If you visit Copenhagen for the first time, a trip on a guided bus tour is a good way to explore the city – and it is fun when it is on top of an open-air double-decker bus. The boat tours of the canals of the city and out where you are at the mercy of the waves in the harbour entrance are also a very good way to take it all in.

The royal residence, the Amalienborg Palace, and the change of guards in the courtyard precisely at 12 o’clock is an experience for simple souls. On Christiansborg Palace, you can see the Royal Reception Rooms and the exciting and beautiful tapestries that recount the history of Denmark. Rosenborg Castle is a nice place for a treasure hunt – and the crown jewels are material for princess dreams.

The trip up Rundetårn (The Round Tower) is hard leg-work. In return, it offers great views of the city’s rooftops and going down is really easy. You will inevitably cross Rådhuspladsen (Town Hall Square) and if you fancy more heights, you can go on a Town Hall Tower tour.

A stroll down the pedestrian shopping street “Strøget” is a must and always entertaining with street performers and musicians. Kongens Nytorv is large and beautiful, and during the winther months, you can glide over the ice on the artificial skatingrink. Nyhavn is a nice and cosy place for a rest, a big ice cream or a refreshment.

The Tivoli Gardens will make every child’s eyes sparkle. Here is fun and excitement, lots of entertainment and music – not only in the summer half, but also when the big Christmas market is open. The Bakken amusement park will bring joy to everybody with its many attractions, entertainment and fun for the whole family. You might combine a visit to Bakken with a trip to Dyrehaven where a trip in a horse carriage will be a success.

Copenhagen zoo is large and nice with wild animals from all over the world. In the children’s zoo, on the other hand, you can touch and pat the tame animals. But watch out for the cheeky goats that eat everything within reach.

Many museums and exhibitions have a variety of activity offers for the kids. This goes for e.g. The children’s museum of the Danish National Museum (Nationalmuseet), The PTT-museum of Denmark (Post & telemuseet), The children’s museum at the National Museum of Fine Art (Børnenes museum på statens museum for kunst), The Tycho Brahe Planetarium, The Zoological Museum, Denmark’s Aquarium, and the science centre the Experimentarium which is perfect for curious children and their parents. Also The Guinness World of Records Museum and Louis Tussaud’s Wax Museum are sure hits.

The parks of Copenhagen are nice green oases at the heart of the busy city. Provided the time of the year and the weather allows for it, a picnic is a perfect option. You can e.g. buy a sandwich or a pizza slice on the way and let the children romp in the park. In many of the parks there are great playgrounds. In Kongens Have (the King’s Gardens) there are puppet shows for small children and in Frederiksberg Have, you can hire a boat and relax on the garden canals.

Show gardens and parks in Copenhagen

When you travel with older children there must of course also be time to do some shopping both on ‘Strøget’ and in the department stores but also in the small cosy streets with the many trendy shops behind Strøget. You can e.g. pop by Kronprinsensgade, Store Regnegade and Grønnegade to the north of Strøget and “Strædet” i.e. Læderstræde and kompagnistræde to the south of Strøget.

The city is full of cafés and other unpretentious eating places. Often the meals are available in children’s size or in half portions. During the warm season, tables and chairs are moved outside which makes life easier for families with infants who can park the pushchairs or prams right next to the table.

In the city centre, there are public toilets and baby change facilities underground on Amagertorv and Rådhuspladsen. Public toilets are also available on train and metro stations.
Department stores have customer toilets and babychange facilities – in Magasin, there is even a separate room for mothers wishing to feed their babies.

At the Tourist information office of Copenhagen, you can get a guide to public toilets in Copenhagen, which might come in handy on your trip around the city.

When you go to Copenhagen, it is a good idea to buy the adventure card ‘CPHCARD’. The card gives you free and unlimited travel on all buses, the metro or trains in the greater Copenhagen areas (HT-Området), which includes the Northern part of Zealand, Roskilde and Køge. Moreover, it gives you free entrance to more than 60 museums and attractions where you usually have to pay the entrance.

Read more on visitcopenhgen.com