Child-friendly Copenhagen is a play-ground for creativity and learning

Copenhagen is a city full of imagination and fun for people of all ages. It is the home of two of the world’s oldest theme parks, Tivoli and Bakken; you can go troll hunting in the outskirts of the city, experience the many children’s attractions that explore science and history and take children out to eat, where many restaurants offer quality food and menus for children.

Life in Copenhagen is centred around an ideal of liveability, and the city is very much designed with families in mind. All metro stops have lifts, most cafés and restaurants have changing tables, and the city boasts a wide range of playgrounds, wherever you are. And there is always space for children of all ages on Copenhagen’s sometimes busy bike paths.

In Copenhagen, it is a focus to offer quality experiences for children which combine playfulness, education, and culture. Examples of this are:

• Experimentarium is Denmark's leading science centre, filled with fun and hands-on science that educates on scientific and technological methods and research past and present, activating all of your senses.
• M/S Maritime Museum in Elsinore lets you explore the maritime life of the past and present through interactive and sensory exhibitions. You can learn to navigate by way of the traditional tools of shipping and children can play around in DRØMMESKIBET (the Dream Ship).
• The National Museum, where you can take the family on a voyage in a Viking ship or become a schoolchild of the 1930s and get the castle ready for an enemy attack to learn more about how people ate, worked, played, and dressed hundreds of years ago.
• Cinemateket offers a children's cinema, a filmmaking studio, film workshops, a rooftop terrace with beautiful views, an outdoor cinema, and a playground.
• Enigma, where you can create your own stamp and explore communication tools of the past, while the interactive exhibition Arcadeum takes you back to gaming arcades from the 1980s. Enigma feels a special responsibility towards children as they grow up in a highly digitalized world. With the exhibitions, the museum wants to start a conversation about navigating digital communication.    
• The Open Air Museum, Frilandsmuseet, in Lyngby, where families can explore life in the olden days countryside of Denmark spread across 86 acres of land. Historic houses, open-air theatre, livestock and a petting zoo, old-fashioned food and grocery sales from the cooperative market in the railway town all stand ready to be explored.
• The Workers Museum invites kids to the Children’s Workers Museum, where they can experience and play their way into the lives of working-class children from the time when their great-grandmother was a child.
• The Copenhagen Zoo in Frederiksberg, where children can explore more than 4000 animals in unique architectural settings.
• Den Blå Planet, National Aquarium of Denmark, in Kastrup that draws its guests beneath the surface to an underwater universe, where children can experience more than 24.000 animals.

Museums like SMK (The National Gallery of Denmark), Arken, Designmuseum Denmark, and the National Museum also offer children’s workshops, where children can explore their creativity and artistic skills.

A popular activity in today’s Copenhagen is to go troll hunting. In 2016 the artist Thomas Dambo started building his large wooden Giants in the outskirts of the city, which has become an ever-growing project. You can use the troll map to go look for them.

You can also challenge your family to solve a mystery set at some of Copenhagen’s landmark attractions, such as Christiansborg Castle, Kronborg Castle or Thorvaldsen’s Museum with Mystery Makers.

Finally, the harbour offers great adventures. You can rent a boat, such as a GoBoat, and captain your ship as you explore the harbour.

Copenhagen is designed for active lives, and you will find playful urban spaces all over the city. Three good examples are:

• Superkilen is an urban space with playground activities, consisting of the Red and Black Square with artefacts from all over the world.
• Konditaget Lüders, a public activity roof and playground on top of a multi-storey car park with views of the harbour.
• Swim Zones: Copenhagen offers many swim zones around the city. The ones at Sandkaj harbour, Sluseholmen, Kalvebod Bølge, and Islands Brygge have children’s zones with pools and lifeguards in the summer.

The city also offers many thematic playgrounds. Worth a mention would be:

• The Children's Traffic playground: where children can learn how to bike and navigate safely in the traffic.
• The Tower Playground in Fælledparken: which is a playground version of famous towers from Copenhagen such as: Our Savior's Church, The Copenhagen City Hall, The Round Tower, The Marble Church and the now burnt-out spire from the Copenhagen Stock Exchange.
• The Nature playground in Valby Parken is 25.000 m2 large and Denmark's largest playground. The area consists of low hills dotted with paths and walking tracks. There is a village of willow houses surrounded by wattle fences, areas with wildflowers and sand, a snail-shaped earthwork leading to a great lookout point, climbing grounds, ropes etc.
• The fairytale-themed playground in the King's Garden. Here, children can find a friendly dragon they can ride and explore a fairy-tale world of golden eggs and wooden figures. In the park, you can also find The Marionette Theatre, which is open from 1 June to 1 September.
• ByOasen in Nørrebro, which is a small city farm where children can come up close and pet various animals such as goats, chickens, bunnies, and guinea pigs. On certain days, educational staff will share their knowledge about the animals and nature.

When travelling with kids, safety is, of course, a concern, and there are many reasons why Copenhagen is a safe place for children. The city is easy to get around in with the modern metro and pavement along streets. The city is based on a trust system, and you will see many babies sleeping safely in prams outside the cafés as a testament to just how safe locals feel. Denmark is also ranked as the second safest country in the world according to the Global Peace Index.

A lot of the events and festivals taking place in Copenhagen also create children-versions. Things to try out could be:

• ChildrenDistortion – a child-friendly version of the music festival Distortion taking place in the streets of Copenhagen, where there are concerts for children as well as other activities, which in the past, for example, has included yoga for children.
• Mini Marathon – a 1 or 2 km run for children and families in Fælledparken taking place the day before the official Copenhagen Marathon.
• Open bike race Copenhagen Sprint – an 11 km open and free bike race through Copenhagen taking place the day before the official Copenhagen bike race to let families try out a part of the Copenhagen Sprint route at their own pace.
• Family Cultural Night is the child version of Cultural Night and features events exclusively for children and accompanying adults. It includes museums, galleries, libraries, churches, and castles that show culture from a child’s perspective.
• Car-free Sunday on Nørrebrogade - After the runners from Copenhagen Half Marathon have crossed the street of Nørrebrogade, the street remains blocked from cars and turns into a playground for Copenhageners with different activities and events taking place on the usually busy Nørrebrogade.
• Buster Film Festival – Denmark’s largest film festival for children and teens featuring films from around the world that provide insight into completely different realities. The festival takes place in cinemas in and around Copenhagen.

Renowned for its pioneering gastronomy, Copenhagen has earned a reputation as one of the world's leading food destinations. However, the city's food scene is not limited to fine dining. Many restaurants, cafés, and eateries cater thoughtfully to families, offering child-friendly menus, welcoming atmospheres, and nutritious options suited for younger guests.

Ice cream remains a popular dessert choice among both children and adults. In Copenhagen, there is a wide selection of ice cream parlours offering everything from classic flavours to more experimental varieties. Below is a selection of family-friendly spots across the city.