Everything you Need to Know about Visiting Copenhagen Christmas Markets!
Copenhagen in December is quite magical 😍! If you are headed to Scandinavia and want to add a city with great Christmas decor and markets, Copenhagen is a great addition to your itinerary! Here is everything you need to know about visiting the Copenhagen Christmas markets and what to expect when visiting Copenhagen in December!
- Christmas Markets in Copenhagen
- How Many Days Do you Need?
- Expected Prices for Things at the Copenhagen Christmas Markets
- Where to Stay when Visiting Copenhagen Christmas Markets
- What to Expect for the Weather in Copenhagen in December
- What to Pack when Visiting Copenhagen Christmas Markets
- Final Thoughts on Visiting Copenhagen Christmas Markets
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Christmas Markets in Copenhagen
Again, if you are visiting Scandinavia and want to add a stop with beautiful Christmas markets, Copenhagen is a great option! Unlike some of the other cities in Scandinavia, Copenhagen has several options and a good variety in Christmas markets! There are 5 main Christmas markets in Copenhagen:
- Thorvaldsens Plads (Previously Kongens Nytorv) Market
- Nyhavn Market
- Højbro Plads Christmas Market
- Hans Christian Anderson Market
- Tivoli Gardens Christmas Market
Thorvaldsens Plads (Previously Kongens Nytorv) Christmas Market
As of 2024, Højbro Plads Christmas market is moving to Thorvaldsens Plad.
Details are found here.
Thorvaldsens Plad Christmas market is being relocated from Kongens Nytorv.
Kongens Nytorv Market has a good variety of homemade crafts and Christmas decorations in conjunction with delicious food and drinks, and from what it sounds like, the new market at Thorvaldsens Plads will have similar vendors and be similar to that of Kongens Nytorv.
- Also, you should still visit Kongens Nytorv! It is centrally located in Copenhagen at the end of the main pedestrian road of Strøget. Here you will find the beautifully decorated Hotel D’Angleterre and the Royal Theatere along with other seasonal decor!
Dates: November 8- December 21st, 2024
Nyhavn Christmas Market
Copenhagen’s most-known street, Nyhavn, comes to life during Christmas! As if the the colorful houses lining the canal aren’t beautiful enough, Christmas decor and vendors with various foods, drinks and crafts are added to the street, making it a PERFECT place for strolling!
Though the setup isn’t a “traditional Christmas market” with the rows of vendor booths to walk along, it is worth walking down to see the decor along Nyhavn Street and canal!
Nyhavn is a busy street, especially on the northern side of the canal (left side if you are coming from Kongens Nytorv square), so if you want some pictures with less people PLUS photos of the Nyhavn building and Christmas lights (like the first photo in this post), go to the other side of the canal!
Dates: November 4- December 21st, 2024
Højbro Plads Christmas Market
If you are a foodie, this market will probably be your favorite! This market is located just outside the gates of the Christianborg Palace and boasts a large amount of food and drink vendors! You can find roasted nuts, sausages, crepes, gløgg, craft beer and more.
It also has various Christmas crafts such as homemade ornaments, knits, bowls and cups, wooden pins and more!
Dates: November 8- December 21st, 2024
Hans Christian Andersen Market
Hans Christian Andersen (HC Andersen) Market is Copenhagen’s smallest market. It also has mostly food, more snack-like than Højbro Plads, such as a potato twist (that is actually quite good!) and then vendors with things like purses, scarves, etc.
- One perk, though, is that you can meet Santa here!
- This is offered Wednesday through Sunday from 11 am to 4pm
This market is a little further away from the prior three markets. However, if you plan to enter Tivoli Gardens, it is on the way!
Dates: November 15- December 21st, 2024
Tivoli Gardens Christmas
Tivoli Gardens is not your typical Danish Christmas market. It is actually a theme park (the second-oldest in the world!) with rides, games and the works. However, it does a great job of decorating for the seasons, and Christmas season is no exception!
During Christmas, you will get a bit of its regular theme, which kind of reminds me of Epcot in Disney World. It has some Dutch influence, Japanese influence, etc in the architecture. But on top of this, during Christmas it has spectacular lights, trees and even has a wonderful Nutcracker ballet production!
Dates: November 15th, 2024- January 5th, 2025
Purchase Tickets to Tivoli Gardens!
How Many Days Do you Need?
If you are coming to Copenhagen specifically for Christmas festivities and markets, two days is a great amount of time, especially if you are wanting to see more markets in other cities!
In two days you will be able to visit all of the markets and still have time to do and see other things in Copenhagen that aren’t directly related to Christmas such as a canal cruise, touring palaces, etc.
Here is a 7 day Scandinavia itinerary that includes Oslo, Gothenburg, Copenhagen and more!
Expected Prices for Things at the Copenhagen Christmas Markets
As you may know by now, things can be pricey in Scandinavia and it is no different at the Copenhagen Christmas markets.
However, I was prepared for the worst when planning for Copenhagen Christmas market prices, and was actually a little pleasantly surprised. They were steeper than other European cities, but weren’t super inflated compared to everything else in Copenhagen. Here are some examples:
- Gløgg (mulled wine)- 45 to 55 KR (~$6.50 to $8USD)
- Nutella Waffle or Crepe- 55 KR (~8USD)
- Loaded hotdogs- 65 to 75 KR (~$9.30 to $10.70 USD)
Cash or Card
As with many things now, most food and crafts at the Copenhagen Christmas market can be purchased via credit card.
Where to Stay when Visiting Copenhagen Christmas Markets
Again, hotel prices in Copenhagen are pricey, even more so around the holidays.
We actually opted to stay in a private room in a hostel to save a little money. I will admit that it was busy and had loads of people in their 20’s running around. However, once we got to our private room it felt very much like a normal hotel.
- The hostel also had nearby parking (since we were doing a road trip), which can be hard to find in Copenhagen and was within a short walk to Tivoli Gardens, which was convenient.
If you want a little less noise and don’t mind paying a little more, Hotel SP34 is a good option (full when we went) that is more than Danhotel, but not outrageous (unless you go for a suite 🙃).
Book a private room in Danhostel Copenhagen (more budget friendly)
or
Book a hotel room at Hotel SP34
What to Expect for the Weather in Copenhagen in December
Be prepared for chilly weather in Copenhagen in December! Though it is one of the more Southern cities in Scandinavia, it is located by water, bringing in cold winds, and is still at a high latitude, making it cold in the winter.
Snow isn’t guaranteed in Copenhagen at Christmas. Though the chances of snow begin in December, Copenhagen doesn’t always experience snow in the winter.
- We visited Scandinavia at the end of November/beginning of December and experienced snow in Oslo, Gothenburg and Helsingør, but didn’t get any in Copenhagen.
What to Pack when Visiting Copenhagen Christmas Markets
You are going to want to dress WARM with LAYERS. While we were in Copenhagen during the first week of December, I wore thermal bottoms and tops under my pants and sweater as well as a parka jacket that went below the knees.
Coat: If you get cold easy, I HIGHLY recommend taking a coat that covers the butt AND knees! It really makes a difference!
Base layer: I recommend wearing thermal or fleece-lined leggings under your pants or jeans as well as a base layer under your choice of top.
Bottoms: Something you can fit a base layer under. Good choices are either looser jeans, stretchy pants such as corduroy or leather jeans or a couple of layers of thick leggings.
Top: Your top choice kind of depends on your jacket choice. If you are going to be wearing a long parka below your knees, you can get by with one base layer plus a thinner sweater. However, if you are going with a smaller coat, you. will want to wear a thicker sweater over your base layer.
- Just remember layers. The worse part of visiting cold places is having ALL of your layers on then going into a cafe and SWEATING to death!
Warm Accessories: Scarf, gloves, beanies and WARM SOCKS are highly recommended! Nothing makes you colder than having freezing toes, fingers or face.
- My favorite mittens are the ones where the top slips on/off. It makes using my camera, phone and gripping things when I need to so much easier (without having to take the whole glove off).
Shoes: Wear something you can walk a lot in and that will keep your feet warm! I made the mistake of wearing rain boot-type shoes and they were horribly insulated. My leather sneakers ended up being warmer than those. Leather is actually quite warm, so leather shoes are a good option or any kind of winter boot.
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Final Thoughts on Visiting Copenhagen Christmas Markets
This was my first time in Copenhagen and I loved the city and I especially loved it with all the Christmas festivities! As long as you are prepared for the Scandinavia prices and the cold weather, you will love Copenhagen at Christmas!
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