Input needed for seven day Itinerary in Copenhagen.

I’ll also be in Copenhagen in May. Your itinerary looks similar to mine.

Some additional items that I have on my list: Church of Our Saviour tower; St. Alban’s Church; Frederik’s Church; Louisiana Museum of Modern Art; the Black Diamond (Library); City Hall; Kastellet (Citadel of Copenhagen); Tivoli Gardens; Botanical Garden; Dyrehaven (deer park)

I also have day trips to Odense, Malmo, and Lund on my list, but I’m 99% sure I won’t have time for any of them. I always like to have extra things planned.

If you’ll have the Copenhagen Discover card, most of your itinerary I believe will be covered.

Have a great trip!!

I'll be there for two days in June. My list includes the Statens Museum, Louisiana Museum, and Ordrupgaard. Everything else is a bonus.

OP - Frederiskborg castle is in Hillerød. Helsingor (Elsinore) is a different town with a different castle (Kronborg/Shakespeare castle). I visited both towns and castles on different days as half day trip from Copenhagen, and I really enjoyed both! This was September 2024 and I happened to be there during a historical heat wave. I'm in my late 40s.
I only had 4 days and I usually cram a lot of things during my trips since they are short. I move fast and walk a lot, but Copenhagen Discovery Card covered all my trains, metro and most museums/castles. Let me put below a trip report I shared at a different site. In Copenhagen proper, I only visited one castle that interested me the most. I know it looks hectic but I have to say I didn't feel rushed in any way. I planned my day geographically and even added a few surprises stops like the (old) Copenhagen University Library, and was happy to pay to get in. Maybe there is something below that will spark your interest.

Day 1 - arrived in the morning. Took train from airport to hotel (near Tivoli), dropped bag and went out to explore. Walked all the way to Nyhavn. When I arrived near Christianborg Palace, there was an agglomeration of people and several army/military personnel. I went to check it out and found out it was Flag/Veteran's day. I even saw the King himself salute the troops! I then took one of the canal tours included in the Discover card. I had a late lunch/early dinner near Nyhavn, then took metro back to hotel late afternoon. I popped on Tivoli briefly and watched one of the live Theater shows.

Day 2 - Morning was a bike tour with Bike with Mike which I highly recommend, I really got a feel for the city and saw several other main sights (honestly, I could have skipped the mermaid). Then lunch ( smørrebrød) at Det Lille Apotek which I had made a reservation. Interesting building, they call themselves the oldest restaurant in Denmark and it used to be a Pharmacy. On way out, by accident walked by the old Copenhagen University Library (beautiful building outside that made me go inside), and visited Round Tower which is nearby. On way back to hotel, I stopped again at Tivoli for a quick stroll.

Day 3 - I had pre-booked a 9am slot to climb the Church of our Savior Sphere. From there, I went to Hillerød to visit Frederiksborg Castle. Train back to Central Station in the afternoon, quick stop at the hotel to refresh myself, then I headed out to visit Frederik's Church (Marble Church - stunning!), then went to Kastellet before sunset hour. Enjoyed dinner by the water at the nearby Seaside Toldboden (fun food market place with affordable options). A bit of a walk from there to metro station and went back to hotel.

Day 4 - Took morning train to Helsingør and explored the old town and Kronborg. I was surprised how slow/quiet Old Town was. I forgot it was Sunday. I ended up spending more time at the castle than I thought I would! I had lunch in Old Town, walked back to station and took train back to Copenhagen. Arrived mid-afternoon and went straight to Christianborg castle tour. I wish I had timed it better as I lost my chance to see the stables/king’s horses which had closed before the ruins I was visiting. Take a look at their schedule so you visit all rooms with time. Christianborg was better than I expected. I had dinner at Maple Casual Dining which was wonderful (near main train station).

Day 5 - departed in the morning to Norway.

My wife and I went there last year and loved it. Very similar itinerary. I think I posted a trip report. We found the Copenhagen card to be cost-effective - particularly because it covers transit as well. You're seeing a lot of sites - a five day pass would work great for you . The canal boat trip is great. We went on it too late in the day for the cheaper company (I forget the names). If you use your Copenhagen card to get the free trip, you have to "buy" the ticket at their office on Ved Standen. You don't get the discount from their departure point in Nyhavn. Other highlights, tips, and things that might interest you.

We woke up early one morning and nothing was open. We took the train to Kastellet park and just walked around (and, of course, saw the little mermaid nearby). St. Alban's and Geffion fountain nearby were beautiful. That ended up being one of our favorite mornings.

If you're going to Christiansborg palace in the morning of day 3 and don't mind a little splurge for lunch, make lunch reservations at Nyllist i Taarnet - the restaurant in the palace tower. It's beautiful, the food is good, and you get to skip the line for the elevator to the top.

Note that your Copenhagen card will pay for the train trip to and from Roskilde. If you go to the ship museum, consider pre-booking a a trip on one of the viking ships - it's only an hour or so, but it's fun.

We did Helsingor and Frederiksborg in one day together. We like Elsinore better than Rick Steves does. On the other hand, we wished we left more time to see the gardens at the latter. The little boat ride around the lake at Frederiksborg is included with your Copenhagen card. We used it to get from the gardens back to the nearby town.

Two other things that are worth seeing are Reffen (a massive assemblage of food carts and sometimes performers) and Tivoli Gardens. We didn't ride the rides at the latter, but it was worth going into just to walk around.

We stayed at Hotel Danmark (near Tivoli Gardens) - the room was tiny, but the staff was friendly and they had a wine hour just before dinner, and a nightcap hour. Both gave us a chance to interact with other people staying there.

We never went to Christianshavn, but some people like it (not our thing)

We did do the changing of the guard and it was very underwhelming. Unless a royal is in town (I think you can tell by the flag they fly), I'd skip it.

Our itinerary:

Day 1: Arrive and walk the city (incl. Round Tower) ending with a canal cruise. Dinner at Host (it's Michelin starred, but we were disappointed)
Day 2: Kastellet Park (last minute add), National Museum, and Christiansborg Castle. Dinner at Rufino Osteria (recommended)
Day 3: Frederiksborg / Kronborg (Elsinore). Dinner at Karla's (recommended)
Day 4: Roskilde - Viking Ship Museum and Cathedral. Dinner in Tivoli Gardens (way over-priced)
Day 5: Rosenborg Castle / Changing of the guard (underwhelming - skip it) / Reffen. Dinner at Iluka (again starred and again disappointing - I guess we're just not into those architectural meals).
Day 6: Laundry and shopping and walking about town. Lunch at Cafe Sorgenfri (really good). Dinner at Nr.30 (good, but pricey). We thought about going to Dragor this afternoon, but we were too tired for another side trip. Kinda wish we had.
Day 7: Leave for Norway.