Copenhagen Shore Excursions
Denmark · 19 independent tours
What can catch you out in Copenhagen
Relayed from official sources — not our verdict. We pass on what the authorities say, word for word, and leave the judgement to you.
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Pickpockets in the crowds
Crime is generally low, but pickpockets and bag-snatchers work crowded spots in Copenhagen — the Central Station and Nørreport, Strøget, Nyhavn, Kongens Nytorv and the airport. They use distraction tricks, particularly on busy public transport.
as reported by UK FCDO — travel advice for Denmark · 23 Jun 2026
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Look before crossing a cycle lane
Cyclists often have right of way. Always check the cycle lane before you step off a kerb or turn, and expect bikes and pedestrians to have priority at junctions.
as reported by UK FCDO — travel advice for Denmark · 23 Jun 2026
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Face coverings are illegal
It’s illegal to wear clothing that conceals your face in a public place, with fines starting at 1,000 krone.
as reported by UK FCDO — travel advice for Denmark · 23 Jun 2026
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Drugs
Illegal drugs, including cannabis, are strictly prohibited even in small quantities.
as reported by UK FCDO — travel advice for Denmark · 23 Jun 2026
On a cruise? Your ship’s port talk is the authority on the day — check that too.
Across Denmark — laws & safety
National rules and risks that apply anywhere in Denmark — relayed from official sources, not our verdict. We pass on what the authority says and leave the judgement to you.
Laws that catch visitors out
- Riding a hired scooter under the influence of alcohol can be prosecuted as drink-driving, with a fine.
- Illegal drugs, including cannabis, are strictly prohibited even in small quantities — jail sentences of up to 10 years and substantial fines.
- It is illegal to wear clothing that conceals your face in a public place — a fine of around 1,000 krone (~£115); legal exemptions apply (e.g. health masks).
Dress code
It is illegal to wear clothing that conceals your face in a public place; legal exemptions apply (e.g. face masks for health reasons).
Drones
Drone flying in Denmark follows the common EU rules (EASA — Regulation (EU) 2019/947, Open category). You must register as a drone operator before flying any drone that has a camera and is not a toy; a single registration is recognised across the EU/EEA. Label the drone with your operator ID, keep within the Open-category limits (subcategories A1/A2/A3), and check the national “geographical zones” that restrict or ban flying near airports, over crowds and at sensitive sites. Register and check the zone map through the Danish Civil Aviation and Railway Authority (Trafikstyrelsen) before you travel.
via EASA — EU civil-drone rules (Regulation (EU) 2019/947), Open category · 24 Jun 2026
Scams to watch
Crime is generally low, but pickpockets and bag-snatchers operate in crowded areas, mainly in Copenhagen (central stations, shopping streets, and tourist spots such as Nyhavn and Christiania); thieves often use distraction, especially on crowded public transport.
Relayed from UK FCDO travel advice — Denmark · checked 18 Jul 2026
Traffic drives on the right. Look left first when you cross the road.
Docking & terminals in Copenhagen
Cruise ships berth alongside at one of several quays run by Copenhagen Malmo Port (CMP); Copenhagen is not a tender port.
- Langelinie — City centre. (The most central terminal - already in the city centre, walkable, and beside The Little Mermaid; about a 15-20 minute walk or short transport hop to Nyhavn.)
- Nordre Toldbod — Central. (Small central berth near the Little Mermaid and Kastellet; walkable to the centre.)
- Oceankaj (Ocean Quay), Nordhavn — About 4 km north of the centre. (In the Nordhavn district about 4 km north; reach Kongens Nytorv in ~20 minutes by shuttle/bus 25 to Orientkaj then metro M4.)
Mobility & step-free access
Getting around between the pier and town:
- Walk — The central, compact core links Nyhavn, the Royal Quarter, Stroget shopping street and Tivoli on foot.
- Metro — A 24/7 driverless metro (M1-M4) plus S-train and buses cover the city on one ticketing system.
- Bicycle — Copenhagen is one of the world’s most cycle-friendly cities, with hire bikes widely available.
Step-free options vary by pier and by the day — confirm the specifics with your operator and the ship’s guest-services desk before booking.
Heading back at the end of the day: Langelinie and Nordre Toldbod are central and walkable, but Oceankaj (Ocean Quay) is about 4 km north in Nordhavn and needs a shuttle or bus-plus-metro; confirm your terminal before returning.
Cruise lines don’t always tell you which pier you’re on, and it’s easy to forget once you’re ashore. As you leave the ship, note or photograph your pier’s name — then give your taxi that exact pier (or your ship’s name) for the trip back.
Copenhagen uses several quays - confirm which terminal your ship uses on the daily programme, as Oceankaj is a transfer from the centre while Langelinie is walkable.
Getting around & must-sees in Copenhagen
Getting around
The centre is compact and walkable; a driverless 24/7 metro, S-trains, buses and a famous cycling network cover the rest on a single ticketing system.
- Walk — The central, compact core links Nyhavn, the Royal Quarter, Stroget shopping street and Tivoli on foot.
- Metro — A 24/7 driverless metro (M1-M4) plus S-train and buses cover the city on one ticketing system.
- Bicycle — Copenhagen is one of the world’s most cycle-friendly cities, with hire bikes widely available.
Must-see sights
- Nyhavn — 17th-century canal and harbour lined with colourful townhouses; a short walk or transport hop from Langelinie.
- The Little Mermaid — Edvard Eriksen’s 1913 statue on Langelinie pier, beside the central cruise berths.
- Tivoli Gardens — Denmark’s most popular attraction - a historic amusement park and gardens in the centre.
- Kongens Nytorv & the Royal Quarter — Grand central square reached by metro M4 from Oceankaj.
- Canal tours — Classic boat tours weave through the harbour and canals.
Taxis & ride-hailing — Bolt work here — Ride-hailing apps operate in Copenhagen alongside licensed taxis (Uber does not operate a standard service in Denmark). (confirm in the app — you’ll need mobile data).
Getting back to the pier
Central terminals are walkable to the main sights; from Oceankaj a shuttle or bus links to the driverless metro for a ~20-minute ride to the centre.
- Walk — From Langelinie and Nordre Toldbod the centre, Nyhavn and the Little Mermaid are an easy walk.
- Metro — A driverless metro (incl. M4 from Orientkaj near Oceankaj) reaches Kongens Nytorv and the centre; a 2-zone ticket costs about 24 DKK.
- Shuttle / bus — From Oceankaj a shuttle or bus 25 connects to the metro at Orientkaj, roughly 20 minutes to the centre.
Key facts only — confirm times, fares and seasonal openings locally.
Operator policies we’ve checked in Copenhagen
Before a tour earns its trust pills, we read the operator’s own site — their terms, cancellation and accessibility pages — and relay what they state. These are the operators’ own terms, not our verdicts; confirm when booking.
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BECOPENHAGEN-ApS
- Free cancellation — verified with conditions: Free cancellation up to 72 hours before the tour with a full refund; inside 72 hours nothing is refunded, though you can ask to move the date.
Checked 10 Aug 2026 · covers 1 tour listed on this page
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City Bike Adventures
- Free cancellation — verified with conditions: A full refund needs at least 7 days' notice. Cancelling 3 to 6 days ahead returns half, and inside 2 days nothing is refunded.
Checked 10 Aug 2026 · covers 1 tour listed on this page
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CphFoodTours
- Free cancellation — verified with conditions: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the tour for a full refund; inside 24 hours the operator treats the service as already begun.
Checked 10 Aug 2026 · covers 1 tour listed on this page
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Funride ApS (trading as Segway Tours Copenhagen)
- Free cancellation — verified with conditions: A full refund only if you cancel more than 14 days ahead. Between 14 days and 2 hours you can move the date for EUR 20 per person but not get money back, and inside 2 hours nothing is refunded.
Checked 10 Aug 2026 · covers 1 tour listed on this page
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GoBoat Tours ApS
- Free cancellation — verified with conditions: Full refund cancelling 72 hours in advance; up to 24 hours before departure you can still edit the booking or take a credit note (their site).
- Group size — Classic GoBoat: space for 8 people; GoBoat Harbor Tours: max 9 people per boat; GoBoat Cruise: boat for 7 or 9 people plus captain
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Hamlet Tours
- Free cancellation — verified on the operator’s own site
- Accessibility — Operator's own statement: tour is not suited for people who do not walk well and is not possible in a wheelchair, due to castles without elevators and long walks on cobbled streets.
- Group size — Standard tours never exceed 16 people; average group size 10-11 participants.
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Lost with a Local
- Free cancellation — verified on the operator’s own site
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Mercure v/Hamid Bouzidi
- Cancellation policy — You can cancel up to 24 hours before the tour, but the operator keeps a flat EUR 10 handling fee from the refund, so you never get the full price back.
Checked 10 Aug 2026 · covers 1 tour listed on this page
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Politically Incorrect Tours Copenhagen
- Group size — Public walking tours: groups up to 6 join free; groups of 7+ pay a fee per person; participants must be fluent in English
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Stromma Danmark
- Accessibility — Operator's own statement: cannot accommodate non-foldable wheelchairs; foldable wheelchairs, walkers, and other mobility aids may be able to join.
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Tours & Tickets
- Cancellation policy — These tickets cannot be cancelled at all — only moved to another date up to 24 hours ahead, and the operator's own pages disagree about whether that change is free.
Checked 10 Aug 2026 · covers 1 tour listed on this page
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Tropical Bikes
- Free cancellation — verified on the operator’s own site
- Group size — Maximum 15 participants per tour.
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Wonderful Copenhagen
- Cancellation policy — The issuer refunds an unredeemed card within six months of purchase, and never once it has been used to enter an attraction or the transport network — but it states that a card bought through a third-party agent can only be handled by that agent.
Checked 10 Aug 2026 · covers 1 tour listed on this page
Eating & shopping in Copenhagen
From canal-side dining at Nyhavn to the Torvehallerne food market and a booming street-food scene, Copenhagen is a gourmet powerhouse - it holds the most Michelin stars in the Nordics and is the home of New Nordic cuisine.
Where to eat
- Nyhavn — Iconic canal lined with colourful houses and outdoor restaurants and bars.
- Torvehallerne — Covered food market in the centre with stalls, smorrebrod and produce.
- Reffen & the street-food scene — Copenhagen’s street-food markets offer a wide range from burgers to tacos and craft beer.
Local specialities
- Smorrebrod — Open rye-bread sandwiches with toppings from herring to seafood and egg.
- New Nordic cuisine
Areas and specialities as described by the source — not our recommendations; confirm openings and prices locally.
Local know-hows in Copenhagen
Money
- Currency
- Danish krone (DKK)
- Cards
- Cards and mobile payments are accepted almost everywhere; Denmark is highly digital and many places are cashless. A few small shops may not take foreign cards or may add a fee.
- ATMs
- ATMs are available in towns; card and mobile payment is the norm.
- Tipping
- Service is included in hotel, restaurant and taxi bills; tipping is optional and there is no set etiquette.
Practicalities
- Language
- Danish; English is very widely spoken.
- Tap water
- Tap water is safe and among the cleanest in the world.
- Plugs
- Type C (Europlug) and Type K sockets; 230V, 50Hz
Key facts to know before you step off — confirm anything time-sensitive locally.
Port busyness in Copenhagen
Often very busy
Copenhagen is one of Northern Europe’s biggest cruise destinations (950,000+ passengers a year) and regularly hosts several ships at once, so the headline sights such as Nyhavn and the Little Mermaid are busy - though the city is large enough to absorb crowds across its districts.
Peak pattern: Busiest in the daytime across the May-September season when several ships are in.
Quieter: Early morning and shoulder season; head to outer districts to escape the honeypots.
- One of the largest cruise destinations in Northern Europe, welcoming more than 950,000 cruise passengers a year
- The port regularly handles several ships at once in peak season
- Honeypot sights such as Nyhavn and the Little Mermaid get busy with tourists
This shows a typical day for the time of year — actual crowds vary on your date, and it isn’t a guarantee.
What we’ve checked in Copenhagen — and when
We last checked the facts on this page between 16 Jun 2026 and 23 Jun 2026. Live travel advisories refresh automatically from the official sources.
- Docking & getting ashore
- Verified by The Excursion Edit against official sources · 16 Jun 2026
- Getting around
- Verified by The Excursion Edit against official sources · 16 Jun 2026
- How busy it gets
- Verified by The Excursion Edit against official sources · 16 Jun 2026
- What can catch you out
- Verified by The Excursion Edit against official sources · 23 Jun 2026
- Operator policies
- From each operator’s own site and terms · 10 Aug 2026
- Travel advisories
- FCDO (GOV.UK) & US State Department · refreshed automatically