Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Copenhagen was great for a family with young kids. We went to Tivoli Gardens, the zoo, did a private boat tour, took the train to go to a Viking ship museum and a tour a gorgeous castle, and then did couple days in Stockholm before flying home. Copenhagen is pricy but there are incentives that make it more affordable for families (if you go, get the Copenhagen Card -- you can get a free card for kids with the purchase of an adult card and it covers all public transit, gets you discounts lots of places, and covers the entrance fee for a lot of attractions including the ones we went to outside of Copenhagen itself). Even though our hotel wasn't cheap, it wasn't insane (around $250/night US, which is actually really decent for a city IMO) and the hotel was incredibly family friendly -- great breakfast spread every morning, included, bike rentals for the family, a play area for kids off the lobby, and the room was set up/designed for a family.

Amsterdam is also great but I think it makes more sense for teens or just an adult trip because to me Amsterdam is a more adult city. I think it could be boring for younger kids. Having Tivoli in Copenhagen is a huge selling point for travel with kids IMO.

Agree I wouldn't try to do both in the same trip.

What was the hotel? Thank you.

I'm the PP and we stayed in Scandic hotels. We stayed in the one in the Meatpacking district for the first part of our trip and then stayed at the Palace Hotel (also a Scandic property) on the tail end when we returned from Stockholm. Both were great. I've also stayed at Scandics in Sweden. I would consider them kind of on par with Marriot in the US but with a much more Scandinavian vibe, and I've never seen anything quite like their breakfast buffet in another country. It's... expansive. Perhaps at some Asian hotels.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it worth it?

Friends have said to pick either Copenhagen or Amsterdam, not both.

I'm not sure why your friends gave you that advice. I went to both cities on a trio a couple years ago. Airfare is cheap between the two and I enjoyed the contrast between the cities. I loved both but felt there was more to do in Amsterdam. 4-5 days in Copenhagen felt like more than enough time.

I agree with this. I think you could definitely do both. I was kind of bored by Copenhagen after 3 days and I don't love Amsterdamn either. They both seem like nice places to live but there's no "wow" factor as a tourist.

I think it really depends on what you like to do as a tourist. If you are looking for a lot of famous sites then neither city is going to scratch that itch, as well as London or Paris or Rome. There is some of that both places but it's lower key and less recognizable than what you'd see in those other cities.

But if you want to do outdoorsy things, wandering neighborhoods, shopping, going out to eat, and are less interested in visiting iconic sites, then you might prefer Amsterdam, Copenhagen, or Prague. Or maybe you like both approaches and it's just nice to go to a smaller, lower key city sometimes as a change of pace. It's like how in the US, I do love NY and LA but sometimes I want to go to Chicago or Albuquerque or Portland. I approach those other cities differently and I have to work a bit harder to put an itinerary together because it's less obvious what to do and see in a smaller city. But that doesn't mean there's nothing to do or that those cities are boring.

My favorite thing we did in Copenhagen was going kayaking and boating. We rented kayaks and went out for a few hours on our second day there and it was such a fun way to see the city. There are even bars and restaurants with kayak parking and we went to one of these for lunch. We also did a private canal tour near the end of our trip with a guide who was a an expert on the literary history of Copenhagen, which was amazing. I am a writer and my spouse and child are both huge readers so it was fascinating to hear about the writers who had lived in the city, where they'd lived and what the city was like when they lived there, and to learn about the real life inspiration for some of their work.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it worth it?

Friends have said to pick either Copenhagen or Amsterdam, not both.

I'm not sure why your friends gave you that advice. I went to both cities on a trio a couple years ago. Airfare is cheap between the two and I enjoyed the contrast between the cities. I loved both but felt there was more to do in Amsterdam. 4-5 days in Copenhagen felt like more than enough time.

I agree with this. I think you could definitely do both. I was kind of bored by Copenhagen after 3 days and I don't love Amsterdamn either. They both seem like nice places to live but there's no "wow" factor as a tourist.

Copenhagen is an amazing city! Loved everything about it. Tivoli Gardens was so lovely. It’s more than an amusement park like Disney. It’s not a cash grab where everything is overpriced. Instead, people young and old go just to walk around and enjoy the day. I was even lucky enough to go on a day where there was a concert and it was included in the ticket. Just so lovely. The museums were amazing! The trains are clean and efficient. Super walkable city and bonus if you’re brave enough to bike there. Bikes truly are the way to get around. After being in so many popular cities in Europe like Paris or London or Madrid, etc. I felt Copenhagen is underrated. It is a hidden gem.

Anonymous wrote:Copenhagen is very pricey.

The airport is fabulous.

I liked both. You have to watch for tons of bikes in both.

Our hotel in Copenhagen was great but is probably $$$ now: D’angleterre.

Our hotel in Amsterdam was in the Nine Streets area: the Ambassade.

Anonymous wrote:We had a great time with our two teens in Copenhagen last summer. We had so much fun at Tivoli. Rosenburg Castle was very cool to explore. We rented e-bikes and rode to Reffen, an excellent open-air street food market. It's a charming, walkable city.

We stayed at CPH hotel, which had a family room with two fold-out Murphy beds for the kids, a really excellent breakfast buffet, and access to a fantastic pool and sports complex next door. It was right by the Meatpacking District, which has so many good restaurants. People saying Copenhagen isn't a good destination are nuts.

"Food Destination" - it is most definitely a food (and a good!) destination!

We had a great time with our two teens in Copenhagen last summer. We had so much fun at Tivoli. Rosenburg Castle was very cool to explore. We rented e-bikes and rode to Reffen, an excellent open-air street food market. It's a charming, walkable city.

We stayed at CPH hotel, which had a family room with two fold-out Murphy beds for the kids, a really excellent breakfast buffet, and access to a fantastic pool and sports complex next door. It was right by the Meatpacking District, which has so many good restaurants. People saying Copenhagen isn't a good destination are nuts.

Anonymous wrote:Copenhagen was great for a family with young kids. We went to Tivoli Gardens, the zoo, did a private boat tour, took the train to go to a Viking ship museum and a tour a gorgeous castle, and then did couple days in Stockholm before flying home. Copenhagen is pricy but there are incentives that make it more affordable for families (if you go, get the Copenhagen Card -- you can get a free card for kids with the purchase of an adult card and it covers all public transit, gets you discounts lots of places, and covers the entrance fee for a lot of attractions including the ones we went to outside of Copenhagen itself). Even though our hotel wasn't cheap, it wasn't insane (around $250/night US, which is actually really decent for a city IMO) and the hotel was incredibly family friendly -- great breakfast spread every morning, included, bike rentals for the family, a play area for kids off the lobby, and the room was set up/designed for a family.

Amsterdam is also great but I think it makes more sense for teens or just an adult trip because to me Amsterdam is a more adult city. I think it could be boring for younger kids. Having Tivoli in Copenhagen is a huge selling point for travel with kids IMO.

Agree I wouldn't try to do both in the same trip.

I planned almost this extra trip for last summer but then got pregnant and my ob discouraged flying internationally that late. She was right I was miserable but I was really looking forward to it.
Echoing the request for the hotel! We originally planned to use air BNB but with two kids I think a hotel may be better suited.

i like both but liked Copenhagen better.

When are you going?

The tulip gardens and fields near Amsterdam are a unique experience in the spring.