Christmas in Copenhagen starts in early November and runs into the new year. Market stalls fill the old squares with æbleskiver and gløgg, Tivoli and Bakken string up their lights, and on Dec 13 a Santa Lucia procession crosses the harbor by kayak. Here's what we checked, from the tree lighting at City Hall Square to a Christmas puppet show at Riddersalen.
Tivoli Gardens turns into a Christmas market for the season, with thousands of twinkling lights, pine trees and snow-covered stalls. Kids can visit Santa in his home to share their wishes, ride the Elf Train and the Forest Carousel, and meet the forest animals.
All the regular rides stay open too, so younger kids get the Christmas rides while older kids chase the bigger thrills.
Nytorv and Gammeltorv, two neighboring squares in central Copenhagen, turn into what the organizers call Denmark's largest Christmas market, with rows of Christmas stalls and the market's own glühwein.
For kids the draw is the outdoor ice rink, where skates are lent out on the spot, plus a chance to meet Santa. It works best as a stop on a city-center walk rather than a whole day out.
A new Christmas market in central Copenhagen, with wooden stalls selling handmade decorations, crafts and food from Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
For kids, the draw is an interactive Christmas world: talking trees wake up and tell the Christmas tale of Julius Kleine, with music and entertainment on the square each day. Snack on warm æbleskiver while you browse. It suits a relaxed stroll, not a full day out.
Copenhagen has lit a Christmas tree on Rådhuspladsen for over 100 years, and the lighting is an afternoon built around kids. Santa and his nisse helpers ride in from Nyhavn with the fire service's Christmas procession, then hand out candy bags by the tree.
The city's school orchestra sings carols, the Lord Mayor speaks, and Santa helps switch on the lights. It suits kids young enough to wave at Santa.
Bakken, the world's oldest amusement park, turns its lanes in the Dyrehaven forest into a lit-up Christmas village. Kids can meet Santa, skate on the new rink, explore the new cake land and catch the Christmas parade, while prankster elves stir up mischief among the market stalls.
A good fit for a festive family outing, with a few rides mixed in.
Frilandsmuseet's historic farms and houses dress up for an old-fashioned Danish Christmas. Kids watch elf theater, make yarn gnomes and Christmas lollipops, play Christmas bingo, follow a treasure hunt through the farmyards and meet the pigs and goats.
The decorated rooms show how Danes once celebrated, from a farmer's lavish table to a poor heath farmer's cabbage tree. Expect long outdoor walks between buildings.
Kronborg, the UNESCO-listed castle in Helsingør, fills with Christmas stalls, food and live carols. Kids hunt for the yule goat, meet Santa when he dances around the tree in the decorated ballroom, hear Christmas tales, watch Frozen and make decorations to hang at home.
The market spreads through the castle halls and courtyard, up and down plenty of stairs with no elevator, so a baby carrier beats a stroller.
Hundreds of kayaks strung with lights paddle through Copenhagen's harbor and canals, stopping to sing Santa Lucia and Christmas carols with a live choir on a canal boat. Kids watch from the quays, then walk along to catch the next singing stop.
Paddling takes sea-kayak experience and cold-water gear, so for most families this is a walk-along. The tradition has run since 2006.
Det Kongelige Teater's Christmas ballet: George Balanchine's 1954 version of The Nutcracker, with Tchaikovsky's score played live and a stage full of child dancers.
Marie gets a nutcracker from her godfather, and at midnight it leads her past dangerous mice, dancing snowflakes and waltzing flowers to the Sugar Plum Fairy. Best for kids who can sit still through a classic ballet.
Early on Christmas Eve, Cirkeline sits in her matchbox watching the stars. She and her mouse friends Frederik and Ingolf get ready: wrapping presents, braiding paper hearts, singing and playing. They head into the snowy forest for a Christmas tree and meet a sneaky cat, funny forest elves and Knud the snow mouse with the red nose.
Teater V's yearly Christmas show for the youngest kids and their grown-ups.
DR's children's channel brings its Christmas show to the big concert hall. The Ramasjang hosts and characters, Bamse included, meet in the Ramasjang cabin while DR Spirekoret, dressed as elves, make mischief on stage and snow comes down.
Expect songs from the TV Christmas calendar series, carols and Christmas hits with a swinging band. It suits kids who already know Ramasjang from TV, since it all happens in Danish.
Teater Patrasket's puppet and music version of Tage Danielsson's Swedish Christmas classic that Swedes watch on TV every Christmas Eve. Karl Bertil has a holiday job at the post office and sees some people get piles of presents while others get none, so he delivers the rich families' parcels to the poor.
Told with puppets and music. Suits kids who can follow a story with a moral twist.
Denmark's longest Christmas parade has marched down Amagerbrogade for more than 50 years. The procession stretches over a kilometer: Santas, vintage cars, nisse children (Danish Christmas elves), Disney and cartoon characters.
It suits kids who like a spectacle and don't mind standing in a big, cheerful crowd. Families who find crowds hard may prefer a quieter Christmas outing.
An open-air street food market on Den Grønlandske Handels Plads, a historic trading square on the harbor at the Christianshavn end of the Inderhavnsbroen bridge from Nyhavn. Stalls and food trucks serve crêpes, tacos, fish and chips, burgers, banh mi, pasta and homemade ice cream, with events on the square.
In winter the square becomes Broens Ice Skating Rink, with harbor views, hot drinks and food around the ice.
Christmas in Copenhagen starts in early November and runs into the new year. Market stalls fill the old squares with æbleskiver and gløgg, Tivoli and Bakken string up their lights, and on Dec 13 a Santa Lucia procession crosses the harbor by kayak. Here's what we checked, from the tree lighting at City Hall Square to a Christmas puppet show at Riddersalen.
Tivoli Gardens turns into a Christmas market for the season, with thousands of twinkling lights, pine trees and snow-covered stalls. Kids can visit Santa in his home to share their wishes, ride the Elf Train and the Forest Carousel, and meet the forest animals.
All the regular rides stay open too, so younger kids get the Christmas rides while older kids chase the bigger thrills.
Nytorv and Gammeltorv, two neighboring squares in central Copenhagen, turn into what the organizers call Denmark's largest Christmas market, with rows of Christmas stalls and the market's own glühwein.
For kids the draw is the outdoor ice rink, where skates are lent out on the spot, plus a chance to meet Santa. It works best as a stop on a city-center walk rather than a whole day out.
A new Christmas market in central Copenhagen, with wooden stalls selling handmade decorations, crafts and food from Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
For kids, the draw is an interactive Christmas world: talking trees wake up and tell the Christmas tale of Julius Kleine, with music and entertainment on the square each day. Snack on warm æbleskiver while you browse. It suits a relaxed stroll, not a full day out.
Copenhagen has lit a Christmas tree on Rådhuspladsen for over 100 years, and the lighting is an afternoon built around kids. Santa and his nisse helpers ride in from Nyhavn with the fire service's Christmas procession, then hand out candy bags by the tree.
The city's school orchestra sings carols, the Lord Mayor speaks, and Santa helps switch on the lights. It suits kids young enough to wave at Santa.
Bakken, the world's oldest amusement park, turns its lanes in the Dyrehaven forest into a lit-up Christmas village. Kids can meet Santa, skate on the new rink, explore the new cake land and catch the Christmas parade, while prankster elves stir up mischief among the market stalls.
A good fit for a festive family outing, with a few rides mixed in.
Frilandsmuseet's historic farms and houses dress up for an old-fashioned Danish Christmas. Kids watch elf theater, make yarn gnomes and Christmas lollipops, play Christmas bingo, follow a treasure hunt through the farmyards and meet the pigs and goats.
The decorated rooms show how Danes once celebrated, from a farmer's lavish table to a poor heath farmer's cabbage tree. Expect long outdoor walks between buildings.
Kronborg, the UNESCO-listed castle in Helsingør, fills with Christmas stalls, food and live carols. Kids hunt for the yule goat, meet Santa when he dances around the tree in the decorated ballroom, hear Christmas tales, watch Frozen and make decorations to hang at home.
The market spreads through the castle halls and courtyard, up and down plenty of stairs with no elevator, so a baby carrier beats a stroller.
Hundreds of kayaks strung with lights paddle through Copenhagen's harbor and canals, stopping to sing Santa Lucia and Christmas carols with a live choir on a canal boat. Kids watch from the quays, then walk along to catch the next singing stop.
Paddling takes sea-kayak experience and cold-water gear, so for most families this is a walk-along. The tradition has run since 2006.
Det Kongelige Teater's Christmas ballet: George Balanchine's 1954 version of The Nutcracker, with Tchaikovsky's score played live and a stage full of child dancers.
Marie gets a nutcracker from her godfather, and at midnight it leads her past dangerous mice, dancing snowflakes and waltzing flowers to the Sugar Plum Fairy. Best for kids who can sit still through a classic ballet.
Early on Christmas Eve, Cirkeline sits in her matchbox watching the stars. She and her mouse friends Frederik and Ingolf get ready: wrapping presents, braiding paper hearts, singing and playing. They head into the snowy forest for a Christmas tree and meet a sneaky cat, funny forest elves and Knud the snow mouse with the red nose.
Teater V's yearly Christmas show for the youngest kids and their grown-ups.
DR's children's channel brings its Christmas show to the big concert hall. The Ramasjang hosts and characters, Bamse included, meet in the Ramasjang cabin while DR Spirekoret, dressed as elves, make mischief on stage and snow comes down.
Expect songs from the TV Christmas calendar series, carols and Christmas hits with a swinging band. It suits kids who already know Ramasjang from TV, since it all happens in Danish.
Teater Patrasket's puppet and music version of Tage Danielsson's Swedish Christmas classic that Swedes watch on TV every Christmas Eve. Karl Bertil has a holiday job at the post office and sees some people get piles of presents while others get none, so he delivers the rich families' parcels to the poor.
Told with puppets and music. Suits kids who can follow a story with a moral twist.
Denmark's longest Christmas parade has marched down Amagerbrogade for more than 50 years. The procession stretches over a kilometer: Santas, vintage cars, nisse children (Danish Christmas elves), Disney and cartoon characters.
It suits kids who like a spectacle and don't mind standing in a big, cheerful crowd. Families who find crowds hard may prefer a quieter Christmas outing.
An open-air street food market on Den Grønlandske Handels Plads, a historic trading square on the harbor at the Christianshavn end of the Inderhavnsbroen bridge from Nyhavn. Stalls and food trucks serve crêpes, tacos, fish and chips, burgers, banh mi, pasta and homemade ice cream, with events on the square.
In winter the square becomes Broens Ice Skating Rink, with harbor views, hot drinks and food around the ice.
