72 Hours In Copenhagen Itinerary – A Fantastic & Affordable Weekend Trip

72 Hours In Copenhagen Itinerary – A Fantastic & Affordable Weekend Trip

When my friend and I decided to go on a trip together, there were a few destinations that we both really wanted to go to. Copenhagen, Denmark, was one of them. We did a bit of research and then finally decided to just go for it. In this article, I will share how we spent a weekend in Copenhagen with our itinerary and plenty of tips and recommendations. Read on to find out more.

How To Spend A Weekend In Copenhagen

When we booked our Copenhagen long weekend, we had similar ideas in mind for things to do and see in Copenhagen. There were a few areas we wanted to visit, some sights we wanted to see, some shopping we wanted to do, and of course plenty of cafés and bakeries we wanted to visit for tasty pastry treats! We also wanted to find some time to relax which we amazingly did even though our days were quite busy:

Quick Summary of Our 72 Hours In Copenhagen Itinerary:

• Day 1 (arrival day): Explore the city on foot, check out Nyhavn and the city centre, visit The King’s Garden.
• Day 2: Bakery breakfast, spa morning, visit Freetown Christiania, The Botanical Garden and The Round Tower, quick meal out, then hop on a sightseeing boat.
• Day 3 (departure day): Long brunch in the morning, afternoon of shopping!

Detailed 72 Hours In Copenhagen Itinerary:

Day 1:

We arrived around midday and quickly got the train from Kastrup airport to Copenhagen central station. It was easy to purchase the tickets from a machine at the station and the price was reasonable too. 

When we arrived at the central station, we had a quick look around the area, bought a drink from 7Eleven and then started walking towards our hotel. 

We checked into our hotel and quickly settled into our room and had a little look around to see what the hotel was like. Then we headed out to explore Copenhagen! It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon and, knowing that we only had a few days, we wanted to make sure we made the most of it. 

Since our hotel was in a good location, we decided to walk again. We headed to Nyhavn to check out this popular and very pretty area. Then we had a quick look in the department store Magasin where we also had a quick bite. Next, we stopped for some drinks from a shop and walked to The King’s Garden where we found a bench to relax on for a bit while we people-watched. 

After enjoying a beautiful sunset on our walk back to the hotel, we spent some time in the hotel’s courtyard with a drink and a map, planning what to do during the next day in Copenhagen. 

Day 2:

Day 2 was a Sunday for us. We started the morning with a huge almond croissant from Wulff & Konstali, then enjoyed a coffee from another bakery by the water. After that, we headed back to our hotel for a morning of relaxing. It was another gorgeous day and our hotel had an outdoor pool and a little spa so we spent a few hours there before heading out again. 

After our relaxing morning, we went to the nearest Copenhagen Metro station and headed towards Freetown Christiania. We explored Christiania which was fun, then stopped at a bakery nearby to enjoy a few more baked goods…

The next stop was The Botanical Garden, then we headed to The Round Tower for 360 degree views over the city. After that, we had a quick dinner at Garbanzo before hopping on a sightseeing boat to see Copenhagen from the water which was lovely. 

Day 3:

We started our last day with a huge and tasty brunch at Wulff & Konstali before packing up and checking out. Our last afternoon was rainy which had been forecast so we had planned a day of shopping in the city centre before it was time to head back to the airport to fly back home. 

Cheap Weekend Breaks To Copenhagen

When looking for deals for a weekend getaway to Copenhagen, two of the main things to figure out are flights and where to stay. We first figured out when would be a good time for us to go, comparing our calendars. 

UK to Copenhagen Flights

Then we started to look for cheap flights to Copenhagen from Manchester UK. We found out which airlines fly direct from Manchester to Copenhagen, then visited each airline’s own website and checked their prices for different dates. To get the best deal, remember that you don’t need to book both flights with the same airline – we didn’t. Just keep in mind that different airlines will have different luggage allowances and carry-on allowances so pack accordingly. 

We were brave and did our very first personal item only trip for this Copenhagen visit which was freeing and absolutely doable for a weekend trip in the summer. Always check the weather forecast before travelling and pack according to the weather and your planned activities. Limiting your luggage is a great way to stay within budget too. 

The flight time from the UK to Copenhagen​ is only about 2 hours which is very convenient as you can travel early in the morning and still have plenty of the day left to explore the city. 

Hotel Copenhagen

Before booking your flights to Copenhagen, research hotels Copenhagen and check that the hotel that you are interested in has availability for the dates that you are looking at. Once we had checked both flights and hotels, we quickly proceeded with our booking before the flight prices changed! 

Best Things To Do in Copenhagen

The above is just what we chose to do. What you want to do might be different, of course. There are lots of things to do and see in Copenhagen – it’s a city that caters for many interests. Before we went, I watched loads of YouTube travel videos about visiting Copenhagen and made my own list of things that I thought sounded interesting for my friend and I to do. 

Our top priorities were to see the city and to explore some of the best cafés in Copenhagen​! While I was making my list of paid and free things to do in Copenhagen, I also made a Copenhagen bakery and café list so that we knew where to go. 

Best Places to Eat in Copenhagen

We had planned to go for a meal out on the Sunday evening of our visit but we were simply too full from all the delicious treats we had bought from the many cafés in Copenhagen, Denmark​. We did make it to one of the places on my “where to eat in Copenhagen” list which was Garbanzo which is a cute little place where you can grab a quick Mediterranean bite. 

Final Thoughts

Though there’s plenty more to explore in Copenhagen, we found that 3 days gave us enough time to enjoy the city and do everything that we had planned for this visit. We had lots of fun and, though our days were busy, we did also squeeze in some time to relax.

We used the Copenhagen Metro a few times, but also did a lot of walking – around 25,000 steps per day! Next time I do a city break, I will definitely wear more comfortable shoes! I was walking in Converse All Stars type of shoes and my feet were killing by the end of the trip. If you have any recommendations for trainers (or similar) that would work for a city break with lots of walking, please share in the comments.