Christmas in Nyhavn: what's open?

The short version

• 24 December (Thursday): most shops are closed all day. Nyhavns Færgekro is open with a Christmas Eve menu. Cap Horn and Hyttefadet are closed.
• 25–26 December (Friday and Saturday): public holidays, and most shops are closed. Færgekroen is open on both days, and Cap Horn reopens on 26 December.
• 31 December (Thursday): shops close at 15:00. Færgekroen, Cap Horn, Havfruen and Hummer have published a New Year's Eve menu for 2026, see New Year's Eve dinner in Nyhavn.
• 1 January (Friday): public holiday, and most shops are closed.
• The metro runs 24 hours every day, and Steno Apotek by Central Station is open 24 hours a day.

Nyhavn's restaurants over Christmas

• ¹ Færgekroen says on its website that it's open every day of the year, including 24 and 25 December. Cap Horn is open every day except 24 and 25 December. Opening hours for the individual holidays haven't been announced.
• ² Hyttefadet says on its website that it's closed from 17:00 on 23 December until 09:00 on 27 December, and from 15:00 on 31 December until 09:00 on 2 January.
• ³ The restaurant group behind these three places is on the City of Copenhagen's list of restaurants open on 24 December and 25–26 December 2026, but the list doesn't say which of the places. Last year the group published a Christmas Eve menu at 398 DKK (in November 2025).
• ⁴ On the city's list of restaurants open on 25–26 December 2026, without saying which day.

Other places on the quay: Gorm's, Heering, Marleys Diner, Brasserie Nyhavn 17, Judie, Havfruen and Hummer haven't announced hours for 24–26 December and 1 January (checked 7 November 2026). Havfruen and Hummer have published a New Year's Eve menu. Brasserie Nyhavn 17, Marleys Diner and Judie serve a Christmas menu until 30 December, so they look set to be open between Christmas and New Year, but that isn't confirmed for individual days. Call or check the restaurant's own website before you count on a table.

Shops, pharmacy and transport

• Shops: under Denmark's shop opening hours act, most shops must close on public holidays and Christmas Eve, and from 15:00 on New Year's Eve. Bakeries and smaller grocery shops are exempt, and pharmacies aren't covered.
• 24-hour pharmacy: Steno Apotek, Vesterbrogade 6C by Central Station, is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
• The metro runs around the clock every day. All four lines (M1, M2, M3 and M4) stop at Kongens Nytorv, at the inner end of Nyhavn.
• Buses run to holiday timetables. Check Rejseplanen, the Danish journey planner, for the day itself before you rely on a bus on Christmas Eve.

So what do you do on Christmas Eve?

Walk the quay when the windows are lit and the water is quiet, and eat at one of the places that's open. Book well ahead, and check the restaurant's website again the day before. For more of the city at Christmas, we've gathered it all on our Christmas page and in Nyhavn in winter.

In the days before, there are the Christmas markets, gløgg and æbleskiver and the Lucia kayak parade on 13 December. Broens Ice Rink is closed on 24 December and 1 January, and on New Year's Eve it's open until 15:00 with the food stalls closed. Tivoli is also closed on 24 December and stays open until midnight on New Year's Eve.

How we checked

Hours and menus come from the restaurants' own websites and booking pages, the City of Copenhagen's list of restaurants open over Christmas 2026, the Danish shop opening hours act (consolidated act no. 515 of 30 April 2019), Apoteket, the Copenhagen Metro, Broens Ice Rink and Tivoli. Everything was checked on 7 November 2026. "Not announced" means we couldn't find the 2026 hours stated anywhere. Most places haven't announced holiday hours yet, so we'll check again on 15 November and 10 December. No restaurant pays to be listed.