Day 1 — Nyhavn & Tivoli Gardens
Start in Indre By. Walk Strøget from Rådhuspladsen to Kongens Nytorv, then arrive at Nyhavn — the colourful canal houses and wooden ships that define postcard Copenhagen. Lunch at a canal-side restaurant or a hotdog from a pølsevogn.
In the afternoon, cross to Tivoli Gardens. Founded in 1843 and the direct inspiration for Disneyland, it's as much a garden as an amusement park — lakes, flower beds, an open-air stage, and rides scattered through it all. Stay into the evening when the illuminations come on.
Day 2 — Christianshavn, Christiania & Reffen
Cross the harbour to Christianshavn, a 17th-century canal district with a distinctly Dutch feel. Spend the morning walking the canal paths, then head into Freetown Christiania — the self-governing commune founded in 1971, home to around 1,000 residents living under their own rules. No photography on Pusher Street.
Lunch at Reffen, the outdoor street food market on Refshaleøen, a former shipyard island. Dozens of stalls, harbour views, and easily the best-value eating in the city.
Afternoon: walk the waterfront to the Little Mermaid statue and the Kastellet star fortress, then back through the city centre for dinner.
Day 3 — Design, Castles & Torvehallerne
Morning: Designmuseum Danmark, tracing Danish design from the 18th century to Arne Jacobsen and beyond, housed in a converted 18th-century hospital.
Walk to Rosenborg Castle and the King's Garden — Christian IV's Renaissance palace, with the Danish crown jewels in the treasury and the city's oldest public park around it.
Lunch at Torvehallerne, the glass-hall food market near Nørreport — fishmongers, cheese stalls, and excellent coffee.
Afternoon: cross into Nørrebro. Walk through Assistens Cemetery (Hans Christian Andersen and Søren Kierkegaard are both buried here) and browse Jægersborggade's vintage shops and natural wine bars before dinner.
Day 4 — Vesterbro, Food Halls & New Nordic Cuisine
Spend the day in Vesterbro, once the city's red-light district and now its most creative neighbourhood. Morning coffee at one of the independent cafés around Istedgade, then browse the shops and galleries.
The Meatpacking District (Kødbyen) — former slaughterhouse buildings — is worth a daytime visit as well as a nighttime one; several excellent restaurants operate out of the old industrial units. Try to book somewhere serving New Nordic cuisine even outside the Noma budget — Bæst and Geist deliver the same seasonal, foraged philosophy at a fraction of the price.
Evening: drinks on Værnedamsvej, Vesterbro's "little Paris street," lined with natural wine bars, cheesemongers, and butchers shoulder to shoulder.
Day 5 — Louisiana Museum Day Trip
The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art sits on a clifftop above the Øresund strait in Humlebæk, about 40 minutes north of Copenhagen by train from Copenhagen Central (direct trains towards Helsingør stop at Humlebæk station, then a 10-minute signposted walk).
Louisiana is as celebrated for its setting and architecture as for its collection — a series of low pavilions connect through gardens dotted with Henry Moore sculptures and Alexander Calder mobiles, with glass corridors opening onto sea views across to Sweden. The permanent collection covers Giacometti, Warhol, and major Nordic artists, alongside strong rotating exhibitions. Allow a full afternoon; the café overlooking the water is a destination in its own right.
Return to Copenhagen by early evening for a final dinner — Nyhavn one last time, or somewhere quieter back in Vesterbro.