Copenhagen

Atmosphere: 🎄🎄🎄

Copenhagen is a bit of a muted city in terms of architecture and scale, and its Christmas decor strikes in a similar fashion. The biggest market is located in Kongens Nytorv, and the surrounding hotels and malls are all strung up with lights (one hotel even has a full on “ice palace” theme going on on the exterior). Strøget is also criss-crossed with decorative lights leading all the way to Gammel Strand, where there’s a smaller market taking up the plaza. And Nyhavn is lined from end to end with shacks with Christmas market vendors too, making the already-picturesque harbor even prettier.

But far and away the best part of Christmas in Copenhagen is Tivoli. All the food and souvenir vendors have been fitted with Christmas decorations and goods, and everything from the trees to the buildings to the rollercoasters are strung up with lights of all sorts. If you can imagine a Christmas-themed Disneyland, that’s what this is. It’s awesome.

Aside from that, the town doesn’t look that different at Christmas time from the norm, which is a bit disappointing for the progenitors of “hygge”. Oh well, the highlights do make up for it if you decide to stay in the toursity areas of town.

Food: 🥘🥘🥘

Copenhagen served a variety of food (sausages, crepes, soups) that tasted decently homemade, but nothing culinarily spectacular. I won’t be writing home about the amazing meals I had at the markets here, but you won’t see me complaining about the quality either. That being said, the markets were on the smaller side, so you sometimes have to walk a bit to find the kind of food you want.

Crafts: 🛠️🛠️🛠️

There were unique products being sold here (soap dishes, cutting boards, winter gear), but something felt a little off—either it’s the Scandinavian design principles or the kinds of merchants you run into that just make the stalls feel a little cold and personality-less. The goods weren’t tacky, but they weren’t anything to write home about either.

Affordability: 💶💶💶💶

Denmark ain’t cheap, and prices at the Christmas markets are no exception. 6 to 7 euros for a drink, 9 to 12 for any kind of food (and the portions aren’t super generous either). Getting into Tivoli will cost you around 15 euros per person, too, so if entrance fees and expensive goods scare you away, Copenhagen isn’t for you. And definitely don’t buy anything in the Nyhavn market—it’s 20-30% more expensive than anywhere else.

Extras: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

If you’re a theme park fan, Tivoli is as good as you’re going to get in the “extras” department. Filled with shows and permanent thrill rides, it’s like having a Christmas market inside of Danish Disneyland.

Overall: 🎅🏼🎅🏼🎅🏼

Copenhagen had bright parts (Tivoli, Kongens Nytorv, Nyhavn, Strøget), but was otherwise a bit plain and bare given the season. Aside from that, the markets themselves were expensive and a bit muted relative to those I’ve seen so far.