Copenhagen Card: how it works & tips on this city pass
Are you planning to visit Copenhagen and are in the process of organizing the activities and visits you want to make during your stay? Have you heard about the Copenhagen Card and wondered how it works? Is this pass easy to use? Is it really cost-effective? Or is it better to buy individual tickets for each attraction? Here’s our feedback on the Copenhagen citypass.
The Copenhagen savings map
A complete pass
- Access to over 80 tourist attractions
- Free public transport: bus, metro and train
- Includes: canal cruise
Tours included
- Tivoli Gardens
- Canal cruise
- Amalienborg Palace
- Historic greenhouse in the Botanical Garden
- Christianborg Castle: royal reception rooms
- Museum of illusions
- Copenhagen Zoo
Prices and tickets
The price depends on the validity period chosen.
What is the Copenhagen Card?
It’s very simple. The Copenhagen Card or Copenhagen citypass is a card (mobile application) that allows you to visit many of Copenhagen’s attractions free of charge.
The different discount cards
There are two versions of the Copenhagen City Pass:
- The Copenhagen DISCOVER Card, detailed below, offers access to 80 attractions, a cruise and includes public transport (bus, train and metro).
- The Copenhagen HOP Card, which offers 40 attractions and access to tourist buses (Hop on Hop off), but does not include public transport.
👉 Between the 2 cards: the Copenhagen Card Discover is the most advantageous, as it includes more attractions and all public transport for a lower fare.
The Copenhagen Card HOP is only interesting if you plan to use Hop on Hop off buses.
The Copenhagen savings map
Free admission to over 80 tourist attractions
This is obviously the main advantage of this pass, with over 80 attractions included! Here’s a list of the main attractions included in the Copenhagen Card:
- Tivoli Gardens: this garden is a Copenhagen institution (approx. €21 garden admission)
- Amalienborg Palace: majestic palace, official residence of the Danish royal family (approx. €16).
- Christianborg Castle: home to the Danish Parliament, Supreme Court and Prime Minister’s Office. (approx. €26)
- Rosenborg Castle: Renaissance palace housing the Danish crown jewels (approx. €18)
- Musée des illusions: the fun museum for the whole family (approx. €26)
- Copenhagen Zoo (approx. €33)
- Copenhagen Natural History Museum andBotanical Garden greenhouses: (approx. €15)
All attractions are listed on the booking page.
🌟 The price of each individual attraction is high, but with citypass copenhagen you can save a lot of money.
Free boat cruise
The second advantage , and not the least, is that it includes a boat cruise on Copenhagen’s canals.
This is a must-see attraction on your visit to Copenhagen. The tour, with a guide, takes in the must-sees of Copenhagen: the canals of the Christianshavn district, the Little Mermaid and Amalienborg Palace.
Copenhagen Card savings :
A ticket for a 1-hour boat trip costs :
- Adult: 139 DKK (approx. €18)
- Children (6-15 years): DKK 84 (approx. €11)
⛵ With Copenhagen citypass, it’s all included!
Blue cruise map.
Unlimited public transport
The third advantage is that all public transport is included in the Copenhagen card, i.e. metro, bus and train.
It’s very easy to use: no need to scan your ticket, just present the QR code on your app when asked by ticket inspectors. A real time-saver.
Copenhagen Card savings :
- 24h (zones 1 to 4): Adult DKK 80 (approx. €11)
- For 48 hours (zones 1 to 4) : Adult 200 DKK (approx. €26)
🚌 With Copenhagen citypass, it’s all included!
Here is the area covered, including the following routes:
- Copenhagen’s historic center,
- Copenhagen downtown airport
- Drive to Frederiksborg Castle (about 50 km away)
City Pass prices
The Copenhagen Card is available in several lengths: 24h, 48h, 72h, 96h or 120 hours, allowing you to choose the formula best suited to your needs and the length of your stay.
👉 Pricing is simple: the longer the duration of the pass, the lower the price compared with the individual cost of admission.
🌟 Good deal for families : each adult pass includes free passes for 2 children aged 3 to 11. If you’re 2 adults and 2 children under 11, 2 adult cards will suffice, and all activities will be free for your children. It’s a great saving for families.
Where can I buy the Copenhagen Card?
Step 1: order your Copenhagen Card on the Get Your Guide website (the No. 1 for tourist activities) and choose the duration of your pass. Tickets benefit from flexible cancellation conditions and can be refunded up to 24 hours before your pass is activated.
Step 2: 📱 Once purchased, activating the pass is child’s play:
1. Simply download the Copenhagen Card mobile application
2. Press the activate button: “Redeem a card”
3. Enter the code received by e-mail
4. Show the barcode each time you visit
💡 Download the application before you leave, then activate the card on arrival atCopenhagen airport to take advantage of free transport from the airport to the city center.
For example, if you have opted for a 48-hour pass and activate it at 10 a.m., it will be valid until 10 a.m. two days later.
Key benefits :
- For public transport, you only need to show your card when you’re stopped, and you don’t even need to sign in at the station.
- Easy to use, theapplication is fairly intuitive.
- It’s clearly a comfort during the trip, and a help in organizing your journey: if you have free time, you can easily fill it with an activity contained in the map.
- There’s no need to book museum admission in advance. We only recommend that you book the cruise to choose your time slot.
How to make the most of the Copenhagen card?
Passes are priced on a sliding scale according to the number of days, with the most attractive being the 48h (approx. €50/day) or 72h (approx. €41/day) pass.
To give you an idea, we made the following visits in 3 days in Copenhagen:
| Attractions | Input | With pass |
| Tivoli | 21€ | 0€ |
| Cruise | 18€ | 0€ |
| Christianborg | 26€ | 0€ |
| Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek | 16€ | 0€ |
| Design Museum | 17,5 € | 0€ |
| Amalienborg | 16€ | 0€ |
| Home of Carlsberg | 28€ | 0€ |
| Statens Museum for Kunst | 15,6€ | 0€ |
| Transport 72h | 33€ | 0€ |
| 72h Pass | 124€ | |
| Total | 191€ | 124€ |
➡️ Cost of 72h pass (3 days): €124
➡️ Total cost of activities without the card: €191, a saving of €67 per person, enough to buy several restaurants or souvenirs to bring back from Copenhagen! It’s also worth noting that the activities for our daughter were completely free, whereas most museums/activities are chargeable from age 3 upwards.
To get the most out of your pass, we also advise you to visit at least 2 museums/activities a day (or to visit 3 museums/activities on the same day, for example, as Amalienborg and Christianborg castles are located nearby, as is the departure point for the cruise). We therefore advise you to prepare a schedule.
🚲 Time permitting, cycling around Copenhagen can save you a lot of time.
Our tips for optimizing it
What attractions should I book in advance?
The following activities require advance booking:
- Home of Carlsberg
- Église de Notre-Sauveur (Church of Our Saviour)
Booking links are available in the Copenhagen Card application.
For the Home of Carlsberg, you’ll need to enter your Copenhagen Card number, which will only be visible once the card has been activated. Same-day tickets are always available.
Other sites have special conditions:
- Rosenborg Castle : pick up a ticket for a time slot on the day, directly on site.
- Canal Tours: online booking is not possible, but you can block a time at the Ved Stranden ticket office on arrival.
Tips for making the most of your Copenhagen Card
To maximize your Copenhagen Card, here are a few tips:
- On Mondays, many museums are closed, so if you want to extend your weekend, plan on museums that are open that day. The cruise, for example, is available every day.
- Best times to use the pass: Mornings and evenings are often less crowded at museums and tourist attractions. Start early to avoid the crowds.
- Avoid queues: Use the passholder-only entrance at certain attractions, which saves you time.
- Optimize your time and travel: Plan your itinerary according to the location of attractions to avoid unnecessary round-trips. For example, combine a visit to the Nyhavn district with one to Amalienborg Palace, which are close to each other.
Practical information and FAQ
- Validity: The pass is valid from the moment it is activated and operates in time slots (24h, 48h, etc.).
- Cancellation and refund: Refund conditions vary depending on the place of purchase. Please check conditions at time of purchase.
- Contact and customer support: If you have any questions, Copenhagen Card customer service can be reached via the mobile app.
Our opinion of the Copenhagen Card
We usually use this type of pass when we travel to European cities. In Copenhagen, if you’re well organized, you’ll easily make the pass worth your while.
The best way to discover Copenhagen without the hassle.
For our part, this saved us a lot of money , and we had some very busy days. If you’re visiting Copenhagen in winter, there are plenty of museums to keep you warm.
👉 Does the Copenhagen Card pay off? The answer is yes, for most travelers. If you plan to visit a number of paid-for attractions, such as Tivoli amusement park or Christianborg castle, and travel frequently by public transport, the pass is an excellent investment. As well as being economical, the card’s flexibility and ease of use make it an attractive option.
For travelers who like to stroll around without too many paying visits, or who are on a very tight budget, the pass may not be necessary. However, for those who want to make the most of their stay, the Copenhagen Card is a real advantage.
In short, the Copenhagen Card is the ideal tool for discovering Copenhagen in a practical and economical way. It gives you the freedom to explore several areas of Copenhagen at your own pace, from the Nyhavn district to Christiania, including all the emblematic sites.
