Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in Copenhagen: What's Open, What Isn't, and Where Julefrokost Fits

If you are in Copenhagen on 24 December, plan for a quiet city. Danish Christmas is celebrated that evening at home, and by law most shops cannot open on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day or Boxing Day. In 2026 those fall on a Thursday, Friday and Saturday. You can still have a good time, but book your dinner weeks ahead, buy what you need by the 23rd, and keep the 24th for walking, churches and the lights.

What actually closes

Denmark’s shop-closing law keeps most shops shut on 24, 25 and 26 December. The exceptions are the ones a visitor needs: small grocery shops, bakeries, shops in railway stations and at the airport, and petrol stations. Copenhagen Central Station is the reliable place to buy food and basics on those days. On 31 December shops close at 15:00.

Museums, attractions and restaurants each set their own hours, and many close for some or all of the three days. Check each one before you go rather than trusting a list from a previous year.

Is Tivoli open on Christmas Eve?

Check its daily calendar. Whether the garden opens on 24 December 2026 is reported both ways, and the venue had not settled it on its own pages in October. The Christmas season itself runs to 3 January 2027, so the days between Christmas and New Year are a safe bet. Our Tivoli Christmas tickets guide covers prices and which ticket to buy.

Which restaurants are open on Christmas Eve?

Some are, but fewer than you would expect, and the ones that open usually serve a set Christmas dinner that sells out. Hotel restaurants are the most likely to open. Book as early as you can, ideally when you book your flights, and confirm the date and the menu in writing. If you leave it late, plan a picnic from a bakery and a station shop instead; it is a better evening than a frantic search for an open door.

What is julefrokost?

Julefrokost is the Danish Christmas lunch, and it is a season rather than a single meal. From late November through December, workplaces, families and friends book long lunches and evenings of open sandwiches and hot dishes: pickled herring on rye bread, roast pork with crackling, meatballs, liver pâté, and risalamande, the rice pudding with cherry sauce and one whole almond hidden in the bowl. Snaps and Christmas beer go with it, and it can last all afternoon.

For a visitor, the season matters for two reasons. Restaurants are fully booked on December Fridays and Saturdays because of it, so reserve early. And many restaurants offer a julefrokost menu you can order, which is the easiest way to taste it.

Tasting Danish food without a julefrokost booking

If you cannot get a table, a guided food walk covers many of the same flavours. The Danish food tour runs through Torvehallerne market and Strøget with six tastings, smørrebrød included. Book it for a day before the 24th:

See the Danish food tour →

The Christmas markets are the other answer. Gløgg, æbleskiver and a roast pork sandwich at a stall cost far less than a sit-down julefrokost; our market food guide tells you what to order. Several street markets close around 21 December, so do this before Christmas week.

How Danes spend 24 December

The evening is the main event: a family dinner of roast duck or pork, then dancing hand in hand around the Christmas tree while singing carols, then presents. Whoever finds the almond in the risalamande wins a small prize. Many people go to church in the afternoon, and services are open to visitors. If you want to see something of the day, an afternoon service and a walk through the lit, empty streets is a good way to spend it.

Planning around the three days

• Buy what you need by the 23rd, or plan to use bakeries and the station shops.
• Book any Christmas Eve or Christmas Day dinner weeks ahead.
• Do the street markets before Christmas week; Tivoli carries on to 3 January.
• Keep 25 and 26 December for walks, churches and the waterfront, and check each museum’s hours.

Sources: Danish shop-closing rules for the Christmas days (via Dansk Erhverv and the Danish business ministry’s fact sheet), Copenhagen Tourism’s public-holiday guide, tivoli.dk for the season dates. Checked 21 October 2026.