In this guide
💡 The Short Version: May and June are the best months for weather: May is the sunniest, with 262 hours of sun, a mean high of 18.2°C and 7.6 rain days, and June has 17.5 hours of daylight on the 15th. July and August are the warmest, at 23°C, and not drier. December is mild at 6.2°C but has 7 hours of daylight and the most rain days, 14.8, and it is the season of Tivoli’s Christmas, from 13 November 2026 to 3 January 2027. January and February are cold, with 13.7 and 14.3 frost days, and have the Light Festival. Tivoli is shut between its seasons. Or book a walk: the Classic City Walking Tourad is from DKK 142.
Copenhagen month by month
Highs and lows are the mean daily maximum and minimum in °C, and rain is the monthly total in mm with the number of days with 1 mm or more. The figures are the Danish Meteorological Institute’s (DMI) for 2011 to 2020, a ten-year average, because DMI publishes its 1991 to 2020 normals for Denmark at the end of 2026: the temperatures are from the Landbohøjskolen station in Frederiksberg, the rain totals are DMI’s reference values for the municipality and the rain days are from the Kastrup airport station. Daylight is the length of the day on the 15th in hours, calculated for Copenhagen’s coordinates.
The path beside one of the Lakes in autumn. Photo: Kristoffer Trolle, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
| Month | High / low | Rain | Daylight | What changes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2026 | 8.8 / 4.9 | 54.8 mm, 10.2 days | 8.4 h | The Nytorv and Gammeltorv Christmas market opens on 6 November, and the lights and Christmas in Tivoli on 13 November. Reffen is shut |
| December 2026 | 6.2 / 2.6 | 64.3 mm, 14.8 days | 7.1 h | The street markets end on 20 and 21 December. Shops in the centre are shut on 24, 25 and 26 December |
| January 2027 | 4.0 / 0.3 | 56.0 mm, 11.9 days | 7.6 h | Christmas in Tivoli ends on 3 January. The Light Festival begins |
| February 2027 | 4.4 / 0.1 | 37.4 mm, 8.4 days | 9.6 h | The Light Festival and Vinterjazz, the jazz month. Fastelavn on Sunday 7 February |
| March 2027 | 8.0 / 1.4 | 40.2 mm, 7.8 days | 11.7 h | Easter in Tivoli from 19 to 29 March; Easter Sunday is 28 March, when the clocks go forward. Tivoli’s summer season starts on 30 March |
| April 2027 | 13.4 / 4.6 | 31.5 mm, 6.9 days | 14.1 h | The driest month by volume |
| May 2027 | 18.2 / 8.7 | 38.9 mm, 7.6 days | 16.2 h | Ascension on 6 May, the Copenhagen Marathon on Sunday 9 May at 09:30, Whit Sunday and Monday on 16 and 17 May |
| June 2027 | 21.3 / 12.4 | 63.2 mm, 8.5 days | 17.5 h | Distortion from 2 to 6 June, Sankt Hans on 23 June, Roskilde Festival from 26 June |
| July 2027 | 23.1 / 14.3 | 74.5 mm, 9.5 days | 17.0 h | Roskilde ends on 3 July. The Copenhagen Jazz Festival is in early July |
| August 2027 | 23.0 / 14.3 | 77.2 mm, 10.8 days | 15.2 h | Copenhagen Cooking from 20 to 29 August. The wettest month by volume |
| September 2027 | 19.1 / 11.3 | 63.0 mm, 9.1 days | 12.9 h | Tivoli’s summer season ends on 26 September |
| October 2027 | 13.6 / 8.1 | 75.3 mm, 11.6 days | 10.6 h | The clocks go back on 31 October |
The weather in numbers
- Warm months. June, July and August have mean highs of 21.3°C, 23.1°C and 23.0°C. The mean of the highest temperature each month is 29.5°C to 29.7°C in July and August.
- Rain is spread through the year. The year adds up to 676 mm and 117 rain days. August (77.2 mm) and October (75.3 mm) are the wettest months by volume, and December has the most rain days, 14.8.
- Sunshine. 1,790 hours a year: 261.7 in May, 250.5 in June and 236.0 in July, against 47.7 in January and 35.8 in December.
- Frost. From November to April: 13.7 frost days in January, 14.3 in February, 11.9 in March and 6.4 in December.
- Wind. The mean is 3.3 m/s in August and 4.7 m/s in December.
- Daylight. From 7 h 05 on 15 December to 17 h 29 on 15 June. The shortest day, 21 December, runs from about 08:37 to 15:38, and the longest, 21 June, from about 04:25 to 21:57.
- Clocks. Denmark changes on the last Sunday of October and of March: 25 October 2026, 28 March 2027 and 31 October 2027.
Snow on the lake in Fælledparken, Østerbro. Photo: Leif Jørgensen, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Dates that shape a visit
Tivoli’s seasons
Tivoli opens in seasons: Halloween to 1 November 2026, Christmas from 13 November 2026 to 3 January 2027 (closed 24 December), Easter from 19 to 29 March 2027 and summer from 30 March to 26 September 2027. It is shut from 2 to 12 November and from 4 January to 18 March. See Tivoli Gardens tickets.
Christmas and New Year
The Nytorv and Gammeltorv market runs from 6 November to 21 December 2026 and Christmas in Tivoli to 3 January. See Copenhagen Christmas markets 2026 and Copenhagen on New Year’s Eve 2026.
The Light Festival
Copenhagen Light Festival fills the city and the harbour with light installations in January and February, according to Visit Copenhagen. The installations are outdoors, from Nordhavn to Ørestad, and the festival runs guided tours on foot, by segway, by boat and by kayak. February averages 4.4°C by day and 0.1°C at night, with 9.6 hours of daylight in mid-month, so dress for the cold. Copenhagen canal tours compares the boats.
Fastelavn and Vinterjazz
Fastelavn, on Sunday 7 February 2027, is a children’s carnival, and bakeries sell fastelavnsboller, cream buns: see Danish pastries. Vinterjazz is a nationwide jazz festival held every February since 2001, with about 600 concerts at more than 120 venues from Skagen to Svaneke, according to the organiser.
Easter
Easter Sunday is 28 March 2027. Maundy Thursday (25 March), Good Friday (26 March) and Easter Monday (29 March) are public holidays, and Easter in Tivoli runs from 19 to 29 March.
The Copenhagen Marathon
On Sunday 9 May 2027, with the start at 09:30, according to the organiser.
Distortion
Distortion’s weekend ticket for Ø, on Friday 4 and Saturday 5 June 2027, is DKK 850, and the festival pass for events from 2 to 6 June is DKK 1,050, both at the blind-bird price. Street parties, called Distortion X, are on 3 June at Rådhuspladsen, 4 June in Vesterbro and 5 June at Rådhuspladsen.
Sankt Hans
Sankt Hans Aften, Saint John’s Eve, is celebrated on 23 June with bonfires, speeches and the midsummer song “Vi elsker vort land”, according to Visit Copenhagen. In 2027 it falls on a Wednesday. Visit Copenhagen names Frederiksberg Have and Amager Beach Park as places to celebrate it. The sun rises at about 04:25 and sets at about 21:58, a day of 17 h 33.
A Sankt Hans bonfire on the lake at Bakken, north of the city. Photo: Bakken/PR, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0.
Roskilde Festival
Roskilde Festival runs from 26 June to 3 July 2027, 30 km west of Copenhagen: see Roskilde Festival 2027.
The Copenhagen Jazz Festival
The festival runs for ten days in early July, with more than 100 venues and organisers and about 1,000 concerts. The 2026 edition ran from 3 to 12 July. The 2027 dates are not published.
Copenhagen Cooking
A food festival, from 20 to 29 August 2027, according to the organiser.
Public holidays
The public holidays that close places are 1 January, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Monday, Ascension Day, Whit Sunday and Monday, and 25 and 26 December. In 2027 they fall on 1 January, 25, 26, 28 and 29 March, 6 May, 16 and 17 May, and 25 and 26 December. Christmas Eve is not a public holiday, but the shops in the centre are shut.
Which month for what
- Walking weather. May and June, or early September, with a mean high of 19.1°C and 12.9 hours of daylight.
- Long evenings. June: the sun sets at about 21:54 on 15 June.
- Warmth. July and August, at a mean high of 23°C. August is the wettest month by volume, so plan an indoor sight for the afternoon: the best museums in Copenhagen have the Monday closures.
- Christmas. Mid-November to 3 January, with 7 to 8 hours of daylight and a mean high of 6.2°C in December: wear layers.
- Light and cold. January and February, at a mean high of 4°C.
- Fewer rain days. March to May and June, with 6.9 to 8.5 rain days a month.
The harbour bath at Islands Brygge in summer. Photo: Jacob Friis Saxberg, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
Plan the rest
Where to stay in Copenhagen compares the areas and hotels near Copenhagen Central Station lists the closest. Once you have your dates, 3 days in Copenhagen fits the sights round the closed days, and Copenhagen with kids sorts them by age. Where to eat in Copenhagen covers the meals, and what to book before you go to Copenhagen has the hours for every sight. For the way in, see Copenhagen airport to the city and Copenhagen public transport.
Common questions
What is the best month to visit Copenhagen?
For weather, May and June. May is the sunniest month, with 262 hours of sun, a mean high of 18.2°C and 7.6 rain days, and June adds 17.5 hours of daylight on the 15th at 21.3°C. July and August are the warmest, at 23°C, and not drier: August has 77 mm of rain. December has Tivoli's Christmas and the markets, with 7 hours of daylight.
How cold is Copenhagen in winter?
January's mean high is 4.0°C and its low 0.3°C, with 13.7 frost days. February's high is 4.4°C. December has the most rain days, 14.8, and the least sun, 36 hours. Daylight on 15 December runs from 08:32 to 15:37.
When is the rainiest time in Copenhagen?
Autumn and midsummer by volume: August has 77.2 mm and October 75.3 mm. December has the most rain days, 14.8, followed by January with 11.9 and October with 11.6. April is the driest, with 31.5 mm and 6.9 rain days.
When is Sankt Hans in Copenhagen in 2027?
Wednesday 23 June, the evening of the midsummer bonfires. Visit Copenhagen names Frederiksberg Have and Amager Beach Park as places to celebrate it.
When is Tivoli open?
In seasons: Halloween to 1 November 2026, Christmas from 13 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, Easter from 19 to 29 March 2027 and summer from 30 March to 26 September 2027. It is shut between them.
When is the Copenhagen Light Festival?
In January and February. Its installations are outdoors, from Nordhavn to Ørestad, with guided tours on foot, by segway, by boat and by kayak.
