Copenhagen - Places for Children
Copenhagen is a 'child-friendly' city. Children are allowed pretty much everywhere and often you will find areas particularly designed to entertain children while you for example shop, go to the doctor, or have to spend time in a public office. The city also has a number of parks and playgrounds can be found in these as well as around most apartment complexes. The first thought which comes to mind though, when saying children and Copenhagen, is Tivoli.
Tivoli
Tivoli is an amusement park but referred to as a Garden. It opened in 1843, founded by Georg Carstensen by the permission of King Chr. VIII. It was an immediate success and the first season the garden had 175.000 visitors, one of them being Hans Christian Andersen who came on the last day of the season, October 11th.
Today Tivoli has more than 4,5 million visitors annually during the three seasons it is open. During Summer 3,3 million visitors enter Tivoli, on Halloween 250.000 visitors and during Christmas about 1 million!
Tivoli is situated right in the centre, between the main station and the City Hall Square.
Eating
Danes like children and they are welcome in most Copenhagen cafés and restaurants. Some of them have put a little extra thought into their estabishments for families with children and have extra space for prams, particular menus for children, play areas with toys and even children's cinema.
Museums and Science
National Museum of Science and Technology - Get the answers to all your questions about electricity, cars, airplanes, old crafts, patents, computers and a lot more, and discover in what direction technology is leading our society. The National Museum of Science and Technology occupies some 8,000 kmq in the southern part of Helsingør (Elsinore) together with Denmark's Flight Museum and Traffic Museum.
Opening hours: Tuesday-Sunday 10 am - 5 pm
Zoological Museum - Touch a seal, fox, badger, hare, squirrel and many more. But watch your fingers when you touch the hedgehog! Normally you are not allowed to touch the animals at the Zoological Museum, but the museum has set out some stuffed animals for the kids to get into a close encounter with. Remember to use the assignments to go animal hunting around the museum, and get answers to your questions from the museum officials.
Opening hours: Tuesday-Sunday 10 am - 5 pm
Circus Museum - The Circus Museum in Hvidovre southwest of Copenhagen offers a different museum experience for kids where there is room for laughter and wonder. At the museum it is possible to try the artistry on your own body in the activity room where the children can dress up and pretend to be a juggler, line dancer or clown in the mini circus ring. The museum also has shows, work shops, guided tours and lectures. Listen to entertaining stories from the circus world and get to know it better.
Opening hours: Sunday to Tuesday 11.00-15.00 or by appointment
Danish Maritime Museum - The Danish Maritime Museum at Kronborg Castle in Helsingør (Elsinore) is 2,000 square metres of colourful maritime history from the Middle Ages till today. Look at objects from the voyages to the colonies where the Danish vessels sailed with trading goods like slaves, sugar, spices, silk and china. See how little space the sailors had while living on board the old merchant ships, and stick your nose in a glass flask and dream yourself 400 years back in time to a pirate ship with the smells of Madeira, tar and tobacco. Also experience the present day, modern container ships. The Museum has child-friendly signs on the various objects so the kids themselves can be active.
Opening hours: Sunday to Tuesday 11.00-15.00
National Museum - Everywhere at the National Museum you can see original things from ancient times. They are kept behind glass in exhibition cases. But not at the Children's Museum. There the kids can see and touch copies of the original objects and that way play their way through 1,000 years of history. They can see and try things that show them how people ate, worked, played and dressed hundreds of years ago. There is also a drawing table with paper and colours and shelves with children's books on history.
Opening hours: Tuesday-Sunday 10 am - 5 pm
Experimentarium - The place where science and technology is tangible. Kids are not only permitted, but expected, to touch and use the exhibitions. Hours of playing, experimenting, learning and experiencing are waiting ahead.
Opening hours: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 9.30 - 17.00 Tuesday open til 21.00;
weekends between 11.00 and 17.00
Tycho Brahe Planetarium - The Planetarium's permanent exhibition about astronomy and space travel is for everyone in the family who wants to learn about moonwalks, the solar system and space research. You can also experience the Planetarium's IMAX theatre with 240 seats. The 1,000 square metre dome-shaped screen surrounds the audience so you and the kids get a feeling of being part of the on-screen action. Lean back and travel below the sea, out in space or
Opening hours: every day from 10:30 am till 9:00 pm
