A Layover in Copenhagen: A Step by Step Guide

Caitlinepstein415/ September 12, 2021/ Latin America/ 1 comments

When booking a flight from Charlotte to Vilnius, Lithuania to begin a trip around the Baltics, I found a flight itinerary with a 9 hour layover in Copenhagen. I quickly jumped at the opportunity to see an extra cool, new city on my way back to Europe. In this post, I’ll share my experience, tips, and generally how to get the most out of a layover in Copenhagen.

Copenhagen Basics:

Currency

Danish Krone, roughly 6 Kroner to 1 USD

Since I was in the city for a short period of time, I opted to use my credit card that has no international fees rather than pull out local currency and face ATM fees and possibly having cash leftover. I spent money on a metro ticket, food, and a tourist attraction, and everywhere took credit cards.

Visa Requirements

As part of the European Union’s Schengen Zone, citizens of the US and many other countries can visit visa free. However, be sure to check updated COVID restrictions

Language

Danish, but English is also widely spoken

Weather

Even summer days can be brisk, so pack a light jacket in the summer and a heavy coat for the winter. When I was in Copenhagen in early September, though, it was super warm and no jacket was needed

Timing

Storing Luggage

Have carry on luggage that you don’t want to lug around the city with you? Fortunately the Copenhagen airport has pretty easy to access lockers.

The lockers are located in the P4 parking structure located directly across from Terminal 2. Simply go out of the terminal doors, cross the street to the parking building, and look around to find lockers.

If you flew into Terminal 3, no worries, simply look for the outdoor walkway to Terminal 2 and keep walking straight ahead outside until you see the parking structure.

Locker costs

Small – DKK 60 ($9.50) for 4 hours or DKK 80 ($12.75) for up to 24 hours 

Large – DKK 80 ($12.75) for 4 hours or DKK 100 ($16) for up to 24 hours 

Ski or Golf Size – DKK 100 ($16) for 4 hours or DKK 120 ($19) for up to 24 hours 

I was able to comfortably fit a large travel backpack and a small backpack in a large size locker.

Getting Into the City

You can take the metro, the train, or a taxi into the city. I opted for the metro because it is far cheaper than a taxi and doesn’t go to Sweden if you get on the wrong one.

One way train and metro tickets cost roughly the same at DKK 37 ($5.85), but the metro line helpfully dead ends at the airport while the train continues on to Malmö, Sweden.

I thought I may take the metro more while in the city, so I opted for a metro day pass that cost DKK 80 ($12.75) I ended up walking throughout the city, but the day pass saved me from worrying about buying my ticket back to the airport.

The metro has a station attached to Terminal 3 and tickets can be purchased at automated kiosks near the platform. The kiosk takes cash and cards.

To get to the city center, I recommend taking the metro to Kongens Nytorv. Trains come every 4-6 minutes, and getting off at this stop will land you minutes from the picturesque Nyhavn harbor district.

Things to See

Nyhavn

Perhaps the most iconic area of the city, Nyhavn is the harbor district of Copenhagen featuring restaurants, bars, and beautiful, brightly colored buildings and boats cruising through the water. Open top canal boats leave from this area for DKK 245 ($37). I opted just to stroll around and take in the picturesque scenery and perfect weather.

Amalienborg Palace and Frederik’s Church

Just a few minutes away from Nyhavn is the Amalienborg Palace, the winter home of the Danish royal family. I walked down a seemingly unassuming street wondering when a palace was going to pop up. I continued down the street, looked left, and a huge square loomed before me. The buildings of the palace surrounded the square, with a large statue in the middle, and a domed church on the other side.

Frederik’s Church, also known as the marble church, boasts the largest dome in Scandinavia. I felt a bit bad that the shirt I was wearing that day said the word ‘assholes’ on it, so I tried to cover it up while in the church.

Rosenborg Castle and the King’s Garden

A few blocks up from the Marble Church is the King’s Garden, a beautiful green space in the city where lots of people were out enjoying the nice weather. At the far end of the garden is another palace, the Rosenborg Castle. It’s nice to walk around the green area and admire the castle’s brick facade.

Strøget

Strøget is Europe’s longest pedestrian shopping street. It stretches from Kongens Nytorv to the City Hall Square (Rådhuspladsen), and features high end stores like Louis Vuitton and Hermès as well as more budget friendly stores like H&M and Zara. I wasn’t too concerned with shopping during just a layover in Copenhagen, but I did stroll along part of Strøget to get to the Copenhagen Hard Rock Cafe, where I picked up a pin to add to my collection.

The Church of Our Savior

After walking along the shopping street and through City Hall Square, I walked across the water to Christianshavn to see the Church of Our Saviour, a gorgeous church with a spire with a staircase spiraling up the outside of it. I was super tired after a long flight to Europe, but I decided to muster up some energy and climb to the top. It costs DKK 65 ($10.30) for adults and DKK 40 ($6.35) for students.

I climbed up and through the wooden stairs in the building up to the metal steps that wound up to the tip top of the spire. It’s a bit adrenaline inducing, but well worth the heart rate spike and the effort for the views.

Freetown Christiania

I didn’t make it to Freetown Christiania because I was about to fall over after climbing the church spire, but it’s supposed to be an interesting area full of hippies and artists. I guess I’ll have to save it for my next trip to Copenhagen.

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Choosing a flight with a long layover in Europe on your way to your final destination is a fantastic way to explore a new place in a budget friendly way. A layover in Copenhagen is perfect because of how close the airport is to the city center, and the walkability of the city.