Guide to Fun Activities in Copenhagen, Denmark for Families with Children

This guide showcases fun activities for families with children visiting Copenhagen. These activities include parks with special children’s attractions, animal exhibitions, and even a century old candy manufacturer.

Many Copenhagen parks feature playgrounds; the parks described here each offer something unique to entertain children:

Explorers will take off running in the supervised Nature Playground located at the largest public park in Copenhagen, Valbyparken. This organically designed playground relies on elements of nature for its structure and setting: sand and gravel pits, woven willow huts, circular wooden bridge and 6 theme towers. The playground is intended to foster curiosity, so nothing is standardized or predictable. The Tower of Light, unimpressive from the outside, emanates awe-inspiring, cathedralesque impressions from the inside. Parents should make sure and take a peek. The Children’s Millennium Garden was designed by a third grade class. It consists of a shadow garden and a heart-shaped sunny garden, separated by a lake with a bridge. The roses blooming at Valbyparken are also a treat.

Another park, Fælledparken, at Borgmester Jensens Alle, has a road system for go-karting and an enclosed trike area as well as playground equipment and a wading pool. Fælledparken’sGarden of Senses, designed byHelle Nebelong, creator of the Valbyparken playground, showcases Wonder Spaces, with sculptures appealing to each of the senses. A butterfly garden, rock crossings, fountains and flowers encourage exploration.

The playground at Kongens Have, Rosenborg Slot, is small but boasts a moat with ducks to feed and summer afternoon puppet shows.

Remiseparken, Peder Lykkes Vej 71-73 is a goldmine for families with children of varying ages with its petting zoo and horse rides, climbing area for older children, skateboard facilities, stilts, trikes, sandpit, swings and indoor game area as well as a wading pool.

Children naturally gravitate toward animals. Fun places to visit with animals in Copenhagen, in addition to the Remiseparken petting zoo, include the Zoologisk Have and Danmarks Akvarium.

Watching the rabbits run their maze will charm the bunny lovers at Zoologisk Have (Copenhagen Zoo), Roskildevej 32, Tel. 36 30 30 01, a pre-eminent breeding zoo and one of Europe’s finest. Cross your fingers that the foxes don’t find the maze before you do; in 2003 many of the bunnies became chow for poaching foxes. Polar bears, penguins, pandas, unusual frog species, African elephants, big cats, water buffalo… with a population of 3500, there’s nary an animal that doesn’t have a habitat at this zoo. The tropical rainforest is so authentic it “rains” there.

At the Danmarks Akvarium, Kavalergården 1, Charlottenlund, Tel. 45 3962 3283, children can inspect the fascinating seahorses, then meet their neighbors: octopus, turtles, sharks, tropicals, and crocodiles. At this touch-aquarium, the fun doesn’t stop with looking; children are invited to plunge their little hands into the touch pools to discern what sea creatures feel like.

For a chance to brush shoulders with 200 dignitaries, entertainers and artists, stop by Louis Tussaud’s Wax Museum, H.C. Andersens Boulevard 22, Tel. 45 3311 8900. Make it a game to see how many cultural icons the children recognize in the Limelight section (no peeking at placards!) No doubt they’re acquainted with the inhabitants of Gotham City and the fairy tale sections. Last stop on the tour is the dungeon-like Chamber of Horrors, where spooky sounds heighten pulses… look out for the flying ghost, spiders, and vampires. Wax museums tend to be love ’em or hate ’em attractions. If your family loves them or has never seen one, go ahead and visit this one, an emblematic representative of the genre.

Danes hold the record for annual per capita candy consumption and the children undoubtedly will want to find out why. Take them to an authentic Danish bon-bon factory that uses the same hand manufacturing methods as when it opened more than 100 years ago. At Sømod’s Bolcher, Nørregade 36 and 24 (in the rear), children can watch the artful process of candy creation, then buy some to nibble on themselves or give away as souvenirs.

Be sure to introduce children to the quaint tradition of the night watchmen. This tradition of towns employing night watchmen died out in the early part of the last century. Nonetheless, the custom of the watchman checking windows for forgotten candles that might ignite fire-prone thatched roofs or curtains billowing in the wind lives on in the tourist industry. Rendez-vous with night watchman Knud Michelsen or Arne Petersen in any Thursday, Friday or Saturday evening at 9 pm outside Peder Oxe restaurant on Gråbrødretorv. One of these balladeers will lead you through the streets of Copenhagen, chanting stories in English and Danish of the people, buildings and streets of times gone by.

For rainy day recreation, knock over some pins at Axelborg Bowling, Axeltory 3or Bryggens Bowling Center, Islands Brygge 83E.

Getting Around Town: Getting around Copenhagen is a breeze with a free-to-use City Bike. Copenhagen has a plethora of dedicated bicycle roads and has implemented the City Bike program to encourage bicycling as a means of transportation within the city limits. 2500 distinctive, brightly colored City Bikes are located at 125 bike terminals. To use one, deposit a refundable 20 kr in the handlebars. Return the bike to any terminal and get your 20 kr back. If you’re tempted to ride into the suburbs, be forewarned: hefty fines are imposed for taking the bikes outside city limits. Besides, this program works because of the integrity of the borrowers. See www.bybyklen.dk for more information.

Where to Eat: Faergekroen, Tivoli, Vesterbrogade 3, København, Tel. 33 12 94 12, is a sing-along restaurant which serves traditional Danish meals.

Where to Stay: Copenhagen Amager DanHostel, Vejlandsallé 2000, Copenhagen, Tel. 45 32 52 2908, [email protected] is 4 km from the city center. The children will undoubtedly clamor to stay in a dorm, but if you must, chicken out and book a 4 or 5 person room. The shower and toilet for the family rooms are communal. This hostel has a TV lounge, a playground, laundry facilities, games and an internet café. Breakfast is served for an additional charge. The breakfast room is a likely venue for friendships to blossom. You will need a hostel card to stay here, but the hostel sells temporary cards. The same chain operates Copenhagen Bellahøj DanHostel, Hebergvejen 8, BRØNSHØJ, Tel. 45 3828 9715, [email protected], also 4 km from downtown Copenhagen. This hostel is similar to its kin but offers larger family rooms, accommodating up to 6 persons. A little further out, Belægningen Hostel in Avedørdejen Vestre, Kvartergade 22, HVIDOVRE, Tel. 4536 779 084, [email protected], a former military barracks which shares the base with a movie studio, offers either bunks in 4 bed rooms with communal bath and toilet or 4 bed rooms with private baths and toilets. Belægningen is 10 km from the heart of Copenhagen.

Tip: If you are environmentally inclined, look for green key lodging in Denmark. A green key designation in a lodging listing indicates that the lodging has adopted environmentally sensitive practices like using furniture made of recycled materials or solar power.