Copenhagen in December: How Cold, How Dark, and How Many Days

December is the best month to see Copenhagen’s Christmas markets and the hardest month for daylight. Expect daytime highs of about 3 to 4°C, nights around freezing, mostly grey skies and roughly seven hours of light, with the sun up around half past eight and down before four. It is cold and damp more than it is snowy. Dress for wind and wet, plan your outdoor sightseeing for the middle of the day, and save the markets for after dark, when they look their best.

Is Copenhagen too cold in December?

Not for most visitors, as long as you dress for it. Visit Copenhagen puts December’s average at about 3.7°C by day and just below zero at night. The problem is less the temperature than the damp wind off the harbour and the lack of sun: December averages only about two sunny hours a day. Snow is possible but not reliable, so do not plan a trip around a white Christmas.

How to dress for Copenhagen in December

• A windproof, waterproof outer layer. Rain and wind matter more here than the thermometer.
• Layers underneath, so you can strip off in heated shops, museums and the food halls inside Tivoli.
• A hat, gloves and a scarf. You will stand still for long stretches at market stalls.
• Waterproof shoes with grip. Cobbles get slick in the wet, and you will walk more than you expect.

How short are the days?

Short enough to plan around. Around the winter solstice, Copenhagen gets about seven hours of daylight, with sunrise around 08:30 and sunset before 16:00. The upside is that the markets light up early. By half past four on Nyhavn or in Tivoli it is fully dark and fully lit, so you do not have to stay out late to see the city at its best.

A canal tour is still worth doing in December if you pick a boat built for the cold. The operator of the small electric boats on the exclusive guided boat tour lists heated seats and blankets, and its live guide keeps the group small:

See the heated canal tour →

What is on in December

• Christmas markets. Everything is open at once in early December: the free stalls on Gammeltorv and Nytorv (6 November to 21 December 2026), the Christmas season in Tivoli (13 November 2026 to 3 January 2027), and Nyhavn’s quayside market, whose 2026 dates had not been announced as of mid-October. Our dates guide tracks each one.
• Lucia, 13 December. Processions of white-robed singers with candles, a Scandinavian tradition you can catch in churches and in Tivoli.
• Christmas itself, 24 to 26 December. Danish Christmas happens on the evening of the 24th, and by law most shops close on the 24th, 25th and 26th. See Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in Copenhagen before you book those dates.
• New Year’s Eve. Shops close at 15:00, and the city’s celebrations run late.

Is 3 days enough for Copenhagen in December?

Three days is the sweet spot for most visitors. It gives you one evening in Tivoli, one for Nyhavn and the street markets, and daylight hours for the canals, Rosenborg, Christiansborg or a museum. Two days works if you only want the markets. Four or more suits a slower trip, or a day out to Dragør or along the coast. The Christmas in Copenhagen guide has a day-by-day plan.

Is December an expensive time to visit?

Hotels are in demand around the market weeks, especially on December weekends, so book rooms early. The markets themselves can be cheap: the street markets are free, and a gløgg and æbleskiver at a stall cost far less than a sit-down meal. Our market food guide lists what to order and roughly what it costs.

Sources: Visit Copenhagen (December averages), WeatherSpark and weather-stats.com (sunshine and day length), the market organisers and Visit Nyhavn for 2026 dates, and Danish shop-closing rules for the Christmas days. Checked 21 October 2026.