Your Long Layover Guide to Copenhagen
View of Nyhavn in Copenhagen, Denmark. Click on my photos to pin on Pinterest!
Copenhagen, Denmark is an incredible city! It’s one of the coolest and most friendly cities I’ve visited in Europe so far. Lucky for us, we had a long layover in Copenhagen, so we had the opportunity to explore the city a bit. We loved it so much, we plan to come back and spend more time there. This blog will be all about what to do if you have a long layover at Copenhagen Airport, Kastrup and how to make the most of it!
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Good to Knows about Copenhagen, Denmark
Here are a few basics to know when traveling to Copenhagen. These tidbits even come in handy for a long layover.
The currency used in Copenhagen is the Danish Kroner (DKK). 1 Danish Kroner is about .15 US Dollar, so you’ll see larger numbers when paying for items in Copenhagen versus the US. Some shops will accept Euros as well, but if you’re paying with cash, I would carry Danish Kroners to be safe. Since we were only exploring around Copenhagen for a few hours, we used our credit cards. I use a SavorOne credit card for international travel. This comes in handy while abroad, because there are no foreign transaction fees. Not only are there no transaction fees, but you get cash back on all purchases and there is no annual fee. Travel tip: make sure to choose DKK vs US when paying with a card to get the best conversion rate. I love this card, and if you’re looking for a great starter card for your international travel, here’s my link to sign up.
Another good thing to know about Copenhagen is their official language. Their official language is Danish, but a large majority of locals also speak English. If you only know English, you shouldn’t have any language issues while exploring the tourist areas of Copenhagen. I added a few simple Danish phrases at the end of this blog if you’d like to use them on your travels.
Finally, if you want cell service while out and about in Copenhagen, I recommend purchasing Airalo’s local eSIM for Denmark. It’s very helpful to have an internet connection to look up directions or anything else you’d need on your phone. Airalo’s local eSIMs are cheap and reliable. Download the Airalo App to get your eSIM delivered.
Skandinavia tile
Copenhagen Airport, Kastrup
Copenhagen Airport, Kastrup is the largest airport in Scandinavia. We had 2 layovers here on our trip to Switzerland, and I’m glad we did. The airport was spacious, clean, and had a lot of cool restaurants and shops. We learned very quickly that Copenhagen was a friendly city. Even the TSA agents at the Copenhagen Airport were kind, smiley, and a little silly. Also, the transportation to and from the airport was fairly easy to navigate and quick! Airports can be incredibly stressful, but this one seemed to put us at ease. If you have a long layover, I recommend taking the metro to explore a bit of the city. Anything over 5 hours will give you time to grab some food, see some of the beautiful sights, and get back to your gate.
Luggage Storage
With a long layover, I recommend renting a luggage storage locker so you don’t have to haul around your luggage while exploring the city. We used Speed Services luggage storage lockers located in parking garage 4 (P4) at the Copenhagen Airport. These luggage lockers came in a variety of sizes and fit our roller bags and backpacks. You decide on how many hours you need and then you can easily pay with a card. You’ll get a receipt with a code to open your locker when you return. Make sure to save this receipt. We also took a photo of the code just in case something happened. We stored our luggage for 4 hours and the total was 80 DKK, which is about $12. We were so happy we used these luggage storage lockers. They were amazing, secure, cheap, and allowed us to travel into the city without worrying about all our luggage.
Taking the Metro
After you’ve stored your luggage, head back into Terminal 3 and follow the signs to the Metro. You’ll see machines to purchase a ticket for the metro. We purchased City Passes, which gave us 24 hour unlimited access to zones 1-4 on buses, local trains, and the metro. The 24 hour City Pass Small was 90 DKK per adult, which is about $13. Zones 1-4 covers central Copenhagen, where most of the tourist sights are and the airport. We knew we wanted to go to Nyhavn, the famous colorful waterfront district, which is included in these zones.
To travel to Nyhavn from the airport, take the metro to Kongens Nytorv. The travel time from the airport to Kongens Nytorv is only about 15-20 minutes. From there, Nyhavn is a short walk away through the plaza.
Nyhavn in the winter
Where to Explore Around Copenhagen
Copenhagen is so charming and fairly easy to navigate. Just spending a few hours here made me want to come back again to explore more. Below are some stops I recommend making on your long layover adventure in Copenhagen.
Nyhavn
My number 1 recommendation is to visit Nyhavn. This is the famous, colorful district along the water. It’s one of the first things I picture when I think of Copenhagen. Nyhavn is full of beautiful shops and historic restaurants. It has outdoor patios along the canal and you can even take a canal boat tour. We headed here to find something to eat and see the pretty sights.
Hyttefadet
We went to Nyhavn without a plan on where to eat. We just strolled along the canal and waited until something piqued our interest. Something definitely did pique our interest, and it was Hyttefadet, a cute restaurant with the most friendly server, Emil. It was a cold, snowy day in Copenhagen, so there were not many people outside. Emil came outside to greet us and said if we were ok with loud ABBA music playing, we should come inside. This was an instant yes. lol. We walked inside to a lovely, little pub with ABBA blasting through the speakers. It was hilarious, as there was an issue with the sound system, but it only made us like Hyttefadet more. Although it was the middle of winter and it was cold outside, this felt like such a warm welcome to Scandinavia and made us all laugh.
We ate brunch at Hyttefadet and it was delicious. I ordered Danish pancakes and they hit the spot. Emil made us feel like we were all good friends. He made sure to get us anything we needed, joked around with us, and also told us all about Copenhagen and gave us some great recommendations of other stops to make while visiting. Eating at Hyttefadet and meeting Emil made us want to come back, because we had that good of a time at this little restaurant. I highly recommend it!
Here is a list of other cafes and restaurants recommended by Emil: BÅDEN, Sankt Annae 8, Morgenstedet, and Cafe Nemoland.
Christianshavn
Another lovely neighborhood to check out is Christianshavn. It’s a short walk from Nyhavn, about 15 minutes. Over here, you’ll find more colorful buildings and cute houseboats. They also have great restaurants and shopping. Christianshavn is also close to Freetown Christiania, a “free city”, home to free thinking artists. Learn more about this unique area here.
Amalienborg Palace
Did you know Denmark has a royal family? Amalienborg Palace is their official residence and it’s less than a 10 minute walk away from Nyhavn. Every day, The Danish Royal Guard marches to Amalienborg Palace for the changing of the guard ceremony. This takes place at noon, so if you’re in the area at this time, don’t miss this parade. It’s pretty cool to witness!
You can also tour the Amalienborg Museum. This tour gives you a glimpse into royal life at the Amalienborg Palace throughout the years.
The Danish Royal Guard at Amalienborg Palace
Shopping in Copenhagen
We did a little shopping while out and about in Copenhagen. I bought the cutest, little Christmas ornament at Zane. This gift shop was near Nyhavn. Copenhagen is also known for their great thrift stores and secondhand shopping, so keep an eye out for those stores. If you don’t have time to shop outside the airport, don’t worry. There are a ton of awesome gift shops to grab a souvenir from your visit right in the airport.
Overall Thoughts on Copenhagen
Overall, we absolutely loved Copenhagen and are definitely coming back to spend more time there. If you have a long layover, I highly recommend taking your opportunity to explore a little bit of this awesome city. We loved Copenhagen’s laid back vibe and how friendly the locals were. We did learn how cold Copenhagen can be in the winter, so when we come back, it will be during the warmer months. I’ve heard great things about Copenhagen in the spring, summer, and fall. I’ll for sure be back!
Good to Knows
Currency: Danish Kroner
Danish Phrases:
hej - Hi
hej hej - Bye
tak - Thank you
Camera used to document my travels: Olympus Om-1 35mm film and Canon EOS 5D Mark IV 35mm lens
