2 Days in Copenhagen at Christmas: BEST Markets + What You Need to Know!
How to spend 2 days in Copenhagen seeing the BEST markets and more! Copenhagen is a beautiful city that really comes to life at Christmas!
We visited several Scandinavian cities and Christmas markets and Copenhagen was probably my favorite! Not only does it have several great markets, but the decor, lights and activities around the city add to the magic!
Copenhagen is a pretty walkable city. So even with only 2 days in Copenhagen, you can see A LOT of what it has to offer at Christmas time.
Here is how to maximize your time to see the best markets in Copenhagen plus see a few of the highlights of Copenhagen if this is your first time to visit!
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2 Days in Copenhagen Itinerary Summary (with Map)
This 2 day Copenhagen itinerary is especially good for first-time visitors to Copenhagen. It was our first time in the city, so we wanted to see the best markets, but there were also other things we wanted to see and do unrelated to Christmas.
So here is how to spend 2 days in Copenhagen:
Day 1: Visit Rosenborg Palace, Nyhavn and Christmas Markets
Day 2: Take a canal cruise, visit Christiana OR go ice skating and visit Tivoli Gardens & Market
**On the map below, day 1 is displayed in blue and day 2 is in red, with walking directions between each destination.**
2 Days in Copenhagen: Day 1- Christmas Markets
Seeing as how Christmas markets is likely the primary reason you are visiting Copenhagen, I recommend spending your first day doing just that!
Hotel Recommendations in Copenhagen!
Book a private room in Danhostel Copenhagen (more budget friendly)
or
Book a hotel room at Hotel SP34
Morning: Rosenborg Palace, Kongens Nytorv, Nyhavn
Spend day one visiting the prettiest palace in Copenhagen then visit some of the best, centrally located markets in Copenhagen!
Rosenborg Palace
We made a slight mistake when we visited Copenhagen and missed Rosenborg Palace. Due to its location just outside of the city center and poor planning toward the end of our trip, we just didn’t realize this was something we SHOULD have seen.
But, now I know and so do you!
Rosenborg Palace is a beautiful castle where they house the crown jewels of Denmark. The architecture is beautiful and it is surrounded by a moat, giving it a great aesthetic. And, though it doesn’t host an official Christmas event, it will have a little Christmas decor and magic in December!
The palace is located a bit further than everything else in central Copenhagen. Therefore, I recommend starting here and then making your way back to the center of the city.
Purchase tickets to Rosenborg Castle
Kongens Nytorv
After visiting Rosenborg Palace, head to the city center to visit Christmas markets!
From Rosenborg, the closest festive square is Kongens Nytorv. A few years ago, this was home to one of the bigger markets in Copenhagen. That particular market has since moved to Nytorv/Gammeltorv, but Kongens Nytorv is still a MUST VISIT place.
Though it doesn’t have the large number of vendors it once had, it now has an ice skating course! In addition, this square is also where you will find the Hotel D’Angleterre and its incredible Christmas displays!
There are are also still a few vendors with food and drinks to enjoy while skating, so, again, this square is still worth seeing!
Nyhavn
Just down from Kongens Nytorv you will finally run into Nyhavn, Copenhagens most famous, colorful street lining the Nyhavn canal.
Any time of year you visit Copenhagen, Nyhavn is a must-visit. It is the iconic street with the colorful buildings on either side of the canal.
However, at Christmas it just becomes MORE MAGICAL. Lining the canal are vendors with stalls full of sweet treats, warm gløgg and more!
Plus, the city of Copenhagen displays Christmas trees and lights on the buildings and boats and somehow the street becomes even better!
Afternoon: Christiansborg Palace & Højbro Plads,
Good news is, the Christmas markets in Copenhagen are very walkable. From Nyhavn, head to Christiansborg Palace, which is about a 15 minute walk.
Christiansborg Palace
Christiansborg Palace is the home of the Danish government and is a beautiful place. The gardens in front of the palace are beautiful and you can walk through the lobby for free.
If you wish, when the Danish royal family is not at the palace, you can enter and explore on your own.
You will be able to see places like the Throne Room, Royal kitchen, royal stables and more.
Entry is about $34.
Purchase tickets to the Christianborg Palace
Højbro Christmas Market
Whether you opt to go inside the royal palace or just see it from the outside, you are in the prime location to visit the next Christmas market!
The Højbro Christmas market is one of the bigger markets in Copenhagen and is located in a great spot. It is just outside the palace and canal and just a couple streets away from the main shopping streets in Copenhagen.
This market is home to loads of food options! You can find meats being grilled fresh, sweets, snacks, beer, glögg and more. Though its highlights consist of the food, there are also stalls selling a variety of crafts as well.
Evening: Hans Christian Andersen Market & Nytorv/Gammeltorv
End your day at the H. C Anderson market and the new Nytorv/Gammeltorv Market!
H. C Andersen Market
Just down the street from Højbro Plads you will find the Hans Christian Andersen Market.
This is one of the smaller markets in Copenhagen, and, admittedly, not my favorite market we visited.
This market has a combination of food and craft vendors as well as a few other vendors selling things like purses and scarves.
What sets this market apart from the others, however, is that you can meet Santa! This is offered Wednesday through Sunday from 11am to 4pm.
Nytorv/Gammeltorv Market
I think Copenhagen is trying to find the perfect spot for the last market. Previously Kongens Nytorv market from 2015 to 2023, it was moved to Thorvaldsens Plad in 2024 and as of 2025 is at Nytorv/Gammeltorv.
Nytorv/Gammeltorv market is now close to the Hans Christian Anderson market, so it is easy to combine these two!
When I visited, the market was at Kongens Nytorv, so I don’t know, specifically, how much the new market resembles the previous market.
However, the market at Kongens Nytorv was a good one! It had great food options and some local breweries, which was unique compared to the other markets.
Nhavn & Kongens Nytorv At Night
Though it can get crowded, if you still have exploration left in you after this long day, I think it is worth seeing Nyhavn at night.
Nyhavn certainly needs to be seen during the day so you can see the vibrant colors, but with the Christmas lights and decorations, it has a different feel at night!
On that note, you also should see Kongens Nytorv at night as well! The hotels do an incredible job with their light displays and it looks vastly different at night than it does during the day.
Everything to know about visiting Copenhagen’s Christmas markets!
2 Days in Copenhagen: Day 2- Canal Cruise & Tivoli
Start you second day mixing it up a little! See the city from the canals and visit one of the coolest European markets located at Tivoli Gardens!
Morning: Canal Cruise & Christiana or Ice Skating
As first-time Copenhagen visitors, we wanted to do a few things that weren’t necessarily Christmas activities. We opted to for a canal cruise to see some of the city and then visited the Christiana area.
See Copenhagen from the Canal
Begin your day by cruising down the canals of Copenhagen. I’ll admit, it is a bit of a nippy ride in December! However, from November to March they provide an indoor area that is heated to get a break from the wind.
The cruise starts at Nyhavn (Starting in October) and will go out to the main canal, near the Opera house and Little Mermaid statue then continues to the canal that surrounds Christianborg Palace.
You can see a lot of the different areas of Copenhagen in only an hour!
Tour Details!
Copenhagen Canal Cruise
Departs from: Ved Stranden 26 by Nyhavn
Time: 11am
Duration: 1 hour
Cost: $27 per person
Rating: 4.6/5 out of 10,000+ ratings on GYG!
Two Options for the Afternoon
Once you return back to Nyhavn, you have a couple of options.
Visit Christiana Free Town
First, you can choose to visit Christiana (free town.) This area was founded in the early 70’s when a group of people (hippies, artists, etc) opted to live a life a little more separate from the Danish government. For a while, there was a bit of an open drug market in the area (originally cannibas mostly), but has had a change to minimize drug dealings on “pusher street” due to growing concerns of safety.
The draw to Christiana (aside from the ability to get substances) is the unique architecture that came from many of the places being built by the residents. Plus, it is home to a big art scene and just a different vibe than you can find in many European cities. You can read more about it at VisitCopenhagen!
** Taking pictures in this area is a grey area, so I don’t have any of my own. However, here is a Google Search for photos so you have an idea of what it looks like!**
Go Ice Skating
OR, if this doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, you can go ice skating!
Just down from Nyhavn, you have two options for skating. Broens Gadekøkken and Kongens Nytorv (new!) have ice skating rinks.
Broens is an area with several food truck options, so this is a great place to grab some food and skate!
This rink is more traditional and is 20 DKK ($3.15 USD) if you have your own skates or you can rent skates for 75 DKK ($12 USD) per hour.
The Kongens Nytorv ice skating is new. Rather than a rink, it is set up in more of a circular path around the statue that stands in the middle of the square.
Again, this rink is new, and I’m not sure how much it costs to skate here. My guess, would be similar to the Broens rink.
Evening: Tivoli Christmas Market
In the afternoon and evening, visit Tivoli Gardens! Tivoli Gardens Christmas Market is very different from any other Christmas market you will run across in Copenhagen. It is actually a year-round amusement park that becomes a Christmas wonderland in late November!
The amusement park is the second-oldest running amusement park in the world and also one of the largest! It has different architecture with influence from around the world that kind of reminds me of Epcot at Disney. Parts of it has Chinese, Indian, Dutch influence, etc.
However, at Christmas you also get all that plus Christmas decorations, gløgg and hot chocolate plus a showing of the Nutcracker at the theater!
Sunset in Copenhagen in December is around 4:00 or 4:30pm. I recommend getting to the park in time to see it in the daylight for a little while, but late enough to where you will spend most of your time under the lights of the park!
We spent about 4 hours in the park exploring the different areas, trying the food and drinks and looking through the vendor booths!
Purchase Tickets to Tivoli Gardens!
Final Thoughts on Your 2 Days in Copenhagen
Copenhagen is a beautiful city by itself. It is clean, the architecture is beautiful and its great (although expensive 😅.) But it REALLY is great at Christmas. If you are looking to visit somewhere to get you in the Christmas spirit, Copenhagen will do it!
Want to explore more markets in Scandinavia? Here is how to road trip from Oslo, Norway to Gothenburg, Sweden down to Copenhagen for 7 days FULL of Christmas markets!
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