Hans Christian Andersen believed “life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale.” With this romantic quote in mind, we offer parents and families a helpful guide to planning magical and memorable activities with their kids. Let your little ones explore everything Copenhagen has to offer such as eye-opening boat tours, creative workshops, a 19th-century amusement park, and more. Discover 10 things to do with kids in the “City of Spires”.
1. The Children’s Workshop at SMK
The largest art museum in Denmark, SMK, offers something very special every weekend. Included in the admission fee is access to The Children’s Workshop—Copenhagen’s largest workshop for kids. Every weekend follows a different theme such as “Summer memories and imaginative creations”. Suitable for ages three and up, SMK invites little ones to activate their senses through painting, using plaster, fabric, clay, crayons, and more.
📍 Sølvgade 48-50, 1307 København K
2. Tivoli Gardens Amusement Park
Georg Carstensen opened Tivoli Gardens in 1843. Visitors were extremely impressed by the exotic gardens—Hans Christian Andersen was inspired by Tivoli and wrote The Nightingale. Today, Tivoli Gardens also includes an amusement park. Take the kids to Petzi’s World, an area made up of forty activities aimed at young children. If they’re daredevils, they can enjoy an adrenaline rush on the rollercoasters and find themselves being chased by dragons while on The Demon.
It’s worth noting that Tivoli Gardens Amusement Park is not open all year round. Sitting on a rollercoaster in temperatures below zero degrees is nobody’s idea of fun!
📍 Vesterbrogade 3, 1630 København V
3. The Grand Tour from Nyhavn
It’s not always fair to ask kids to match your big footsteps when exploring a city. Look no further than The Grand Tour from Nyhavn for a stress-free way to see Copenhagen. Hop on this sightseeing canal cruise and explore the city’s historic sites from the water. Kids can point out the famous Little Mermaid statue, Copenhagen Opera House, and Amalienborg Castle. Book your tickets here!
📍 Departure point: Ved Stranden, 1061 København (you will return here)
4. The Six Forgotten Giants are Waiting to be Found
One of the undeniably fun things to with kids in Copenhagen is to visit The Six Forgotten Giants. Marking a mission to take art out of the museum, Thomas Dambo, the artist, invites everyone to go on a treasure hunt to find the six sculptures, aka The Six Forgotten Giants. Find Teddy Friendly, Oscar Under the Bridge, Sleeping Louis, Little Tilde, Thomas on the Mountain, and Hill Top Trine.
📍 Several locations, 2635 Ishøj
5. Children’s Traffic Playground, Fælledparken
Teaching your kids to ride their bikes in the streets is no easy, let alone safe, task. Fortunately, Copenhagen is home to the Traffic Playground in Fælledparken. It comes as no surprise that this playground has made it to the list of things to do with kids as they’ll find themselves in a child-sized traffic city complete with traffic lights, bicycle lanes, and zebra crossings. They can use their imaginations in this realistic city, learn about safety, interact with other kids, and familiarise themselves with certain signs and directions.
📍 Gunnar Nu Hansens Plads 10, 2100 København Ø
6. Interactive Hans Christian Andersen Walk
Follow in the footsteps of H.C. Andersen at Frederiksberg Garden while listening to an interactive podcast (a StoryHunt Original Production). Children can listen to a story about “finding yourself and following your dreams”. As the wise words of Andersen fill their young ears, they can grasp the road to dreams and open their hearts to dreaming. Simply download the StoryHunt app which then uses your location to guide you between stories.
📍 The tour starts at Roskildevej 27a and follows a fixed route between 12 stories
7. Den Blå Planet is a Child’s Haven
One of those reliable things to do with kids that never fails—visiting an aquarium. Den Blå Planet is Northern Europe’s largest aquarium and is home to thousands of animals from Northern lakes and seas, tropical rivers and lakes, and the ocean. The leopard whipray, loggerhead turtle, electic eel, sea otter, hammerhead sharks, and the giant Pacific octopus are some of the majestic creatures filling the 7 million litres of water at Den Blå Planet.
📍 Jacob Fortlingsvej 1, 2770 Kastrup
8. Kids Love Fairy Tale Castles
Allow them to feel like royalty for a spell while visiting the breathtaking Rosenborg Castle. What’s more, children and young people under the age of 18 have free access. Head to the Knight’s Hall for views of the King’s Garden, walk through the opulent halls, and keep an eye on Rosenborg Castle’s activities here as they frequently organise special events for children, such as going on a crown hunt and hearing funny stories.
📍 Øster Voldgade 4A, 1350 København
9. I Scream, You Scream, We all Scream for Ice Cream
After a long day or simply as a Sunday surprise, why not bring the kids for some delicious ice cream. With numerous fantastic ice cream places to choose from, you can try a new one every now and again. Discover a variety of flavours at Østerberg Ice Cream, you might be lucky enough to try red dragonfruit, jackfruit, lychee, and soursop. Isoteket, an organic gelato bar offers 100% organic ice cream. Tempting flavours include cinnamon ice cream with a caramel sauce, raspberry with vanilla, pineapple and mint, and more.
📍 Wherever your gelato hearts take you
10. Attend a Candlelight concert
