In a nutshell
- We’ve rounded up the best Copenhagen tours — from classic city walks to culinary adventures and day trips. Here’s what’s actually worth your time.
- First visit? We recommend a classic walking tour or a canal boat tour to get your bearings.
- Already seen the highlights? There are some great Copenhagen guided tours off the beaten path — plus two fantastic day trips into Sweden that are totally worth it.
Classic City Tours
If it’s your first time in Copenhagen, you should definitely plan a classic city tour as a starting point for your Copenhagen trip.
You’ll see the most important highlights and pick up a ton of great insider tips for restaurants and your time in the city.
Bicycle Tour through Copenhagen
Copenhagen is THE cycling city in Europe. So why not explore it by bike?
You’ll pedal through the Danish capital for about three hours, passing by a huge number of sights along the way. And of course, you’ll pick up some great local favorites and off-the-beaten-path spots along the way.
Our tip: If you enjoy cycling through Copenhagen, you can rent a bike at a discounted price from the tour operator right after the tour. The city has so many bike lanes that you can easily keep riding on your own. You’ll often get around faster by bike than by Copenhagen’s public transit.
Book the bicycle tour through Copenhagen
Classic Walking Tour of Copenhagen
Want a solid walking tour through Copenhagen? This is the one we’d recommend. It lasts about 90 minutes, and you’ll walk with your guide to some really cool places to visit in Copenhagen, including Amalienborg Palace and the Royal Theatre.
You’ll be in a small group of up to six people. Your guide tells the stories of Copenhagen in a genuinely entertaining way — though you will need to understand English, as the tour isn’t available in German.
But there’s one really great upside: this is one of the most affordable Copenhagen guided tours you’ll find.
Book the classic walking tour of Copenhagen
Boat Tour through Copenhagen
Copenhagen isn’t just home to a large river — it also has several small canals. Almost like Amsterdam or Venice — just a more low-key version. A boat tour through Copenhagen is seriously great because you’re not just cruising up and down one big river.
You sit back and relax, drift through the waterways for about an hour, and snap photos of the city’s highlights along the way. Your guide keeps things interesting with fascinating facts throughout.
The guide speaks Danish and English. If you’d prefer to listen in German, just grab one of the audio guides on board.
Book the canal boat tour through Copenhagen
Special Tours & Attractions
If you already know Copenhagen or want to do something different beyond ticking off the standard sights, there are some more specialized options. Here are our favorites among the best Copenhagen city tours.
Culinary Tour through Copenhagen
Copenhagen is one of the gourmet capitals of Europe. We absolutely love the food scene in Copenhagen. So what could be better than a food tour?
This tour takes you to five of the best bakeries in Copenhagen. At each stop, you’ll get a delicious pastry — including Wienerbrød (a flaky, multi-layered pastry) and Hindbærsnitter (raspberry bars).
As you make your way from bakery to bakery, your guide explains how these little treats are made. Honestly, this is one of the most enjoyable ways to spend a morning in the city.
Book the culinary tour through Copenhagen
Free Walking Tour through Alternative Copenhagen
Heads up: The tour doesn’t go through Christiania — the little hippie enclave right in the heart of the city — because guided tours aren’t allowed inside. But you’ll still discover plenty of other cool alternative spots.
Copenhagen has a wonderfully alternative side, full of artists, musicians, and free spirits. It’s really fascinating to explore this scene and learn how it came to be.
The tour winds through Christianshavn and ends right in front of Christiania. And the best part: it’s essentially free — it runs on a tip-only basis. You just need to sign up in advance.
Our tip: After the tour, set aside some extra time to explore Christiania on your own.
Sign up for the guided tour through Christianshavn
Tivoli Amusement Park on Your Own
Tivoli is simply non-negotiable on any visit to Copenhagen. The amusement park right in the heart of the city is, at nearly 200 years old, one of the oldest in the entire world.
You can do a wonderful walk through the park, too. Tivoli is built entirely in a vintage style, which makes strolling through it genuinely special. All you need is a standard admission ticket to walk around. If you want to ride the attractions as well, there’s a separate ticket for that.
For Copenhagen, Tivoli is actually surprisingly affordable.
Get your Tivoli ticket with unlimited rides
All the info about Tivoli can be found here:
Day Trips from Copenhagen
Already ticked off the main highlights? Then there are some fantastic attractions just outside Copenhagen that are totally doable as a day trip while staying in the city.
Castles Tour from Copenhagen
The area around Copenhagen is home to some seriously impressive castles. If you’ve already seen the ones in the city and want more, we really recommend a castles day trip from Copenhagen.
You’ll start at Kronborg Castle, which inspired Shakespeare to write Hamlet — pretty cool! From here, you can see all the way into Sweden. After that, you’ll head to Frederiksborg Castle, a fairytale-like palace set in front of a large lake.
The excursion also takes you to the former capital of Denmark. Roskilde was one of the most important trading cities of the Vikings, and you can dig into that history at the Viking Museum.
Book the castles day trip from Copenhagen
Day Trip to Lund and Malmö
Got a few extra days in Copenhagen? Then definitely consider the day trip to Lund and Malmö — two really beautiful cities in Sweden. That’s right, Sweden. So this is actually a two-country adventure in one day!
You’ll start with a visit to Kronborg Castle, then take the ferry across the Øresund to Sweden. First up is the old quarter of Lund — absolutely charming, with its small medieval houses, cobblestone streets, and a stunning Romanesque cathedral.
Then it’s a complete change of scenery in Malmö. The city is super modern, with cool high-rises and a wonderfully multicultural vibe.
The return trip brings you back over the famous Øresund Bridge. This outing really does give you the full package.
Book the day trip to Lund and Malmö
Extra Tip: A Tour with the Copenhagen Card
Here’s one more tip you don’t want to miss: the Copenhagen Card. It’s a city pass that includes free use of Copenhagen’s public transit and free entry to over 80 attractions. It’s especially worth it if you’re exploring Copenhagen with kids.
Among those attractions, there are also some really great tours included. For example, you can do a guided tour of Christiansborg Palace or the Danish Architecture Center. Traveling with older kids or want something more active? There’s also a treasure hunt where riddles guide you through the city.
A boat tour is included with the Copenhagen Card as well, by the way.
The card comes in two versions: the Copenhagen Card Discover and the Copenhagen Card Hop, which adds hop-on/hop-off bus access. We recommend the Copenhagen Card Discover — we explain exactly why in our full Copenhagen Card review.
