Copenhagen is the capital city of Denmark and an impressive city to visit! It’s easy to move around the Danish capital by the regular public transport and there are so many fantastic places to visit. From Tivoli Gardens and The Round Tower to Nyhavn and the Kronborg Castle, there’s lots for families to see! You can also check out what the wonderful Copenhagen is like for kids here.
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What Is The Copenhagen Card?
The Copenhagen Card is a city pass for Copenhagen which allows free public transport around the city and free admission to a variety of the best places to visit. With 2 kids under 12 free on the Copenhagen pass, it does make it seem like a good deal for families and also for first time visitors. It’s more than just a discount card for the entire capital region, it‘s actually a great card that can save you around 30% on ticket prices and transport.
There are two different Copenhagen cards available, the Discover card and the Hop card.
The Hop Card benefits:
- Free access to hop-on-hop off buses in Central Copenhagen
- 2 children under 12 free
- 40+ attractions included
- Starting from EUR 73
The Discover Card benefits:
- Copenhagen Airport transport
- Unlimited public transportation
- 2 children under 12 free
- 80+ attractions included
- Starting from EUR 64
The Discover card is cheaper and includes a lot more attractions as well as unlimited public transport. So this is clearly the better card to choose from. Even though it may seem expensive when you choose a pass at a higher price when you’re staying for several days, it can make life easier.
The Copenhagen Card is now 100% digital, so you can download the Copenhagen card app and buy it before you visit. Then activate the digital Copenhagen card when you arrive in Copenhagen, before you first use it.
How Expensive is the Copenhagen Card?
For 24 hours in Copenhagen with the Discover card it’s 64EUR (£55) for 1 person (+ 2 kids), however if you’re staying for 3 days then it costs 118EUR (£106) for 1 person (+ 2 kids).
Read A Week In Copenhagen With Kids – Itinerary
What Is Included in the Copenhagen Card Cost?
The Discovery Copenhagen city Card includes entry into 80+ attractions and unlimited public transport in zones 1-99 (so way out into the wider area around the city).
Detailed info listing everything currently on the card can be found on the Copenhagen Card website, there is also a calculator there to help decide if it’s worth it for your visit.
Entry Into Attractions
There are two cards, as mentioned above, the Discover and the Hop cards. However, as the Discover card is cheaper with over 80+ tourist attractions included, compared to the 40+ with Hop, I’ll discuss the Discovery card here.
Some of the top attractions included in the pass are:
- Tivoli Gardens Amusement Park
- Rosenborg Castle
- Church of our Saviour (excellent view from the tower)
- The Round Tower
- Copenhagen Canal Boat Tours
- The Botanical Gardens
- Frederiksborg Castle
- The National Museum
- Experimentarium
- Copenhagen Zoo
- Planetarium
- Viking Ship Museum
- The Oresund Aquarium
The list goes on! There are a HUGE amount of attractions in the area that are included, many of them perfect for kids. Experimentarium (science museum) was a huge hit with my kids, as was climbing the steps of the tower at Church of our Saviour. I’d also recommend the planetarium, the botanic gardens and the National History Museum of Denmark as one of the city’s best museums.
Public Transport
Unlimited travel is included in zones 1-99, so you can go all the way out to other areas of Zeeland from Copenhagen via train travel with the pass. It also makes it so much easier, there’s no tapping in or out, just show your pass if you are asked when getting on transport links.
It’s a lot easier than faffing around with different metro and train tickets for areas around the city, it’s a great way to get around the city. Don’t forget to factor in your return to the airport in the duration of the card, although it’s not too expensive to just buy a train ticket to the airport if you run out of hours.
How To Maximise The Copenhagen Card
There is so much to see in Copenhagen, I don’t think I’ve been to any other city with so MANY awesome attractions! So the best idea is to make a list of all the places you want to visit on a map. Then work out which ones are close together and you can visit in one day. Then separate these from attractions that will require a whole day, such as Experimentarium science museum – it definitely requires an entire day for the kids to explore! Or Roskilde Viking Ship Museum, which requires a day trip from the city to visit, play in the park etc. too.
Also check out the opening hours and what days attractions are open. Many are shut on Mondays, so if there are none open you would like to visit on a Monday it may be best to not activate the card until after that day. You should also only activate it (swipe across in the app once you’ve bought the card) immediately before you use it. This maximises the time you have the card for, as it’s measured in number of hours (24 hour card, 72 hour card etc) rather than days.
And make the most of the free public transport by using it as much as possible! The metro is very regular and usually on-time.
What Sort of Savings To Expect With the Copenhagen Card
When you consider that public transport costs 180DKK (£20) for 24 hours in zones 1-99, it would be £60 for transport alone for 3 days.
Say you wish to visit Tivoli Gardens, a boat trip around Nyhavn and the canals, the Round Tower, The National Museum and the Viking ship museum in Roskilde.
It costs 465 DKK (£53) just for entrance fees to the gardens for 3 people over 8 years old, not including the rides. Nyhavn boat trip is approximately 278 DKK (£33) for 1 adult and 2 children. It’s 60DKK (£7) for 1 adult and 2 children to enter the Round Tower. The National Museum is 130DKK (£15) for 1 adult (kids are free). The Viking ship museum costs 160DKK (£19) mid season for 1 adult, kids 0-17 are free.
Adding up the cost for only these entrances and 3 days public transport the total would come to approximately £187. This is significantly more expensive than the 3-day Copenhagen Card at £106 for 1 person +2 kids. It’s a great deal with all this and more included. There’s also a good chance that you would visit more than just these attractions in 3 days too, making it great value and definitely worth buying.
Read Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen, at Christmas
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