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Round-up

Canal tours from Nyhavn — which boat to take.

Canal tours leave from two points on the Nyhavn strip. Three main operators, plus self-drive options. What's worth knowing before you book.

A canal boat passing through a Copenhagen canal
Foto: Kristijan Arsov / Unsplash

A canal cruise is the classic way to experience Copenhagen from the water, departing directly from the docks of Nyhavn. These boat tours guide you through historic canals and harbor areas, offering both live-guided commentary and casual routes.

The classic canal tour is one hour, leaves from Nyhavn past Christiansborg, Knippelsbro, the Royal Library (the Black Diamond), back past the Opera House and Amalienborg. Three operators run the route: Stromma, Hey Captain, and the smaller hop-on green boats.

Our profile page comparing each operator — price, languages, deck design, and which one we'd actually put a friend on — is coming soon. Until then: all of them leave from or stop at Nyhavn 1–3 (the Kongens Nytorv end).

The places.

Order is geographic — sunny side first (odd house numbers), then by house number. No paid placement; no venue can buy a spot.

Netto-Bådene runs affordable 60-minute guided canal tours of Copenhagen's harbour and old canals, with live commentary in Danish, English and German and heated, glass-roofed boats in winter. A budget-friendly alternative for seeing the city from the water near Nyhavn.

Canal toursBudget-friendlyFamily-friendlyGroups
10:00-19:20 Nyhavn 2 Canal tours
The map

Plotted on the quay.

Nyhavn is a single 400 m canal with houses on both sides. The sunny side (odd numbers) is the colourful row with most of the activity; the shade side (even numbers) is quieter. Numbers match the round-up above.

Nyhavn 1 → 71 · approx. 6 minutes end to end on foot.

Open the map

Reader questions

Frequently asked.

How long does a canal tour take?

Standard tour: 60 minutes. Hop-on-hop-off tickets give you the whole day, but each loop is the same.

What does it cost?

100–150 DKK per adult for the standard tour. Hop-on-hop-off: 200–250 DKK. Self-drive GoBoat: around 500 DKK/hour for the whole boat (up to 8 people).

Should I book ahead?

Summer (July–August): yes, especially for the best slots at 11:00 and 17:00. Rest of the year: walk-on works.