Free Things to Do in Copenhagen: What Is Still Free in 2026
Last updated: October 2026
Intro
The Christiansborg tower view, the Royal Danish Library's Black Diamond, Kastellet, the harbour bath at Islands Brygge and the Davids Samling museum all cost nothing in 2026. The National Museum does not: adults pay 130 kr. The Glyptotek is free only on the last Wednesday of the month, and the Palm House at the Botanical Garden is shut for renovation. Here is what really costs nothing, checked in October 2026.
Ciceru's Copenhagen walk costs €7 and runs about 3 km in roughly 2.5 hours, from Rådhuspladsen to Nyhavn, with a story and a quiz question at each of its 10 stops and a free 500 MB global eSIM. It is a self-guided walk in the Ciceru app, and one of the stops is the Christiansborg tower.
⚡ Quick answer
- Best free view: the Christiansborg tower, free, lift to the top, with an airport-style security check
- Best free museum: Davids Samling, free all year, open until 21:00 on Wednesdays
- Free on set days: Thorvaldsens Museum every Wednesday, the Glyptotek on the last Wednesday of the month
- Biggest catch: the National Museum charges 130 kr for adults and has done since 2016
- Royal ritual: the Life Guard changeover at Amalienborg, around 12:00, on a route that changed in January 2024
🚫 What is not free, or not open
National Museum of Denmark. 💶 130 kr for adults, free for under 18s. 🕐 Daily 10:00 to 17:00 from April to October, closed Mondays from November to March. It stopped being free in 2016, whatever an older list says. SMK, the national gallery, also charges adults (110 kr on its own page).
Thorvaldsens Museum. 💶 110 kr, free for under 18s, with free entry for everyone on Wednesdays (see below).
Christiansborg Palace rooms. 💶 225 kr for the combined ticket at the gate, 215 kr online, or 85 to 150 kr for single venues (Reception Rooms 150 kr, Ruins, Stables and Royal Kitchen 85 kr each). Under 18s are free. The Royal Reception Rooms are closed 14 to 21 October 2026 and every attraction is shut on Monday 19 October, and rooms can close without notice for official events. The tower next door is the free part.
Round Tower. 💶 60 kr for adults, 40 kr for students, free for under 18s. 🕐 In October, Monday and Tuesday 10:00 to 21:00, Wednesday to Sunday 10:00 to 18:00.
Tivoli. Entry uses dynamic pricing, so there is no single gate price. Check the calendar for the cheapest day.
Marble Church dome. 💶 50 kr, on Saturdays and Sundays at 13:30, 15 people a tour, no advance booking. The church itself is free.
Palm House, Botanical Garden. 📍 Øster Voldgade. The Natural History Museum's website says it is being renovated and gives no reopening date.
🏛️ Free views, politics and royals
Christiansborg tower. 📍 Enter at the King's Gate, directly beneath the tower, on Slotsholmen. 🕐 Tuesday to Saturday 11:00 to 21:00, Sunday 11:00 to 17:30, per the national tourist board's October listing. No Monday hours are listed, so do not plan on one, and check the Parliament's own page (ft.dk) as it could not be read. Free, lift only, with an airport-style security check, and a queue is possible because space at the top is limited. The restaurant on the way up is where the money goes.
Parliament tour. 📍 Folketinget, Christiansborg. Guided tours of the Danish Parliament are free and take about 45 minutes, led by Parliament Officers. Book on the Parliament's site, where all times are shown, and arrive 15 minutes early at the Visitors' Entrance.
Changing of the guard. 📍 Amalienborg Slotsplads 🕐 around 12:00. The parade leaves the Life Guards' barracks on Gothersgade at 11:27, passes the Round Tower and Kongens Nytorv, and reaches the square. Since 15 January 2024 it goes to Frederik VIII's Palace, where the King lives, not Christian IX's Palace as before. The retiring guard marches back past the Marble Church. The royal household describes the ceremony as taking place when the King is in residence, and says a Palace Guard is kept when he is elsewhere, so check kongehuset.dk if you have travelled for it.
Frederik's Church (Marble Church). 📍 Frederiksgade 4 🕐 Monday to Thursday 10:00 to 17:00, Friday 12:00 to 17:00, Saturday 10:00 to 17:00, Sunday 13:00 to 17:00. Free to enter. It closes for services, concerts and rehearsals, a few dates have different hours, and roof repairs on the front portico are due to finish by the end of the year.
🖼️ Free museums and free days
Davids Samling. 📍 Kronprinsessegade 30 to 32 🕐 Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 to 17:00, Wednesday until 21:00, closed Monday. The only museum here that is free every day of the year.
Thorvaldsens Museum, on Wednesdays. 📍 Bertel Thorvaldsens Plads 2 🕐 Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 to 17:00, closed Monday, 24 and 25 December, and 31 December to 1 January. Free for everyone on Wednesdays, 110 kr on other days.
Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, last Wednesday. 📍 Dantes Plads 7, beside Tivoli. Free admission to the whole museum on the last Wednesday of each month, which falls on 28 October and 25 November in 2026. Open every day except Monday. Older lists give Tuesdays, which is out of date. Check the December date before you go.
The Black Diamond. 📍 Søren Kierkegaards Plads 1 🕐 Monday to Friday 08:00 to 20:00 on the visit page, though the live hours page showed 16:30 on Friday 9 October, so check the day. Saturday 09:00 to 18:00, Sunday 10:00 to 16:00. Entry is free, and so is the permanent "Treasures" exhibition. The Old Reading Room is for students and researchers Monday to Saturday, and on Sundays visitors need an exhibition ticket, so it is not a free extra.
🌊 Free outdoors
Kastellet. 📍 The fortress by the harbour, near Langelinie 🕐 06:00 to 20:00 in winter, 06:00 to 22:00 in summer, per the Danish Defence page. Free, on the roads and paths. It is a working military site, so stay on the paths and follow the signs.
Islands Brygge harbour bath. 📍 Islands Brygge 14 🕐 06:00 to 22:00, every day, all year. Free. Lifeguards are on duty only from 1 June to 31 August, 10:00 to 18:00, so an October swim is on your own. Older pages quote shorter lifeguard hours. The city publishes water quality on badevand.dk.
CopenHill. 📍 On the Amager Bakke power plant, Amager. Free access to the rooftop, café, running route and hiking trail during opening hours, and the lift to the top is free as well. Skiing, snowboarding and climbing need booking and payment. Check the opening hours on copenhill.dk.
Nyhavn. 📍 The canal and quay in the centre. Free to stroll along the canal. A seat at a quayside table is the only cost.
The Little Mermaid. 📍 Langelinie promenade, a short walk from Kastellet. A statue on the waterfront with nothing to pay and nothing to book.
🥐 Free to wander
Torvehallerne. 📍 Frederiksborggade 21 🕐 Monday to Friday 10:00 to 19:00, Saturday and Sunday 10:00 to 18:00, coffee and baked goods from 07:00. Free to walk through, with over 115 stalls. Eating is the cost, and What to Eat in Copenhagen covers what to order.
Christiania. 📍 Christianshavn. Free to enter. Follow the signs on the spot, especially on photography and drugs, ask before photographing anyone and keep out of residents' gardens.
📅 Free days calendar
- Every day: Black Diamond, Kastellet, Islands Brygge, Torvehallerne, Marble Church, CopenHill rooftop, Nyhavn, the Little Mermaid, Christiania
- Tuesday to Sunday: Christiansborg tower, Davids Samling (late on Wednesday)
- Around 12:00: the changing of the guard (the full ceremony when the King is in residence)
- Every Wednesday: Thorvaldsens Museum
- Last Wednesday: the Glyptotek
A Wednesday is the best day to plan around. Thorvaldsens is free, Davids Samling stays open until 21:00, and on the last one of the month the Glyptotek joins in. Thorvaldsens and the Christiansborg tower sit close together on Slotsholmen, so they pair easily on a Wednesday afternoon.
💶 Worth paying for
If you pay for one thing, make it the Round Tower at 60 kr, the cheapest ticketed view in the centre. For what a day really costs, see Copenhagen on a Budget.
❓ FAQ
Is the National Museum of Denmark free?
No. Adults pay 130 kr and under 18s get in free. It has charged since 2016.
Is the Christiansborg tower free?
Yes. It is free, Tuesday to Sunday, with a lift and an airport-style security check. The palace rooms below it cost from 85 kr.
Which Copenhagen museums are free?
Davids Samling is free every day. Thorvaldsens Museum is free on Wednesdays, and the Glyptotek on the last Wednesday of the month.
✅ Before you go
Check the venue's own page the week you travel, as hours move with the season and some places close for events. Many free things are in the same corner of the centre, so a Wednesday works well for the museums. For the wider picture, start with Copenhagen Explained, and for getting between these places, see Getting Around Copenhagen. Ciceru's Copenhagen walk passes the Christiansborg tower on its way to Nyhavn, with a story and a quiz question at each stop, and all of Ciceru's tours here are at ciceru.com/tours/denmark/copenhagen.
