In this guide
💡 The Short Version: The Christiansborg Tower, a lift to a platform 44 metres up, is free from Tuesday to Sunday. The David Collection is free every day it is open, and the Glyptotek is free on the last Wednesday of each month. The changing of the guard at Amalienborg is at noon, and Nyhavn, the Little Mermaid, Christiania and Superkilen are outdoors. CopenHill’s rooftop and lift are free. Under-18s are free at the palaces and the main state museums. Monday closes the tower, the David Collection and the Glyptotek. Prices are in Danish kroner. Or book a tour: the Classic City Walking Tourad puts the free sights in order and is from DKK 142 (GetYourGuide).
What costs nothing
| What | Rule | Hours | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christiansborg Tower | Free, no booking | Tuesday to Saturday 11:00 to 21:00; Sunday 11:00 to 17:30 | Closed Mondays and between Christmas and New Year. Lift only. There can be a queue |
| David Collection | Free every day | Tuesday and Thursday to Sunday 10:00 to 17:00; Wednesday 10:00 to 21:00 | Closed Mondays. Free guided tours on Wednesdays and at weekends |
| Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek | Free to everyone on the last Wednesday of the month | Wednesday 10:00 to 17:00 | Guided tours cannot be booked on those days |
| The changing of the guard | Free | Noon at Amalienborg | The march from the barracks leaves at 11:27 when the King’s Guard is set |
| Nyhavn | Free | Always open | The canal boats are paid |
| The Little Mermaid | Free | Always open | A 15-minute walk from Østerport station |
| Christiania | Free | No opening hours | Buying cannabis is illegal anywhere in Denmark |
| CopenHill rooftop and lift | Free | November: Monday 12:00 to 17:00, Tuesday to Friday 12:00 to 19:00, Saturday and Sunday 10:00 to 17:00 | Closes for private events and plant maintenance. Skiing is paid |
| Botanical Garden | Free | Daily 8:30 to 18:00 to 24 October; 8:30 to 16:00 from 25 October | The Palm House is ticketed. Closed 24, 25, 26 and 31 December and 1 January |
| Superkilen | Free | Always open | Nørrebrogade 208 |
| Our Saviour’s Church and the Marble Church | Free to enter | Our Saviour’s daily 11:00 to 15:30; the Marble Church Monday to Thursday 10:00 to 17:00 | Not during services. The towers and the dome are paid |
| Tivoli Food Hall | Free access from the street | All year | The gardens are paid and seasonal |
| Home of Carlsberg courtyard, stables and bar | Free without an exhibition ticket | Daily 10:00 to 18:00 | The exhibition is DKK 235 |
| National Museum cafe and shop; Design Museum shop, cafe, library and garden | No ticket needed | Museum hours | The Design Museum is closed on Mondays and the National Museum from November |
Superkilen
Free · always open · Nørrebrogade 208
Superkilen is a public park in Nørrebro by Bjarke Ingels Group, Superflex and Topotek1, opened in 2012. It has three zones: the Red Square, with a cafe, music and sport; the Black Market, a classic square with a fountain and benches; and the Green Park, for picnics, sport and dogs. It was designed as a world exhibition in Nørrebro, which VisitCopenhagen calls the most diverse area of Copenhagen, with fountains from Morocco, swings from Iraq, benches from Brazil and a black octopus slide from Japan.
Superkilen’s white-lined black square, looking across to Nørrebro’s apartment blocks. Photo: Emily, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
The Botanical Garden
Free · daily 8:30 to 18:00 to 24 October, 8:30 to 16:00 from 25 October · Gothersgade 128
The garden is run by the Natural History Museum of Denmark and is free to walk. The Palm House is a Victorian cast-iron and glass building from 1872 to 1874, modelled on the Crystal Palace, and it needs a ticket. It is open Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 to 15:30 from 25 October, with last entry 15 minutes before closing, and it is closed on Mondays in winter. The Warm Subtropics house is closed for renovation. The garden and the Palm House are closed on 24, 25, 26 and 31 December and 1 January.
The Palm House in the Botanical Garden. Photo: Julian Herzog, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
Free days and free ages
- The last Wednesday of the month: the Glyptotek is free to everyone.
- Fridays, 16:00 to 21:00: the Danish Architecture Center is free for under-27s.
- Under 18: free at Rosenborg, Christiansborg, the Amalienborg Museum, the National Museum, SMK, the Glyptotek (free tickets at the desk only) and the Design Museum.
- Every Wednesday and at weekends: free guided tours at the David Collection. You reserve a place, and some run in Danish.
- Tip-based walking tours: Copenhagen’s walking tours sets the free tours beside the paid ones.
What is not free
- The towers: the Round Tower is DKK 60 and the Our Saviour’s tower DKK 70. The Marble Church dome is DKK 50 when it runs, and its visits are cancelled during roof repairs. See the best views in Copenhagen.
- The palaces: Rosenborg is DKK 140 online, the Amalienborg Museum DKK 125 and Christiansborg’s Royal Reception Rooms DKK 140. See Rosenborg.
- Tivoli: entrance is DKK 200 to 230 in the Halloween and Christmas seasons. See Tivoli Gardens.
- The museums: every museum except the David Collection charges outside the free days. See Copenhagen’s museums.
- Christiania’s tours: entry is free, and the tours by residents start at DKK 100.
A free day
- Monday: the guard at noon, Nyhavn, the Little Mermaid, Christiania, Superkilen, the Botanical Garden and CopenHill from 12:00. The David Collection, the Glyptotek and the Christiansborg Tower are closed.
- Tuesday to Saturday: add the Christiansborg Tower, which stays open to 21:00, and the David Collection.
- The last Wednesday of the month: the Glyptotek, then the David Collection, which is open to 21:00 on Wednesdays.
- Sunday: the tower closes at 17:30, and the Marble Church opens at 13:00.
Practical information
- The one thing that ruins a free day: Monday. The tower and the free museums are shut.
What to book in Copenhagen has the closed days for every sight, and Copenhagen with kids sorts the free sights by age. Copenhagen Card: is it worth it? says when a pass pays. 3 days in Copenhagen builds a plan round the Monday rule. Copenhagen food halls and where to eat in Copenhagen cover lunch. For a bed nearby, see where to stay in Copenhagen, and Copenhagen public transport has the fares. The old town walk and the Nyhavn to Little Mermaid walk string the free sights into two routes.
Common questions
What can you do for free in Copenhagen?
Go up the Christiansborg Tower, visit the David Collection, watch the changing of the guard at Amalienborg, walk Nyhavn and the Little Mermaid, see Christiania, take the lift up CopenHill, walk in the Botanical Garden and see Superkilen. The Glyptotek is free on the last Wednesday of each month.
Is the Christiansborg Tower free?
Yes. The Danish Parliament runs it with no booking. It is open Tuesday to Saturday 11:00 to 21:00 and Sunday 11:00 to 17:30, closed on Mondays and between Christmas and New Year. A lift takes you to a platform 44 metres up.
Which Copenhagen museums are free?
The David Collection is free every day it is open. The Glyptotek is free on the last Wednesday of every month. Under-18s are free at the National Museum, SMK, the Glyptotek and the Design Museum, and at the palaces. Under-27s enter the Danish Architecture Center free on Fridays from 16:00 to 21:00.
Is the Botanical Garden free?
The garden is free: daily 8:30 to 18:00 until 24 October and 8:30 to 16:00 from 25 October. The Palm House inside it needs a ticket.
What is free on a Monday in Copenhagen?
Nyhavn, the Little Mermaid, the changing of the guard, Christiania, Superkilen, the Botanical Garden, CopenHill's rooftop from 12:00 and the churches. The David Collection, the Glyptotek and the Christiansborg Tower are closed on Mondays.
