In July 2026, our family spent 10 days traveling in Denmark. We decided to split our time between Copenhagen and the island of Jutland where we visited Haderslev and Ribe. In between, we did a day trip stop in Roskilde to visit the Viking Museum and the nearby cathedral. Our family also took a day to visit Malmö, Sweden, which was fun and easy to do! We didn’t really come to Denmark with a list of places to visit, or things to see. Someone told us that Denmark is better experienced, and we kind of went with that.
Copenhagen
In total, we spent about 3 full days and 2 half days in Copenhagen. The first part of the trip we spent with my husband’s family in a very nice home on Islands Brygge. The second part was just a short 1-night stay just the four of us at a hotel near Tivoli Gardens.
Where We Stayed
Our main priority when finding lodging in Copenhagen was finding a home that could accommodate our group of six comfortably. As usual, we used Airbnb to find a place. We ended up booking a beautiful home on Islands Brygge, a lively waterfront neighborhood in Copenhagen. This area had a great harbor swimming area, lots of green spaces and play spaces, and a super relaxed summer atmosphere. Before arriving, we were concerned we’d be a bit too far from the main sights, but the canals, bridges, and harbor buses made it super easy to reach all parts of the city. In fact, we ended up loving this area because it was very peaceful and serene.
What We Saw And Did
Our days in Copenhagen were a mix of sightseeing and hanging out back in Islands Brygge. It was a perfect balance, and a great way to get into the Danish pace of life.
We arrived in Copenhagen in the late morning, and after dropping off our bags at our rental, we headed out to walk next to the nearby canals. Our walk took us to Havnebadet Islands Brygge, a nice space with harbor swimming facilities including lap pools children’s pool, and an area for springboard diving. The area was lively and full of people hanging out and enjoying the sunny weather. We spent the afternoon in this area, and then grabbed a pizza dinner at Scarpetta before heading back to the rental.
On our second day, we took the harbor bus to Knippelsbro, and then walked to Freetown Christiania from there. Freetown Christiania is a self-declared autonomous community in Copenhagen, founded in 1971 by a group of hippies and squatters on a former military site. It’s known for its alternative lifestyle, colorful street art, communal spaces, and the famous Pusher Street.
The town felt very geared towards tourists, so we walked around it for a bit before moving on. While in Christiania, we were happy to find Green George, a huge troll created by Danish artist Thomas Dambo using recycled wood.
From Freetown Christiania, we walked to the Operaen harbor bus stop to catch the boat to the Refshaleøen stop. We wanted to grab lunch at Reffen Street Food market. Reffen is a large street-food market and creative space on Copenhagen’s Refshaleøen. The area features food stalls, bars, workshops and small businesses housed in shipping containers and old industrial buildings. It has a strong focus on sustainability, local entrepreneurship and international street food. You can literally find food from all over the world there! Definitely worth a visit when in Copenhagen.
On our second full day in Copenhagen we took the harbor bus to Nyhavn. Nyhavn is Copenhagen’s historic 17th-century harbour, lined with colorful townhouses, restaurants and old wooden ships. Once a busy commercial port, it is now one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions and one of its most recognizable landmarks.
This is definitely an iconic spot in the city, and it is also very crowded with tourists. This is also the area from where the canal boat tours depart, adding to the crowds. Fortunately, if you walk a bit past the main area, the crowds dissipate a bit. We walked away from the canal towards Kongens Nytorv square. Kongens Nytorv is Copenhagen’s largest central square, laid out in the late 17th century under King Christian V. The square is surrounded by neoclassical buildings including the Royal Danish Theatre and Hotel d’Angleterre. This is a lovely spot to take a rest and admire the surroundings.
From Kongens Nytorv we continued onto Strøget street. Strøget is Copenhagen’s main pedestrian shopping street, stretching through the city centre from Kongens Nytorv to Rådhuspladsen. It is lined with shops, cafés, restaurants and historic buildings, and is one of the city’s most popular areas, especially with visitors.
Strøget became pedestrianized in 1962 as part of an experiment to reduce traffic and create more space for pedestrians in Copenhagen’s city centre. Despite initial opposition from some shopkeepers, the change was successful and helped influence the city’s wider approach to pedestrian-friendly urban planning. Just such a success story and strong argument in favor of urbanism and pedestrian-friendly streets.
While walking on Strøget street we went past the Storkespringvandet (Stork Fountain) at the center of Amagertorv square. The fountain was built in 1894 to celebrate the silver wedding anniversary of Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Louise. What you see is actually three herons, which are often mistaken for storks!
Along Strøget we also visited Helligaandskirken (Church of the Holy Spirit), one of Copenhagen’s oldest churches, with origins dating to the 13th century. This Gothic-style building dates mainly from the 15th century and it remains an active Lutheran church today.
After wandering around all morning, my in-laws headed back to Islands Brygge for a rest, and we continued exploring of the city. I had read that Copenhagen has a great selection of second hand shops, and since I love second hand shopping, we headed to the University of Copenhagen area to look for some. We found several good second hand and vintage stores along Larsbjørnsstræde street, which is right off of Strøget street. I got myself a vintage black leather purse that will double as a small camera bag in future trips!
If you continue on Larsbjørnsstræde street, you will reach Ørstedsparken. This historic public park in central Copenhagen offers a great spot to take a rest in a very peaceful setting. The park was created in the 1870s on the site of part of the city’s old fortifications. Ørstedsparkenlake features a lake, winding paths, a really nice playground, lawns and statues. We got a couple of beverages to bring to the park and sat around watching life go by. It was a great place to people watch, and for our kids to climb trees and wander around.
One highlight of our time in Copenhagen was experiencing Danish food. For years, I’d been hearing about Copenhagen’s food scene, so we were all excited to finally give it a try. We booked a tasting menu at Nr.30 Spisested & Vinbar, and had a lovely experience! Danish food is really known for being fresh, local, and seasonal, and this place delivered on all of those points. Our children also joined us for this dining experience, and they both very much enjoyed the food. The restaurant staff were all very welcoming of well-behaved and adventurous young diners as well.
If you walk the entire Strøget street from Kongens Nytorv, you’ll reach Københavns Rådhus (City Hall). The actual City Hall building dates back to 1905. In front of the building is the Dragon Fountain, a bronze fountain from 1904 that features a dragon fighting a bull. We walked past this square on our last day in Copenhagen, grabbed a hot dog from the street vendor, and really enjoyed admiring the fountain. This is also a busy square as a lot of tour buses unload there.
We love visiting libraries when traveling, so we couldn’t skip the University of Copenhagen’s Library. The Library was founded in 1482, shortly after the university itself. Its historic building on Fiolstræde was completed in 1861 and it features a grand reading room and extensive academic collections. The space is beautiful! It feels like out of a Harry Potter movie with its long hallway, side rooms, vaulted ceiling, and elegant columns. Definitely worth a visit!
A highlight for our kids was visiting Sømods Sweet shop. This traditional sweet shop dates back to 1891, and the hard candies are still made by hand using the same old-fashioned methods from back then. The shop’s “By Royal Appointment” stamp means it has been officially appointed as a supplier to the Danish royal household! It’s a mark of prestige, traditionally awarded to businesses that provide goods or services of high quality to the royal court. Of course we purchased some bags of candy, and I can honestly say they were delicious!
One of the most popular sights in Copenhagen is Rosenborg Castle. It’s no surprise we could’ve get tickets to visit it when we just showed up. Fortunately, you can still walk around it on the beautiful King’s Garden, so we did just that. The castle dates back to the early 1600s when then King Christian IV built is as a royal summer residence. Today, the castle is a museum filled with royal treasures, such as the Danish Crown Jewels and coronation regalia. If you want to visit the museum, I recommend you book your tickets ahead of time.
On our last evening in Copenhagen, we went for a stroll along the Sankt Jørgens Sø canal, starting by the Planetarium. We walked up into the Nørrebro district and grabbed a drink at one of the pubs on Blågårdsgade street. Nørrebro is one of Copenhagen’s most diverse and lively neighborhoods. It is known for its multicultural population, independent shops, cafés, street art, and relaxed atmosphere. This was a fun area to check out, and it felt very lively.
If we’d had more time, we would’ve love to visit Superkilen. Superkilen is a striking public park designed around objects, colors and ideas from communities around the world. It’s divided into three sections—the Red Square, Black Market and Green Park—and is known for its unusual international street furniture and urban design. Sadly, we didn’t make it there this time.
These are the main highlights of what we did during our time in Copenhagen. Because we walked most places, there were a lot of in between moments and sights that I simply can’t fit into one post. Overall, I’d recommend walking around the city, taking the harbor bus, and enjoying the gorgeous Danish architecture, both the modern and the classic. If it had been just our family, we would’ve certainly rented bikes to go around the city. The biking infrastructure was just excellent!
Take a day trip to Malmö, Sweden
We used one of our full days in Copenhagen to take a day trip to Malmö, Sweden’s third largest city. Turns out you can reach Malmö in about 30 minutes from Copenhagen’s Central station, so we decided to go for it! Trains to Malmö leave every 20 minutes or so, which made it easy to just show up and buy tickets for the next departing train.
After arriving in Malmö Centrastation, we walked over to Stortorget, Malmö’s main historic square. The square was first laid out in the 1530s and is surrounded by some of the city’s most important historic buildings, including Malmö City Hall and the old governor’s residence. At its center is an equestrian statue of King Karl X Gustav, who helped bring the region from Danish to Swedish rule in the 17th century. We were lucky to be visiting in early summer as the square was decorated with beautiful blooming dahlias of many different colors!
When walking around the square, don’t miss out on the old painted advertisements on the buildings around Stortorget. These historic fasadmålningar are advertisements painted directly onto walls, often for local shops and products. They’re a reminder of how businesses advertised before modern signs and billboards, and some have been preserved as part of Malmö’s historic streetscape.
After admiring the square, we walked over to Spoonery to eat lunch. We all knew we wanted to eat some traditional Swedish food (hello Swedish meatballs!), and Joe found this great restaurant. The food here did not disappoint! I, of course, got the meatballs and they were the best I’ve ever had. As if delicious food weren’t enough, they offered unlimited sides of bread, and coffee for after your meal. Overall, a wonderful lunch experience at reasonable prices!
After lunch, we walked past Lila Torg and the Gustav Adolfs torg, and crossed the canal over to the Disgusting Food Museum. We chose to visit this quirky and unique museum because one of the people in our party was blind, and we figured this would be an experience that could be done without needing to see. Funny enough, that family member told us that his sense of smell has really heightened since becoming blind, so the gross smells in the museum were too much for him and he declined participating. As a supportive family member, I stayed behind with him.
Joe, the kids and the rest of our party spent about an hour and a half in the museum. They saw, ate, and smelled some very interesting and unusual foods during their time in there. The museum also made a point of how what’s weird in one place, is totally normal in another. Sounded like a super interesting museum to visit, if you have a stomach that can handle it! I mean, the museum entrance ticket is a vomit bag, so that says a lot!
After the museum, we walked back to the train station. We had to be back at the Copenhagen airport before 4pm to pick up our rental car to start the next leg of our trip! Overall, we really enjoyed this quick day trip to Malmö
Outside Copenhagen
For the second half of our trip, we rented a van and drove over to Jutland. This is Denmark’s only part connected to mainland Europe, and it forms the largest geographical region of Denmark. But before driving all the way to our rental in Haderslev, we made a stop at Roskilde.
Roskilde
Roskilde is a historic city about 30 km west of Copenhagen. It used to be Denmark’s capital and royal seat during the Viking and medieval periods. It’s best known for Roskilde Cathedral, the burial place of Danish monarchs, and the Viking Ship Museum, which displays original Viking ships discovered in the nearby fjord.
The main reason why we stopped in Roskilde was to visit the Viking Ship Museum (Vikingeskibsmuseet). This museum is built around five original Viking ships that were deliberately sunk in Roskilde Fjord around 1070 to protect the city from enemy attacks. Today you can see the remarkably preserved ships, learn about Viking shipbuilding and seafaring, and more. We contacted the museum beforehand to book a private tour and it was well worth it! Our guide was very informative, he answered all our questions and the kids’ questions, and he really brought history to life.
From the museum, we walked up the hill, through the beautiful Byparken, all the way to Roskilde Domkirke (Roskilde Cathedral). This cathedral is one of Denmark’s most important churches and the traditional burial church for the Danish royal family–there are 40 monarchs buried there! Roskilde Cathedral is mainly built in brick and it dates back to the 12th and 13th centuries. It was one of the earliest major Gothic brick churches in Scandinavia and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995.
After the cathedral we walked back down the hill through the park to eat lunch at Pipers Hus. This restaurant in Roskilde’s Byparken, has views toward both the fjord and Roskilde Cathedral. It serves Danish food including smørrebrød, brunch and dinner, and has a lovely outdoor seating area. In the winter, they also have heated domes in the outside area.
We had different smørrebrød and they were all tasty. Their menu recommends getting 2-3 per person, but that would be way too much food. We each ordered 2 and had a hard time finishing them. Portions are big, and the bread comes really loaded with goodies!
Haderslev
From Roskilde we drove across the Storebæltsbroen (Great Belt Bridge) onto Southern Jutland. This 1.6-km suspension bridge is one of the world’s longest suspension bridges. Once in Haderslev, we checked into our rental house, a beautiful historic farmhouse in the countryside.
Haderslev is located in Southern Jutland, and it is a historic town founded in the Middle Ages that has a strong Danish-German heritage. In fact, Haderslev is less than an hour drive from the German border. We spent 2 days and 3 nights in Haderslev.
Things To Do In Haderslev
As we were traveling with my in laws, we enjoyed somewhat slow days in Haderslev. Honestly, one of our favorite activities there was going for walks around the town in the evenings. Other than that, here’s what we did:
One morning we went for a leisurely walk in Hundeskoven i Vesterskoven. Hundeskoven is a designated off-leash dog area, and Vesterskoven is a larger forest, with walking and nature trails. The park is a beautiful forest that is small, but very lush. Our children were fascinated by the number of slugs they encountered on the trail (they literally littered the trail!), giant snails, and frogs.
We spent an afternoon walking around Haderslev Old Town. Haderslev is one of the best-preserved historic centers in southern Denmark, with cobbled streets, colorful half-timbered houses, and buildings dating back several centuries. The area grew around the medieval cathedral and still reflects Haderslev’s long history as an important trading town. We found the old town to be cute and colorful, but were surprised to see how early everything shut down.
One of our first stops in the Old Town was the cathedral. Haderslev Cathedral (Vor Frue Kirke) is a striking Gothic structure dating back to the Middle Ages. The building you see today largely dates from the 13th century. It is one of the most important landmarks in southern Jutland and is especially known for its tall, bright interior and historic role in the region’s religious history.
The cathedral is also a major music venue. It has three organs, including a huge main organ with around 5,500 pipes, and the church’s long reverberation makes organ music especially impressive. As it were, they hold regular Friday organ concerts, particularly in July and August, and in 2026 these form part of the Haderslev International Organ Festival, with international organists performing on selected Fridays. We were lucky to be there on a Friday and to be able to attend one of these concerts. It was a transcendental experience!
While in Haderslev, we grabbed lunch from Gevæxt. Located right next to Dampark, this cafe serves tasty, fresh, homemade dishes like smørrebrød, sandwiches, salads, and more. Portions are generous and the food is very fresh! This might have been one of our favorite meals of the trip! You can go for a stroll around the lake in Dampark after your meal there!
One tip that might be useful for others is that, when looking for places to eat a quick lunch, it’s better to search for cafes instead of restaurants. Cafes seemed to be the places serving the smørebrød and sandwiches, as opposed to larger dishes. These were also easier to find in Google Maps as they were everywhere in all the cities we visited.
Ribe
We visited Ribe as a day trip from Haderslev. Ribe is one of the highlights of Southern Jutland, and Denmark’s oldest town dating back to the 8th century. The town of Ribe began as a Viking trading settlement on the Ribe River. Today it’s known for its beautifully preserved medieval center, cobbled streets, colorful old houses, and Ribe Cathedral and more. There are a couple of museum dedicated to Viking history in Ribe. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to visit them.
Ribe was particularly important during the Viking Age and Middle Ages because of its location near the North Sea, which made it a major center for trade and crafts. The town is small and very walkable, with many historical buildings dating from the 16th–19th centuries, giving it a strong medieval character. Honestly, walking around town and seeing the historic buildings was like being in an open air museum!
Things To Do In Ribe
Other than walking around and absorbing the beauty of the town, we visited the Flood Column (Stormflodssøjlen) at Ribe’s harbor. This tall poll is marked with rings showing how high the water rose during major historical storm surges. The highest ring, about 6.1 metres above normal water level, records the devastating 1634 storm surge, when thousands died and floodwater reached about 1.7 metres inside Ribe Cathedral.
We visited the Ribe Cathedral (Ribe Domkirke), which is Denmark’s oldest cathedral, with the present Romanesque church built mainly between 1150 and 1225 on the site of an earlier church founded in the 9th century. It is particularly distinctive for its five aisles, mix of Romanesque and Gothic architecture, and the tall Commoners’ Tower, which offers views over Ribe and the surrounding Wadden Sea landscape. What really got our attention was the beautiful colorful mosaics adorning the altar.
The colorful mosaics were created by Danish artist Carl-Henning Pedersen in the mid 1980s. His seven large mosaics use bright, abstract imagery inspired by religious themes, including scenes from the Old Testament and the idea of hope and life after death. We found the imagery to be unusually bright for a church, which made us like it even more!
Ribe’s old town is full of merchant houses, workshops and small shops that reflect its history as an important trading town. One of the most interesting is the old grocery store on Mellemdammen, which has been in operation since at least 1671!
Another standout is Quedens Gård, a former merchant’s house with buildings dating from the 1580s onward. The complex still has its old shop interiors and courtyards. In fact, we ate lunch on the patio served by the cafe there!
On our way to Haderslev from Ribe, we made a stop at Riplay – Børnenes Ribe, which is possibly one of the best public playground we have seen in Europe! The area was enormous, and it had several tall climbing structures, a couple of zip lines, many slides, swings, and so much more! If you have kids and are in the Ribe area, you should totally check it out! Bring a picnic or grab something from the cafe, and be ready to spend lots of time there!
Getting Around
How you choose to get around in Denmark depends on your preferences, but also on where you are visiting. We found Copenhagen to be incredibly easy to navigate on foot, and using the harbor bus. The metro would’ve also been a great choice, but we never needed to use it. And if we’d been traveling without extended family, we would’ve probably rented bikes to get around.
Outside Copenhagen, we found it easier to get around by car. However, we did see walking/biking paths along all the road we drove on!
In Copenhagen, the Harbour Bus is a very easy way to get around while also enjoying the scenery from the canals. We downloaded the Rejsebillet app for buying public-transport tickets in Copenhagen — the harbor buses use the same tickets as regular buses, metro and trains. If you are planning on taking the harbour bus, don’t buy your tickets until you know you’ll be able to get on one as tickets last for only 90 minutes. Sometimes, when the bus comes full, you will not be allowed onboard and will have to wait until the next one. Harbour buses run every half hour on both directions.
Copenhagen is super well-connected by train, so you can reach many destination from its Central Station. This goes for both domestic and international destinations.
If you choose to rent a car, you will notice a little clock type thingy on a corner of your windshield. That thingy is called a parking disc and it is where you set the time you arrived to a parking lot, and it’s required in many Danish parking areas with time limits. Simply set it to 15 minutes later than your actual arrival time before leaving your car. If you fail to set it, you could be fined.
Of course, walking is the best way to get around any place (particularly in Europe) as it allows the most flexibility while allowing you to admire your surroundings. We walked a lot in Copenhagen and absolutely loved it!
Money
Denmark is a cashless society. We withdrew cash at the airport and ended up having to make a conscious effort to spend it because every single place we went to, took cards. That being said, make sure to keep track of your spending because Denmark is definitely on the more expensive side of travel destinations. The conversion of 7 Krona to 1 Euro made it a bit tricky to keep good track of how much things really cost.
And that is all for our trip to Denmark (with a side trip to Sweden!). July was definitely a great time to visit as the weather was pleasant and sunny, the days were long, and there was a lot of cheer in the air!
To read more about other places to visit in Europe, visit this page. For all of our other travels, go here.
