch a football match.
Your post was very informative. The unexpected perspective you took was eye-opening. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for the detailed explanation. Really useful and clear.
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