Danish Etiquette for Visitors

Three things carry you a long way in Copenhagen: stay out of the cycle lanes, treat Assistens Cemetery as a burial ground even though it is also a park, and turn up on time for a walk. We are not going to hand you a list of national dos and don'ts we cannot source. What follows is what this site can stand behind.

Cycle lanesNot a pavement, ever

Assistens CemeteryA park and a burial ground at once

Guided ghost walkNo audio recording

Age limit on the ghost walkNot suitable under 7

Age limit on the giants tripNot for under-12s

WeatherThe walk runs rain or cold

The cycle lane

This is the one visitors get wrong within an hour of arriving. Copenhagen's cycling and pedestrian policy grew out of Jan Gehl's study of Strøget from 1962, and the result is a city where the lane beside the pavement is a road with traffic on it moving faster than you expect. Standing in one to take a photograph is the local equivalent of standing in a carriageway. Look before you step sideways.

Cemeteries that are also parks

Assistens Cemetery has been used as a green space since the 1800s, when Copenhageners took picnic baskets and tea there, and it is now the largest green space in inner Nørrebro. It is also 25 hectares of graves with Hans Christian Andersen, Søren Kierkegaard and Niels Bohr in them. Both things are true at once: walk, sit, keep your voice down, stay off the stones. See the Assistens Cemetery page.

On a walk

Be at the meeting point before the start time, because a walking group leaves. The guided ghost walk does not permit audio recording, which is a condition of the product rather than a suggestion. It is storytelling with no special effects and no elaborate props, it is not suitable for children under seven, and it runs in rain and cold, so dress for standing still outdoors rather than for moving — what to wear covers that. The six giants trip does not take under-12s. Meeting points are listed precisely on where the walks start, and the age questions are on the children page.

Check dates & book

We are an independent guide, not a tour operator. Booking links go to GetYourGuide and are affiliate links — if you book through them we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. See our affiliate disclosure.

Frequently asked questions

What should I not do in Copenhagen?

Stand in a cycle lane. It is a road, not a pavement, and traffic in it moves faster than visitors expect.

Can I walk in Assistens Cemetery?

Yes. Copenhageners have used it as a park since the 1800s, but it is a working burial ground — see the cemetery page.

Are there rules on the ghost walk?

No audio recording, and it is not suitable for children under seven. It runs in rain and cold. See what to expect.