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Copenhagen With Kids: Best Things to Do & Practical Tips

Copenhagen is probably one of the most kid-friendly cities in all of Europe. From arriving at Copenhagen airport to using public transport, visiting museums, and eating at restaurants, traveling with kids in Copenhagen is easy. We have compiled a guide for you to help you navigate Copenhagen with your children. Below we have compiled a guide on how to experience Copenhagen with kids, including the best things to do in Copenhagen with kids and the most kid-friendly restaurants in Copenhagen.

Copenhagen With Kids: What You Need to Know

Thankfully, you need to prepare very little when visiting Copenhagen as Copenhagen is very family-friendly. Nonetheless, we thought we would give you a couple of tips to make your life easier 🙂

Visiting Copenhagen with a Baby or a Toddler

Copenhagen Taxis with Children

Taking taxis in Copenhagen with children can be a little bit tricky due to regulations concerning child safety seats. Children under 135cm need to sit elevated in order to ensure the functionality of the seatbelt. Some taxis come with built-in booster seats, while with others you need to order the booster seat with the taxi. Taxi companies may charge a fee for that (up to 250 DKK). Technically children under 3 years do not need to be strapped in in taxis, but it is a bit of a grey zone.

Breastfeeding in Copenhagen

Breastfeeding is a common sight in Denmark, although it is technically up to the owners to allow or disallow breastfeeding on their properties. If you cannot find a designated breastfeeding area, such as Mælkebaren in Illum Department Store, just ask the staff!

Where to Buy Baby Food in Copenhagen & Other Necessities

Supermarkets in Copenhagen have everything you need for visiting with your kids.

Organic baby food is widely available in supermarkets and convenience stores in Copenhagen. Today, most baby food is packaged in pouches, although food in glass jars is also available. You may want to look out for brands such as Organix or Semper (they have a designated eco-food range), as well as Arla (particularly for porridge). For the largest variety of baby food check out the supermarket Føtex.

If you need anything else for your baby, such as nappies, they are available at all supermarkets as well, although prices can vary dramatically between the different stores.

Baby Changing Rooms in Copenhagen

Many, although not all, cafes and museums in Copenhagen offer baby changing rooms. If you are in doubt, check out some recommendations for kid-friendly restaurants below. Otherwise, it’s worth looking for the nearest museum, library, or department store (e.g. Illum) as they are most likely to have the facilities you need. Copenhagen Airport has a designated nursery with space for breastfeeding as well as a microwave and changing tables.

Public Transport in Copenhagen with Kids

If you are planning to use public transport with your kids in Copenhagen, you can easily do so. You can bring up to two children under the age of 12 for free if accompanied by an adult with a valid ticket. Between the age of 12 and 16, children need a separate child fare ticket. Children older than 16 need an adult ticket. Tickets can be bought from the driver (buses only) or at one of the many red ticket machines around Copenhagen.

You are allowed to bring a baby pram on public transportation for free. If getting on a bus, you will first need to bring the pram on the bus and then show your ticket(s) to the bus driver. Metros and trains have designated areas for baby prams, bikes, and wheelchairs. They are generally indicated on the door.

Where to Eat With Kids in Copenhagen: Child Friendly Restaurants in Copenhagen

No matter where you’re going to eat, children are welcome at nearly all restaurants and cafes in Copenhagen. They usually also have high chairs, so if you don’t see one, ask the staff for one. On most menus, you’ll also find a child-friendly section with smaller portions and lower prices. Apart from that, there are a few places in the city which truly stand out in terms of child-friendliness:

Best Things to Do in Copenhagen With Kids

Although most attractions and sites in Copenhagen are kid-friendly, some attractions do certainly stand out. We asked 3 fellow travel bloggers about their favorite things to do with kids in Copenhagen from a local’s perspective. Here are some of their recommendations.

Fælledparken

Fælledparken should be on the top of your to-do list if you are visiting Copenhagen with children.

Recommended by Lisa from Two Traveling Tots

No weekend is complete without a visit to Fælledparken! Fælledparken, Copenhagen’s biggest open space park, is in Østebro, a 10-minute bike ride from the City Center. It is the most visited park in Copenhagen and it is easy to see why. There are so many different things to do in the park, and one can easily spend all day there. If you prefer an easy day, you can simply take a walk around the park, have a barbeque or picnic on the many different grassy areas, or toss a football (soccer) around. If your kids need to release some energy (like mine always do), here is a list of the different playgrounds within the park:

  • “Mini Copenhagen” a playground designed after iconic Danish buildings
  • A cycling park where kids can rent bicycles for free and practice riding on fake streets with no cars in sight
  • Trampolines and swings
  • Northern Europe’s largest skateboard park
  • An outdoor gym both for kids and parents
  • A free water park open during the summer season

The Lakes

Riding the swan boats on the lakes in Copenhagen is a great thing to do with kids.

Recommended by Lisa from Two Traveling Tots

On a sunny day, one of our favorite things to do with the kids is to walk or bike around the Lakes that surround the City Center. The kids like to feed the swans and ducks, and there are mini parks right off the Lakes. When we are not feeding the swans, we like to we like to rent swans at Kaffesalonen and ride them in the Lakes!

Canal Tour

One of the best things to do in Copenhagen with kids in the summer is to take a canal tour.

Recommended by Lisa from Two Traveling Tots

Another “Must Do” with kids is to take a Canal Tour. Copenhagen is located on a harbor, so on a beautiful sunny day, there is nothing nicer than seeing the City by water. The kids enjoy the sea and boat ride, while the parents learn about Danish History and world-renown Danish Architecture. Plus, everyone gets to see the Little Mermaid from the harbor. The Little Mermaid sculpture was inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale about a mermaid who gives up everything to be with a handsome prince on land. This fairy tale was later turned into the movie The Little Mermaid. You can take the canal Tour at Nyan or Gammel Strand.

Trash Pirates

Recommended by Erin from Oregon Girl Around the World

Don’t like to tour a town with tons of tourists in tow? Be your own captain and rent an electric picnic boat to maneuver the happy harbor on your own. No experience required and provided maps will help you see everything you will want to see here. At GoBoat, children are enlisted to help keep the Copenhagen harbor clean. Armed with nets and a sack to scoop trash, their efforts will be rewarded upon return. Fun for the kids and healthy for the canals, a win for all.

Go for a Swim

Recommended by Erin from Oregon Girl Around the World

Copenhagen takes great pride in sustaining crystal clear waterways and accessible beaches. Sustained municipal efforts to manage industrial and wastewater runoff have made the canals around the city safe enough to swim in for years. If the weather is warm enough, you should dare a dip in those clean waters. Do like the Danes and go for a swim.

Head to the beach. Don’t think of sand when you hear Copenhagen? Believe it or not, Copenhagen has some lovely swaths of beach where your whole family can swim in the brilliant blue Baltic Sea. A bit outside the city, but the most beautiful beach by far, is Bellevue Beach in Klampenborg, easy to reach by train or bicycle. Or head to Amager Strand near the airport and jump in from the unique wooden public swimming structure there.

Prefer your swimming sans sand? Right on the main Copenhagen harbor in the neighborhood known as Islands Brygge, you can find a lifeguarded harbor bath with several pools at different depths perfect for all levels of swimmers. Your more confident and better water bugs can climb to the top of the dock and jump off for a daring Danish plunge.

Cycling in Copenhagen with Kids

Recommended by Erin from Oregon Girl Around the World

How to get between the beaches and canals and all those cool old castles? Rent bicycles to make your way through this easy-to-maneuver city. One of the most bicycle-friendly towns on the planet, in Copenhagen they have roads for bikes. More than 50% of the population make their way to work and to school on two wheels. Explore like a local and get behind the handlebars of a bike. Here with littles? Rent a cargo bike and plunk them safely in the front while you set off to see the Little Mermaid and more.

Child friendly things to do in Copenhagen with kids: Cycling with kids in Copenhagen is easy and safe.

Copenhagen Zoo

One of the most popular tourist destinations in Copenhagen, Copenhagen Zoo is great to visit with children of all ages. Not only is it fun for the kids to see such a great variety of animals, the zoo also provides tons of activities suitable for children. These include playgrounds, a petting zoo with goats and other farm animals, as well as a face painting station. For something different, check out the ZooLab, where kids can get up close to small critters and get crafty (only on weekends and public holidays).
Breastfeeding is allowed anywhere in the zoo, although there is a designated area for it in Restaurant Provianten where you can also find a microwave. Baby changing rooms are available throughout the zoo.

Amusement Parks Tivoli & Bakken

Tivoli is one of the most popular things to do in Copenhagen with kids.

No visit to Copenhagen could be complete without Tivoli Gardens. Tivoli is one of the most beautiful amusement parks in the world and quintessential to Copenhagen. The park offers rides for children of all ages (or rather heights) as well as an indoor playground called Petzi’s World. Close to the playground you can also find a nursing room with a microwave and changing tables. For smaller children, you can rent a stroller at the service center for a deposit of 100 DKK (except during the Halloween and Christmas season).

Personally, I do not recommend that you visit Tivoli with children during the Halloween and Christmas seasons as it is incredibly crowded. During my time working there, I needed to reunite several lost children with their parents. In any case, I recommend that you have your phone number somewhere on your children, in case they get separated from you.

If you want to go somewhere a little quieter, head out to Bakken instead. Bakken is the world’s oldest amusement park and free to enter (unlike Tivoli). The rides are just as much fun and it is generally less crowded. Plus, there is plenty of things to do around Bakken as well.

Things to Do in Copenhagen with Kids in Winter (or on a Rainy Day)

Although Copenhagen is a beautiful city in the summer, when the sun shines for more than 15 hours, it can get rainy on some days. In winter temperatures can also drop to a point where you’d rather stay inside. That’s why below we’ve compiled some things to do in Copenhagen with kids in winter. Of course, most of them are also worth checking out during the summer 😉

Experimentarium

Experimentarium is one of the best things to do in Copenhagen with kids in winter.

Recommended by Lori from Fitz 5 on the Go

The Experimentarium is an easy bus ride from central Copenhagen and is one of the best kids museums that we have visited – and we’ve been to almost 20. This place is large, plan to stay awhile. Exhibits are interactive and can keep a kids attention. Most activities have a heavy dose of Science built in – although your kids will probably be having so much fun they won’t realize they’re learning. There are several areas where kids can spend time just playing – a very important part of any kids museum. I really liked that not all areas require parents to be completely hands-on and even young kids have sections that they can figure out on their own. We spent 5 hours there and I feel that we had to rush some exhibits to see it all.

The National Museum of Denmark

The National Museum of Denmark is the perfect thing to do in Copenhagen with kids on a rainy day.

Recommended by Lori from Fitz 5 on the Go

The National Museum of Denmark is right in the middle of the center area of Copenhagen and I loved it. The museum itself was really nice but we spent the majority of our time in the kids’ section on the lower floor. What I like about this setup is that we could have 1 parent and younger kids playing in the kids’ area while the oldest kids and parent could explore the rest of the museum. The children’s section is set up as a series of historical play spaces with props and costumes. They have a schoolhouse, puppet area, historical kitchen, wall building and my kids favorite – a Viking ship with castle tower and knight armor. The kids could play here for hours. If you are on an extended trip look into getting a membership. This is a great place to take a break and let the kids roam in between your city exploring.

Louisiana Museum of Modern Art

Let your kids explore their creativity on a cold day in Copenhagen.

Recommended by Lori from Fitz 5 on the Go

The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art is about a 45-minute train ride north of Copenhagen. It is located in a lovely town with beautiful waterfront views. My oldest and husband did take a tour of the rest of the museum. The response from the 10-year-old – “I’m Confused.” We, however, were really here for the kids’ section. The kids’ area is set over 3 floors and is set up as art stations. On the day we went, there was painting, charcoal penciling, clay making, cookie decorating, a legos board, glue projects and several more activities. There is also a fun outdoor slide going down the hill. The cafe is good and the grounds are beautiful.

The Blue Planet

If it’s too cold to visit Copenhagen Zoo, I strongly recommend that you take your kids to The Blue Planet instead. Den Blå Planet is Europe’s largest aquarium and fun for the whole family. Watching the fish is simply mesmerizing. The aquarium also has all the amenities you need for a visit with your family, including a quiet nursing room.

Play at the Lego Store

Did you know Lego was a Danish company? If your kids adore building and playing with Lego, make sure to visit their flagship store in the city center of Copenhagen. In the center of the store, you can find the “Living Room” with space for the little ones to play and create. There is also a Lego model of Nyhavn which is not to be missed!

Blegdamsremisen: Indoor Playground in Copenhagen

A favorite among locals, Blegardsremisen is Copenhagen’s only indoor playground. A former tram depot, it is now a free recreational space for families with kids up to age 12. The playground is open to different age groups throughout the day, so make sure to check out the website before heading over for some indoor fun!


Now, what do you think? What are your favorite things to do in Copenhagen with children? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below! Let’s stay in touch!

Before you leave, please show some love to my fellow bloggers who contributed to this post:
Follow Erin from Oregon Girl Around the World on Facebook and Instagram.
Follow Lisa from Two Traveling Tots on Facebook and Instagram.
Follow Lori from Fitz 5 on the Go on Facebook and Instagram.

About Jacky

Hello there, fellow globetrotters! I’m Jacky, a passionate travel blogger with an insatiable wanderlust. With several years of experience in online marketing, I leverage my expertise to ensure that you get the best travel advice, tailored for the digital age. My travels have taken me to over 30 countries, and I love sharing those experiences with readers like you. Besides traveling, my other loves are my beloved cats, architecture, art, science fiction, coffee, and all things cute. My travel tips have been featured on lonelyplanet.com and in the EasyJet Traveller magazine.

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