Where to stay in Copenhagen

Once a low-key underrated city, for the past decade the Danish capital has been showered with superlatives. Polls claim it to have the world’s best quality of life and rate its citizens as the happiest people on the planet. Here’s our guide to where to stay in Copenhagen. Keen to explore other cool European capitals? Take a look at the best area to stay in Amsterdam.

The information in this article is inspired by Pocket Rough Guide Copenhagen, your essential guide for visiting Copenhagen.

Despite its new-found glory, Copenhagen remains a relaxed, homely place, with accommodation to match – though it doesn’t come cheap. Facilities offered at most places are ultra-modern, often beautifully designed with eco-conscious features.

There are also several excellent hostels that rival budget hotels in terms of value and style. Be aware that the latter are often packed with rowdy Swedish students during the summer holidays and availability can be an issue at these times.

Tivoli and Rådhuspladsen: where to stay in Copenhagen for gorgeous gardens

Tivoli, Denmark’s most-visited attraction, may appear at first glance every bit as tacky as any other amusement park around the world.

But it actually has much more to offer than just its thrilling set of rides. Its 83,000-square-metre gardens have gorgeous flower displays and fountains, and there’s a romantic boating lake, exotic buildings and spectacular illuminations at night. All this beauty makes this area one of the best places to stay in Copenhagen.

A few paces away is buzzing Rådhuspladsen square, whose innards hold a fascinating astronomical clock. Hotels close to the sights of Tivoli are particularly expensive.

Where to stay in Tivoli and Rådhuspladsen:

• Best for fairy-tale luxury: Ascot Hotel. Set in a charming 19th-century building, this hotel is 3 minutes’ walk from City Hall Square and Tivoli Gardens. It offers free WiFi, free gym access and a popular breakfast buffet. Copenhagen Central Station is 500 m away.

• Best for comfort at hostel prices: Danhostel City. Housed in Denmark’s first high-rise building, this modern five-star hostel dates from 1955. With more than one thousand rooms over sixteen floors, it offers wonderful views over Copenhagen. Add the interior design by GUBI, facilities such as a bar-café in the lobby and games room in the basement, and you could be forgiven for thinking that you’re staying at a modern hotel – albeit one with bunk beds.

Find more accomodation options to stay in Tivoli and Rådhuspladsen

Strøget and the Inner City: the best place to stay in the heart of Copenhagen

Like accommodation in Tivoli, places to rest your head in the Inner City are pretty pricey. That said, you’re paying for an excellent location. This is Copenhagen’s heart and hub, its compact warren of narrow streets and cobbled squares home to the capital’s principal shopping district and countless bars and restaurants.

Historic buildings rub shoulders with modern but the area, bisected by the bustling pedestrianized thoroughfare of Strøget, is at its most atmospheric around the Latin Quarter, original home to the university.

Where to stay in Strøget and the Inner City:

• Best for location: Hotel Sanders is a five-storey luxury boutique hotel in a Jugendstil building from the 1860s. The 52 rooms range from snug to extremely spacious. The hotel’s magnificent interior design includes bespoke furniture from the colonial era as well as Danish classic design. The location around the corner of The Royal Danish Theatre is hard to beat.

• Best for interior design buffs: Hotel Skt Petri. Ultra-stylish design hotel housed in a former five-storey department store. The spacious rooms have dark parquet flooring and sleek Scandinavian furniture such as the super-comfortable Jensen bed.

Find more accommodation options to stay in Strøget and the Inner City

There are lot's of things to do in Copenhagen but we've collected a list of things you can do here for free.

Nyhavn and Frederiksstaden: fairy-tale settings in Copenhagen

Packed with busy bars and restaurants, canalside Nyhavn attracts thousands of visitors thanks to its pretty postcard setting. To Nyhavn’s north are the elegant Rococo houses of Frederiksstaden, built as a grand symbol of Frederik V’s reign. The huge dome of the Marmorkirken dominates the skyline, while three main streets divide the area.

Store Kongensgade is lined with galleries, restaurants and high-end shops, Bredgade is quieter, and cobbled Amaliegade bisects the palaces of Amalienborg. All three streets lead up to Christian IV’s impressive defensive fortress, the grass-bastioned Kastellet. Finally, perched on a lonely rock off the Kastellet’s northern edge, is the city’s most famous icon – the diminutive Little Mermaid.

Where to stay in Nyhavn and Frederiksstaden:

• Best for warehouse chic: Admiral Hotel. Romantic waterfront hotel in a vast converted warehouse from 1787. Lots of its original features are still intact such as vaulted brick ceilings and enormous wooden beams. There are 300 rooms spread over six floors, each with its own unique charm. A sea view will cost extra.

• Best for spa lovers: Babette Guldsmeden. Formerly the Hotel Esplanaden, the Guldsmeden hotel group have added a touch of luxury to this old building, which overlooks Churchill Parken and Kastellet. There’s a rooftop spa and brasserie for real indulgence.

Find more accommodation options to stay in Nyhavn and Frederiksstaden

Copenhagen is a wonderful place for a family holiday. In our Scandi family escape guide you will find useful information about things you should do in Copenhagen with kids.

Parkmuseerne: where to stay in Copenhagen for parks and museums

Christian IV’s Renaissance summer palace, the Rosenborg Slot, provides a real contrast with the crowded streets of the inner city to the east. To its west is an almost continuous string of attractive parks and gardens. Apart from being lovely places to stay nearby, they also house several significant museums, including the Statens Museum for Kunst and Hirschsprungske Samling, the city’s Botanical Gardens.

Where to stay in Parkmuseerne:

• Best for arty types: Ibsen. Arty hotel situated on a Nansensgade street corner with bright and airy rooms spread across two interconnected 19th-century buildings. Works by local artists (some for sale) are on display throughout the hotel. The management even accept art for part payment of rooms.

• Best for environmentally minded visitors: Manon les Suites Guldsmeden. This hotel offers 82 suites, each able to accommodate a family or group of five people. Like the rest of the Guldsmeden Hotel family, Manon emphasizes sustainability – not just in its organic food and beauty products but also its daily operations. Room décor is distinctly hip and mid-century-modern in character. The location is convenient for both Torvhallerne – the food hall – and Tivoli amusement park.

Christianshavn and Holmen:

With its tight network of narrow canals and cobbled streets, Christianshavn is one of the city’s most charming areas. Water is omnipresent, unsurprising given that the island was constructed from reclaimed land in the 16th century to form a defensive arc around the city.

Its primary tourist interest is the unique “Freetown” of Christiania, home to one of the world’s most famous alternative communities. To the north, former naval base Holmen and its neighbouring islands have been re-energized after decades of disuse with post-industrial developments.

Where to stay in Christianshavn and Holmen:

• Best for a bobbing base: CPH Living. Absolutely gorgeous hotel boat with twelve identical smartly furnished rooms all facing Christian IV’s furnished brew-house on the opposite bank. Reception is unstaffed and you need an access code to get in, which is given to you when you pay for the room. There’s a sundeck with fine views and fresh sea air.

• Best for chic apartment living: NH Collection Copenhagen. Set in Copenhagen, 500 m from Church of Our Saviour, NH Collection Copenhagen offers accommodation with a restaurant, private parking, a fitness centre and a bar. This 5-star hotel offers a concierge service and free WiFi. The accommodation features a 24-hour front desk, room service and currency exchange for guests.

Find more accommodation options in Christianshavn and Holmen

Vesterbro: where to stay in Copenhagen for a bohemian atmosphere

The two neighbouring districts of Vesterbro and Frederiksberg couldn’t be more contrasting. Vesterbro was until recently a neglected working-class area. Urban regeneration projects over the past fifteen years have smartened it up, inflating the value of property, and attracting more affluent residents. They have brought with them a slew of edgy art galleries, restaurants and bars.

As one of the main arteries leading into the city, Vesterbrogade has been lined with restaurants and inns since the sixteenth century. Today, it offers access to the hugely popular nightlife of Kødbyen, and retains a bohemian atmosphere thanks to the large number of artists and musicians who still live here.

Where to stay in Vesterbro:

• Best for boutique bliss: Axel Guldsmeden. Among the city’s most appealing boutique hotels with beautiful Balinese-inspired decor. This is where the supermodels come to stay and you’re likely to feel like one after a couple of days, with your every whim catered for. Given the level of pampering, all this comes at a very reasonable price.

• Best for families: Ansgar. Small, friendly family hotel in what used to be the dodgy red-light district of Vesterbro. The no-frills tidy rooms are superb value and the price includes a lavish breakfast buffet which in summer is served on an outdoor terrace.

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Frederiksberg: Copenhagen's conservative but romantic neighbourhood

Conservative Frederiksberg combines elegant tree-lined avenues, beautiful parks and grand villas – a stroll down Frederiksberg Allé to the romantic seventeenth-century Frederiksberg Have (gardens) and palace gives a flavour of its well-heeled opulence. The quaint little street of Værnedamsvej links the two districts with some superb places to eat and drink, exclusive shops and a neighbourly, outgoing feel.

One of the city’s most beautiful and romantic spots, Frederiksberg Have was originally laid out in the late seventeenth century as gardens for the recently completed royal palace. The gardens’ Baroque formality was remodelled in the English landscape style a century later, with winding paths weaving across undulating lawns, boating canals and numerous follies hidden among the trees.

Where to stay in Frederiksberg:

• Best for B&B: Scandic Falkoner. Situated in Copenhagen and with Frederiksberg Have reachable within 800 metres, Scandic Falkoner features a fitness centre, non-smoking rooms, free WiFi and a bar. Boasting a 24-hour front desk, this property also provides guests with a restaurant. Guests can enjoy city views.

• Best for couples: Cabinn Scandinavia. This hotel is 20 minutes’ walk from Copenhagen Central Station and Tivoli Gardens. It offers free WiFi and compact rooms with private bathrooms, a TV and tea/coffee facilities.

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Østerbro & Nørrebro: area to spend time with the local community

Beyond the city ramparts, the two neighbouring midnineteenth-century districts of Nørrebro and Østerbro are sometimes difficult to tell apart. This is despite deeply contrasting histories – Nørrebro’s one of deprivation and social struggle followed by more recent immigration and gentrification, and Østerbro’s characterized by traditional wealth and privilege.

Aside from Copenhagen’s most famous cemetery they lack standout tourist sights. They do, however, have plenty to offer when it comes to going out and having a good time with the locals.

Squares such as trendy Sankt Hans Torv and multicultural Blågårds Plads in Nørrebro, and laidback Bopa Plads in Østerbro, are alive and kicking day and night, as is the once grimy Jægersborggade, now one of the city’s most hyped streets, thanks mostly to the presence of a Michelinstarred restaurant.

Where to stay in Østerbro & Nørrebro:

• Best for sea view: STAY Seaport. Located just 10 minutes' walk from Nordhavn train station, STAY Seaport is set in the North Harbor district of Copenhagen, 2 km from Parken Stadium and Fælledparken Park. Nyhavn is 3 km away. Free WiFi is featured throughout the apartment.

• Best for location: Hotel Østerport. Located where Copenhagen’s historical City Center meets green, residential Østerbro, Hotel Østerport offers modern accommodation with 24-hour front desk service, free Wi-Fi, a bar and bike rental. The hotel has multiple shared lounge areas with a view of bypassing trains. Family rooms and pet-friendly rooms are available.

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Planning a trip to Copenhagen but don't know where to start? Our day-by-day itinerary for the perfect weekend in Copenhagen will come to your rescue.

Amager East: the best place to stay in Copenhagen for beach and water sports

East Amager is part of Copenhagen and Amager Island with bridges over the harbour in the centre of Copenhagen. One of the main attractions in the summertime for locals and tourists alike is Amager Beach. Here, just 15 minutes from the city centre, you can have a great time. There are many green areas such as Amager Beach Park, Kastrup Sea Bath and the Copenhagen Rope Park.

Here you can also find the Blue Planet, the largest aquarium in Northern Europe.

This area is about beach life, fine restaurants and a high standard of living. If you want to do water sports, head to Amager Beach Park. Amagerbrogade is where you'll find plenty of places to dine, and it's easy to hide from the tourist crowds in the cosy, quiet streets.

Where to stay in Amager East:

• Best for beach location: By the Beach Gardens. Set in Copenhagen, within 700 m of Amager Strandpark and 2.7 km of Kastrup Søbad Beach, By the Beach Gardens - Into This Place offers accommodation with free WiFi.

• Best for cozy stays: NORD. NORD Hotel Apartments has well-equipped accommodation featuring free WiFi in Copenhagen, 1 km from Amager Strandpark and 2.4 km from Church of Our Saviour.

Find more accommodation options to stay in Amager East

If you're interested in travelling to Denmark but want to explore less popular destinations, check out our guide to Aarhus, the “city of smiles” and perhaps this destination will appeal to you.

If you prefer to plan and book your trip to Copenhagen without any effort and hassle, use the expertise of our local travel experts to make sure your trip will be just like you dream it to be.

Ready for a trip to Copenhagen in Denmark? Check out the snapshot Pocket Rough Guide Copenhagen or The Rough Guide to Europe on a Budget. If you travel further in Denmark, read more about the best time to go, how to get to Denmark, how to get around the country and where to stay once you are there.

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