The best hotels in Copenhagen

Copenhagen is a small city with big city energy. You can cycle from one side of this buzzy capital to the other in around 30 minutes, so it’s hard to believe quite how much variety it packs into its cobbled streets, repurposed industrial districts and pretty harboursides. From effortlessly cool fashion to world-leading gastronomy, stunning museums and wild swimming, there is much on offer across the multicoloured neighbourhoods of this design capital.

Where to stay in Copenhagen

Most of the luxury hotels in Copenhagen are a stone’s throw from Tivoli, the joyfully old-school theme park that inspired Disneyland, while a mix of boutique stays and more intimate experiences are dotted across other parts of the city, amid the newness of ever-developing Nordhavn, the hip hangouts of Vesterbro and the characterful buildings and houseboats of Christianshavn. Our list spotlights the best hotels on offer for an excellent stay in Copenhagen.

Copenhagen K

Hotel Sanders

Best for: Waterfront luxury hotel; timeless character with a touch of drama
Location: Tordenskjoldsgade 15, 1055 København K
Price: from 2,800 DKK / 410 USD per night

When you enter Hotel Sanders, it’s easy to forget you are only a few steps away from Nyhavn, the colourful harbourside street that is by far the busiest and most photographed in Copenhagen. A sense of warmth and comfort washes over you the second you step inside this trio of converted townhouses, owned by prolific Danish ballet designer Alexander Kølpin. Filled with soft leather, woven rattan and earthy tones, the interiors combine the retro glamour of the nearby Royal Danish Theatre with the cosy nostalgia of Danish colonial design. There are 54 rooms, ranging from train-carriage-inspired singles to generous suites, and each is different thanks to the considered curation of books and antiques. The plant-filled rooftop lounge is a place of easy calm, while the bar, Tata, is one of the best bars in Copenhagen for a classic cocktail. A stay here isn’t cheap, but the experience is one to remember.

Radisson Collection Royal Hotel

Best for: Immersing yourself in Danish design history
Location: Hammerichsgade 1, 1611 København V
Price: from 1,445 DKK / 211 USD per night

The SAS Royal Hotel, as it was previously named, is revered in history as the world’s first design hotel. Built in 1960, it was developed by Danish design legend Arne Jacobsen as the hotel and airport terminal for Scandinavian Airlines. Jacobsen oversaw every detail of this 22-storey tower, from the spectacular spiral staircase that winds up from the lobby, to the elegant door handles that feature throughout. Some of his best-known furniture designs, including the elegant Egg and Swan chairs and the sculptural AJ lamp, were custom-designed especially for the building. The hotel reopened in 2018 following a renovation by design studio Space Copenhagen, bringing this modernist icon back to its original glory. Staying here is like stepping back in time and experiencing mid-century minimalism at its finest. True aficionados can request a look around room 606, which remains exactly as Jacobsen first designed it.

Villa Copenhagen

Best for: Understated luxury and year-round swimming
Location: Tietgensgade 35-39, 1704 København V
Price: from 1,770 DKK / 259 USD per night

A 25m rooftop pool, sustainably heated with recycled energy, is one of many reasons to stay at Villa Copenhagen. This classy hotel is located in the heart of the city, next to the central train station and in easy walking distance to the National Museum and the Glyptotek art museum. It is housed inside a neo-baroque building that was once the headquarters of the Danish post office, with a boutique feel that’s rare for a hotel of this size. The design, by London-based Universal Design Studio, extends across 390 rooms ranging from handsome ground-floor suites with four-metre-high ceilings to charming loft bedrooms. The mood in these rooms is pared back and inherently Nordic, while other spaces in the hotel are more high impact. The atrium in particular is a site to behold, with its eye-catching glass dome roof flooding the space with light. A visit to the in-house RUG bakery is a must, allowing you to sample some of Denmark’s famous pastries before even stepping outside.

Hotel SP34

Best for: Fitness and activity on a budget
Location: Sankt Peders Stræde 34, 1453 København K
Price: from 1,090 DKK / 160 USD per night

The design-conscious Brøchner Hotels group is behind Hotel SP34, a lively spot in Copenhagen’s quirky Latin Quarter. It’s the perfect base for travellers who don’t like to sit still. Once you’ve enjoyed the organic breakfast, friendly staff are on hand to offer sightseeing tips, supply bike rentals and advise on nearby running routes. Rooms are equipped with fitness kits, while on-site facilities include a small gym, a 24-seat cinema and a library where you can borrow books. The lobby hosts a daily wine hour where guests can meet and enjoy a drink on the house, while the restaurant offerings include easygoing burger joint Cocks and Cows. At the end of a busy day, it’s easy to unwind in beds with curvy wooden headboards, custom made by furniture producer Carl Hansen & Søn in tribute to the classic Danish easy chair.

Hotel Bella Grande

Best for: Italian elegance with the cuisine to match
Location: Vester Voldgade 23, 1552 København V
Price: from 1,284 DKK / 188 USD per night

One of the hottest new hotels in town, Hotel Bella Grande is modelled on a Venetian palazzo. That becomes evident as soon as you step into the central atrium that hosts in-house Italian restaurant, Donna. Here, chequered marble floors, theatrical pink curtains and floral banquettes provide a sophisticated setting to enjoy freshly baked focaccia, rigatoni al ragú and strawberry-topped pavlova. Wow factor extends through all five floors of the 19th-century building. The reception features a mirrored desk and a wall of keys adorned with tassels, while the 109 bedrooms combine muted tones with playful details that include voluptuous beds, cushion-like lamps and statement chairs. Guests can enjoy a discount at any of the 18 restaurants owned by the hotel’s operator, Copenhagen Food Collective, with top picks including Nordic-style dining at nearby Vækst and Latin American-inspired fare at Llama.

Nobis Hotel Copenhagen

Best for: Contemporary five-star luxury
Location: Niels Brocks Gade 1, 1574 København V
Price: from 2,950 DKK / 432 USD per night

Swedish hotel chain Nobis couldn’t have picked a more refined setting for its Copenhagen offering. With its grand windows, ornate period mouldings and marble staircase, the former home of the Royal Danish Conservatory of Music is the epitome of class and sophistication. For interior design, Nobis turned to Swedish architect Gert Wingårdh; his clever fit out sees this grand building filled with contemporary furniture, providing room to breathe. The sense of serenity extends to the 77 bedrooms, where modern four-poster beds combine with dark-toned wooden furniture and walls painted in cool shades of blue and green. Here, guests will find toiletries from sought-after brand Byredo and the option to book in-suite styling sessions with on-trend fashion label Ganni. Other guest perks include a hammam and sauna, hidden away in a striking marble-lined basement. Dining is as formal as you would expect; in-house restaurant NOI has a bistro-style menu that combines Scandinavian classics like Skagen shrimp toast with continental favourites including pork croquettes and beef tartare.

Vesterbro

Manon Les Suites

Best for: Bali-inspired Indoor jungle and swimming pool
Location: Gyldenløvesgade 19, 1600 København V
Price: from 2,095 DKK / 307 USD per night

A feast for the eyes is waiting behind the unassuming exterior of this 87-room hotel. Manon Les Suites transports its guests into a tropical rainforest filled with lush plants and flowers, dangling fish lamps and striped loungers, with a swimming pool lined in shimmering tiles at the centre. The owner, Guldsmeden, has several properties in the city, but this is by far the most fun. Six floors of balconied bedrooms are organised, riad-style, around the hanging greenery. The nightclub-esque ‘jungle gym’ includes a full-size boxing ring, while the roof hosts a lounge and sauna. There is a restaurant, Chapung, serving Asian-fusion dishes, but a better choice could be to take a short walk to the edgy Nørrebro neighbourhood, where there is far more to be found. Just remember to leave the kids at home – the hotel is adults only, so these frolics are only for those old enough to know better.

Coco Hotel

Best for: Style and sustainability
Location: Vesterbrogade 41, 1620 København V
Price: from 1,144 DKK / 167 USD per night

Sustainability is highlighted in a lot of Copenhagen accommodation, but Coco Hotel is a leader in the field. The building is entirely powered by solar energy and largely plastic-free, while other green initiatives include locally sourced food, bedding and towels made from responsibly sourced organic cotton, and a partnership with a reforestation programme. This 89-room hotel is close to the day and nightlife of Vesterbro’s trendy meatpacking district. The style here is very Parisian, starting with the blue-striped awnings that span the facade. Inside, offerings at simple but stylish Café Coco include candy-coloured macarons and the classic pain au chocolat, while the verdant courtyard functions as a wine bar and open-air cinema. As the older, more laid-back sister of Hotel Bella Grande, Coco Hotel also offers guests discounts at other Copenhagen Food Collective restaurants. Mediterranean-focused Delphine and French bistro Les Trois Cochons are both in this neighbourhood and well worth a visit.

Steel House

Best for: Comfort on a budget
Location: Herholdtsgade 6, 1605 København V
Price: from 160 DKK / 23 USD per night

Hostels don’t get much swisher than this one. Easy to spot thanks to its distinctive metal facade, Steel House is located in the former home of the Danish Union of Metalworkers. It describes itself as ‘industrial chic’, but its four- and six-bedroom dorms would look more at home on a spaceship than in a factory. Beds sit inside shiny curved cubbyholes, each fitted with a comfortable mattress, a lamp and a power socket. Each dorm has its own en-suite bathroom and a set of lockers, and some private rooms are available. Onsite facilities are extensive, including a well-equipped kitchen and dining room, an indoor swimming pool, a games room, a gym, TV and cinema rooms and the all-important laundrette. Touchscreens and coin-operated lockers mean you can check yourself in and out, but staff are on-hand 24/7 in case something goes wrong.

Hotel Ottilia

Best for: Beer enthusiasts
Location: Bryggernes Plads 7,1799 København V
Price: from 1,030 DKK / 151 USD per night

The Carlsberg City District is a newly developed neighbourhood on the site of the beer’s former brewery. Fashion designer Henrik Vibskov and Swiss art gallery von Bartha are among those to have already moved into this historic area, which is characterised by monumental red-brick warehouses. Also here is the latest offering from Brøchner Hotels, the 155-room Hotel Ottilia. It takes its name from Ottilia Marie Jacobsen, the wife of Carlsberg brewer Carl Jacobsen, and the beer references don’t stop there. The exterior walls of this listed building are embellished with 64 golden discs, reminiscent of bottle tops, while the huge old malt hoppers are a focal point in the entrance lobby. You’ll feel cheated if you don’t stay in one of the rooms with circular windows, where leather cushions create a cosy nook to put your feet up and watch the world go by below. It’s worth making time to sample the pizza at rooftop restaurant Tramonto and, of course, the specially brewed Ottilia Lager.

Christianshavn and Islands Brygge

25hours Hotel Paper Island

Best for: A summerhouse experience in the city
Location: Papirøen 25, 1436 København K
Price: from 1,573 DKK / 230 USD per night

The second Copenhagen location for young-at-heart hotel brand 25hours is on a Christianshavn island that previously served as a shipyard, military hospital, cannon store and, most recently, paper warehouse. The latest incarnation of this artificial island, known as Papirøen to locals, includes a pyramidal swimming pool and cultural centre designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma (still in construction) and a cluster of angular brick buildings courtesy of local architecture studio COBE. Inside the latter, 25hours Paper Island aims to capture the spirit of the Scandi summerhouse experience. Its 128 rooms are designed to look like island cabins, with painted timber walls, shaker-style furniture and cuddly toy fish. Playful nautical references feature in a reception area modelled on a classic fishing boat, while the three onsite restaurant and bar offerings include the quayside Nomad Day Bar, a plant-filled rooftop bar, and flagship restaurant Tiger Lily, where Asian-inspired dishes include pulled noodles and pork belly burnt ends. When you’re ready to take a dip, a harbour bath is waiting just outside.

Kanalhuset

Best for: Homely atmosphere and communal dining
Location: Overgaden Oven Vandet 62A, 1415 København K
Price: from 1,800 DKK / 263 USD per night

It’s hard to relate the welcoming hygge vibes of Kanalhuset with budget-friendly homeware and stationery retailer Flying Tiger, but both have the same founders. After selling their first venture, Lennart and Sus Lajboschitz decided on a different direction. At this guesthouse, an 18th-century townhouse facing the picturesque Wilders canal, and Folkehuset Absalon, a converted church in Vesterbro, the couple sought to explore how hospitality can truly promote community spirit. As the smaller of the two, Kanalhuset goes the furthest in creating the feel of a home away from home. It offers 12 boutique rooms and 14 apartments, fitted out with vintage mid-century furniture and 1970s-style textiles. Chef Kristofer Josefsson, formerly of Restaurant Wilhelm, dishes out wholesome hearty meals that always include a vegetarian option. These are served family-style around a large dining table, encouraging guests to get to know each other. The result is a sense of joviality that, in a smartphone-obsessed world, is worth treasuring.

VIPP Pencil Case

Best for: An artist’s atelier with a cutting-edge kitchen
Location: Sturlasgade 12G, 2300 København S
Price: 9,700 DKK / 1,425 USD for two nights (Fri to Sun)

To any Scandinavian, the VIPP brand is synonymous with the pedal-operated bins that, for 57 years, were the only product it manufactured. The past two decades has seen it branch out into furniture, tableware, lighting, kitchens and, most recently, hospitality. The brand has opened a series of one-room guesthouses offering the full VIPP experience in urban and bucolic settings. The VIPP Pencil Case is one of two located in Copenhagen, offering weekend breaks. Housed inside the converted Viking pencil factory in Islands Brugge, this warehouse apartment boasts high ceilings and big crittal-style windows that lend it the feel of an art studio or workshop. The state-of-the-art VIPP V1 kitchen means you can rustle up any meal, however ambitious, and share it with family or friends around the stone-topped dining table. Time your visit well and you may also be able to attend a supper club in the VIPP Garage next door, with meals served by some of the city’s hottest up-and-coming chefs.

Nordhavn

Audo Residence

Best for: Interior design inspiration A holistic design experience
Location: Aarhusgade 130, 2150 Nordhavn
Price: from 2,576 DKK / 377 USD per night

The extension of the Copenhagen metro played a big part in the reinvention of harbourside Nordhavn, once an industrial wasteland, into a family-friendly neighbourhood. So too did the arrival of Sandkaj, now one the city’s most popular swimming spots. Audo Residence sits conveniently between the two. As one of the only buildings here that isn’t brand new, this former merchant’s house is a landmark that is as beautiful inside as it is out. It’s not a typical hotel; it doubles as the headquarters and showroom of Danish furniture and homeware brand Audo (one of the best design stores in Copenhagen). Ten guest rooms, immaculately styled by Norm Architects, in soothing shades of dusky pink, chalky white and deep grey, are the perfect setting for the brand’s collections. Downstairs, the lounge offers relaxed co-working and coffee, while a concept store presents a curated selection of artworks (with a 20 per cent discount for guests). The hotel is not staffed out of hours, so don’t be disappointed when you can’t order room service. Instead, enjoy Audo Residence for what it is; a stunning spot away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre.

The Krane

Best for: A unique experience with 360° views
Location: Kalkbrænderiløbskaj 10, 2150 Nordhavn
Price: from 6,840 DKK / 1,001 USD per night

Imagine spending the night inside the former engine room of a decommissioned coal crane, suspended above the harbour on a hulking steel frame. That’s exactly what’s on offer at The Krane, one of Copenhagen’s most unusual stays, and it’s not as rough-around-the-edges as you might expect. The room is fitted out with neat timber panelling and furniture, all black so as not to detract from the 360-degree views of the harbour skyline. A concierge brings breakfast to your doorstep every morning, while a glass room underneath can be booked for business meetinns or private dining. But the pièce de résistance has to be the spa room, complete with twin bathtubs and a sauna. Run by the team from Hotel d’Angleterre, it offers massage and skincare treatments that will delight honeymooning couples, or anyone in need of rejuvenation.