What to do in Copenhagen: 10 must-do things

 As a Dutchman you will feel at home quickly: there is a lot of cycling, coffee drinking, liquorice eaten and there are canals with tour boats. Do you think Copenhagen is an expensive city? You don't have to: you can easily adapt your city trip in this stylish Scandinavian city to your budget. Skyscanner gives you 15 tips for the cheapest sights in Copenhagen .

1. Take a free city walk

Not all sights and activities in Copenhagen are expensive. Some are even free! Sandemans provides free guided tours of the city every day in summer. The circular walks start at 11 a.m. at the stairs of the City Hall and last three hours. Along the way you will pass famous sights such as Tivoli, the Royal Palace and the Frederik's Church (also called Marmorkirken). The tours are given by volunteers. When you are satisfied, you can pay them something as they see fit.

2. Go to the museum for free

Culture and society are very important in Denmark and Copenhagen therefore has museums and galleries that are accessible for free. We recommend that you go to the National Museum in any case . There you will find impressive Viking treasures, but also objects from the Roman Empire and the Far East. If you like art, don't miss the National Gallery . It manages collections of classical Danish and European art, as well as an exhibition of modern 20th-century art.

In addition to museums that are always free to enter, Copenhagen also has attractions that are free one day a week or at certain times. Visit Copenhagen can tell you everything about the current possibilities on the spot.

3. Save money with the Copenhagen Card

Investing in a Copenhagen Card is certainly a good idea. You can choose from different variants: for 24 hours, 48 ​​hours, 72 hours and 120 hours. The Copenhagen Card makes Copenhagen a lot cheaper: you can enter for free at 72 museums and attractions, use public transport for free and benefit from discounts at restaurants, car rentals and many more things to do in Copenhagen. If you go to Copenhagen with children, the Copenhagen Card is extra advantageous, because a card for an adult includes two children up to 10 years old.

4. Get on your bike

The residents of Copenhagen sometimes joke that newborn babies can immediately cycle here. They have become more or less integrated with their bicycles: seniors cycle around in style on their two-wheelers, young people rush to appointments and the little ones discover the world from their bicycle seats.

Copenhagen is therefore very suitable for cycling: there are clearly marked cycle paths and bicycle racks everywhere. In the train, cyclists do not disturb the other passengers, because they have their own wagon. There are even railings along the road that you can hold on to if you are in front of a red traffic light.

Do you want to rent a bicycle? Then Bycycling is very handy. There you can rent a bike at an affordable price and you get a tablet with GPS, so you can never get lost. You can just go to one of the many rental points and pay with your credit card, but Copenhagen residents usually reserve a bike online - so why wouldn't you too?

5. Eat smorrebrod

Smorrebrod literally means 'bread with butter', but it is more of a sandwich with extensive toppings. The Danes love it and a city trip to Copenhagen is the perfect opportunity to taste as many different types of bread and spreads as possible. Are you going for meat, fish or vegetarian? The choice is enormous! Moreover, thanks to smorrebrod you can also eat relatively cheaply in Copenhagen. For example, you can pick up your smorrebrod from one of the many stalls in the city - much cheaper than smorrebrod in a restaurant! If you still want to eat out.

6. Spot the queen in the subway

The members of the Danish royal family are known for being close to the people. They just walk down the street and take the metro just like everyone else. A metro ticket can therefore be enough to encounter them. Therefore, do not look at your smartphone all the time when you are on the escalator, because there may be royalty in front of you.

To make your subway ride in search of the queen even more fun, it is best to sit at the very front. This is one of the 'youngest' metro networks in the world: it was built in 2002 and is full of innovative technology. The trainsets are remotely controlled by computers, so that the best view is not for the driver, but just for the passengers.

7. Catch the prince as he slips away from Amalienborg

During your Copenhagen city trip, it is also worthwhile to stroll to the royal residence Amalienborg. It seems to happen regularly that the Danish prince slips out behind the backs of the tourists who are taking a tour and then quickly gets off on his bicycle. So take a good look around you and you might see His Highness going to a football match or a pop concert.

8. Take a selfie with the Little Mermaid

Even the biggest opponents of lists of sights and standard photos in famous places take a selfie with the Little Mermaid. Otherwise, no one will believe you have actually been to Copenhagen!

The Danes love to dress up, paint or strip body parts from time to time. Hans Christian Andersen's poor heroine is regularly harassed by vandals and has been repaired several times. There are therefore calls to put her further in the harbor, but until now the Little Mermaid has always returned to her familiar place. Still, she goes through a lot: she even went on a trip to the world fair in Shanghai - with her own bodyguards, of course.

9. Unleash all brakes in Christiania

This laid-back commune started in the 1970s as a hippie occupation of a military base, but has grown into a fully-fledged alternative residential community officially recognized by the local authorities. Squatters, artists and musicians can be themselves in Christiania without being considered strange. Open-minded visitors are very welcome and can enter for free to view the bars, workshops and galleries and experience the unique atmosphere.

Photography is one of the things that are not allowed in Christiania, just like driving a car. What is allowed is living as you want, wearing whatever you want, building the craziest houses of glass and wood and bicycles (horse riding is also allowed). Until recently, the city council allowed recreational drug use, but there is a lot of discussion about this. You might want to avoid the so-called 'Pusher Street' if you are traveling alone, but you don't have to worry about the rest of Christiania. It is a complete city in a city the size of the Vatican with quirky streets, hippie buildings, bizarre graffiti and shops with incense sticks and bead necklaces.

10. Have a picnic in a graveyard

The Danes like to picnic in a cemetery and that is not considered disrespectful at all: a cemetery is an oasis of peace and quiet in Copenhagen, so why not take advantage of that? Assistens Kirkegård is an ideal park for walking, reading or doing nothing.

So act like the hipsters in Copenhagen and have a picnic on the grass between the gravestones. And don't forget to stop by the grave of Hans Christian Andersen, which you can easily recognize because there are always toys on it.