How the Copenhagen Card works

Facts checked in November 2026 against the operator's and attractions' own sources.

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Step by step

1. Download the app

   Install Copenhagen Card City Guide from the App Store or Google Play. It is free and available in English, Danish, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Polish and Turkish.

2. Buy or redeem

   Buy inside the app and the card appears at once. If you bought on the website or from a reseller, enter the order or voucher number, with the dashes, under My cards.

3. Wait to activate

   Redeemed is not active. Keep the card dormant until you arrive and are ready to start.

4. Set Danish time

   Check that your phone is on Central European Time before activating, otherwise the card may show the wrong expiry.

5. Activate

   Tap activate and swipe. Every card on the same order starts at that moment. It cannot be paused or undone.

6. Use it

   Show the barcode at attraction entrances and to bus drivers. Nothing needs tapping on metro or trains.

Things to know before you activate

Hours, not days. A 48-hour card activated at 14:00 on Friday runs until 13:59 on Sunday. Activating at 09:00 instead gives you two full sightseeing days plus the next morning. The clock change in spring and autumn does not cost you any hours, even if the displayed expiry time looks odd.

Group orders start together. If one person in your group arrives a day later, buy their card in a separate order, because all cards in one order activate at the same moment.

Enter before expiry, travel before expiry. You can walk into an attraction a few minutes before the card expires and stay as long as you like. On transport it is the opposite: the card must be valid until you get off.

Bookings need the card number. Home of Carlsberg asks for your card number, which only appears after activation, so book on your first morning. Rosenborg hands out same-day time slots at the castle, and the Church of Our Saviour needs pre-booking.

Phones, data and travelling as a group

• Offline use. You need data only to redeem and activate. After that, flight mode is fine, so UK roaming charges are not a concern for the card itself.
• Several cards on one phone. Allowed, and convenient if you stay together.
• Transfers. Go to My cards, choose Transfer card, and the other person scans a QR code from Receive card in their app. Each card can be transferred only once, so decide who carries which card before you set off.
• Battery. A dead phone means no card, and the operator does not compensate for that. Carry a power bank.
• Screenshots. Not accepted at attractions or on transport.

When something goes wrong

• The order number will not redeem. Check the dashes and look out for a 0 typed as the letter O or an I typed as the letter l. Update the app and restart it.
• Accidental activation. Contact the operator's support with the reference and card number; they can cancel it.
• Lost or stolen phone. Cards bought from the operator's website or app can be replaced free at Copenhagen Visitor Service, Vesterbrogade 4B, with your original order number.
• No confirmation e-mail. Check the spam folder first, then ask the operator to resend it.

Accessibility

A disabled adult or junior cardholder can bring one attendant free. The attendant needs no card. You do not need to show proof when buying, but carry a disability ID or documentation in English on visits. Accessibility details for each attraction are listed in the app. Prices for every card are on our prices page.

Frequently asked questions