Copenhagen with kids: A city filled with hygge and happiness

Have you ever visited a city and thought, “I could really see myself living here.”? Copenhagen is one of those cities.  For years, I have dreamed of a trip to Oslo, Copenhagen, Stockholm and Helsinki. Our trip to Iceland gave us a taste of Nordic culture, and it left me wanting to explore more of Scandinavia.

Our first stop on our 9-day, 3-city European extravaganza was Copenhagen. Denmark, known as one of the happiest countries on earth, certainly lived up to its hype. In Copenhagen, the people were friendly and smiling, truly embodiments of “hygge”, a Danish word for “coziness of the soul”. It’s now on my 14-year old’s list of places he wants to live. The city was really easy to get around, whether by foot, subway, bike, or bus, and there were more than enough interesting and unique things to see with the kiddos.

We didn’t have as much time as I wish (flight delay set us back an entire day), but here are the highlights we hit on our trip.

1. Tivoli Gardens: No trip to Copenhagen is complete without a visit to the famous gardens and second oldest amusement park in the world (the oldest amusement park, Bakken, is a mere 10 km away). No trip to the Danish capital is complete without a trip to Tivoli, but since we also have tons of amusement parks near us in the U.S., we only stayed for a few hours. We purchased individual tickets, but you can buy an unlimited ride pass. There are tame and hair-raising rides alike, but our favorite was the ride that takes you into the stories of Hans Christian Andersen (my boys said it reminded them of “It’s a Small World” from Disney).
2. Christensborg Palace : For a bit of history and a glimpse into the yesteryear of a city, visiting the royal palaces are always a good start. The Danish royal family still holds state events at Christensborg Palace. There are several separate tours you can take – through the kitchen, the stables and even the ruins of the previous palace from the 1500s. Our favorite was the tapestry room with elaborate sewing work that told stories of key figures in Danish history even the boys were mesmerized by the art. Definitely check out the ruins – it’s a unique look at the original stonework and layout of the palace from more than 500 years ago.
3. Boat ride through canals: My favorite excursion was a narrated boat ride through Copenhagen’s canals.  We ventured out into various neighborhoods, and saw several famous buildings. It was great to get some history from the guide. And, most of the boats do take you to the Little Mermaid statue. I’ll be honest, the statue was the only thing on my kids’ list to see in Copenhagen, and it was a bit underwhelming (which I had heard and had prepared for). Still, we saw the iconic statue and enjoyed a lovely ride around the various neighborhoods and famous buildings – a great “tasting” of Copenhagen. Plus, the bonus for our trip was that it was an unusually hot day, and lots of people were on the water – my boys witnessed topless sunbathing for the first time!
4. Eat some smørrebrød: Just as beautiful as they are tasty, these open-faced sandwiches take bread to an entirely new level. Adorned with various combinations of fishes, meats, cheese, pickled onions and smatterings of mayonnaise and spreads, smørrebrød is a must-try food for you and the kiddos – and a hearty lunch or snack.
5. Day trip to Malmo: Since we were just a 45-minute train ride to Sweden, we took one day to take the 8-mile tunnel/bridge across the Osmund Strait to Malmo, Sweden. We had just planned on hitting their local museum (not so great) and seeing some of the public art that the city is known for (excellent), but landed into an incredible surprise. When we started walking to the museum from the train station, we heard music and saw people in the street.  Upon getting closer, we noticed that it was their Pride Day. What a wonderful display of support, joy and inclusion that my kids got to experience! It seemed as though the entire town was involved, even the fire department and police department were part of the parade. People gave my boys tiny Pride flags to wave, and it was simply a beautiful experience for my whole family. My favorite memory was sitting in the town square eating lunch al fresco, watching the parade around us and hearing ABBA’s Dancing Queen playing — a unique and perfect memory of our few hours in Sweden.
6. Church of our Savior Tower – This pushed my acrophobia to its limits. This church tower boasts one of the best views of the city. It is 400 steps to the top; however, the last 150 steps are outside!  The stairway was enclosed for the first 250 steps. So, no problem.  However, at step 251, I took one step outside, and was finished. I took in the view and my toes started curling under me and my heart started raising.  We snapped a quick photo and then Alex and I headed back down. Nate and Nick kept going to the very top. Daredevils!
   

   Almost to the top of Church of our Savoir, even if it was hair-raising for those of us scared of heights. 

7. Guinness Book of World Records Museum: Informative, albeit a bit cheesy, the boys loved it.  It’s the only one in Europe. Thankfully, with the Copenhagen card, it was “free”, so we only stayed for a short time. But we measured ourselves against Europe’s tallest man and saw a vampire killing kit.

I highly recommend getting a Copenhagen Card. The cards are good for 1-, 2-, 3- and 5-day increments and provide free access to 86 attractions (and the main ones like  Christiansborg, Kronborg Castle, Tivoli, canal boat rides and more) as well as free public transportation. They can save you up to 30 percent off the cost of purchasing individual tickets. Note if you’re in Copenhagen with kids, most places allow children under 10 in for FREE.

There are oodles more things to do in Copenhagen, and even more cool sights to see within a 45-minute train ride. We could have stayed a few weeks — or forever. My favorite part besides the atmosphere was our apartment. It was in a very old building – you could see the tree trunks used as tresses and had great Danish design with light-washed hardwood floors and a courtyard. I adored the Nordic capital for its laid-back, chill atmosphere, and it has me thinking about doing more slow travel, diving deeper into a place instead of hitting the highlights of multiple cities.