Taking a trip to Copenhagen and wondering how you can save costs? Here are the pros and cons to this city discount card, whether it really can save you money on your visit, and if the Copenhagen Card is worth it!
When planning a weekend trip to Copenhagen I knew I wanted to fit in as many activities as possible. This naturally led me to investigating how I could save myself some $$ because the capital of Denmark is an expensive city for tourists! A quick Google search led me to the Copenhagen Card, a pre-paid entry and transport option for tourists in the city. More digging, multiple calculations, and a whole lot of planning led me down a long path of figuring out if the Copenhagen Card is worth it. Here’s what I found!
What Is The Copenhagen Card?
The Copenhagen Card is a pre-paid tourist travel card offering entry to attractions across Copenhagen, and includes free fares on public transport in the city.
Cards are priced separately for adults and children, and costs range based on the length of their validity. You can get your Copenhagen Card to last 24, 48, 72, or 120 hours.
The Copenhagen Card costs for adults are as follows:
- 24 hours – €54
- 48 hours – €80
- 72 hours – €99
- 120 hours – €133
The most popular of these is the 72 hour pass, and costs are halved for children (10-15 years old). The Copenhagen Card can be purchased either online via the official website, or in person at key information sites in the city.
Once purchased, you can have your Copenhagen Card delivered to your home, or pick it up at one of 4 collection points in the central Copenhagen.
It’s recommended that 3 attractions can be visited on each day, but this is highly dependent on the pace of your travels, how strategic you plan your trip, and the depth in which you like to explore each attraction. From my experience, I would agree that 3 is a reasonable number of paid attractions per day, as these require more time due to a higher concentration of information available. Having said that, I managed to cram in plenty of other attractions not part of the Copenhagen Card, so my attractions per day were closer to 5 or 6!
Why The Copenhagen Card Is Worth It
There are loads of reasons why the Copenhagen Card is worth it and a great investment. People wouldn’t be buying it if it was a total scam! These few reasons are how I perceived buying the Copenhagen Card, and what I would value most from it.
Gives You Peace of Mind
The number one reason to get the Copenhagen Card is because it’s just so easy. A one-off purchase and you’re basically set to enjoy and explore Copenhagen without fussing about buying tickets!
Helpful If You’re Bad at Budgeting
Paying for all your transport and activities in one go is a life-saver for anyone struggling to count the pennies on their trip. Once it’s paid for, you can forget all about accounting for two major elements in any daily budget: transport and activities. Once you’re out and about in Copenhagen all you need to budget for is food, accommodation, and souvenirs. For anyone who hates calculating their daily spending money, this will save you a lot of hassle.
Saves You Money
Depending on what you’d like to see and do on your visit, the Copenhagen Card is a great way to save money on multiple attractions that you’d otherwise pay individually for. And, if you don’t fancy walking everywhere, you can make the most of the excellent public transport system in the city free of charge with the card!
Copenhagen is a notoriously expensive city, and any way to reduce costs is welcome for the budget-conscious traveller. The Copenhagen Card is worth it for the savings alone for those of us who like to maximise their time in a new city. In fact, the Copenhagen Card site can prove to you just how much you can save with their Discount Calculator!
You’re Staying For A Longer Visit
As it’s valid for a range of times (from 24 to 120 hours), the Copenhagen Card is most worth it when you’re there for a longer amount of time. The 120 hours would cover a 5 day trip for just €133 – that’s a huge saving when you consider how many attractions can be visited per day!
If you’re planning a trip longer than a weekend break, the Copenhagen Card will soon pay for itself and you’ll reap the benefits of saving money, time, and effort.
You’ll Be On A Fixed Itinerary
For the more organised tourists among us, the Copenhagen Card is the answer you’ve been searching for. Along with the ease of pre-paying, the Copenhagen Card is a chance to structure your daily itinerary and map out the things you’ll want to do.
If you’re someone who prefers to make a plan and stick to it, this Copenhagen tourist card will only help in doing so. With no risks for diversions and cancellations, you can be assured your organisational skills won’t go to waste if you sign up for the card.
You Prefer To Pre-Pay
Sometimes it’s just nice to arrive in a city and have minimal costs while out there! The convenience of having one big cost ticked off the list means you’ll be heading for your trip with a weight off your shoulders, and one less thing to worry about!
Cost Of 60 Hours In Copenhagen With The Copenhagen Card
When I calculated my costs for 60 hours in Copenhagen (essentially 2 full days and 3 nights), I wanted to know what the costs might look like with purchasing the Copenhagen Card, as well as factoring in additional costs. Here’s what the cost breakdown looks like:
- 48 hour Copenhagen Card – £69 (€80)
- Return London flight – £28
- Transport to/from London airport – £20.50
- Airport to accommodation cost – £4.17
- Accommodation for 3 nights – £67.35
- Food & drinks – £27.78
Total: £216.80
When The Copenhagen Card Isn’t Right For You
You Want To Be Spontaneous
For the adventurous types, being restricted by what you can and can’t do on a pre-paid card could be a nuisance. If you’d rather not be tied down by the Copenhagen Card (which albeit, is very broad!) you could be better off going your own way with entry and transport ticket purchases.
Going with the flow and following your heart is oftentimes what travel is about, and if the Copenhagen Card feels too inadequate to meet that need, then forget about the card, head out there with a rough plan and wing it!
You Won’t Be There For Long Enough
Conversely to the above-mentioned reason to purchase the Copenhagen Card, one might decide against it because it’s simply not worth the time you’ll spend in the city. As with many savings, the more you spend the more you save. It just so happens that with the Copenhagen Card the spending increases with time.
If you’re only in Copenhagen for a time that would allow either the 24 or 48 hour cards, you’ll have to work a lot hard to make it worth your while. It’s certainly possible and you’d still benefit from the convenience of purchasing it, but it wouldn’t be quite as impactful as the longer duration passes.
You’re Overly Budget Conscious
This is me all over. I absolutely hate spending money unnecessarily, but I love travel. Inevitably this causes a few conflicting thoughts about where best to invest!
Knowing that Copenhagen is on the high end of city break costs, I was mindful to reduce the total budget of the trip. When looking into the Copenhagen Card, I started to consider where I could make savings independently from the discount card – and it’s possible!
Like most cities, ther ARE free things to do, or at least cheaper attractions to visit and explore beyond the pricey museums and galleries. Most of being in a city is actually spending time enjoying its culture and atmosphere. How better to do that than casually wandering the city and perching in a coffee shop, sampling the local delicacies?
For the budget-wary traveller, you’d likely be better off exploring alternative methods of finding a discount to really reduce the costs. You can even keep an eye out for concession tickets (if applicable) and other deals available to make your money go further!
You Want To Be As Flexible As Possible
A lot of times, there are multiple factors that determine our activities on a trip. Plans can change frequently due to weather, events, mood, energy, and a whole lot more! If you’re worried about not being about to make the most of your card, you could find the full flexibility of going without would suit you more.
One of my biggest fears about purchasing the Copenhagen Card was the pressure to maximise it but speeding around multiple attractions. I knew that by purchasing the card I’d end up giving myself a strict itinerary and practically an hour-by-hour plan of how to best use the time and ensure it was a worthy investment. Knowing this about myself was something I had to seriously consider when deciding to buy it or not. If you’re similarly minded, be sure to know what you’re letting yourself in for with self-imposed concerns!
You’re Going Solo
As I was exploring Copenhagen alone, I was aware that I’d be doing all of these attractions solo. While museums, galleries, and moany of the entry tickets available through the Copenhagen Card are suitable for solo travellers, I couldn’t help but think that many would also be more fun with someone else to enjoy it with me!
Again, this mostly came down to a personal choice that if I purchased the card, I’d want to make full use of its benefits. Skipping particular attractions because of my own nerves about doing them solo is my own issue, but an important one nonetheless.
Personal interests
I liked art and some unusual attractions from the card, but most of the entry tickets available with the Copenhagen Card I found to be more generic, maybe with families primarily in mind. I love finding the hidden gems and unusual quirks of a city, sometimes these aren’t on any list!
Despite this, the Copenhagen Card does a great job of having huge variety of some very unique attractions!
Cost of 60 Hours In Copenhagen Without The Copenhagen Card
- Activites for 2 days – £46.44
- Return London flight – £28
- Transport to/from London airport – £20.50
- Airport to accommodation cost – £4.17
- Accommodation for 3 nights – £67.35
- Food & drinks – £27.78
Total: £194.24
As you can see, the saving is not a huge amount from purchasing the Copenhagen Card, but it’s something!
So… Is The Copenhagen Card Worth It?
Did I buy the Copenhagen Card in the end? In short, no.
It was a tricky one, a real nail-biting close call… But ultimately I decided against it. I didn’t want to feel rushed or pressured to make the most of the money spent ahead of a trip (I do that enough as it is!).
As I was seriously considering buying the Copenhagen Card, I was trying to figure out how I’d cram in all the activities that actually I wouldn’t have dreamed of going to if not for the card. That was the first alarm bell. The second was when I started to really investigate the things that would interest me on the trip. While a lot of informative and educational activities available on the Copenhagen Card such as galleries, museums, and castles, I also simply enjoy the atmosphere of a city. It’s something which can’t be paid for or found on any card. Sometimes that meant stumbling into a library or garden, or a cool coffee shop. The vibe of a city is truly priceless.
And finally, I was keen on the idea of free transport, but when I looked into planning my day routes, I realised I would walk almost everywhere – the only transport I’d need would be to and from the airport, of which I’d only be able to use the card for one journey as I was staying in Copenhagen around 60 hours – over the amount to use a 48 hour pass, and under the time for a 72 hour one!
Essentially, I decided not to buy the Copenhagen Card because I wasn’t convinced I would be able to make the most of it. To me, that is the definition of whether the Copenhagen Card is worth it or not, and in my case – it’s not.
Although I didn’t get the Copenhagen Card for my weekend trip, it’s not to say I would never get it. If I return (which I seriously hope I do!), I would likely consider getting the card for a longer trip and exploring all the attractions I missed the first time around.
Tips For Finding Out If The Copenhagen Card Is Worth It For You
If you’re still umming and ahhing, you could try and use the Discount Calculator available from the Copenhagen Card site which will tell you out of the attractions you’d like to visit how much money you can save… The total might surprise you!
The site is super helpful and easy to use, with a wealth of resources to inform your decision to buy the Copenhagen Card. The choice really is yours, but my main takeaway would be to do your research thoroughly before diving into any commitments!
It’s also a good idea to investigate what other people have thought about their experiences using the Copenhagen Card, whether that be bloggers, friends, or the online community.
Have a think about the kind of activities you’d like to do on your trip, what volume of sightseeing you think is achievable in the timeframe, and what level of spending your budget allows. If you consider the above points, as well as look into the pros and cons for your own circumstances, you’ll soon find out whether the Copenhagen Card is worth it for you or not.
And, if like me you STILL can’t decide even by the time you arrive, you can still buy the Copenhagen Card during your trip at one of the sales points found throughout the city.
Have you used the Copenhagen Card? Did you find it helpful if so? Let me know if there are other cities with tourist discount cards and your experiences with them!
For more budget-friendly tips for trips around Europe, check out these posts on Prague and Madrid!
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