Spending 3 nights in Copenhagen and need ideas

Roskilde is an easy 30-minute trip by train, and I highly recommend it—-the Viking ships museum there is fascinating. I highly recommend it!

Other things I enjoy in Copenhagen, having been there 3-4 times (but not recently): walk the length of the pedestrian Strøget and beyond to Nyhavn (a nice place to end up for an outside dinner by the canal); walking up the Round Tour, going to the Botanical Garden and the Resistance Museum (don’t miss that one).

Roskilde is a lovely town, so worth the very easy train journey.
Their Viking Museum is amazing!
Also the Cathedral, where all of Denmark's royals are buried.
I loved Copenhagen...just not the eye-watering prices of everything!
If you stay in the town, don't miss the Design Museum; it's also incredible, and has a nice cafe attached.

@Lola, thanks! Glad to know Roskilde is pretty easy to get to. And the Resistance Museum sounds fascinating! When I was in high school, I read a book with short stories about resistance fighters in various countries in Europe, and one was about Denmark. I would love to see that!

@SJ, thank you, also! The Design Museum sounds very nice - and great to hear a second recommendation for Roskilde! And yes, I'm aware it will be pricey. :) But I did survive Iceland's prices so hopefully can get through this as well.

I actually enjoyed the Roskilde Cathedral more than the Viking Museum. And Roskilde is easy to get to. Tivoli was my unexpected enjoyment. And I thought Rosenborg Castle was an interesting contrast to the castles I have seen in other parts of Europe. Those would be my top 3. :)

If he offers a tour while you're there, Bike with Mike is fun and informative, and https://bikecopenhagenwithmike.dk/ Roskilde is worth a day trip, but since you only have two days you might not want to give up that much time. I enjoyed the National Museum and then getting some smørrebrød to have a quick picnic on a bench at Christiansborg Palace. Copenhagen is easy to navigate, just watch for bikes!

@TexasTravelmom, I've been wanting to see Roskilde Cathedral and visit Tivoli ever since I read the book "Copenhagen Connection" by Elizabeth Peters. There are some books that trigger my travel bug, and that was one of them. Thanks!

@CL, the National Museum sounds wonderful. I figure I can see Tivoli and the areas around there on the day I get there, which will leave me 2 full days for the rest. And I know what you you mean about the bikes! I figured if I can weather the Amsterdam bikers, I can get through Copenhagen's. :) Thank you!

A highlight of our Copenhagen stay was a two hour private canal cruise with Hey Captain. Highly recommend . So much better than one of the crowded boats, and not that expensive. Our family group of 11 was perfect for a private, 12 person capacity boat. I think if you are a smaller group, you may have an option to combine with another small group.

Yes, walk Stroget over to Nyhaven.
We stayed near Tivoli and would not stay there again. We did, however, enter the park to have dinner in a traditional restaurant one night.
Take a canal boat cruise to see more of the city.

Definitely take a canal boat cruise. You will get to see many architecturally interesting buildings, from medieval (several) to the ultra-modern opera house.
The National Museum is a “don’t miss,” and it has a good cafe for getting lunch. Another worthwhile museum, if you have time, is the Carlsberg Glyptotek. I’m glad to hear that the Resistance Museum has reopened. It was burned down by arsonists a few years ago.

It's hard to recommend things to do for another person. For me, Tivoli and Stroget were some of my least favorite places to visit. I'd suggest Tripadvisor's list of top sights in Copenhagen and work down through them to decide your favorites.

That said, my favorites were:
-Roskilde, both the Cathedral and the Viking Ship Museum. If you start early, you can be back in Copenhagen with time to see another sight.
-Rosenborg Castle, relatively small castle with gardens and crown jewels in basement.
-Canal cruise
-Glyptotek, indoor garden and sculpture museum.
-National Museum, may be too much but if there is a period of history that interests you, you could focus on just that.
-Nyhavn area, enjoyed just finding a place to lounge with a sandwich and beer, or ice-cream, from a nearby store.

Top of my list for next visit:
-Frederiksborg Castle (track maintenance made it very hard to visit the last time I was there)

Others you may like:
-Kronborg Castle (It's essentially the Elsinore Castle from Shakespeare's Hamlet). The tour is fairly brief. The casemates include writings on the wall you can only see by reflecting a flashlight off them.
-Amalienborg Palace including beneath the castle, the royal palace and/or changing of the guard
-Little Mermaid statue. For me not much of a sight but lots of visitors have it high on their list.
-Christiania, a bohemian section of town

I recommend the Copenhagen Card for three days. It includes public transportation and admission for most sights.

Hey all, thanks for the recs, but I've been back from Copenhagen now for over 2 months. :) Hopefully someone else can benefit from it, though.

If you'd like to know what I did there, you can check out my trip report (days 24 through 27). https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/one-month-in-germany-and-a-side-trip-to-copenhagen-yes-it-s-long

I’m taking notes, so I’m benefitting. 😊 And I was little confused at first, because I thought your next trip was Scotland. But, now I noticed the dates of the posts. 😊 Going to read your trip report next. Thanks for linking to it.

Ha! Carrie, yes, this year was Germany and Copenhagen. Next year is Scotland. :)

Another vote for the Resistance Museum but bring tissues. We loved Tivoli. Check out Christiania.

Thanks for all the tips, and your travel report Mardee, I'll be there next year.

You will love it, Celeste - have fun!

Great info, thanks! For anyone who likes to bike, Copenhagen was a real pleasure. I rented a bike with a helmet (YAY) from my hotel there in January 2018. I did have to ask someone to explain those fascinating traffic lights with separate lights for cyclists, and a few turns where bikes could go but cars could not, but it was a great way to see more of the city. Hop off bike for a museum or cafe visit, lock bike, hop back on to the next treat.