Things to do for free in Copenhagen
Not everyone has a huge vacation budget for various reasons, but there’s still a bunch of lovely things you can do in Copenhagen for free or for cheap. Here are a few suggestions of things to do in the Danish Capital.
Take a summer bath
Enjoy the bathing places, bring your own picnic and spend the day with a great view. You can either choose to take a bath in the middle of the city, such as by Sorte Diamant or Islands Brygge – or visit Amager Strand for a more family friendly beachy vibe. See my whole list of places where to take a dip here.
Visit a flea market
There are always a bunch of street markets and more or less organised flea markets during summer weekends in Copenhagen. To see what’s going on when you’re visiting I suggest you do a Facebook search using the word “marked”. Veras Market is a big one and there’s usually one on Blågårdsgade every now and then. The prices of things obviously vary but there’s a good possibility to find things for cheap. If you don’t have the Danish “Mobile pay” (payment system on your phone) I suggest you bring cash, as most of the vendors are private persons that won’t accept card payments.
If you’re the one that prefers a farmers market check out “Groent marked” on Instagram.
Go for a walk or a run
Might not be for everyone but it definitely is a nice way to explore a city in my opinion. Copenhagen doesn’t have a lot of woods in the city (which I’m more used from living in Stockholm where you always have some type of smaller forest close by), but there are a lot of lovely parks where you can go for a run, jog or walk. Frederiksbergs Have is one (where you also can pick ramson during spring), Botanisk Have and Ørstedsparken are all parks in the central city, Nørrebroparken is also a nice park to run or have a picnic in. You can, of course, also always go for an early morning jog and explore the streets before everyone wakes up.
Picnic is always a good idea
If you wanna save some pennies and have a nice day in the sun, a picnic is always nice. Already mentioned Frederiksbergs Have and Ørstedsparken are good options, but also the park that belongs to the university, Landbohøjskolens Have - which is amazing and has great spots for picnic, but also a small café and toilets.
Photo: Martin Høyer for Kailo
Me in Landbohøjskolens Have.
Don’t forget the libraries
Something we always take for granted are public libraries. Libraries is one of the most precious things we have in our modern societies. They always offer a calm space, talks, workshops and other events – and usually free restrooms. Google “bibliotek” and you will find the one that is the closest to you.
Visit a museum
Free entrance
Davids Samling, Kronprinsessegade 30
Museum of Copenhagen is free on Wednesdays, Stormgade 18
Thorvaldsens Museum is free on Wednesdays, 2 Bertel Thorvaldsens Plads
Glyptoteket is free on Tuesdays, Dantes Plads 7
This can be a bit more costly, but might be worth the 120 - 130 dkk if you’re into arts and culture. Design Museum Denmark, that has been closed for renovations will re-open. The price is 130 dkk for an adult. I also suggest paying a visit to Copenhagen Contemporary and SMK.
Yoga
During summer there’s usually people in the yoga community offering free or donation based yoga practices in parks. Check out Kailo Yoga or Namaste Outdoors for instance.
Eat and drink cheap
This might be the trickiest in my opinion, as I don’t drink beer and really enjoy eating out. But if you do like beer there are plenty of bodegas where you can drink beer for cheap. If you’re renting an Airbnb or staying somewhere with a kitchen making food at home will obviously be cheaper. Avoid grocery stores such as Irma and go for the cheaper Netto instead. There’s also plenty of nice Asian Supermarkets where you can buy instant noodles for quite cheap with more exciting seasoning than what you find in your local supermarket.
Final tip! Take away-coffee is very expensive in Denmark, so it might be a good idea to be mindful of your coffee consumtion.
