How much does a city break in Copenhagen cost in 2024?
Denmark's capital, and the country in general, has a reputation as a costly place to live and visit. So, how much should you expect to put away for a city break in Copenhagen?
Accommodation
As the capital, there is no shortage of hotels, and you should find something to match your budget.
If you are after a pretty standard hotel, located fairly centrally, then you can expect to pay between 800 and 1,500 kroner per night depending on availability and whether it's peak season. Prices may sometimes stretch beyond or dip slightly under this figure.
As a rule of thumb, hotels tailored towards business and conferences are more expensive mid-week, and more holiday-focused hotels cost more at weekends.
If you want to do things on a budget, consider a hostel. There are a number dotted around Copenhagen, and these can be as cheap as 300 kroner for a night in a dorm.
At the opposite end of the scale, you could opt for a more premium five-star hotel if you want your trip to feel more special.
A room at Hotel D'angleterre starts from around 7,000 kroner and goes up to 29,000 kroner for the full luxury experience. Nimb starts at 6000 kroner a night and goes up to 27,000 kroner for the executive suite.
READ ALSO: How to spend 24 hours in Copenhagen
Eating out
Eating out will feel more expensive than most other places in Europe.
If breakfast isn't included at the hotel, then you can expect to pay between 70 and 100 kroner for a coffee and pastry (per person) from a bakery or coffee shop.
Bakeries like Lagkagehuset and Emmerys offer a range of drinks, pastries and sandwiches from 60 kroner to 150 kroner for a sit down brunch. Hartbageri is one of the most highly-rated bakeries, along with Juno in Østerbro, where you can expect to cue for your pastry.
Lunch prices can really vary, depending what you want. For example a light lunch of two pieces of smørrebrød costs 170 kroner per person at Mad og Kaffe. Or you could have a larger meal from 300 to 400 kroner at a mid-level restaurant in the city.
Torvehallerne is a great places to sample the Danish food scene and is popular with both locals and tourists. Situated in the centre of Copenhagen, the large glass market sells fresh fish, meat, cheese and lots of lunch options from smørrebrød, pizza, tacos, sandwiches and sushi. There are spaces to eat in or you can get something to take away. It won't be the cheapest option around but there are is enough variety to suit varying budgets.
Or for a grab-and-go lunch or snack, there's the Korean Hotteok Bar on Nørregade, the only one of its kind in Europe. Hotteok is a popular Korean street food snack, consisting of a chewy pancake with various fillings and prices start from 50 kroner.
Meanwhile, hotdogs are extremely popular in Denmark. You can buy a hotdog in any convenience store or stand for 35-40 kroner. For a more upmarket, organic version, there's Døp, by the Round Tower.
If the weather is good, going to a street food market and sitting outside by the water is a popular option, with a huge variety of cuisines and prices.
Over the bridge from Nyhavn, there is the street food area Broens Gadekøkken. On the former industrial site Refshaleøen, there's Reffen street food market, where all of the stalls have to reduce food waste and use organic, free-range and local ingredients wherever possible.
For an evening meal, the meat-packing district (kødbyen) is full of restaurants. At Fiskebaren, meals cost between 300 and 750 kroner, not including drinks. The relaxed Gorilla has a sharing menu priced at 450 kroner per person, or pasta dishes from 165 kroner and meat dishes from 180 kroner.
If you want to push the boat out, there's an array of Michelin-starred restaurants in Copenhagen. From 3-starred Noma and Geranium, the 2-starred Alchemist or there's 1-starred Michelin restaurant Søllerød Kro, where you can get a two-course lunch for 555 kroner or nine-course menu for 2,200 kroner.
Lunch or dinner at Noma costs 3,990 kroner per person and Alchemist's set menu of "50 impressions" costs 4,900 kroner per person.
READ ALSO: Do Danes really eat rugbrød for at least one meal every day?
Transport
Copenhagen is a great place to walk or cycle about, but if you get tired, there's a metro, tram, bus and even harbour bus.
A website and app called Din Offentlige Transport (DOT) has ticketing and transport information in English, as well as tips for tourists, gathering everything in one place.
The app will tell you which zones your journey covers and which ticket to buy. Once you've added your payment card, you can buy tickets with just the tap of your phone. Single tickets cost 24 kroner but can vary depending how many zones you are travelling through.
You can also buy a City Pass through the app for unlimited public transport over a 24, 48, 72, 96 or 120-hour period, costing from 80 kroner for 24 hours for unlimited travel in Copenhagen zones 1-4, including the airport. There is a version for adults and another for children over 12.
The Copenhagen Card gives you unlimited public transport in Copenhagen, plus free entry to over 80 museums and attractions. It is available for a 24, 48, 72 and 120-hour period, costing 400 to 990 kroner, with a cheaper version for 10-15 year olds. One adult can take two under 10s to museums and attractions for free and two under 12s on public transport for free.
Travelling from the airport to the city takes under 15 minutes on the train or metro and costs around 36 kroner. You can buy the tickets at the airport.
Taxis from the airport to city centre cost between 250 and 350 kroner and take 20-30 minutes.
READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: How to use Copenhagen’s public transport network
Activities and attractions
Copenhagen is home to many excellent museums, and entry typically costs between 125 and 250 kroner.
The Design Museum, Thorvaldens Museum, Natural History Museum, Glyptoteket, SMK-The National Gallery of Denmark, Danish Architecture Centre, Experimentarium and Louisiana Museum of Modern Art are all excellent options.
Some museums have days where entry is free, for example Glyptoteket is free to visit on the last Wednesday of each month and on special occasions. The Round Tower is also quite cheap, at 40 kroner for an adult, 10 kroner for children and free for under 5s.
Tivoli costs from 140 to 419 kroner, depending on whether you want to use all the rides. Bakken, which claims the title of oldest theme park in the world, is free to enter, you just pay for rides.
Copenhagen Zoo costs 249 kroner for an adult and 149 kroner for a child. If you're going to come back for lots of visits, it's worth buying the annual pass for some of these attractions, which usually costs the price of two and a half visits.
Boat rides are popular in Copenhagen, which start from 100 kroner and can even be free, if you pick up litter while you kayak at Greenkayak.
Of course there is plenty to do and see in Copenhagen for free; from walking along the colourful streets, visiting the city's parks like Frederiksberg Have or cemeteries like Assistens Kirkegård where famous Danes are buried, swimming in the harbour, relaxing on the beaches, looking at the Little Mermaid, to enjoying the forest at Dyrehaven.
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Accommodation
As the capital, there is no shortage of hotels, and you should find something to match your budget.
If you are after a pretty standard hotel, located fairly centrally, then you can expect to pay between 800 and 1,500 kroner per night depending on availability and whether it's peak season. Prices may sometimes stretch beyond or dip slightly under this figure.
As a rule of thumb, hotels tailored towards business and conferences are more expensive mid-week, and more holiday-focused hotels cost more at weekends.
If you want to do things on a budget, consider a hostel. There are a number dotted around Copenhagen, and these can be as cheap as 300 kroner for a night in a dorm.
At the opposite end of the scale, you could opt for a more premium five-star hotel if you want your trip to feel more special.
A room at Hotel D'angleterre starts from around 7,000 kroner and goes up to 29,000 kroner for the full luxury experience. Nimb starts at 6000 kroner a night and goes up to 27,000 kroner for the executive suite.
READ ALSO: How to spend 24 hours in Copenhagen
Eating out
Eating out will feel more expensive than most other places in Europe.
If breakfast isn't included at the hotel, then you can expect to pay between 70 and 100 kroner for a coffee and pastry (per person) from a bakery or coffee shop.
Bakeries like Lagkagehuset and Emmerys offer a range of drinks, pastries and sandwiches from 60 kroner to 150 kroner for a sit down brunch. Hartbageri is one of the most highly-rated bakeries, along with Juno in Østerbro, where you can expect to cue for your pastry.
Lunch prices can really vary, depending what you want. For example a light lunch of two pieces of smørrebrød costs 170 kroner per person at Mad og Kaffe. Or you could have a larger meal from 300 to 400 kroner at a mid-level restaurant in the city.
Torvehallerne is a great places to sample the Danish food scene and is popular with both locals and tourists. Situated in the centre of Copenhagen, the large glass market sells fresh fish, meat, cheese and lots of lunch options from smørrebrød, pizza, tacos, sandwiches and sushi. There are spaces to eat in or you can get something to take away. It won't be the cheapest option around but there are is enough variety to suit varying budgets.
Or for a grab-and-go lunch or snack, there's the Korean Hotteok Bar on Nørregade, the only one of its kind in Europe. Hotteok is a popular Korean street food snack, consisting of a chewy pancake with various fillings and prices start from 50 kroner.
Meanwhile, hotdogs are extremely popular in Denmark. You can buy a hotdog in any convenience store or stand for 35-40 kroner. For a more upmarket, organic version, there's Døp, by the Round Tower.
If the weather is good, going to a street food market and sitting outside by the water is a popular option, with a huge variety of cuisines and prices.
Over the bridge from Nyhavn, there is the street food area Broens Gadekøkken. On the former industrial site Refshaleøen, there's Reffen street food market, where all of the stalls have to reduce food waste and use organic, free-range and local ingredients wherever possible.
For an evening meal, the meat-packing district (kødbyen) is full of restaurants. At Fiskebaren, meals cost between 300 and 750 kroner, not including drinks. The relaxed Gorilla has a sharing menu priced at 450 kroner per person, or pasta dishes from 165 kroner and meat dishes from 180 kroner.
If you want to push the boat out, there's an array of Michelin-starred restaurants in Copenhagen. From 3-starred Noma and Geranium, the 2-starred Alchemist or there's 1-starred Michelin restaurant Søllerød Kro, where you can get a two-course lunch for 555 kroner or nine-course menu for 2,200 kroner.
Lunch or dinner at Noma costs 3,990 kroner per person and Alchemist's set menu of "50 impressions" costs 4,900 kroner per person.
READ ALSO: Do Danes really eat rugbrød for at least one meal every day?
Transport
Copenhagen is a great place to walk or cycle about, but if you get tired, there's a metro, tram, bus and even harbour bus.
A website and app called Din Offentlige Transport (DOT) has ticketing and transport information in English, as well as tips for tourists, gathering everything in one place.
The app will tell you which zones your journey covers and which ticket to buy. Once you've added your payment card, you can buy tickets with just the tap of your phone. Single tickets cost 24 kroner but can vary depending how many zones you are travelling through.
You can also buy a City Pass through the app for unlimited public transport over a 24, 48, 72, 96 or 120-hour period, costing from 80 kroner for 24 hours for unlimited travel in Copenhagen zones 1-4, including the airport. There is a version for adults and another for children over 12.
The Copenhagen Card gives you unlimited public transport in Copenhagen, plus free entry to over 80 museums and attractions. It is available for a 24, 48, 72 and 120-hour period, costing 400 to 990 kroner, with a cheaper version for 10-15 year olds. One adult can take two under 10s to museums and attractions for free and two under 12s on public transport for free.
Travelling from the airport to the city takes under 15 minutes on the train or metro and costs around 36 kroner. You can buy the tickets at the airport.
Taxis from the airport to city centre cost between 250 and 350 kroner and take 20-30 minutes.
READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: How to use Copenhagen’s public transport network
Activities and attractions
Copenhagen is home to many excellent museums, and entry typically costs between 125 and 250 kroner.
The Design Museum, Thorvaldens Museum, Natural History Museum, Glyptoteket, SMK-The National Gallery of Denmark, Danish Architecture Centre, Experimentarium and Louisiana Museum of Modern Art are all excellent options.
Some museums have days where entry is free, for example Glyptoteket is free to visit on the last Wednesday of each month and on special occasions. The Round Tower is also quite cheap, at 40 kroner for an adult, 10 kroner for children and free for under 5s.
Tivoli costs from 140 to 419 kroner, depending on whether you want to use all the rides. Bakken, which claims the title of oldest theme park in the world, is free to enter, you just pay for rides.
Copenhagen Zoo costs 249 kroner for an adult and 149 kroner for a child. If you're going to come back for lots of visits, it's worth buying the annual pass for some of these attractions, which usually costs the price of two and a half visits.
Boat rides are popular in Copenhagen, which start from 100 kroner and can even be free, if you pick up litter while you kayak at Greenkayak.
Of course there is plenty to do and see in Copenhagen for free; from walking along the colourful streets, visiting the city's parks like Frederiksberg Have or cemeteries like Assistens Kirkegård where famous Danes are buried, swimming in the harbour, relaxing on the beaches, looking at the Little Mermaid, to enjoying the forest at Dyrehaven.
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