Best Time to Visit Copenhagen

Summer: long days and harbour swims

June to August is the easy season. Days are mild, around 19 to 21°C, and the light lasts late into the evening. You can swim at Islands Brygge harbour bath or take a bike ride to Amager Strandpark after dinner. August is the wettest month, with rain on 15 days, though showers tend to pass quickly. July is nearly as damp, so keep a plan B like the National Museum or Glyptoteket.

This is high season. Danish school holidays run through July and into early August, so Tivoli Gardens and Nyhavn are busy. Hotels fill up, and you'll share the canal tours with plenty of people. If you can, pick June. It's the sunniest month, with the least rain of the three.

Roskilde Festival, a huge music event about 30 km west of the city, takes over the start of July. Copenhagen Jazz Festival fills the city's clubs and squares with music in early July.

Spring and early autumn: the quieter sweet spots

April feels fresh but cool. Parks like Kongens Have fill with people on the first sunny days, and tulips and cherry blossom come out. Bring a proper jacket, because the wind off the Øresund (the strait beside the city) bites. May is warmer and still calm. It's good for walking Christianshavn and climbing the spiral tower at the Church of Our Saviour.

September is the pick if you hate crowds but still want decent weather. It's as comfortable as summer, though sunshine drops to under five hours a day. Tivoli's autumn season starts in the middle of the month. Copenhagen Cooking & Food Festival usually happens in late summer, so check its dates if food is your reason to go.

Winter: dark, damp and cosy

From November to February, daylight is short and the city is grey. Sun averages barely one or two hours a day, and it's often around freezing. Is that a dealbreaker? Not if you like cosy cafés, candles and pastries. Danes call that feeling hygge.

December is the exception. Tivoli's Christmas market opens in mid-November and runs to the new year, with lights, mulled wine (gløgg) and æbleskiver (small round pancakes). Prices for flights and hotels are lower in January and February, but many outdoor sights feel flat then. Pack waterproof shoes for wet cobbles.

October is a middle ground. It's cooler and wetter, but the autumn half-term week brings families to the museums.