17 AWESOME Tours in Copenhagen [December 2024]

Colorful Copenhagen is the trendy capital city of Denmark. Although the city is relatively small, and very flat, you’ll be surprised at the wide variety of tours you can choose from here.

The city of spires boasts many impressive inner-city features, from one of the oldest theme parks in the world to the hippie community of Christiania. Yet, don’t restrict yourself to only tour Copenhagen, as the city is in close proximity to some fascinating natural and historic wonders too!

We’ve compiled a diverse list of Copenhagen city tours, as well as day tours from Copenhagen. Don’t book too many at once, or do.

#1 – Copenhagen Attractions Tour

Copenhagen Attractions Tour

  • $$$
  • 5 hours
  • Get the inside scoop on Denmark’s parliamentary seat
  • View Nyhavn; Copenhagen’s most recognizable site

In this guided tour, you’ll see the Danish seat in parliament, the country’s Supreme Court, as well as the Prime Minister’s Office all in one.

You’ll also get to witness one of the most architecturally-noticeable structures in Copenhagen, Nyhavn. Built in the 17th-century, these colorful waterfront houses are something you’ll definitely be familiar with, either from postcards or general knowledge.

You’ll also stop at the famed Little Mermaid statue on this tour.

 

#2 – Copenhagen Old Town Walking Tour

An Insightful Copenhagen City Tour

Copenhagen Old Town Walking Tour

  • $$$$
  • 5 hours
  • Tour Copenhagen’s historic center
  • Notice the juxtaposition between the old and new architecture

Copenhagen is a city rich in history, and has still retained many of its historic buildings. Yet, the city is ever-growing and progressing into further innovation, and modernistic twists have been implemented.

Guided by a local, you’ll learn about all the myths and legends attached to the historic area. This is a suitable tour to do if you don’t have much time in Copenhagen, but still want to see its most significant sites.

 

#3 – Canal Tour of the City

One of the More Relaxed Copenhagen Sightseeing Tours

Canal Tour of the City

  • $
  • 1 hour
  • Get the chance to see the city’s major landmarks, all while sitting down!
  • Great to do if you don’t have much time in Copenhagen, and it’s guided

On this boat tour, you’ll be shown all of the city’s crucial landmarks on the banks of the canals. The intimate setting of the boat will display how the city relies on these waterways and how the locals implement them into their everyday lives.

The cruise tour commences at Nyhavn. It then embarks on the water channels to see even more significant sites, such as the former Stock Exchange.

 

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#4 – Hamlet Castle Tour

Copenhagen Day Tours for Literary Buffs

Hamlet Castle Tour

  • $$$
  • 5 hours
  • The site where William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is set!
  • This is also the point where Sweden is the closest to Denmark

Kronborg Castle, also known as Hamlet Castle, is one of ten UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Denmark. The Øresund Strait is the only thing that separates Sweden and Denmark, and this is at its most narrow at Helsingør, the Danish city in which Kronborg Castle is situated.

The Strait comprises stretches for only 2.5-miles between the borders here, so the castle was used by the Danes as a defensive construction to monitor it. You’ll be accompanied by a professional tour guide who’ll talk about the castle’s history and Shakespeare’s relationship to it.

 

#5 – Copenhagen Untold Stories Tour

Copenhagen Untold Stories Tour

  • $
  • 5 hours
  • Discover the hidden gems of the city with a professional guide
  • Unravel the myths of the city

This tour will take you to places you’d never think to go. Such as the massive Venetian glass collection in the Rosenborg Castle. You’ll also learn about the city’s oppressed history with the Nazis, and the fallen Danish sailors as a result of this.

Your guide will educate you about all of these sites, and provide more than just the generic facts about important sites such as the Little Mermaid. You’ll walk past historic monuments, the world’s oldest operating observatory and a fortress, all in 2.5-hours!

 

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#6 – Alternative Walking Tour

Best Tour of Copenhagen’s Distinct Suburbs

Alternative Walking Tour

  • $$$
  • 5 hours
  • Notice the explicit difference between the city’s suburbs
  • Learn about the infamous cannabis trade here

In the midst of one of the wealthiest suburbs in Copenhagen, Christianshavn, lies the free-spirited hippie community of Christiania. It’s one of the more explorative Copenhagen tours that will showcase how the community became independent from the Danes.

Although there are no tours allowed in Freetown Christiania, it is still encouraged to partake in this tour that inspects the surrounding areas of the community. The tour culminates at Freetown, where you can then individually explore. Yet, you’ll still be given information by a professional guide about the transformation of this progressive society.

 

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#7 – Boat Trip on Furesøen Lake

Nature Things to do in Copenhagen Denmark

Boat Trip on Furesøen Lake

  • $
  • 1 day
  • Sail through the deepest lake in the country!
  • A full-day boat tour with hop-on-hop-off options

Although Denmark may be a micro-country in terms of size, it is scattered with many bodies of water throughout. There are 120 000 lakes in total!

On this tour, you’ll be able to take part in an excursion from the capital city to sail on the country’s deepest lake. The Danes have been swimming in and sailing through this lake from the 19th-century, as well as fine-dining at the lake-side restaurant since the 20th-century.

You’ll see of this and more as a day-trip from Copenhagen with this tour. The lake is a convenient 30-minute drive from the capital, and its area spans almost 10-kilometers.

 

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#8 – Frederiksborg Castle Tour

Frederiksborg Castle Tour

  • $$$
  • 5 hours
  • Appreciate the largest Renaissance Complex in the Nordic region
  • Experience 400-years worth of Danish royal culture and memorabilia

Only 40-minutes away from Copenhagen sits Frederiksborg Castle, an architectural marvel. It shows influences from the Dutch Renaissance and was constructed to display King Christian IV’s wealth. The castle is brick-faced and is enclosed by lush and extensive English-style and Baroque-style gardens and lakes.

A professional tour guide will walk you through an art collection of one of the most ancient monarchies globally. The castle exhibits important artworks that signify major moments in Denmark’s history, culture, and essence.

 

#9 – Bike Tour of the City

An Active Way to Tour Copenhagen

Bike Tour of the City

  • $$
  • 2 hours
  • Explore Copenhagen’s most iconic sites like a local
  • Learn about the rules of the cycling road

Understandably, Copenhagen is the most cycling-friendly city in the world! This is because of its flat landscape, spacious pathways for cyclists, and just overall manifested biking culture.

The city is designed for cyclists, consisting of more than 100-kilometers of biking lanes and even a traffic light scheme.

On this guided bike tour, you’ll visit the city’s major landmarks such as the residence of the Royal Queen. With a guided leader cycling along with you, you’ll be taught all about the city’s biking culture, as well as gain insight into historic sites. And all of this while burning calories!

 

#10 – Christmas Walking Tour

Christmas Walking Tour

  • $$$
  • 5 hours
  • Admire the winter wonderland that the city transforms into with a private guide
  • City sightseeing in Copenhagen during the most festive time of the year

Some Danes may tell you that winter is their favorite season, and if you partake in this tour, you’ll understand why. The city, although freezing, incorporates heart-warming and elaborate Christmas decorations throughout.

Whether it’s lighting up dead barren trees, or the city’s most significant landmarks being illuminated, everything’s picture-perfect. You’ll also get to taste some of the traditional delicacies eaten during Christmas, such as Ableskiver.

 

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#11 – Tour to Lund and Malmö

Tour to Lund and Malmö

  • $$$
  • 6 hours
  • See two countries in one day!
  • You even get to go through an underwater tunnel

Copenhagen is separated from Malmo, Sweden, by the Øresund Bridge, which extends for 5-miles. You’ll also traverse into an underwater tunnel for 2.5-miles until you ascend back up to the ground, arriving in Sweden.

You’ll then visit Skåne County’s most popular cities – Lund and Malmo. Lund is a medieval city that has Scandinavia’s largest university, cobble-stoned streets, and an ancient cathedral. Then, you’ll go to Sweden’s third-largest city, Malmo, which is closest to the Danish border. Here, you’ll explore the central square and shop your heart’s content.

 

#12 – Roskilde Viking Tour

Historical Day Tours from Copenhagen

Roskilde Viking Tour

  • $$$
  • 5 hours
  • Take a trip to another Danish city, Roskilde
  • Learn about the Viking history in Denmark at the Lejre Museum

Roskilde is west of Copenhagen, and this tour will proceed to this city’s most iconic landmarks.

These include the Roskilde Cathedral, which hosts the burial grounds for almost 50 Viking kings and queens. IT’s also one of the oldest examples of Gothic architecture in the Northern European region.

Afterwards, the tour will head toward the Roskilde Harbor, which is neighboured by the Viking Ship Museum. Here, you’ll find ships that date back to as far as the 11th-century.

Finally, you’ll end off at the Lejre Museum where you’ll learn about the Viking fables, and even taste some Viking-era Mead.

 

#13 – Nørrebro Neighborhood Cultural Tour

Cultural Tours of Copenhagen Denmark

Nørrebro Neighborhood Cultural Tour

Nørrebro Neighborhood Cultural Tour ( Photo credit – getyourguide.com )

  • $$
  • 2 hours
  • Tour Copenhagen’s most multicultural, energetic suburb
  • Catch the notorious 5C Bus with your guide,

Most people assign Christiania as the hippest and happening district in the city, until they visit Nørrebro on a Friday night. This suburb is scattered with many different restaurants, cafes, and bars. There’s also a high student concentration here, which gives the area a constant, youthful energy.

On this culturally-advancing tour, you’ll stroll through the streets of Nørrebro, admiring the abundant nationalities that reside here (almost 60!). This partly owes to it being one of the most heavily-populated regions in the country, but also because of its embracing and inclusive atmosphere.

#14 – Forest Tower Tour

Countryside Day Tours from Copenhagen

Forest Tower Tour

  • $$$
  • 3 hours
  • Tour to the country’s 45-meter spiraling wooden observation tower
  • Get panoramic treetop views of the Gisselfeld Klosters Forest

This unique tower took two years to build, and the wait was certainly worth it. Unlike most towers that escalate, this observation tower doesn’t have any steps to get you to the top, but rather an elevating and spiraling walkway.

On the way to the tower on this tour, you’ll stop at a Canola field to get your new Facebook profile picture (or maybe cover photo, because the tower is just as picturesque).

 

#15 – Møns Klint Day Tour

Scenic Tours from Copenhagen

Møns Klint Day Tour

Møns Klint Day Tour ( PhotoCredit – beneathcphlights.wordpress.com )

  • $$$$
  • 5 hours
  • Tour 6-kilometers worth of chalk cliffs on the sea
  • Get the chance to see Denmark’s most picturesque site

Most people don’t think of Denmark as a coastal getaway, because in the major cities many beaches are artificially made.

So, if you’re searching for some more natural wonders and coastlines, then book this tour that will take you just under 2-hours outside of Copenhagen. On the Eastern coast of the island of Møn, lies 70-million-year-old cliffs that are covered in lush greenery, at 128-meters above sea level.

This tour will take you to the cliff as well as the Geo-Science Center which explains the naturally-marvelous phenomenon that surrounds it.

 

#16 – Copenhagen Food Tour

Eat Like a Dane!

Copenhagen Food Tour

  • $$
  • 5 hours
  • Taste Danish cuisine and wash it down with Danish beer
  • Learn about the methods involved in cooking these dishes

On this guided (and palate-pleasing) tour, you’ll visit 5 different venues that provide essential Danish food. Some don’t know what even constitutes Denmark’s traditional meals, so set yourself above the rest by getting the inside scoop.

An advantage of this tour is that it’s one of the best tours by locals Copenhagen has to offer. Luckily for you, Copenhagen is the best place to be in Denmark to taste the country’s most popular dishes.

 

#17 – Louisiana Museum of Modern Art Tour

Louisiana Museum of Modern Art Tour

Louisiana Museum of Modern Art Tour ( PhotoCredit – visitholbaek.com )

  • $$$$
  • 4 hours
  • An interactive modern art museum
  • The interior and exterior of the museum are worth admiring

On this tour, you’ll witness absurdist art installations that showcase international and local artworks. It has won many awards in the past and is also credited for the beautiful building which houses the museum, as well as its positioning on the sea.

A cafe is on-site with lush gardens and small beaches that are also visible in some parts of the museum. So, everything is a piece of art in this museum!

Final Thoughts on Tours in Copenhagen Denmark

Copenhagen tours aren’t limited to the city only. The convenience of Denmark’s small size is that you can book tours that travel throughout the country, as no destinations are overly far from one another in this country.

Yet, Copenhagen itself boasts many educational and entertaining tours. From feeling royal at the palaces, or feeling lazy on the canal tour – there’s a tour for everyone here.

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About the Author Emma Johnson

Emma Johnson lives to travel! Born in Washington D.C., Emma is a hotel connoisseur and a staff writer at Hotel Jules. An army brat, Emma got the travel bug early and has never been able to stop. Now, she has proudly visited 70+ countries and plans to visit every country in the world! Passionate about her ukelele (obviously) and her family, Emma eventually wants to retire in Thailand and write a book about all of her travel experiences.