Planning guide · Checked 27 October 2026

Best time to visit Copenhagen: month by month, with the real weather and daylight

Here in Denmark we say there is no bad weather, only the wrong clothes, but the month you pick still changes the trip. Daylight swings from about 7 hours in December to almost 17½ in June, and Tivoli, the festivals and the hotels all follow the calendar. This page gives you the weather figures, the daylight, what is on, and which month fits which kind of trip.

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Compare Copenhagen hotelsEnter your dates to see what is open. Summer weekends and December weekends fill first.Tours and ticketsCanal cruises, food walks and museum tickets, with free cancellation on many.Search flights to CopenhagenCompare a few dates either side of the month you want.

Quick answer: the best time to visit Copenhagen is late May to September, when highs run from about 16°C (60°F) to 23°C (73°F) and the evenings are long. June has the most daylight, July and August are warmest, and September is calmer and still mild. Come in mid-November to December for Christmas markets and Tivoli in lights, and in January and February only if you want a quiet, cold city and do not mind about 8 hours of daylight.

Weather figures are 1991–2020 monthly averages for Copenhagen Airport from the Danish Meteorological Institute, as tabulated on Wikipedia. Daylight is the time between sunrise and sunset in the middle of each month, calculated for Copenhagen. Averages are a guide, not a forecast.

Copenhagen by month at a glance

Temperatures are the average daily high and low. The rain column shows average rainfall for the month and the number of days with at least 1 mm.

Month	High / low	Rain	Daylight	What it feels like
January	38 / 33°F 3 / 1°C	37 mm 9 days	7.6 h	Cold and dark; saunas, museums, Light Festival
February	38 / 33°F 3 / 1°C	23 mm 6 days	9.6 h	Cold, drier; Light Festival and winter swimming
March	43 / 35°F 6 / 2°C	35 mm 8 days	11.8 h	Still chilly; light returns fast, Tivoli reopens late March
April	52 / 39°F 11 / 4°C	33 mm 7 days	14.1 h	Spring flowers; Tivoli summer season from 30 March 2027
May	60 / 46°F 16 / 8°C	41 mm 7 days	16.2 h	Long evenings, 16°C highs; cafés spill onto the pavements
June	67 / 53°F 19 / 12°C	50 mm 9 days	17.5 h	Peak light, nearly 17½ hours; Midsummer bonfires on 23 June
July	73 / 57°F 23 / 14°C	51 mm 8 days	17.0 h	Warmest month; festivals, harbour swimming, busiest hotels
August	71 / 57°F 21 / 14°C	50 mm 8 days	15.1 h	Warm and still long days; late-summer festivals
September	63 / 52°F 17 / 11°C	59 mm 10 days	12.8 h	Mild, golden, calmer; Tivoli summer season ends 26 September 2027
October	54 / 45°F 12 / 7°C	50 mm 9 days	10.5 h	Cosy autumn, short days; Halloween in Tivoli to 1 November
November	46 / 39°F 8 / 4°C	48 mm 10 days	8.3 h	Dark, damp; Christmas arrives from mid-November
December	40 / 35°F 5 / 2°C	46 mm 10 days	7.1 h	Christmas markets and lights; around 7 hours of daylight

Daylight is the mid-month figure, so the real day length changes by a few minutes a day around March and September. Sunshine is highest in May to August, at roughly 240 to 260 hours a month, and lowest in December, at about 38 hours.

Spring: March to May

March is still a winter month in the numbers, with highs around 6°C (43°F), but the days grow by more than 4 hours between 1 March and 1 May, and you feel it. By May the highs reach about 16°C (60°F), there are around 16 hours of daylight in mid-month and the pavement cafés are full again.

Tivoli reopens. According to Tivoli, Easter in Tivoli runs 19–29 March 2027 and the summer season opens on 30 March 2027.
Copenhagen Marathon is on Sunday 9 May 2027, with the race starting at 9:30. Expect road closures near the route, so give yourself extra time to cross the city.
Pack: a warm layer and a waterproof. April and May are among the drier months, but mornings are still cool.

Spring is a good pick if you prefer smaller crowds and do not need swimming weather. It is also when the hotel search is easiest, outside Easter and the marathon weekend.

Compare Copenhagen hotels for your spring dates →

Summer: June to August

This is peak season, and the reason is simple. Highs run from about 19°C (66°F) in June to 23°C (73°F) in July, the sun is up for 15 to 17½ hours, and the harbour, parks and canals are the best they get. It still rains on about 8 days a month, so a light waterproof stays in the bag.

Midsummer. Sankt Hans Aften on 23 June is celebrated with bonfires by the water across Denmark,, and Copenhagen joins in with fires by the water.
Roskilde Festival runs 26 June to 3 July 2027 about 30 km west of Copenhagen, with the main programme on 30 June to 3 July. Trains and hotels around it get busy.
Copenhagen Jazz Festival is held in the first half of July. Dates for 2027 had not been published when we checked, so look at the official site before you book.
Pride takes over the city for a week in August. Book hotels early for that week.
Tivoli runs its summer season from 30 March to 26 September 2027, with concerts on summer evenings.

If you want the warmest water and the longest evenings, go in July. If you want the same light with a little less pressure on hotels, go in the second half of June or the end of August.

Compare Copenhagen hotels for summer → Canal tours and summer tickets →

Autumn: September to November

September is a favourite for a calmer visit. Highs are still about 17°C (63°F), the light is low and golden, and the city is calmer after the summer rush. From October the days shorten quickly, to about 10½ hours in mid-October and about 8 hours in mid-November, and it rains on about 9 to 10 days a month. Our October guide and November guide cover what stays open and what to book.

Tivoli: the summer season ends on 26 September 2027. In 2026, Halloween in Tivoli ran 2 October to 1 November; Christmas in Tivoli starts on 13 November.
Christmas arrives early. The first markets open in early November. See our Christmas markets guide for the 2026 dates.
Pack: a warm jacket, a hat and waterproof shoes from October.

Compare Copenhagen hotels for autumn →

Winter: December to February

December is the one winter month most visitors come for. Highs are about 4–5°C (40°F), and the sun is up for only about 7 hours in mid-December, but the markets, the lights and Tivoli at Christmas make up for it. After New Year the city goes quiet. January and February have highs of about 3°C (38°F), February is the driest month on average, and the days gain about 2 hours between the two.

Tivoli: Christmas in Tivoli runs 13 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, and the next published season is Easter from 19 March 2027, so there is no regular Tivoli season in between.
Winter bathing and saunas are popular all winter, and our winter guide lists the museums and cafés that make the cold days easy.
Northern lights are rare this far south, but between September and March a strong geomagnetic storm can bring them over Denmark. Our northern lights in Denmark guide explains the forecast and the best dark spots.
New Year's Eve is big, with fireworks across the city. Read the New Year's Eve guide before you book a table.

Visiting for Christmas? Our Christmas markets guide and the December guide have the dates and opening hours.

Compare Copenhagen hotels for December → Heated canal cruises and winter tickets →

Copenhagen Christmas Weekend 2026 (PDF) — €4.97 (≈ US$5.58) →

A finished Friday-to-Sunday plan for the markets, Tivoli and the lights, in walking order, with prices in DKK and US$. Launch price until 31 December 2026; €10 from 1 January 2027.

Which month fits your trip?

If you want	Go in	Why
The warmest, longest days	June to August	Highs of 19–23°C (66–73°F) and 15 to 17½ hours of daylight
Good weather with fewer festival crowds	Late May or September	Highs of 16–17°C (60–63°F), Tivoli open, calmer streets
Christmas markets and Tivoli in lights	Mid-November to 23 December	Markets from early November; Tivoli Christmas 13 November to 3 January
Tivoli rides and gardens in bloom	April to September	Tivoli's summer season, 30 March to 26 September 2027
A quiet museum-and-café city break	January to March	Short days and cold, with fewer visitors than in summer
Festival nights	Late June to August	Roskilde, Jazz Festival, Pride and Tivoli concerts

Not sure how many days to book? See Copenhagen for US travelers for flight times, tipping and the practical basics, and first time in Copenhagen for what to book before you arrive.

Booking tips by month

Hotels: they tend to fill first in July and August, in Pride week, around Roskilde Festival and on December weekends. Compare a few nights either side of your dates, and see where to stay in Copenhagen to choose an area.
Flights: check a few departure days either side of your dates, because fares change from day to day.
The Copenhagen Card: it pays off on a busy sightseeing schedule and not on a slow one, in any month. Use our Copenhagen Card calculator before you buy.
Tickets: Tivoli prices are dynamic, so always look at the from price for your own date on Tivoli's site.

Quick answers

What is the best month to visit Copenhagen?

For warm weather and long evenings, June is hard to beat: highs of about 19°C (66°F) and almost 17½ hours between sunrise and sunset in mid-June. July and August are warmer, at about 21–23°C (70–73°F), but they are also the busiest hotel months. Late May and September are good middle options, and December is the month for Christmas.

Is Copenhagen worth visiting in winter?

Yes, if you come for the right reasons. From mid-November to Christmas the city has Christmas markets and Tivoli in lights, and January and February are quiet months for museums, saunas and cafés. Daylight is short, about 7 hours in December, and highs are around 3–5°C (38–40°F), so plan indoor stops and dress in layers.

When is Tivoli Gardens open?

According to Tivoli, the 2027 Easter season runs 19–29 March, the summer season runs 30 March to 26 September 2027, Halloween in 2026 runs 2 October to 1 November, and Christmas runs 13 November 2026 to 3 January 2027. Between 3 January and 19 March there is no regular Tivoli season. Entrance prices are dynamic, so check Tivoli before you go.

How many days do you need in Copenhagen?

Most first-time visitors are happy with 3 days, and 2 days is enough for the main sights. If you want to add Kronborg, Roskilde or a day in Odense, plan 4 or 5 days.

When does it get dark in Copenhagen?

It depends on the month. In mid-December the sun sets before 16:00. In mid-June it sets around 22:00 and the sky stays light for much longer, and in May it sets around 21:00.

When is the cheapest time to visit Copenhagen?

There is no single cheap month, because hotel prices follow events as much as seasons. Large festivals, Pride week and weekends in December tend to fill hotels first, so book early for those dates and compare a few nearby nights.

Do I need a rain jacket in Copenhagen?

Yes, at any time of year. It rains on about 6 to 10 days a month, and September to December are the wettest stretches by number of rain days. A light waterproof and comfortable shoes work better than an umbrella on a windy harbour.