8 Things To Do In Copenhagen During Christmas 2023
Spending your Christmas is Copenhagen was a wise decision. Copenhagen really gets into the festive spirit during December, where locals and visitors from all over the world enjoy themselves in cozy settings fighting off the cold with the embodiment of the lovely Danish concept hygge.
Experience stunning Christmas decorations at Hotel D’Angleterre & Magasin Du Nord
Be sure to visit Kongens Nytorv during your stay. It’s one of the most colorful areas during some of the darkest days of the year and the lights and decorations are wonderful! This is also where you’ll find one of the biggest Christmas markets in the city.
Visit Tivoli in her lovely Christmas dress
Despite conventional wisdom, it’s not every year that Copenhagen receives snow, but that doesn’t matter to Copenhageners. Inside Tivoli, you will be able to feel the familiar spirit snow brings with it, as what makes Tivoli magical is how they adapt to seasons. In particular, the Christmas season is quite wonderful with all sorts of decorations an intimate setting and their lovely Christmas market that takes place in and around wooden huts with real fireplaces around to cozy up at.
Take a stroll in beautiful Nyhavn and experience its atmosphere
Nyhavn is always dressed in her best Christmas dress during the festive season and we in particular love that the tunes of Christmas carols fill the ambiance of Christmas hygge. Copenhagen is though packed with Christmas markets and one of them is set up right in front of the restaurants at Nyhavn blocking the view, but this is not bad as it provides you access to hot steaming Glühwein right there.
Taste the best Danish version of Glühwein – Gløgg
In Copenhagen, we have competitions about everything from our national course to the best shawarma. So it shouldn’t surprise you, that we also have a competition about the best gløgg in Copenhagen! This and last years (2021 and 2022) winner was Søren Ewald Possum from the French bistro Ewalds Brasserie (https://ewalds-frb.dk) in Frederiksberg. His organic gløgg is a classic mix of red wine, port wine, schnapps, rum and spices like cinnamon, cardamom and star anise. Just like our mothers used to make it. You can also join us on our Christmas Tour described below, where we will introduce you to our favorite Gløgg.
Taste & Experience Danish Christmas With A Knowing Native
Our guests always ask us all sorts of questions about Danish Christmas and it is our favorite season. This year, we’ve created a pop-up tour, so you can do your merry-making with a knowing native there at your side! So join us on this walking tour and taste and experience Danish jul [ˈjuˀl], while you get to uncover the meaning behind Danish holiday traditions – both the new and the ancient ones dating all the way back to the Yuletide traditions of Viking times. It’s a fun and interesting journey into the Danish merry-making traditions, where you get to feast like the Vikings and celebrate Christmas by hearing, or even dancing around a Christmas tree before you settle in for a traditional Danish Christmas game played all over Denmark over a notorious Danish beverage.
Warm up in a sauna with a breathtaking view
A small bus ride from the city centre, CopenHot is located. CopenHot is perfect for the winter with its focus on saunas in all forms. You can choose to be sailed around the canals by a captain in a boat with a sauna, enjoy a stationary barrel spa or gaze upon Copenhagen’s skyline from their panoramic spa. We of course recommend to kickstart your spa experience by jumping into the canal to cool down before settling in for the spa like true Vikings.
Get goosebumps at Christmas concerts in a classic church
There are several Christmas concerts taking place all over Copenhagen and we recommend to book your tickets now. They are really popular and why shouldn’t they be? There is just something incredibly magical over classical music during the holiday season especially when performed in the right atmosphere. The two most popular concerts tend to be the classical Christmas concert Händels Messias performed in Holmens Kirke on the 19th, 21st and 22nd of December, and the classical Christmas concerts in the Trinitatis Church on the 2nd, 9th and 16th of December. But there are concerts all over – some of them are free and some of them are paid, so remember to check the churches when you walk on by.
Indulge in a Danish Christmas lunch
While in Copenhagen, we recommend you to indulge in a traditional Danish Christmas lunch. Let’s face it, Copenhageners pretty much doesn’t do anything else in their weekends during December, since they attend loads of julefrokoster (i.e. Christmas lunches)! The Christmas lunch table is very similar to the Swedish ‘smorgasbord’ with warm dishes of all sorts served with beers and different types of Danish aquavit – or snaps as we call it. Our recommendation for the best Christmas lunch in Copenhagen is Restaurant Kronborg, Restaurant Koefoed or Restaurant Palægade. With this feast being a very popular tradition with the locals, be sure to book your table ahead of time and mention you want the Danish Christmas lunch experience.
Go ice skating at Broens Gadekøkken
The world-famed restaurant Noma and the people behind Broens Gadekøkken have decided to create an ice skating rink within the inner heart of Copenhagen this season. It has stunning views from the harbor side, and since it’s the culinary geniuses behind these very two popular food places that have joined forces, you’ll of course also be able to buy some delicious Christmas goodies from the stalls. To find the fun place to be this winter, you just have to head over the Inner Harbor Bridge away from Nyhavn and you can’t miss it. Skating costs 20 kroner if you have your ice skates, and if not you can lend a pair.
This year, a lot of the traditional ice skating rinks in Copenhagen have been substituted with roller rinks, because of the current energy crisis. However, with some hot cocoa in the mix, and the reliably cold danish winter weather, we believe you can still get in the Christmas spirit. Try the rink at Copenhagen ZOO, which is still filled with magical Christmas lights.