How does the Copenhagen scavenger hunt play?
The Copenhagen scavenger hunt is a self-guided city game you play on your phone: you walk from landmark to landmark, solve a riddle at each one by looking closely at what is in front of you, and unlock the stories and legends behind it. It takes about 3 hours, with around 48 minutes of actual walking over a little under 4 km between 10 stops, and you start whenever you like.
Highlights include City Hall, the Round Tower with its spiral ramp, the car-free Strøget, Christiansborg Palace, the colourful houses of Nyhavn, the royal palaces of Amalienborg and the Marble Church. The centre is flat and compact, and the route links old streets, canals and royal squares on foot.
- Durationabout 3 hours
- Walkingabout 48 min · 3.9 km
- Stops10
- LanguagesEnglish, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch
A game of towers, canals and palaces
Look up, then look closer
Each of the 10 stops sets one riddle, and you solve it by studying what stands in front of you: a gilded figure above a balcony, a pair of statues outside a theatre, a number on a house by the canal. Logic does the rest, and nobody expects you to know Danish history.
The tale behind the answer
A solved riddle unlocks the story of the stop: the spiral ramp that Tsar Peter the Great is said to have ridden up on horseback, the British bombardment of 1807 that left the city without its cathedral, the Norwegian marble that grew too expensive and left a church unfinished for more than a century. Switch on the audio narration to hear it as you go.
Level streets, short hops
Google Maps guides you over 3.9 km, and only about 48 minutes of the game is spent walking. The centre stays level from City Hall Square to the harbour, and part of the way runs along Strøget, closed to cars since 1962.
Coffee by the canal
No timer runs. Sit down for a coffee or a smørrebrød in Nyhavn, carry on in the evening or another day, and open the game at a different stop in the app if you are staying near Kongens Nytorv.
See the route and attractions →
How it works
- Book online Choose the number of players. Your booking reference arrives by email straight away.
- Get the app Download the World City Trail app from the App Store or Google Play and enter your booking reference.
- Play when you like Start whenever you are ready, walk at your own pace and pause any time. No guide, no fixed schedule.
Who the Copenhagen hunt suits
First day in Copenhagen
Between City Hall and the Marble Church the hunt takes in the old town, Slotsholmen, Nyhavn and Amalienborg in a single afternoon. You come away with the stories behind façades that many visitors only see from a canal boat.
Families
The riddles send children looking for things they can really see: a bishop high on a façade, two playwrights cast in bronze, a king on horseback in the middle of a square. An adult needs to be part of the team, and nothing has to be rushed.
Friends and work teams
Up to 5 players make one team, each on their own phone, and several teams can play the same route and meet at the Marble Church afterwards. The game uses public streets and squares only, so nothing has to be reserved.
Good to know
- Bring a charged smartphone with mobile data; a power bank helps.
- No entry tickets needed: everything happens outside the buildings. Going inside is optional and paid separately.
- Family friendly; children must be accompanied by an adult.
- Not suitable for wheelchair users and difficult with strollers.
- Teams of up to 5 work best; bigger groups split into several teams, one ticket per player.
- Every purchase helps support stray cats and dogs in Greece.
The route: from City Hall Square over Slotsholmen and along Nyhavn to the Marble Church
10 stops · about 48 min walking · start: Copenhagen City Hall (Rådhuset) · finish: Frederik's Church (Marble Church)
The hunt starts at City Hall on City Hall Square and leads through the old town to the Church of Our Lady and the Round Tower, then along Strøget. It crosses to Christiansborg Palace on Slotsholmen, continues to the Royal Danish Theatre on Kongens Nytorv, along Nyhavn and over the Nyhavn Bridge, and passes Amalienborg Palace before it finishes at Frederik's Church, the Marble Church. There is no admission to pay at any of the ten stops, because the riddles never take you indoors, and if Nyhavn or Amalienborg is closer to your hotel, the app will start you there and let you set the order yourself.
Open the route map ↗
1Copenhagen City Hall (Rådhuset)Start
Copenhagen City Hall was designed by Martin Nyrop and inaugurated in 1905, and its tower rises 105.6 metres above City Hall Square. Look up at the main façade: above the balcony stands a gilded statue of Bishop Absalon, traditionally regarded as the founder of Copenhagen.
2Church of Our Lady (Copenhagen Cathedral)
The cathedral burned down when a British fleet bombarded Copenhagen in 1807, and Christian Frederik Hansen rebuilt it in Neoclassical style; it was consecrated in 1829. Inside stand Bertel Thorvaldsen's marble statues of Christ and the apostles, and in 2004 the then Crown Prince Frederik married Mary Donaldson here.
3Round Tower (Rundetaarn)
King Christian IV had the Round Tower built in 1637–1642 as an astronomical observatory. Instead of stairs, a spiral ramp winds seven and a half turns up to a platform 34.8 metres above the street, and according to the story Tsar Peter the Great rode up it on horseback in 1716.
Read the full story →
4Strøget
Strøget is a chain of old streets that runs for about 1.1 km from City Hall Square to Kongens Nytorv. It was closed to cars in 1962, making it one of the first and longest pedestrian shopping streets in Europe, and along the way it opens onto squares such as Amagertorv with its Stork Fountain.
5Christiansborg Palace
Christiansborg on the island of Slotsholmen houses the Danish Parliament, the Prime Minister's Office and the Supreme Court, and the monarch uses its Royal Reception Rooms. The present palace, the third on the site, was finished in 1928 to designs by Thorvald Jørgensen, and beneath it lie the ruins of the castle Bishop Absalon built in 1167.
6Royal Danish Theatre (Det Kongelige Teater)
The Royal Danish Theatre was founded in 1748, and its Old Stage on Kongens Nytorv, designed by Vilhelm Dahlerup with Ove Petersen, opened in 1874. In front of the building sit bronze statues of the playwrights Ludvig Holberg and Adam Oehlenschläger.
7Nyhavn
King Christian V had the Nyhavn canal dug in 1670–1675, partly by Swedish prisoners of war, as a gateway from the sea to Kongens Nytorv. Its row of colourful houses includes number 9 from 1681, the oldest on the quay, and Hans Christian Andersen lived at number 67 and later at number 18.
Read the full story →
8Nyhavn Bridge (Nyhavnsbroen)
Nyhavnsbroen carries the street across the Nyhavn canal and links its two quays. From the bridge you get the classic view along the canal, with old wooden sailing ships moored below and colourful gabled houses on both sides, and on the far side the streets lead north towards Amalienborg.
Read the full story →
9Amalienborg Palace
Amalienborg is made up of four almost identical Rococo palaces around an octagonal square, designed by Nicolai Eigtved and built in 1750–1760 as mansions for noble families. The royal family moved in after Christiansborg burned in 1794, and in the centre stands Jacques Saly's equestrian statue of Frederik V, unveiled in 1771.
10Frederik's Church (Marble Church)Finish
King Frederik V laid the foundation stone of the Marble Church in 1749, but work stopped in 1770 because the Norwegian marble was too expensive. The ruin stood for more than a century until the financier Carl Frederik Tietgen backed its completion by Ferdinand Meldahl, and it was consecrated in 1894 under a dome 31 metres across.
Read the full story →
Only logged in customers who have purchased this product may leave a review.
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
soweit in Ordnung
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Rebecca– United Kingdom –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Great way to explore a new city, fun and easy to do
Manu– Austria –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Eine für uns neue Art die Stadt kennen zu lernen! Toll!🙂
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Belgium –
Collected on GetYourGuide
la visite en suivant les indices sont top. Bon moyen de découvrir la ville en s’amusant…
Denmark –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Die Schnitzeljagd führt zu einigen Sehenswürdigkeiten im Zentrum vom Kopenhagen. Die Beschreibungen sind interessant, ersparen den Reiseführer und beinhalten Hinweise, was in unmittelbarer Nähe noch zu sehen ist. Dadurch wurde der Stadtrundgang kurzweilig (auch mit Teenager). Unbedingt mehr Zeit einplanen zum rumtrödeln und entdecken; insbesondere die Hinweise für die Aussichtspunkte auf Türmen haben sich gelohnt. Die Rätsel sind zum Teil wirklich rätselhaft, sorgen dadurch aber auch für gute Stimmung.
Daniela– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Würde es immer wieder nutzen! Man ist total unabhängig, kann unterbrechen bzw. weitermachen wann man möchte. Die Routenlänge und zwischen den einzelnen Zielen ist sehr gut, nicht zu lang und nicht zu kurz. Empfehlenswert insgesamt 🙂
Yosune– Spain –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Es una actividad muy entretenida y recomendable. Mejorar?a la redacci?n/descripci?n de alguna de las pruebas (concretar que solo es necesario completar nombre de pila y no nombre y apellido…)
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Nur zu empfehlen! Man kann in seinem eigenem Tempo die Attraktionen erkunden, zwischendurch einen Kaffee trinken oder was essen gehen. Wir haben zwischendurch den Tivoli-Park besucht, da er sehr gut auf dem Weg zur n?chsten Station lag.
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Super Aktivit?t f?r Kopenhagen! Alles sehr entspannt zu Fu? machbar und man erh?lt spielerisch tolle Informationen zu den Sehensw?rdigkeiten! Sehr empfehlenswert!
Anna– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Es war eine sch?ne Motivation um die Stadt auf eigene Faust zu erkunden 🙂
United States –
Collected on GetYourGuide
One of the best decisions while in Copenhagen! We had a couple of scheduled events and it was difficult for us to commit to certain activities, especially those that took >3 hours. The self-guided nature allowed us to split the tour across 3 days. It also gives the flexibility to decide to “deep dive” into some activities vs others, and to add other activities not necessarily included in the scavenger hunt. Furthermore, it’s affordable. Maybe I’m biased, because I love scavenger hunts and escape rooms, but would recommend and consider doing a similar tour in other cities.
Cindy– France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
nous avons r?alis? cette activit? en v?lo finalement avec mon fils de 12 ans et nous avons beaucoup appr?ci? cette activit? et ce concept. merci
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Man konnte selbst entscheiden, wo man etwas verweilt.
Italy –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Carina ma anche un po’ noiosa..
Vivienne– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Es hat viel Spa? gemacht und wir konnten die Stadt und die Sehensw?rdigkeiten gut auf eigene Faust erkunden und nebenbei noch ein paar R?tsel l?sen und Infos zur Stadt erhalten. Leider befanden sich einige Geb?ude im Umbau, sodass die Aufgaben nicht ganz so gut gel?st werden konnten.
United States –
Collected on GetYourGuide
It was awesome! Was able to see the majority of the city by foot and learned a lot. The questions were fun but challenging. Make sure you look at the entire building and don’t over think too much. Two of the building were under renovations so we had to think outside the box to answer those questions. Worth the money great activity.
France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
D?couverte de la ville ludique et int?ressant. Beaucoup de libert? laiss?e. Au top !
France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
bon itin?raire et bonnes ?nigmes. ce serait bien que chaque ?quipe puisse voir la progression des autres ?quipes de son groupe !
mirja– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
nach leichten Startschwierigkeiten ganz gut. Sch?ne Spots. Angenehm, dass man die Reihenfolge auch ?ndern konnte.
Switzerland –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Die R?tsel sollten, bei Deutschen Buchungen, mit Deutschen W?rtern sein oder einen hinweis bei der Frage, dass es sich um d?nische W?rter handelt.
Anja– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Tolle Idee, gerade f?r die ersten Tage eine super Tour um die Stadt kennenzulernen. Durch die freie Zeitgestaltung k?nnten wir noch sch?ne Zwischenstops einlegen und uns die Sehensw?rdigkeiten genauer ansehen
Sandra– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Die Tour hat uns sehr gefallen. Wir kamen an Orte, die wir so sicherlich ?bersehen h?tten. Ich w?rde die Tour aber nicht noch einmal im Winter machen, da es keine Audiotour ist. Das Handy braucht viel Akkuleistung und die H?nde frieren ein ??
France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Activit? qui nous permet de nous promener dans la villes Mais 3/10 ?nigmes ?taient inaccessibles pour cause de travaux … dommage ! Pour les autres les ?nigmes pourraient ?tre plus ludiques et instructives
Sweden –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Nice way to walk around in the city and learn new things. It was nice to do stuff in our own pace and stay as long as we wanted at the different locations.
France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Excellent je recommande,un peu de culture, les devinettes pas compliqu?es,on s’est bien amus?.
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Die Schnitzeljagd war gut gemacht, nur kann nach der Wahl eines Ziels nichts mehr ge?ndert werden. Das ist ?rgerlich, wenn ein anderes ziel auf dem Weg liegt oder das Ziel renoviert wird und man das R?tsel im Hotel l?sen m?chte. Es handelt sich um eine Sommerliche Aktion, im Winter w?rde ich es nicht unbedingt weiterempfehlen.
Megan– United Kingdom –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Always enjoy these as great way to see a city however some of the activities didn’t relate much to the thing you’re looking at. Also it seemed to give information on random topics despite leading you to a specific destination. For example after solving a clue around a statue outside a church the app then told us about the invention of Lego which had nothing to do with the statue or the church! It was never mentioned again…
Austria –
Collected on GetYourGuide
An und f?r sich nicht schlecht, man sieht viel von Kopenhagen. Leider waren einige Sehensw?rdigkeiten wegen Renovierung verh?llt und somit konnten die R?tsel nicht gel?st werden. Auch sind sie R?tselfragen teilweise unlogisch.
Tristan– Belgium –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Definitely a nice way to go through the city’s main sites!
Livi– United Kingdom –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Good for a cheap option in Copenhagen, could do with more information but good value for money and saw a lot of the city
Andrea– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Es war lustig
Nele– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Es war ein toller Plan, mit Interessanten Hintergrundinformationen. Leider haben mir manche wichtige Sehensw?rdigkeiten gefehlt.
United States –
Collected on GetYourGuide
was fun answering the questions
Christine– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
hat Spa? gemacht. Wir konnten w?hlen was wir machen und ob wir noch zus?tzlich andere Dinge tun. Ist sehr zu empfehlen.
Denise– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Um die Stadt kennen zu lernen perfekt. Einige Stationen waren bei uns leider durch Bauma?nahmen nicht zu l?sen.
Netherlands –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Erg leuke manier om de stad te zien en wat verhaaltjes mee te krijgen. Te doen op eigen tempo, waardoor er ook tijd is om bezienswaardigheden rustig te bekijken
Netherlands –
Collected on GetYourGuide
It was fun and interesting! We will try it in other city for sure
Michaela– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Das man in Ruhe im eigenen Tempo die Tour machen kann und am n?chsten Tag weiter machen kann. Man bekommt einen sehr sch?nen Eindruck von der Stadt, da die Tour quer durch die Stadt geht
United Arab Emirates –
Collected on GetYourGuide
El gu?a muy amable y te daba mucha informaci?n
Katharina– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Um die Stadt zu erkunden ist es super als Leitfaden. Die R?tsel sind ein bisschen gew?hnungsbed?rftig und machen teilweise auch keinen Sinn, trotzdem hat es uns gut gefallen um mit System die sch?nsten Sehensw?rdigkeiten von Kopenhagen zu erkunden.
Joice– Denmark –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Muito lindo
Margarita– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Sch?ne Stadtf?hrung mit vielen Informationen.
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Die R?tsel sind ganz nett, die Tour deckt sch?ne Spots ab und ist gut f?r einen ?berblick ?ber die Stadt. Allerdings sind die Infotexte eher auf Erwachsene ausgerichtet, f?r Kinder/Jugendliche w?ren andere Inhalte und mehr Knobeleien spannender.