10 Best Things to Do This Winter in Copenhagen

Creative Space has two ceramics cafés to choose between in Copenhagen. Here, you can sit at a table, grab a brush and paint away on the ceramics of your choice, such as cups, lawn bowling, dishes or animal figurines. The café in Frederiksberg is a half-hour walk from the center and close to Frederiksberg Have, while the Østerbro department is located by Søerne, close to Østerport Station. There are 300 different kinds of ceramics to choose from, and you can decorate them with 90 different colors, while having fun with your friends, family or kids. The staff will be happy to offer advice and tips, and when you are done, they will also glaze and fire the ceramics, which can be picked up a week later.

If Copenhagen’s winter chill gets to be too much, you can go for a truly exceptional spa experience at CopenHot on Refshaleøen. Here, in the industrial surroundings by the water opposite to Langelinie, you can find a number of stationary outdoor tubs and a panorama sauna, where you can enjoy the view of Copenhagen’s skyline.

Join up with a few others and rent a floating spa boat, with speakers and its own captain, for a trip around the Port of Copenhagen. Both the spa boats and the sauna need to be booked privately as a group, unless you are attending a social event, in which case there is free access to the outdoor tubs and sauna for an hour and a half.

Skating on the ice at Frederiskberg Runddel is one of the most delightful winter activities in Copenhagen. Every year, this square, located at the entrance to Frederiksberg Have and with a view to Frederiksberg Allé, is transformed into a skating rink, where skates can be rented by children and adults. If you have your own skates, it won’t cost you a thing, since using the rink is free.

It is also possible to buy coffee or hot chocolate, so it is the perfect cocktail for a romantic date or a fun outing for the whole family.

Christmas at Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen lasts from the middle of November to the beginning of January. During this time, you can go on lovely walks, admire the Christmas lights and trees and maybe visit Santa. If you are still looking for Christmas gifts or want to bring home a souvenir, you may find something at the Christmas market, which offers arts and crafts as well as candies.

You will find the usual rides open in this magical winter land, to the delight of children and young souls of all ages.

When it gets cold and dark in Copenhagen, a Christmas market and a hot glass of glogg is the perfect remedy. Luckily, there are many such markets to explore, and they can be found both indoors and outdoors.

When walking down Strøget enjoying the Christmas decorations, you should take a detour past the Christmas markets at Kongens Nytorv and Højbro Plads, with their small wooden cabins and Christmas delights. At Nyhavn, you can also find a traditional Christmas market along the quay, where the beautifully-decorated ships enhance the atmosphere. In Christiania, the Christmas market is in Den Grå Hal, where you can find clever and creative Christmas presents. A bit farther out on Holmen, the Royal Danish Academy has its Christmas market, where architectural, design and art students sell their own crafts.

Bebop, children’s jazz, electronic and swing are just some of the genres when Copenhagen’s venues and jazz clubs open the doors to the jazz festival Vinterjazz. Every year in February, you can enjoy lots of jazz music for three weeks at this music festival, which also tries to spread the genre to places where jazz is not normally played. You might even be surprised at what the word jazz can refer to. Some concerts are small and intimate, while others take place on the largest stages in the city.

Who makes the best glogg in Copenhagen? This is a question that is subject to heated discussions leading up to Christmas, and one of the places that features on most lists is Hviids Vinstue. Facing Kongens Nytorv with a view to The Royal Theater (Det Kongelige Teater), you can find this traditional pub, with a history dating back 300 years.

The glogg production starts as early as May, when red wine and port are left to infuse with raisins and spices. In November it is ready, and the wine bar produces an impressive 8,000 liters to keep up with demand. You can taste test it yourself in the cozy premises with low ceilings, and you can also buy it by the bottle.

The view of Copenhagen from the top of the Round Tower (Rundetårn) is a classic attraction when you are out for a walk in the capital, and it is equally beautiful in the winter. From the entrance on Købmagergade a few minutes’ walk from Nørreport Station, you can walk up the famous spiral ramp, which twists seven and a half times before reaching the stairs to the observation platform.

The tower was originally built as an astronomical observatory, but today it is home to exhibitions, concerts and other events in the former library.

A shopping trip in Copenhagen is a good winter activity, and Illum is like a world in itself when you step into this historic, 5-storey department store. With its location in the center of Copenhagen on the corner of two large walking streets, Strøget and Købmagergade, Illum is a natural place to stop and visit. Here, you can find beauty products, fashion, interior decorations and a wonderful food market in the basement.

If you need to take a breather up above the shoppers, you can visit the roof terrace at the very top. Here you can find restaurants, cafés and bars as well as an impressive view of the capital.