Weekend
A weekend in Copenhagen: three hotels and a plan for two nights
You land at Kastrup on Friday afternoon. Fifteen minutes later you are at Central Station, and by dinner you have checked in and found a table in the old Meatpacking District.
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In short: a weekend in Copenhagen
Two nights are enough for Copenhagen if you stay central and walk. Base yourself in the old town or around Tivoli, eat in Kødbyen on Friday, see Nyhavn and the Round Tower on Saturday, and spend Sunday in Christianshavn or at Louisiana. Our first choice for the weekend is Nimb, the palace in Tivoli.
Our first choice: Nimb Hotel. Check availability and prices at Nimb Hotel
Copenhagen is one of the few capitals where a Friday flight still gets you to dinner. Direct flights from London and several other UK airports take under two hours, and the train from the airport runs straight into the centre.
That makes a short break easy, but only if the hotel is in the right place. Stay too far out and Saturday disappears on public transport. So we have picked three hotels within walking distance of most things, and a plan that fits two nights.
The hotels we choose for a weekend in Copenhagen
Three hotels for three kinds of weekend: the big occasion, the weekend of food and bars, and the quiet one by the water. All score highly with guests on Hotels.com.
Nimb Hotel: when the weekend is a celebration
Nimb occupies the Moorish-style palace inside Tivoli, with the City Hall Square across the road and Central Station just behind. It has two restaurants, two bars and a rooftop pool that opens in summer.
Several rooms look straight down into the gardens, so ask for a room facing Tivoli when you book. Choose Nimb for a birthday, an anniversary or any weekend where the hotel is half the reason to go.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Nimb Hotel
Colour in Vesterbro
Absalon is a few minutes from Central Station. Photo: Hotels.com (Expedia Group)
Absalon Hotel: for a weekend of food and bars
Absalon is in Vesterbro, a few minutes from both Central Station and Tivoli. The rooms are bright and colourful, and several have deep bathtubs, which you will appreciate after a long Saturday on foot.
Kødbyen and Istedgade are a short walk away, so you can stroll back after dinner. Pick Absalon if the weekend is about restaurants, cocktail bars and a slow Sunday morning.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Absalon Hotel
Kanalhuset: the quiet weekend in Christianshavn
Kanalhuset sits on the canal in Christianshavn, with houseboats moored outside the windows. In the evening the hotel invites guests to a social hour that is included in the price, and it has its own restaurant.
You can walk over the bridge to the old town, or along the water to the food markets on Refshaleøen. Kanalhuset suits anyone who wants quiet evenings without being far from anything.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Kanalhuset
For more options, our guide to the best hotels in Copenhagen has ten, and the neighbourhoods are explained in where to stay in Copenhagen.
Friday: from the airport to dinner in Kødbyen
The train from Kastrup takes around fifteen minutes to Central Station, and the metro runs to Kongens Nytorv. If you are staying near Tivoli or in Vesterbro, you will be at the hotel before you have time to get hungry.
For the first dinner, walk to Kødbyen, the old Meatpacking District behind the station. Restaurants and bars sit side by side in white and grey industrial halls. Our pick of them is in the guide to Kødbyen. Book ahead if there are more than two of you.
Saturday: Nyhavn and smørrebrød
Start early in Nyhavn. Before nine o'clock you have the painted houses along the canal almost to yourself, and the photo is better without a crowd in front of it. Have breakfast elsewhere, as the quayside restaurants live off tourists.
Walk on through the old town to the Round Tower, built in the 1600s. A spiral ramp takes you all the way up without a single step, and from the top you look out over the rooftops.
Lunch should be smørrebrød: rye bread with herring, roast beef or shrimp, ideally with a schnapps. Where to eat it is in our guide to smørrebrød in Copenhagen. Afterwards, walk through Torvehallerne at Nørreport and on to the King's Garden by Rosenborg Castle.
Saturday night is the night for the big dinner. Book before you travel, because the best tables fill up at weekends even in winter. Ideas are in our guide to restaurants in Copenhagen.
The palace in Tivoli
Several rooms at Nimb look down into the Tivoli gardens. Photo: Hotels.com (Expedia Group)
Sunday: Christianshavn or Louisiana
If your flight is late in the afternoon, cross the harbour to Christianshavn. The canals and houseboats are at their quietest on a Sunday, and you can see the spire of the Church of Our Saviour from far away.
Christiania, the free town, is right next door. Walk through the green areas by the water, and respect the signs asking you not to take photos.
If you would rather have art and sea views, take the train to Louisiana in Humlebæk. It takes under an hour from the centre, and the sculpture park runs down to the Øresund. Leave your bags at the hotel and collect them on the way to the airport.
Turn a work trip into a weekend
If you have a meeting in Copenhagen on Friday, you might as well stay until Sunday. It costs two more hotel nights, but you skip the Friday evening rush at the airport.
Choose a hotel near Central Station so both the office and the airport train are close. Ask about late check-out on Sunday, and check whether breakfast is included when you compare prices. It is easier to get a yes before you arrive than at reception on the morning itself.
When is the best time for a weekend in Copenhagen?
Copenhagen works all year, but the weekends feel different. From January to March the city is quiet and hotels have more rooms to choose from. Tivoli closes between its seasons, including much of the winter, so check the dates before you plan an evening there.
February half term, Easter and the late May bank holiday are busier, and rooms go faster. If you are going as a couple around Valentine's Day, our hotels for a romantic weekend away are a good place to start.
Book with free cancellation where you can. That way you can secure the dates early and still move the weekend if something comes up.
Our first choice for a weekend in Copenhagen
Nimb Hotel
Nimb has Tivoli as its garden, and that is what makes the stay. Step out of the hotel and you are among the flowerbeds, with the City Hall Square and Central Station just outside. In summer the rooftop pool is open. Ask for a room overlooking Tivoli, and book dinner in the hotel before you travel if you want to eat there on Saturday.
Frequently asked questions about a weekend in Copenhagen
How do I get from Copenhagen Airport to the city centre?
Take the train or the metro. The train from Kastrup reaches Central Station in around fifteen minutes, and the metro runs to Kongens Nytorv and Nørreport. Both run frequently throughout the day. If your hotel is near Tivoli or in Vesterbro, the train is easiest, while the metro suits hotels in the old town or near Nyhavn.
Is two nights enough for a weekend in Copenhagen?
Yes, two nights cover the main sights if you stay central. Spend Friday evening in Kødbyen, Saturday in the old town with Nyhavn and the Round Tower, and Sunday in Christianshavn. If you also want Louisiana or Kronborg Castle in Helsingør without rushing, add a third night.
What can you do in Copenhagen on a winter weekend?
In winter Copenhagen is a city for museums and long lunches. Visit the Designmuseum and Louisiana, eat smørrebrød and spend an evening in Kødbyen. Tivoli is closed for much of the winter but reopens for its seasonal programmes. Check the dates before you book if Tivoli matters to you.
Which hotel is best for a weekend in Copenhagen?
Nimb is our first choice, because the palace stands in Tivoli and close to the station. Absalon in Vesterbro suits a weekend of food and bars, and Kanalhuset in Christianshavn is for those who want peace and quiet. All three are within walking distance of most sights, so you do not lose the weekend to transport.