Copenhagen vs Stockholm: Which Capital is Better for Tourists?

Are you planning a trip to Scandinavia? Two Scandi capital cities often top the list: Copenhagen and Stockholm. Ideally, you would visit both places, but what if you only have time for one Scandi capital? Should you choose Copenhagen or Stockholm? Both cities have great vibes, plenty of things to do, unique experiences, fantastic nature, etc. So, for an easier decision, here’s the ultimate comparison of Copenhagen vs Stockholm.

If you’re stuck between the two, continue reading to choose which city is better for you!

Copenhagen vs Stockholm City Overviews

History

Copenhagen was founded in the 10th century as a Viking fishing village that became prominent in the Middle Ages for trade and commerce. Stockholm was founded in the 13th century and became Sweden’s important trade, cultural, and political hub.

Geography

Both cities are on islands, with access to the sea and harbor waterfronts all around the city. Copenhagen looks similar to Amsterdam, with canals throughout the city. While Copenhagen’s geography is on one island, Stockholm is spread over 14 islands connected by bridges, making it an archipelago. The Stockholm Archipelago has a unique geography, and many people call Stockholm the “Venice of the North.”

Stockholm is also just a little larger than Copenhagen by land area, with 72.59 mi² vs. 69.42 mi² respectively. However, the city center in Copenhagen is very compact, while Stockholm’s is a little more spread out.

Language

Copenhagen is the capital city of Denmark, and the official language spoken is Danish. Stockholm is the capital city of Sweden, and the official language spoken is Swedish. People in both cities speak decent English, as English is a part of the school curriculum.

Currency

Copenhagen uses the Danish Kroner (DKK), while Stockholm uses the Swedish Krona (SEK). Danish currency is a little stronger than Swedish currency. Here is the conversion rate for both major currencies:

	DKK	SEK
1 USD	6.90	10.56
1 EUR	7.46	11.42
1 GBP	8.82	13.51
1 AUD	4.65	7.12
1 CAD	5.06	7.75
1 SGD	5.11	7.82
1 HKD	0.88	1.35
1 NZD	4.23	6.47
1 ZAR	0.38	0.58
100 YEN	4.28	6.54

Copenhagen vs Stockholm Vibes

What is the vibe of Copenhagen? This is subjective, but from my experience and perception, Copenhagen has a really chill, trendy, and fashion-forward vibe with a strong emphasis on hygge and balanced design. Design is a massive aspect of Danish culture, infused in virtually every aspect of life. People in Copenhagen love to dress well, are a little more introverted, portray a strong sense of self, and enjoy peace during their commutes.

On the other hand, Stockholm feels more urban, larger, and friendlier with culturally rich attractions. The archipelago is vast and lends an exploration vibe to the Stockholm lifestyle. There’s an edgier vibe in Stockholm, with more underground culture and art. To me, the vibe in Stockholm is a blend of Copenhagen and Berlin.

Copenhagen vs Stockholm Sightseeing and Attractions

In terms of amount, both cities offer around the same amount of tourist attractions, but I think there are more exciting things to do in Stockholm. Copenhagen’s tourist attractions include gardens, castles, amusement parks, museums, shopping, and churches. They are all well integrated into the city center and aren’t astronomically large. The attractions are great, but they’re not so special that you would make an international trip to see them.

Stockholm’s tourist attractions also include royal palaces, amusement parks, churches, museums, and shopping, but the attractions are more exciting. For example, you have the iconic Vasamuseet with the largest Viking ship in the world and the Photografiska museum, which has the longest opening hours of any museum in the world. You can easily plan a trip around visiting some of the museums and visiting the archipelago.

Boat Experiences: Both Copenhagen and Stockholm offer cool water experiences, with canal tours in Copenhagen and archipelago ferry rides in Stockholm. Both are unique to the city, with Stockholm having an edge because you can use the ferry ride to explore the islands.

Free Things to Do

Scandi capitals aren’t known for being affordable, but Stockholm is slightly more affordable than Copenhagen. It’s a running joke that people from Copenhagen will visit Malmo (the city across the Oresund bridge connecting Denmark and Sweden) to grocery shop because it’s cheaper.

Regardless, both cities have enjoyable, free things to do! It can be as simple as enjoying a well-maintained park, swimming in the lake, walking around cool neighborhoods, etc. The museums are more tricky to visit for free since most have slightly expensive entrance fees. However, you can take advantage of free museum days in both cities. It’s possible to have fun in Copenhagen and Stockholm on a budget and without spending a lot of money.

Here are my favorite free things to do in Copenhagen, including a self-guided architecture tour because admiring great architecture is free.

For Stockholm, I personally love the Liljevachs Contemporary Art Museum in Djurgarden, which is free every Monday and has one of my favorite Stockholm cafes. You can also take a free subway art tour in Stockholm, the world’s longest art gallery!

Copenhagen vs Stockholm Food and Dining

Copenhagen and Stockholm have very similar dining scenes. Both cities have food halls, street food, trendy restaurants, high-end dining, waterfront dining, and a thriving cafe culture. You’ll also find traditional and international cuisine in both places, as most people like to eat various foods.

There are also specific neighborhoods where you’ll find more trendy and hip restaurants, waterfront dining, and upscale dining. So, you’ll find a variety of dining in both Scandi capitals.

The difference in dining between Copenhagen vs Stockholm comes from the local and traditional food. Danish and Swedish food is similar, being close geographically, and features a lot of seafood, rye bread, seasonal berries, dairy, beef and pork, potatoes, root vegetables, and oats. However, each culture has unique dishes.

Famous Danish dishes you can try in Copenhagen include:

• Smorrebrod: an open-faced sandwich
• Danish breakfast: rye bread with butter and cheese and egg or porridge
• Danish hotdog: a beef, pork, chicken, or veggie dog served with a variety of toppings
• Cardamom buns: sticky cardamom buns

Famous Swedish dishes you can try in Stockholm include:

• Kottbullar (Swedish meatballs): a mixture of beef and pork meatballs served with mashed potatoes and lingonberry sauce (shoutout to IKEA)
• Toast Skagen: a shrimp salad on toast
• Kanelbullar: cinnammon buns
• Gravalax: cured salmon
• Semla: a marzipan cream bun served before Lent

And here are the best places to try these Swedish foods!

Cafe Culture

Scandinavians all have their version of “stop and smell the roses,” an essential part of each Nordic culture. In Denmark, they call it hygge; in Sweden, they call it Fika. However, Hygge and Fika are not exactly two sides of the same coin.

Fika in Swedish means a small break with coffee and cake/pastry. It’s most similar to an afternoon tea. However, hygge refers to coziness and warmth, which encompasses both the physical and mental aspects. You can have hygge in a room, an interaction, a cafe, etc., and it’s primarily used in a social aspect.

While Fika is clearly talking about having a cup of tea or coffee with a treat, hygge is broader. Nonetheless, both hygge and fika are often done in cafes. In Stockholm, you will never run short of great bakeries or cafes to have a fika.

In Copenhagen, all the cafes are designed with hygge in mind. You will never not find a cafe that isn’t intentionally and beautifully decorated inside. You’ll also find blankets and pillows for comfort during the colder months.

Personally, I think the cafes in Copenhagen are on another level and worth making the trip for, especially if you love interior design, cozy atmospheres, and good pastries.

Copenhagen vs Stockholm Shopping

You can find retail chain stores, boutiques, secondhand stores, small businesses, stylish malls, and more in both cities, especially in the respective retail districts. There’s more opportunity for souvenir shopping in Stockholm in Gamla Stan, while the souvenirs in Copenhagen aren’t concentrated in a particular area.

Both Copenhagen and Stockholm have great vintage and secondhand shopping stores, but I think Copenhagen’s secondhand stores are more well-curated. The thrift stores in Stockholm are more similar to thrift stores in the U.S., which are donation and buying-based (similar to chains like Crossroads) and tend to be more affordable. The secondhand stores in Copenhagen are usually curated and more expensive, but you’ll find incredible quality, styled pieces.

If you have more time, you can visit department stores in both cities and get local designers, luxury brands, and international stores. Flea and weekend markets also happen, but Stockholm seems to have more year-round.

Copenhagen vs Stockholm Nightlife

To be honest, I’m not a clubbing girlie, especially when I’m traveling by myself, but I’ve heard that the Copenhagen nightlife is super fun. A girl I lived with in Copenhagen went out and came back at 5 in the morning!

There are lots of nightclubs and great bars, especially in the meatpacking district. I also hear that the clubs are truly open all night long, which I’ve only ever seen the aftermath of when people are walking back home or hanging out at popular late-night food spots. As long as you put yourself out there, Copenhagen nightlife seems incredibly fun.

On the other hand, I’ve heard that Stockholm seems to have less energetic nightlife. While there are clubs and parties, I’ve heard they can be kind of exclusive. I will say people in Stockholm are so friendly. Beyond clubs, some activities open late (including museums) to bring variety to Stockholm’s nightlife. You’ll also find late-night activities in Copenhagen, but mostly surrounding bars and breweries, which are phenomenal.

Day Trips + Weekend Trips

If you’re visiting for a while, you’ll probably want to venture outside the Scandi capitals. Both Copenhagen and Stockholm have access to surrounding cities and countries. However, Copenhagen is closer to other countries like Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Norway, while Stockholm is further away. Getting flights or train tickets from Copenhagen and exploring Europe and Scandinavia is cheaper.

For more local day trips, you can go to Roskilde, the Louisiana Museum, or Helsingor from Copenhagen within an hour’s train ride. Malmo is also a popular day trip, but most locals don’t recommend going to Malmo unless you have absolutely nothing to do. You can also venture further into Denmark and try visiting Aarhus or Odense, but the train tickets are often really expensive and are only worth it if you stay for a couple of days.

From Stockholm, it might be more expensive to venture into other countries for the weekend, but luckily, you won’t want to! The Stockholm Archipelago is the most popular day trip AND weekend trip to do from Stockholm. You can easily explore the islands by ferry; some islands are within an hour’s ferry ride. It’s the best in summer when people swim, grill, and enjoy the weather (usually with a beer).

Copenhagen vs Stockholm Transportation

You won’t need a car in either city, because the public transportation is amazing in both! Copenhagen’s public transportation is reliable and clean, and it can get you pretty much anywhere. Depending on your destination, you can take the bus, metro, or train.

Stockholm’s public transportation is also great and has a wide network. It also features the bus, metro, and train. Stockholm is spread further apart than Copenhagen, so many people use and rely on the public transport system. The metro, in particular, connects the city center with over 50 surrounding neighborhoods, so if you live further away, you can get to the city with no problem.

I’ve never experienced delays with Stockholm public transport, but I have once or twice in Copenhagen. Luckily, you can always bike if you get caught in a delay and need to get somewhere fast in Copenhagen. Biking in Copenhagen is the best and the best bike city in the world! It’s my (and many Danes) preferred way of transport because of how convenient it is. Definitely bike around in Copenhagen if you can! The city is so compact anyway that it’s sometimes faster to bike.

Lifestyle

The big debate! Honestly, as a tourist, you probably won’t feel this as much unless you plan on staying for a longer period, but it’s still worth knowing! The Copenhagen lifestyle is very involved. You bike or walk everywhere, grab pastries and coffee in the morning, run errands, bump into people you know, and catch up with friends. There’s a sense of coziness everywhere!

Stockholm’s lifestyle is more balanced, where people find time to explore the islands or be in nature, cook good meals, go out, etc. Everything is in moderation, following the Swedish “lagom,” which means “just the right amount.”

Weather + When to Visit

The more north you go, the colder it gets. Stockholm is north of Copenhagen, meaning it gets chilly in the winter. Copenhagen also gets cold, but Stockholm can get at least 7 F (4 C) degrees colder and see snow. It doesn’t really snow in Copenhagen; it’s just cold. The other seasons in both cities are relatively similar temperature-wise, but Stockholm has lower temperatures.

However, in summer, Stockholm has super long days—you’ll have sunlight until 11 PM!

Is Copenhagen warmer than Stockholm? In general, Copenhagen is warmer than Stockholm, especially in the winter. But during summer, the temperatures are pretty similar, with a high of 80 F. Copenhagen experiences less temperature variation than Stockholm because it’s next to the coast, while Stockholm is more inland.

Without a doubt, the best time of year to visit Copenhagen and Stockholm is in the summer. It’s warm; everyone is outside walking, biking, swimming, or having a drink, and it’s just the most pleasant time of year. It’s not too hot and the days are long. You can explore the Stockholm islands or enjoy the Copenhagen harbor with its summer baths and swimming holes.

You can see how Copenhagen vs Amsterdam compares here.

Safety

Copenhagen and Stockholm are some of the safest cities in the world. Both have very high standards of living, low crime rates, and safe public transportation. The streets are well-lit at night; if you need help, you can always approach someone or find an authority walking around.

My Experience: I’ve never felt unsafe in Stockholm or Copenhagen, and I feel comfortable walking alone at night. It’s so safe that people regularly leave their belongings at the door of a restaurant or cafe while they eat or drink. It’s also common for parents to leave their babies outside of cafes! That’s how safe it is. Obviously, it doesn’t guarantee safety, but it’s pretty close!

Cost

Copenhagen and Stockholm are more pricey destinations. But Copenhagen is slightly more expensive than Stockholm. It’s not too far off from U.S. or European prices, so you’ll definitely want to spend some money on your visit. Here’s a budget breakdown of some common items in both cities in USD:

Item	Copenhagen	Stockholm
Coffee (Latte)	$6.09	$5
Coffee + Pastry	$11.60	$10.94
Light Lunch (Fast Casual)	$13.03	$13.21
Museum	$14.58 (DAC)	$13.71 (Photografiska)
Activities	$30.46 (Carlsberg Brewery)	$18.73 (Vasamuseet)
Brunch (Dish + Drink)	$25.32	$20.90 (No drink)
Transportation	$31.91 (72 Hour Pass)	$35.08 (72 Hour Pass)
Street Food	$6.12 (Hotdog)	$6.41 (Stromming)
Airbnb (One room)	$40.72	$35.27
Total:	$179.74	$159.25

So, for similar experiences, food, and activities, Copenhagen and Stockholm cost roughly the same. It may be more expensive depending on what you buy and want to experience. However, you’ll be spending almost the same amount for the most part.

However, housing in Copenhagen is much more expensive. The price I paid for a room in an Airbnb near the city center was also discounted, while I paid for the same in Stockholm, which was in a suburb about a 20-minute metro ride away from the city center.

Food is also a huge part of budgeting, and eating out in both cities is not cheap. However, there are ways you can find inexpensive, nutritious food and stay within your budget. Here are some great, affordable places to eat in Copenhagen.

Which is Better for Tourists, Copenhagen or Stockholm?

Both Nordic capitals have great food, nightlife, shopping, museums, attractions, public transportation, and vibes. You can’t go wrong visiting either. However, if you’re young and want a hip, trendy, laidback city with many cute cafes, vintage shopping, curated shops, and convenience, Copenhagen is better for you. You may find Stockholm overwhelming due to its size, amount of things to do, and commute time from place to place.

If you want a historic city with modern elements, friendly people, exciting attractions, and an accessible archipelago, then Stockholm is better for you. You may find Copenhagen boring if you want world-class, record-holding attractions and don’t enjoy city parks, modern architecture, or exploring a dining scene.

Copenhagen vs Stockholm: Enjoy Both!

Both these Scandinavian cities are so much fun and great for tourists. There’s so much to do, see, eat, and experience. If you weren’t sure which one to pick for your next trip, hopefully, this guide comparing Copenhagen vs Stockholm helped you narrow down the choice. Ideally, you’d visit both, but whatever you don’t get to, you can always visit next time. Happy travels!