Episode #45: Copenhagen With Kids: Our Family Itinerary, Budget Tips & Must-Do Experiences

Copenhagen was one of the biggest surprises of our 19-day family trip through Europe. After spending several days in Paris and visiting both Disneyland Paris parks, we flew north to Denmark for four nights in Copenhagen. You can go back and listen to Episode 44 of The Traveling Family Circus for everything we did in Paris with our five kids.

My husband and I had visited Copenhagen about 10 years earlier during a six-hour layover. We took public transportation from the airport into the city and were able to see a surprising amount in just a few hours. We loved the colorful buildings, canals, beautiful architecture, and calm feel of the city.

We always hoped we would return and spend more time there. Copenhagen also made sense for this trip because we wanted to rent a car and drive into southern Sweden, where several generations of my husband’s ancestors lived.

Our day in Sweden will be covered in a separate podcast episode and blog post. For now, I’m sharing everything we did during our four nights in Copenhagen, where we stayed, how we got around, what we ate, what surprised us, and the family attraction our kids loved almost as much as Disneyland Paris.

Copenhagen With Kids: Four Nights in Denmark With Castles, Canals, Playgrounds, and Bakken

Getting From Paris to Copenhagen

We flew from Paris to Copenhagen and headed straight to the rental car counter after landing. Everyone we interacted with spoke incredible English, which made the entire process easy.

I had originally reserved a vehicle that technically seated seven people. What I did not realize was that the final two seats folded up from the trunk area. Once those seats were being used, there was almost no room left for luggage.

This is something large families need to watch carefully when renting a car. A vehicle may say that it seats seven, but that does not always mean it can fit seven people, suitcases, carry-on bags, car seats, and a stroller.

Thankfully, we were able to upgrade to a slightly larger vehicle. It cost more than our original reservation, but it gave us enough room for all seven of us and our luggage.

My biggest rental car tip is to look beyond the number of seats. Try to find pictures of the trunk with every seat in use, and read reviews from other families. It is often worth paying more for extra space, especially when you will be taking longer drives.

Do You Need a Rental Car in Copenhagen?

My husband took one for the team and handled all of the driving. Denmark drives on the right side of the road, just like the United States, but driving in another country still requires extra attention.

Once we reached central Copenhagen, there were very few cars. Copenhagen is built around biking, walking, and public transportation, so we sometimes drove down streets with almost no other vehicles and wondered whether we were even supposed to be there.

You need to pay close attention to bikes, bike lanes, pedestrians, one-way streets, signs, and parking rules. There are cyclists everywhere, and many streets feel completely different from the busy city streets we are used to at home.

We mainly rented a car because we planned to drive into Sweden and visit areas outside Copenhagen. You likely do not need a car if you are only staying in the city center. Copenhagen is very walkable, and public transportation is easy to use.

Where We Stayed in Copenhagen

We stayed in a three-bedroom VRBO apartment in the center of Copenhagen. This was not our original plan, but it ended up being one of the best lodging changes we made during the trip.

I had first booked one hotel room that could sleep all seven of us. It had several bunk beds, and technically everyone would have had a place to sleep. You can listen to Episode 37 for more of the behind-the-scenes planning for this European trip.

As the trip got closer, I started worrying that one hotel room would feel too cramped. By this point, we had already been traveling for more than two weeks. We would have luggage everywhere, children on different sleep schedules, and almost no room to spread out.

About a month before our trip, I started checking Airbnb and VRBO again. I think we got lucky and found a last-minute cancellation or discounted rate.

The apartment had three bedrooms, a full kitchen, and much more space for only a couple hundred dollars more than the hotel room. It was around a 10-minute walk from Nyhavn and close to Tivoli Gardens, shops, restaurants, and many of the main Copenhagen attractions.

The apartment was also located above a LEGO store, which felt very fitting for Denmark. Our kids thought that was pretty fun.

Having three bedrooms made such a difference. Everyone had more space, we could organize our luggage, and the kitchen gave us somewhere to store food and prepare simple snacks.

For a large family or a longer trip, an apartment can be worth the extra cost. It is not only about having more beds. It gives your family space to reset, which can help everyone enjoy the trip more.

Our First Evening in Copenhagen

After settling into the apartment, we headed out to walk around and find something to eat. We did not have a set itinerary that evening because we wanted time to get familiar with the area.

My husband had read that traditional Danish hot dogs are sometimes eaten with chocolate milk. He tried the combination and said it tasted exactly like eating a hot dog and then drinking chocolate milk. He did not fully understand what made it special, but it was fun to try something local.

As we walked around looking at restaurants, we quickly realized how expensive Copenhagen can be. Food prices were high almost everywhere, and feeding a family of seven added up quickly.

We eventually found a McDonald’s near Tivoli Gardens. Our fourth child had just turned seven a few days earlier while we were in Paris, and McDonald’s is his favorite place to eat. It felt like an easy way to continue celebrating his birthday.

The Copenhagen McDonald’s menu had a few things we do not usually see in the United States, including a large family-size serving of french fries and buffalo wings. Even McDonald’s was expensive, but everyone found something they liked and we got to see what was different from home.

How Much Does Food Cost in Copenhagen?

Copenhagen was one of the most expensive destinations on our trip, especially when it came to food. Even quick meals and convenience store lunches cost much more than we expected.

We did not eat at a sit-down restaurant for every meal. Instead, we used a mix of bakeries, convenience stores, street food, quick-service restaurants, snacks from our apartment, and one nicer dinner.

For a large family, I recommend choosing one or two meals that feel special and keeping the rest simple. Grab pastries for breakfast, sandwiches or salads for lunch, and spend more on a dinner experience that really interests your family.

This allowed us to enjoy the food in Copenhagen without feeling like we were spending a small fortune every time someone got hungry.

Why We Skipped Tivoli Gardens

Tivoli Gardens is one of the most famous attractions in Copenhagen. There is a fee just to enter, and then you can either pay for rides individually or purchase an unlimited ride pass.

We walked by Tivoli Gardens on our first evening and debated whether we should go inside. We had just spent several days at Disneyland Paris, so we were not sure we wanted to pay for another theme park experience so soon.

For a family of seven, admission and rides would have been very expensive. We decided to wait a few days and see whether we still wanted to visit later in the trip.

We never ended up going inside, and that worked out well for us. We found another amusement park near Copenhagen that our children loved, and it was much easier to visit on our budget.

Family Pictures in Nyhavn

On our first full morning in Copenhagen, I had booked a family photo session through Flytographer. This is one of my favorite travel tips because it gives us good pictures with our entire family together.

I take plenty of photos when we travel, but I am usually the person behind the camera. We end up with pictures of the kids, pictures of my husband with the kids, and lots of selfies. We do not always get nice photos with all seven of us.

For this trip, I packed our photo outfits in a separate packing cube and kept it at the bottom of one suitcase. No one wore those clothes before our session, so everything stayed clean and ready.

We met our photographer in Nyhavn. She was amazing with our family and captured beautiful pictures with the colorful Copenhagen buildings and canal behind us.

We received our photos a few days later, and they became some of my favorite souvenirs from the trip. They captured our kids at these exact ages, with their current personalities, smiles, expressions, and missing teeth.

Pictures like these are about more than the destination. They preserve a small period of your family’s life that will never look exactly the same again.

Click HERE for $25 off your first Flytographer shoot!

Visiting Amalienborg Palace

Our photography session ended near Amalienborg Palace, where members of the Danish royal family live. The palace includes several large buildings surrounding an open square.

There were guards standing outside, and the area reminded us a little of Buckingham Palace in London. Our photographer explained that a flag indicated that one member of the royal family appeared to be home while the king was away.

The kids thought it was interesting to see the guards and learn that members of the royal family actually lived inside those buildings. Amalienborg is easy to add to your day because it is close to Nyhavn and several other popular sights.

Why We Always Make Time for Playgrounds

After the photo session, we found a playground where the kids could run around and play. They had been cooperative for pictures, and they were ready to move.

Playgrounds ended up being one of our favorite things about Copenhagen. They gave our kids time to climb, swing, dig, chase each other, and make up their own games.

We do not try to fill every hour of our family trips with museums, tours, and scheduled attractions. Kids need breaks, especially when they are walking through busy cities and visiting places that are more interesting to adults.

A playground stop can completely change the mood of the day. After our kids have time to play, they are usually much more willing to walk through another church, castle, or historical site.

Joe & The Juice

Near the playground, we found Joe & The Juice and picked up pastries, muffins, carrot cake, and a few other treats. Everything was so good that our kids finished it quickly, and we went back for a second round.

We saw several Joe & The Juice locations around Copenhagen. It became an easy place to stop when we needed food without committing to another long restaurant meal.

When traveling with kids, having a few reliable food options can make the entire day easier. Sometimes a pastry, sandwich, or smoothie is exactly what everyone needs to keep going.

Taking a Copenhagen Canal Tour

After our snack break, we returned to Nyhavn and took a canal tour. I had not booked it far in advance. We found a tour, scanned a QR code, purchased our tickets online, and boarded the boat.

The canal tour was one of my favorite things we did in Copenhagen. It gave us a beautiful view of the city while also letting everyone sit down and rest.

We saw the famous Little Mermaid statue from the water and passed the Church of Our Savior with its spiral tower. Part of the building had scaffolding around it, but the top was still beautiful.

The boat also traveled under several very low bridges. The guide reminded everyone to stay seated, lower their heads, and keep their hands inside the boat.

Our kids thought it was exciting to see whether the boat would fit under each bridge. The boats seemed perfectly sized to move through Copenhagen’s narrow canals with only a small amount of room to spare.

A canal tour is a great choice for families because you can see a lot of the city without walking to every attraction. Everyone gets a break, but you are still sightseeing.

Lunch at 7-Eleven

After the canal tour, everyone was hungry. We had noticed that the 7-Eleven stores in Copenhagen had a much larger food selection than the stores we normally see in the United States.

They sold sandwiches, pizza, salads, pasta salads, and several ready-to-eat meals. We found salads, pasta, and a pesto chicken salad that our kids really liked.

Our lunch still cost around $60 to $70 for the seven of us, which felt expensive for a convenience store meal. However, it was still quicker and more affordable than many of the sit-down restaurants we had looked at.

We found a bench and ate outside. It was not a fancy meal, but everyone was fed and ready to keep exploring.

Not every meal on a family trip needs to be memorable. Sometimes the win is feeding everyone quickly with food they will actually eat.

Visiting the Church of Our Lady

After lunch, we walked to the Church of Our Lady. This was an important stop for our family because the church is home to the original Christus statue created by Bertel Thorvaldsen in the 1800s.

We are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and replicas of the Christus have become very meaningful within our faith. There are replicas in places such as Salt Lake City and near the Rome Italy Temple.

My husband and I had seen the original statue during our short Copenhagen visit 10 years earlier. Our children had seen replicas, but they had never seen the original.

When we arrived, a wedding was taking place inside the church. Since it was being used for an actual religious service, visitors were not allowed to enter.

While we waited outside, our kids found roly-polies in the dirt. They named them, held them, and became completely focused on their new little friends.

It was a funny reminder that kids are still kids no matter where you take them. We were standing outside a historic church hoping to see an important work of religious art, and our children were much more interested in bugs.

That is real family travel. Your children may not care about the same things you care about, but those unexpected moments often become some of your favorite memories.

Another Copenhagen Playground

Since we could not enter the church, we searched for a nearby park. We found one with swings, a sand area, tricycles, and scooters available for children to use.

Our kids played there for a long time. They rode around, built things in the sand, and enjoyed having another break from sightseeing.

Copenhagen has many well-designed public spaces for children. Some parks had much more than a simple play structure, which made it easy for our kids to stay entertained.

This balance between adult sightseeing and child-friendly play is one reason Copenhagen works so well for families.

Dinner on a Boat

That evening, my husband had planned our one special sit-down dinner in Copenhagen. We ate at Kutteren Havnegade, a restaurant located on a boat.

We ordered fish and chips, a fish sandwich, and other simple comfort food. The food was good, but the setting made the meal feel more memorable.

We sat on the water and enjoyed a slower dinner after a full day of walking. Since food in Copenhagen was so expensive, we tried to spend more on meals that also felt like an experience.

Dinner on a boat was something different, and it felt worth it for our family.

Broens Street Food

Near the restaurant, we saw a public swimming area built into the harbor. People could enter the water from a dock-like structure and swim in a designated area.

The water looked a little murky and had some seaweed, so we did not swim. It was still interesting to see how Copenhagen uses its waterfront as part of everyday life.

After dinner, we walked across the bridge to Broens Street Food. This outdoor food area has several stalls where everyone can order something different and then eat together at shared tables.

Even though we had already eaten, we had a small second dinner. We tried crepes, my husband ordered a poke bowl, and we shared a few other things.

Street food areas work well for families because no one has to agree on one restaurant. The setting is casual, and kids do not have to sit quietly through another long meal.

Ice Cream in Nyhavn

We finished the evening by walking back toward Nyhavn and getting ice cream. The sun was setting, and the colorful buildings looked beautiful along the water.

As we sat there eating, we again noticed how few cars were around us and how many bikes filled the streets. It gave Copenhagen such a different feel from many other cities we have visited.

Nyhavn can be busy and touristy, but it is still worth seeing. It looks just like the Copenhagen photos you see online and feels especially pretty in the evening.

Returning to the Church of Our Lady

After our day trip to Sweden, we returned to the Church of Our Lady. Since the wedding had prevented us from entering the first time, we wanted to try again before leaving Copenhagen.

This time, we were able to go inside and see the original Christus statue and the statues of the Twelve Apostles.

It was meaningful to see them in person again and share that experience with our children. Sometimes plans do not work on the first attempt, but it can be worth returning when something is important to your family.

Visiting Frederiksborg Castle

On our final full day, we drove outside Copenhagen to Frederiksborg Castle. We wanted to see more of Denmark beyond the city center.

We decided not to pay to enter the castle. Admission for seven people would have added up quickly, and we did not think our kids would enjoy a long interior castle tour enough to justify the cost.

Instead, we walked around the exterior and explored the gardens. The castle is covered with beautiful details, including crowns, lions, towers, and decorative architecture.

We turned the visit into a game by asking the kids to count how many crowns and lions they could find. Giving them something specific to look for helped keep them interested.

This is one of my favorite ways to help kids enjoy historical sites. Ask them to count statues, look for animals carved into buildings, find certain colors, choose a favorite tower, or take a few pictures of their own.

The Frederiksborg Castle Gardens

The Baroque gardens behind Frederiksborg Castle were beautiful. From the higher areas, we could look down toward the castle and see the carefully planned landscaping.

There were paths, trees, open spaces, and plenty of room for the kids to move. They played hide-and-seek in the gardens and found even more roly-polies.

We also saw a mother duck, a father duck, and five baby ducks. We joked that it looked like our family.

Exploring the exterior and gardens gave us plenty to enjoy without purchasing expensive admission tickets. Sometimes the grounds of a castle provide enough of an experience, especially with younger children.

Finding Bakken Amusement Park

After Frederiksborg Castle, we planned to visit a deer park near Copenhagen. We drove to the Bakken area because we wanted to see the deer, but we quickly found something else.

Bakken is also home to a large amusement park.

We had not planned to spend our last full day at another amusement park. However, this was the final day of our 19-day European trip, and our kids had been amazing.

They had visited churches, castles, museums, historical sites, and several busy cities. They had handled long travel days and walked miles with very few complaints.

We decided to let them spend the rest of the day doing something completely fun.

Why Our Family Loved Bakken

Bakken does not charge an entrance fee. You can walk into the amusement park for free and then pay for rides individually or purchase an unlimited ride wristband.

Individual rides cost around $6. We purchased unlimited wristbands for the kids, which were around $60 per child.

That was still a large expense for five children, but they used the wristbands constantly. There were almost no lines, so they could finish a ride and immediately get back on.

Some of the rides they repeated five, six, seven, or even eight times. The park had a state fair feel but was much larger, with a mix of family rides and thrilling attractions.

My husband and I did not purchase wristbands because we knew we would not ride enough to make the price worthwhile. Instead, we paid individually for one ride we both loved and rode it twice.

Before buying unlimited passes for everyone in your family, do the math. A parent who will mostly watch younger children, hold bags, or only ride a few attractions may be better off paying for individual rides.

Bakken or Disneyland Paris?

I asked our kids whether they liked Bakken more than Disneyland Paris. They actually had to stop and think about it.

I think it was close to a tie.

Disneyland Paris had the Disney characters, familiar rides, detailed theming, and full Disney atmosphere. Bakken had almost no lines, and the kids could ride their favorites again and again.

They loved not having to spend a large part of the day waiting. They were able to use their wristbands almost constantly.

For families visiting Copenhagen, Bakken is a total must-do. It was one of the biggest surprises of our trip and one of our children’s favorite experiences in Europe.

Our Last Night in Copenhagen

After Bakken, we returned to the apartment, packed our bags, and tried to get to bed early. We had a 6 a.m. flight the next morning, which meant waking up around 3:30 a.m. and leaving by 4 a.m.

Our original flight to Amsterdam had been canceled. The airline moved us to a later flight, which would not have given us enough time to leave the airport and explore Amsterdam during our layover.

I found an earlier flight that allowed us to keep our plans. The early wake-up was painful, but it gave us enough time to have a quick Amsterdam adventure before flying home.

I will share everything we did during our Amsterdam layover in another episode and blog post.

The Vacation Rental Key Mistake

We woke up the kids, loaded the car, drove to the airport, and returned the rental vehicle. Everything went smoothly until I realized I still had the apartment keys in my pocket.

I had completely forgotten to put them back in the lockbox before leaving.

We were already at the airport and did not have time to return to the apartment. I contacted the property, explained what happened, and apologized.

Thankfully, they had spare keys and told me to mail them back once we returned to the United States.

Even experienced travelers make mistakes. You can plan every detail and still arrive at the airport with someone else’s apartment keys in your pocket.

Flexibility and a sense of humor are just as important as a good itinerary.

Is Copenhagen Good for Families?

Copenhagen is a wonderful city to visit with kids. It has a great mix of colorful canals, castles, historic churches, royal sites, outdoor spaces, bakeries, playgrounds, and family attractions.

The city also felt manageable. We could walk to many of the main areas from our apartment, and the canal tour allowed us to see more without exhausting the kids.

The playgrounds gave our children regular breaks, while the rental car allowed us to visit places outside central Copenhagen.

The biggest challenge was the cost. Food, lodging, and attraction prices can add up quickly, especially for a larger family.

Planning ahead and choosing where to spend more helped us stay within a reasonable budget while still having some special experiences.

Our Top Copenhagen Tips for Families

Stay close to the city center if your budget allows. This can save time and reduce the amount of transportation your family needs each day.

Consider booking an apartment with a kitchen, especially for a longer visit. Preparing breakfast, storing snacks, and making a few simple meals can help with food costs.

Plan a larger food budget than you think you will need. Use bakeries, convenience stores, and street food for some meals, then choose one or two sit-down experiences that feel special.

Take a canal tour early in your visit. It gives you a good overview of the city while allowing everyone to rest.

Build playground time into your itinerary. Your kids may handle sightseeing much better when they also have time to run, climb, and play.

You probably do not need a rental car if you are staying in central Copenhagen. Rent one only if you plan to visit surrounding areas or drive into Sweden.

When renting a seven-seat vehicle, check how much trunk space remains with every seat in use.

Do not feel like you need to pay for every castle interior. The gardens and exterior areas may be enough for your family.

Compare individual ride prices with unlimited wristbands before visiting an amusement park.

Leave room for changes. Our unplanned afternoon at Bakken became one of the best parts of the trip.

More Family-Friendly Things to Do in Copenhagen

We could not fit everything into our four-night stay. Depending on your children’s ages and interests, you may also want to visit Tivoli Gardens, Rosenborg Castle, the Copenhagen Zoo, The Blue Planet aquarium, the Botanical Garden, or the Round Tower.

The National Museum of Denmark also has a children’s museum with hands-on areas for younger visitors. Experimentarium is another option for families who enjoy science and interactive exhibits.

King’s Garden is a good place to walk, relax, or let the kids play near Rosenborg Castle. Families with confident riders may also enjoy renting bikes, although biking through a busy city with children would require careful planning.

You could easily spend more than four nights in Copenhagen and still have plenty to do.

Our Biggest Lesson From Copenhagen

Family trips work better when everyone gets something they enjoy.

The adults got canals, architecture, castles, history, and meaningful religious sites. The kids got playgrounds, pastries, ice cream, bugs, boat rides, and an amusement park with almost no lines.

We did not expect every activity to interest every person equally. Instead, we tried to balance our days.

This is also why we follow our Rule of One. We plan one main activity each day and leave room around it for breaks, food, playgrounds, rest, and unexpected stops.

When every minute is scheduled, there is no room for the moments that often become the best part of the trip.

Listen to the Copenhagen Podcast Episode

Listen to the full Copenhagen with kids episode of The Traveling Family Circus for more stories, practical tips, and behind-the-scenes moments from our four nights in Denmark.

Next week’s episode will cover our full day trip to Sweden from Copenhagen, including Lund Cathedral, Malmö, our family history search in Eslöv, and tips for driving between Denmark and Sweden.

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