Copenhagen with Kids: Best Activities & Family Tips

Tivoli: An Amusement Park Right in the City

• Perfect for: Children ages 2 and up
• How much time to plan: 2 to 8 hours
• Cost: 200 DKK, children ages 3 to 7: 100 DKK. Additional Ride Pass: 199 DKK, children under 7: 99 DKK.
• Copenhagen Card: Admission included, Ride Pass not included
• Online ticket: buy here

Tivoli is the ultimate classic activity for kids in Copenhagen. An amusement park right in the heart of the city — with roller coasters, carousels, and everything that comes with it. It honestly doesn’t get much better than that.

We recommend adding a Ride Pass to your admission ticket. That way you can hop on all the rides as many times as you want. You can also buy individual tickets at each attraction, but especially with kids, the Ride Pass is usually the better deal.

That said, Tivoli is expensive. The restaurants inside are also very pricey. So unless you’re spending the entire day there, we’d suggest eating outside the park or bringing your own food.

It is also possible to leave Tivoli and come back later.

We’ve written up all the details about the attractions at Tivoli and the various ticket options in our comprehensive guide:

Experimentarium

• Perfect for: Children ages 2 and up
• How much time to plan: 4 to 6 hours
• Cost: 225 DKK, children ages 2 to 11: 140 DKK.
• Copenhagen Card: included
• Online ticket: buy here

If we had to pick the single best attraction for kids in Copenhagen, it would be the Experimentarium. No question.

The Experimentarium is a massive science museum designed specifically for children. You could easily fill a full day of your Copenhagen trip here — there’s simply so much to do and explore.

It’s not a traditional museum at all. Think of it more as a giant playground where kids learn by doing.

Even our two-year-old daughter had an absolute blast. On the ground floor, there’s a whole dedicated area for very young children.

Cruising Through Copenhagen on a Cargo Bike

• Perfect for: Children ages 2 and up
• How much time to plan: one or more days
• Cost: from around 500 DKK per day
• Copenhagen Card: not included

When you’re exploring Copenhagen with kids, you’ll quickly notice the cargo bikes locals use to transport their children through the city — they’re everywhere.

Copenhagen is a cycling city through and through, and for families, cargo bikes are a wonderful way to get around. You can rent one right in the city.

It’s admittedly pretty pricey, which is why we only did it for one day. But it was absolutely worth it. The kids had a blast — and honestly, so did we!

There are plenty of rental providers in Copenhagen, but cargo bikes tend to book up fast. We strongly recommend reserving well in advance. We rented ours from City Bike. For one day, we paid around €85 for a cargo bike and a regular bicycle.

Copenhagen Zoo

• Perfect for: Children ages 2 and up
• How much time to plan: 2 to 4 hours
• Cost: 249 DKK, children ages 3 to 11: 149 DKK.
• Copenhagen Card: included
• Online ticket: buy here

A trip to the zoo is always a hit with kids — even in Denmark. The Copenhagen Zoo is a lovely spot with all the animals kids love: elephants, pandas, big cats, and much more.

The zoo is a bit outside the city center and is best reached by bus. You can rent wagons inside the zoo. Scooters and balance bikes aren’t allowed, but there are lockers on site.

Our insider tip: Very close to the zoo, you’ll find the Cisternerne — a lesser-known attraction in Copenhagen that’s exciting for both adults and older kids. More details further down in this article.

Museum of Illusions

• Perfect for: Children ages 2 and up
• How much time to plan: 1 to 2 hours
• Cost: 199 DKK, children ages 3 to 12: 139 DKK.
• Copenhagen Card: included
• Online ticket: buy here

The Museum of Illusions is a ton of fun for kids and adults alike. It’s all about optical illusions, and at many interactive stations kids can try things out for themselves — plus you’ll get some seriously great photos out of it.

The museum is right on Strøget, the main shopping street in the center of Copenhagen, so you can easily combine your visit with other activities or a tour of the city.

Blox

• Perfect for: Children ages 2 and up (slide requires 120 cm height)
• How much time to plan: 1 to 2 hours
• Cost: 125 DKK, under 18: free
• Copenhagen Card: included
• Online ticket: buy here

Blox doesn’t make it onto many visitors’ radar — and it happens to be our #2 pick among our 11 insider tips in Copenhagen.

With kids, though, a visit is absolutely worth your time. The clear standout is the giant slide that runs from the 2nd floor all the way down to the basement. You ride on mats and it’s a fast drop. The slide is open to anyone at least 120 cm tall.

Beyond the slide, Blox also has a really cool playground that kids of all ages will enjoy.

Playgrounds in Nørrebro

• Perfect for: Children ages 2 and up
• How much time to plan: 2 to 6 hours
• Cost: free

Nørrebro is one of Copenhagen’s most exciting neighborhoods — and one we adults definitely don’t want to miss. That said, wandering through neighborhoods isn’t exactly a kid’s idea of a great time.

But Nørrebro has two playgrounds that our kids absolutely loved. Our top favorite was the playground in Nørrebroparken in the northern part of the neighborhood. We used it as a destination to walk toward from the south. The kids were super motivated, and we got to explore the whole neighborhood along the way.

The Nørrebroparken playground was worth every step. It’s fully fenced, enormous, and truly has something for every age. There were even small glass igloos where kids could play “indoors,” and all the scooters, pedal cars, and other vehicles just sitting there for anyone to use were a massive hit.

The second great spot for kids in Nørrebro is the Black Square in Superkilen Park. There’s an oversized black octopus that doubles as a climbing and sliding structure, and the sweeping curved lines are perfect for races or skating.

And there’s one more very important reason to explore Nørrebro when visiting Copenhagen with kids: you’ll find the best ice cream in the city there. Not far from the Nørrebroparken playground is the ice cream shop Isoteket. We can’t speak for your kids, but ours are very motivated to walk when really good ice cream is at the end of the route.

Vor Frelsers Kirke

• Perfect for: Children ages 4 and up
• How much time to plan: 1 hour
• Cost: 69 DKK, children ages 5 to 14: 20 DKK.
• Copenhagen Card: included
• Online ticket: buy here

Vor Frelsers Kirke sits in the Christianshavn neighborhood, not far from Copenhagen’s historic center. What makes it special is a spiral staircase that winds around the outside of the steeple all the way to the top.

Before you reach the outdoor section, you’ll climb steep and narrow stairs and ladders on the inside. Going up is manageable, but coming back down with kids is a bit of an adventure. We carried our two-year-old in a carrier for the whole climb, and our five-year-old made it up and down beautifully with one of us close by.

We wholeheartedly recommend the church tower. It’s a little adventure in itself — and the panorama over Copenhagen from the top is genuinely stunning.

Just make sure to book your tickets online in advance. From 9 AM to 7:30 PM, timed entry slots are available every 30 minutes. Children under five are free but still need a ticket reserved.

Louisiana Museum

• Perfect for: Children ages 4 and up
• How much time to plan: 6 to 8 hours
• Cost: 145 DKK, under 18 free
• Copenhagen Card: included
• Online ticket: buy here

The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art isn’t actually in Copenhagen — it’s in the small coastal town of Humlebæk, 35 kilometers north of the city. We took the train and it took us about 30 minutes to get there.

Sure, a massive art museum isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when visiting Copenhagen with kids. But it should be — the Louisiana Museum is seriously family-friendly.

The museum sits on a hillside right by the sea, with plenty of room to run around, and there’s even a dedicated building just for children: spread across three floors, kids can paint, draw, work with clay, and do crafts.

Our five-year-old son genuinely enjoyed walking through the museum and looking at the art. For our little daughter, it was a bit less engaging.

Plan on at least half a day for the trip to Humlebæk — it’s worth it.

More Attractions for Kids

National Museum

• Perfect for: Children ages 4 and up
• How much time to plan: 1 to 3 hours
• Cost: 140 DKK, under 18 free
• Copenhagen Card: included

The National Museum in Copenhagen is enormous. You can dive into Danish history or marvel at mummies and artifacts from ancient Egypt and the Viking Age.

Our five-year-old thought the Viking exhibition was pretty cool, though he moved through the children’s museum in the basement fairly quickly. There were things to look at, participate in, and dress up in.

The museum is right in the historic center and makes for a great family activity in Copenhagen on a rainy day.

Ripley's Believe it or not

• Perfect for: Children ages 4 and up
• How much time to plan: 1 hour
• Cost: 206 DKK, ages 4–11: 139 DKK
• Copenhagen Card: included

The entry fee for Ripley’s is honestly quite steep. We’d only recommend it if you have the Copenhagen Card, since admission is then free.

It’s really hard to describe this place — it’s a mix of wild, unnecessary, and entertaining.

There are definitely things that kids get a kick out of. Mio especially remembered the robot he posed with in a photo, a figure of the world’s tallest man, and a video of the world’s strongest man pulling a car with his beard.

But there’s also a two-headed cow and human shrunken heads.

Maca Museum

• Perfect for: Children ages 4 and up
• How much time to plan: 1 hour
• Cost: 160 DKK, under 12: free
• Copenhagen Card: included

The MACA Museum focuses on contemporary art and is located not far from Nyhavn.

The exhibition is not fully accessible, as it’s spread across multiple floors of an old building. Basti explored it with our five-year-old son while I waited downstairs in the enclosed courtyard with our two-year-old daughter, enjoying a coffee at one of the benches.

Bottom line: a cool museum with great artwork, well suited for kids ages four and up.

Christiania

• Perfect for: Children ages 2 and up
• How much time to plan: 1 hour
• Cost: free

The Free State of Christiania is a mix of hippie commune, artists’ village, and political experiment — and a real highlight for kids on a city trip to Copenhagen.

The entrance to Christiania is just a few steps from Vor Frelsers Kirke, so we combined the two easily.

Colorful self-built houses, graffiti, street art, no cars, lots of nature, and fascinating people all around. The kids definitely had plenty to take in.

Right in the middle, there’s a small playground with a zip line.

Reffen

• Perfect for: Children ages 3 and up
• How much time to plan: 2 hours
• Cost: free

One of our absolute favorite spots in Copenhagen. Over 60 food stalls on a former shipyard.

For the kids, there’s a huge skate park where both of our children had a blast — even without a skateboard or scooter.

The kids burn off tons of energy, and you get to enjoy phenomenally good food. Total win-win.

Cisternerne

• Perfect for: Children ages 4 and up
• How much time to plan: 30 minutes
• Cost: 120 DKK, under 18 free

Right next to the zoo and covered by the Copenhagen Card, so you can easily combine it with the zoo.

Underground art in a former city water reservoir. For our kids, it felt like a little adventure.

You head down a dark staircase and suddenly it’s dark, cool, damp, and mysterious. Every sound echoes through the enormous vaulted chambers. Depending on the current exhibition, you’ll find light or sound art.

Make sure to ask at the entrance for headphones for the kids — it can get quite loud down there.

Even More Attractions We Haven't Tried Ourselves

• Planetarium. Buy tickets.
• Den Bla Planet Aquarium. Buy tickets.
• Ku.Be Cultural Center – Has a sort of indoor playground. Very cool! Free.
• Workers Museum – Has a dedicated section for kids. Buy tickets..
• The Tube – basically a mini version of the Museum of Illusions. Buy tickets.
• Circus Museum. More info.
• Bakken – the world’s oldest amusement park, north of Copenhagen. More info.

Is the Copenhagen Card Worth It with Kids?

If you’re traveling to Copenhagen with kids, the Copenhagen Card is absolutely, genuinely worth it.

We rarely say something is always the right call for everyone. But with the Copenhagen Card and kids in tow, we’re saying it with full confidence.

Here’s why: Children up to and including age 11 get the Copenhagen Card for free, and children between 12 and 15 can buy the Copenhagen Card Junior at half price. At many attractions, you’d otherwise pay high admission fees for the kids too — which makes this deal unbeatable for families. The card is often worth it even without kids, especially if you’re spending at least a weekend in Copenhagen — but with kids, it’s a total no-brainer.

Breaking Down the Numbers: Copenhagen Card with Kids

In our Copenhagen Card review, we’ve laid out all the details.

Here’s our take specifically for families. We used the Copenhagen Card ourselves with our two kids, and we’re breaking down exactly whether it paid off.

Since we spent a full week in Copenhagen, we had the 120-hour Copenhagen Card.

In the table below, you’ll find all the attractions we visited using the card, along with what the tickets would have cost without it. The savings are truly enormous — it was over €500 cheaper with the Copenhagen Card. Incredible!

Of course, the savings won’t always be that high. If you have only one child, you’ll save less, and if you visit fewer attractions overall, the same applies.

There were some museums we wouldn’t have visited without the Copenhagen Card — like Ripley’s Believe it or not. But that’s also what makes it so great: once you have the card, you can pop into a museum for half an hour without thinking twice about the admission price.

Buy the Copenhagen Card

Where to Stay with Kids in Copenhagen

Accommodation in Copenhagen isn’t exactly cheap, and prices fluctuate a lot throughout the year — even depending on the day of the week.

Here’s our personal hotel shortlist for families in Copenhagen. Some are classic hotels with family rooms, and others even have a small kitchenette.

Having your own kitchenette can save you a significant amount of money in Copenhagen, since eating out isn’t particularly affordable. It’s worth paying a little more for a place where you can cook for yourself.

Next House Copenhagen: most budget-friendly option, hostel-style with four-bunk rooms and a private bathroom. Affordable optional breakfast and a shared kitchen. Very centrally located.

Bob W Østerbro: just minutes from the center by train, right in the heart of local Copenhagen life. Affordable dining options nearby. Double bed plus sofa bed, including a kitchenette and laundry facilities. Our top pick — we also stayed at a Bob W during our city trip to Amsterdam with the kids.

Urban House by Meininger: great location in the Vesterbro neighborhood, so you can explore the city on foot. Rooms sleep up to six, with kids in bunk beds. Affordable optional breakfast, plus a shared kitchen and laundry facilities.

Scandic CPH Strandpark: a great option if you want to combine your Copenhagen family trip with some beach time. Walking distance to the beach and about 20 minutes to the center by public transit. Rooms available with a double bed and sofa bed.

Numa Copenhagen Nørrebro: really stylish little apartments with an extra sofa bed, a small kitchen, and laundry facilities in the basement. This was on our shortlist too. Great location in the multicultural Nørrebro neighborhood, which we also highlight in our Copenhagen insider tips.

Restaurants with Kids in Copenhagen

Eating out in Copenhagen isn’t particularly cheap. That’s another reason we recommend a hotel or apartment with a kitchenette when visiting Copenhagen with kids.

In general, it pays to look for great restaurants outside the city center. Prices tend to be a little lower there, simply because there are fewer tourists and more locals.

Halifax: Great burger restaurant with seven locations. One is right in the city center. There’s an affordable kids’ menu.

Sporvejen Burger Bar: Also right in the center. The interior looks like an old subway car. Worth calling ahead to reserve a table. The kids got something to color, and both had an affordable kids’ burger.

Streetfood Market Reffen: Street food market on a former shipyard with a skate park where kids can run around and play

Grød: Porridge for breakfast. Eight locations in Copenhagen. A personal must for us on every Copenhagen trip.

Isoteket: Our pick for the best ice cream in Copenhagen. Multiple locations — one is right next to our favorite playground in Nørrebroparken.

Practical Tips for a Relaxed Vacation in Copenhagen with Kids

Experiencing Copenhagen with kids is a blast. And with these pointers, it’ll be even more relaxed:

Copenhagen with a Baby & Toddler

Copenhagen with a baby or toddler? Absolutely — go for it!

We’ve been there ourselves with our kids multiple times — from infancy through preschool age — and we think the city is wonderful for families with young children.

Here’s what you should know before you go:

1. Getting around: In the city center, you can get everywhere on foot; otherwise, the bus and metro will get you anywhere quickly. You can also rent bikes locally — cargo bikes or bikes with child seats.
2. Restaurants: Most have high chairs, and most also offer kids’ menus.
3. Stroller/Buggy-friendly: Absolutely.
4. Baby supplies: Everything you need for your baby (diapers, baby food, etc.) is easy to find locally.