What to Do in Copenhagen on a Layover

Best ways to make the most of your layover in Copenhagen

If a layover keeps you in Copenhagen for a few hours, why not take the opportunity to explore the capital of Denmark? After all, it only takes 17 minutes to get to the city center by metro or take advantage of a comfortable private tour to explore the capital of the happiest country in the world.

Aside its´ charming architecture, innovative design and clean waters, only a short drive from the airport to the city center makes Copenhagen a sublime layover destination.

Book your Copenhagen layover tour here: Copenhagen Private Layover City Tour

4 hours include:

4h private guide service
4h private tour vehicle
Pick-up and return transfer to airport
Town Hall
The Little Mermaid
Amalienborg Castle
Tivoli Gardens
Christiansborg Palace
King´s New Square
Nyhavn

Four hours may not sound like a lot of time, but for a small city like Copenhagen it is quite enough for a fully entertaining and enjoyable guided stroll around the city center. We will take you on a short walk around Strøget, the city’s shopping street, and get a glimpse of Scandinavian fashion, design and atmosphere. We will also walk down towards the canals and see some of the city’s most important historic buildings,the Børsen and Christiansborg Palace ensemble.

Four hours is enough time to get a real taste of Copenhagen, especially if you taken around by an expert local guide full of passion for their city. We will enjoy a panoramic sightseeing drive past Kongens Nytorv square and the Nyhavn waterfront district. If you feel like taking a short break or grabbing a bite, Nyhavn’s restaurants serve the most delicious and decadent traditional Danish open-top sandwiches known as smørrebrød.

Invariably based on rye bread, the smørrebrød can have an almost limitless number of different toppings, from herring, to raw beef, seafood and eggs.

Getting an understanding of the Danish culture and history must include also a visit to the Amalienborg Palace and Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen. Both represent well the true identity and love by the Danes towards their royal family and inarguable most famous fairy-tale master, Hans Christian Andersen himself.

Amalienborg is the home of the Danish royal family. Over the years various monarchs and their families have resided in the four different palaces located on this regal square.

The Little Mermaid was a gift from Danish brewer Carl Jacobsen to the City of Copenhagen. A sculpture made of bronze and granite was inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale about a mermaid who gives up everything to be united with a young, handsome prince on land.

Every morning and evening she swims to the surface from the bottom of the sea and, perched on her rock in the water, she stares longingly towards the shore hoping to catch a glimpse of her beloved prince. Carl Jacobsen fell in love with the character after watching a ballet performance based on the fairy tale at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen.

The brewer was so captivated by both the fairy tale and the ballet that he commissioned the sculptor Edvard Eriksen to create a sculpture of the mermaid.

Copenhagen Layover Tour includes a comfortable private pick-up and drop-off at the airport, should you wish however commute using the public transport or a taxi service, to the center of Copenhagen yourself, we recommend booking our Copenhagen Private Walking Tour.

The walking tour allows you to discover the Viking heritage of modern day Copenhagen on a traditional walking tour including must-see attractions and sights.

Tour includes
3.5h private guide services

Tour highlights

Amalienborg Palace
The Little Mermaid
Tivoli Gardens
Strøget, the walking street
Kongens Nytorv, “ King´s New Square”
Nyhavn
Christiansborg Castle

The largest city in Scandinavia is small enough to capture the charm of the majestic architecture, striking waterfront views and sites of Denmark’s royal history all comfortably on foot.

We will start our stroll from the very center of the medieval legends and revel in the discoveries of hidden alleyways and courtyards along the cobbled streets of old town Copenhagen.

The animated setting of world’s longest walking street begins on the Town Hall Square. This has often been described as a walk on the backbone of the city and is located just next door to the fairy-tale inspired Tivoli Gardens. After yards of celebrated Danish design and souvenirs imaginable, you will arrive on the Højbro Square. A fantastic area located in the center of the street, also an ideal venue for a coffee break and browsing the shops nearby.

Only a few steps from our next stop at the Christiansborg Castle, is a remarkable site you will find out housing the Danish Parliament, Prime Ministers Offices and The Supreme Court all in one. Further down the street, arriving on Kongens Nytorv, the “ King´s New Square”, the architect of the finest square in Copenhagen himself is there to greet you. The equestrian statue of King Christian V is admiring his work of the centrally located landmark at the end of the Strøget shopping street.

Strolling towards Nyhavn, the “New Harbor”, you will find has just as colorful of a past as the flamboyantly painted 500-year-old gabled houses you will meet. The area was once a home of the great Danish fabler H.C. Andersen himself and the source of many irresistible sailor legends from days, when this dock was the heart of the city’s red-light district. The elegant white swans and vintage boats gliding on the canals today have turned Nyhavn into an irresistibly charming area filled with cafes and restaurants. Whether you decide to upgrade your stroll with a local meal, coffee or people watching, this is the atmosphere to enjoy it to the fullest.

Amalienborg Palace is the residence of the Danish Royal Family as well as the inviting scene of changing of the guards at noon daily. Numerous must have sights are found just a few hundred yards from the palace and next on our journey of discovering Copenhagen. The Marble Church, a gorgeous Baroque dome as well as the Opera House across the canal.

However the true symbol of the city, The Little Mermaid is nestled in her rocky home on the water’s edge. This lovely bathing beauty, statue born from Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy-tale has watched over Copenhagen’s harbor for already one-hundred years.

After the guided tour ends, you are free to fill the rest of your afternoon as you desire. Every imaginable local treat is within your reach from inviting artist´s galleries to irresistible displays of the traditional Danish open-top sandwiches.

There is no secret to the fact, that the fascinatingly inviting city of Copenhagen is a site most people wish to experience over and over again. The essence of local life, humor and history is best found with a help of your private tour guide sharing thoughts and ideas along the way.

Let us give you a brilliant taste full of proud heritage and captivating stories!

Read more about exploring Copenhagen here: VisitCopenhagen