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Overnight Layovers in Copenhagen

Posted by (Atlanta, GA, USA) on

Hello, next week, we’re looking forward to our first time in Copenhagen, as part of extended layovers to/from Italy (me, my wife, and two tweens). I’ve read the usual “24 hours” blogs, but everyone’s situation is different and I’d love some advice on how to maximize our short visits. The times below are CPH arrival / departure on SAS.

  • 1st Layover, Oct 12-13: Fri @ 10:15am —> Sat @ 8:10am
  • 2nd Layover, Oct 20-21: Sun @ 10:05pm —> Mon @ 1:15pm

1st Layover
We’re staying at the CPH Comfort Hotel because of the early outbound flight. So, drop bags upon arrival and board the metro to Kongens Nytorv (or train to Central Station). Then, explore the city on a walk (depending on how we arrive) from City Hall > Nytorv Square > Christiansborg Palace > Nyhavn > Amalienborg Palace > Marble Church > Rosenborg Castle > Round Tower. I wasn’t planning to enter any of those sites, unless that seems like a mistake. I would, however, like to enter the Glyptotek if time allows (it closes at 5pm). And I feel obligated to walk Tivoli Gardens at night (no rides), so we could end there and board the train back to the airport hotel. I assume we’ll have roughly 12pm-8pm to do all this.

2nd Layover
Check into Wakeup Borgergade late at night, so that we can already be in town the next morning. I assume we’ll have roughly 9am-11am. If the 1st layover goes to plan, then this time, I thought we could take a canal tour and/or climb Church of Our Savior.

Questions

  1. Do these plans seem logical and doable?
  2. Is there an easy / quick way to experience the culinary scene without spending hours and $$$ at a restaurant? (I assume we’ll have to decide between a fancy dinner or an evening at Tivoli.)
  3. If the timing works, agree that we should head straight for the 12:00 changing of the guard?
Posted by
1386 posts

Have you checked your walk on a map? Google Maps doesn't support multi destinations on walks, but OutdoorActive or other hiking apps does.

On your first layover I think you will be in Copenhagen close to noon, so you should walk straight to Amalienborg for the changing of the guards. Then follow your route to City Hall, lyptoteket and Tivoli, but skip Rosenborg Castle and the Round Tower until your second layover. I think that makes better sense.

Forget about the fancy dinner. It will eat up too much time. When in Tivoli go for the Food Hall where you can experience a variety of food - for something very Danish look for "Smørrebrød"
Others will come up with other ideas. You will decide what works for you. Have a nice time.

Posted by
2714 posts

My two cents: On the first layover, a very long walk with jetlagged tweens sounds kind of not fun, but perhaps they are jetlag savvy? Re: walking in Tivoli gardens at night - will your kids forgive you for the "no rides" plan? If they're ok with just taking in the scenery without rides (and you're willing to pay the entrance fee for your whole family to walk around) then by all means go ahead, but I'd honestly skip it in favor of rest ahead of your trip. And speaking of, I'd get back to the hotel plenty early so that everyone can get a good night sleep as you'll have a very early morning for an 8 a.m. flight the next day. I second the suggestion to get smørrebrød as a taste of Danish cuisine without the hefty price tag (though it will be more expensive than you'd expect).

On your second layover, I think the assumption you have 9 a.m. - 11 a.m. for activities is overly ambitious, especially with a late night arrival. CPH is a pretty efficient airport but to be safe you'd want to back at the airport for your international flight at least 3 hours ahead of departure (10-ish), especially if you have to check bags. With the transport time back to airport that doesn't give you much free time.

Posted by
95 posts

Thank you for the feedback! This is good information and we'll play things by ear. I want to make sure we leave enough time to explore the smaller streets and visit some shops.

Posted by
91 posts

You will leave very sad that your time is so short in this charming city. But hopefully you will be inspired to return for a proper visit.

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