Copenhagen Free Walking Tours

A guide collective in Copenhagen

Copenhagen Free Walking Tours runs tip-based walking tours in Copenhagen, Denmark, with its own local guides, and adds a handful of paid tours and partner activities. The about page describes "a group of local tour guides who have lived in and loved Copenhagen for many years" and explains the structure: "Our organization consists of a small union of freelance guides", and each guide pays a marketing fee to Guided Tours Copenhagen ApS for every guest. The footer gives the company's CVR number, 42794570.

The homepage says the guides "have been working for over 13 years" and that the company has "over 12,000 reviews between Google, TripAvisor, and Facebook since we are the longest running walking tour in Copenhagen." The about page puts the TripAdvisor share at "7000+ reviews". The site also describes itself as "the Official Partner of SANDEMANs Tours in Copenhagen" and as a member of the Free Tour Community, but it does not explain what the SANDEMANs partnership involves.

All the walks are in central Copenhagen, from the City Hall Square and Christianshavn to the harbor and the Carlsberg City district in Vesterbro. Tours are offered in English, and the site has a Spanish section with its own booking schedule.

The walking tours

The homepage schedule lists the free tours and their times:

• Grand Tour of Copenhagen, "09.30, 10.30 and 15.00 daily", starting on the steps at the entrance to the town hall on Rådhuspladsen and lasting 2.5 to 3 hours. It covers the city's founding, "royal palaces, hidden gems and historic streets", and ends at the Royal Palace of Amalienborg. The Spanish page lists the City Hall, Christiansborg Palace, the old center and Nyhavn among its stops.
• The Original Christianshavn Tour, 15.00 daily, 90 minutes, from Højbro Plads beside the statue of Bishop Absalon, through the canals of Christianshavn to the entrance of the Free Town of Christiania.
• Classical Copenhagen Tour, 12.00 on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, 90 minutes from Højbro Plads, covering the Cathedral, the Round Tower and Rosenborg Palace, and ending at the Torvehallerne food hall.
• Little Mermaid and Harbor Tour, 14:30 on Thursdays and Saturdays, 2.5 hours from Copenhagen Vibes at Amaliegade 14. It passes the Opera House, Amaliehaven, Kastellet, the Gefion Fountain and Nyboder, stops at the West Indies Warehouse and the IAMQUEENMARY statue site to discuss "Denmark's colonial past", and ends in the King's Garden.
• Beer, Bricks & Family Drama, a Carlsberg City walk at 16:00 on Fridays and Saturdays and 10:30 on Mondays, 2 hours from Enghave Plads Metro to Carlsberg Station, rated "Easy walking, family-friendly".

Paid tours and partners

Not everything is tip-based. The Foodie Tour runs at 10:30 on Thursdays in May and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from June to September, lasts approx. 3-3.5 hours over about 4 km, and costs 1095 DKK per person for 7 tastings, including smørrebrød, pastries, fiskefrikadeller, snaps and a "gå-bajer". The site says vegetarians can enjoy most tastings but the tour "is not suitable for vegans". The Queer Tour is a 90-minute walk from Rainbow Square to Ørsted Park, "Led by LGBTQ+ guides", priced at 200 DKK per person and run on select days in August at 16:00 on Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays; the site says it appears on the Copenhagen Pride Program.

The bike tour is run by a partner, "Lone from Book a Guide", and booked through her own email and website. It costs 450 DKK including bike and helmet, lasts 2.5 hours over about 10-11 km, and starts at Amaliegade 14. The site says riders must be comfortable in city traffic, between 1.40m and 1.85m tall, and that the tour is "Not suitable for individuals with limited mobility". Its dates are given inconsistently: the homepage schedule says 1st June to 27th September, the tour page "daily from June to October" and "Everyday from May to October".

The homepage also promotes a Pub Crawl at 250 DKK, or 230 DKK with the discount code CFWT, and lists partner discounts for luggage storage.

Reservations, group rules and weather

"Reservations are required for a guaranteed spot on our tour. You are welcome to meet us at the square without a reservation", the homepage says, adding that reserving is free. Guests should arrive "at least 15 minutes before the tour begins". The company says "99% of our tours run as scheduled", but if fewer than 5 people turn up "we might refer you to another company that we trust".

Group rules differ slightly between languages. The English homepage says groups of "7 or more traveling together" must contact the company before booking, and that several bookings adding up to 7 or more "may be subject to pay a fee upfront". The Spanish page sets the line at 6 or more and requires a private tour. Tours run "regardless of climate conditions", and since "it rains 170 days on average in Copenhagen", the site asks for comfy shoes, warm layers and rain gear.

Tips, fees and private tours

The free tours are "tip-based, we kindly ask you respect the work of the tour guide when considering what the tour is worth." The site explains why: "as freelance tour guides we receive no compensation outside of what guests pay at the end of our tours." It is unusually open about costs: guides pay a marketing fee of 20 DKK per guest on the Grand Tour and 10 DKK on the Classical and Christianshavn tours, which covers the website, administration and fees for bookings made through outside sites. On payment, "We encourage our guests to pay via card to avoid the exchange of cash."

Private tours are "pre-paid" and "ideal for groups of 6 to 30 people", with date, time, meeting point and length arranged by email to copenhagenguides@gmail.com. Prices come by quote, with a 10% discount for student groups.

What the site leaves open

There is no suggested tip and no cancellation rule for the free tours, the food tour or the queer tour, even though the last 2 are paid. The group-size threshold is 7 in English and 6 in Spanish, and the bike tour's season is given 3 ways. Guides are not named on the homepage, though the menu links a separate "Meet your guides" page.

For visitors who want a well-organized free walk with a choice of themes, from royal Copenhagen to Christiania, the harbor's colonial history and the Carlsberg family, with meeting points and lengths clearly stated, this is a strong fit, and card tipping is welcome. Larger groups should plan on a private tour.