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December 7, 2020

Thanksgiving in Copenhagen

family trip to Copenhagen

I remember seeing this row of colorful houses on Nyhavn years ago and wanting to visit Copenhagen. It just seemed so charming and idyllic. And it didn't disappoint!



 We had the opportunity last Thanksgiving to add Copenhagen for the second half of our trip (first half London) thanks to Europe's cheap airfare between countries. It's a small city, so you can do a lot in 3 days. Here were some of our highlights from our trip...

Copenhagen over Thanksgiving

Tivoli Gardens....
Tivoli was one of the things we were most excited to experience, as it's said to have been Walt's inspiration for Disney World! Way smaller in scale than Disney, but totally magical in it's own Copenhagen way, we definitely fell in love!

Copenhagen over Thanksgiving
{Can you imagine an OPEN fire pit at one of the Disney Parks?! This was awesome & unexpected.}

On our first day in the city we had an entire half day to spend so we immediately went to Tivoli. This was on a Thursday (Thanksgiving day for us Americans) and the park was basically deserted. No lines for anything. 

Copenhagen trip report

Because it was Thanksgiving we had made reservations at a nice restaurant in downtown. This was definitely a mistake on my part because we had to leave Tivoli early for the reservation. Tivoli has tons of food and drink halls and you should plan to stay here all night. 

Copenhagen family trip

Plus, you pay an entry fee ($22 ish) and then you pay for every ride (or an unlimited ride option, $40). 
Because we had to leave early, we went back again on Saturday and it was packed :( But it's such an adorable place we still really enjoyed it.

Family Copenhagen trip
Another favorite was the Nyhavn area. It was super adorable and festive. All the windows, walkways and doors were decorated for the holidays. 

Copenhagen in the Winter with Kids

Copenhagen over Thanksgiving
I loved how the outdoor cafes had blankets on each chair as well as heat lamps. Perfect place to people watch and eat some of Copenhagen's famous smørrebrød (Danish open sandwiches). 

Copenhagen over Thanksgiving
I absolutely fell in love with these. There are so many different options you could eat them every day and not get sick of them. Some more low key, some super fancy. 

There was a tiny shop about a 10 minute walk from our hotel called T.S. Smørrebrød that had the best smørrebrød and the best prices. 


The Christmas Markets are another reason I wanted to visit Copenhagen over Thanksgiving. Their main markets in the city center were open (some in other countries open in early December).

Smoked salmon....

Gluhwein (hot wine) houses where you an also get hot cocoa and hot cider...
And all the beer you could want!


Another fun thing we did was take a little canal ride with the company, Hey Captain. They have these adorable little covered boats with blankets, mini heat lanterns, hot wine and hot cocoa. Our driver was fantastic and we shared the boat with 2 other families who were so sweet!

We also enjoyed Strøget Street (pedestrian street for shopping and dining in the City center), Rosenborg Castle, Torvehallerne (a food hall that has plenty of seating for lunch or dinner - so many choices!), and the Rundetaarn (which is this circular museum you can walk to the top of for great city views). 

For our hotel we stayed in the Copenhagen Marriott and I highly recommend it. Fantastic location. Great lounge/bar area. Super comfy beds. 

Anywhere in Europe with Christmas Markets is a perfect option for Thanksgiving break. Copenhagen has charm in spades and is super walkable. One of the only negatives to the city is how expensive everything is. We had just come from London, and Copenhagen made London look inexpensive! ha!

Have you visited Copenhagen during the holidays? What were your favorite experiences? 

See more adventures and ramblings on instagram  :)