My husband and I were scheduled to go to Portugal in April but now due to family commitments, we have to scrap that. We are considering a trip to Copenhagen and nearby towns for late February/early March. We have never been and have been wanting to go. Is this insane? Thank you in advance.

Why would it be insane?
No more insane than many places in Europe at that time of year.
Plus the added bonus of a chance of Northern Lights if you watch the forecasts and get out of the city.

I've been to Scandinavia in the last 3 winters. When I was in Finland earlier this year, a Finnish woman stopped me on the street to ask why I came to Finland in the winter. I told her it's beautiful at any time of year, and it's a heck of a lot less crowded.

There's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes. If you bring the appropriate winter gear, the weather won't be an issue. If you don't, then you will have no trouble finding what you need at the store. Enjoy.

Thank you both for your encouragement! We have booked a trip for late February/early March and already are looking forward to it. Other than the obvious "layering/hat/gloves," what are some specific clothing items you would recommend we pack to stay comfortable and cozy? Thank you.

Kind of depends on both your cold tolerance and the weather.

Water proof or at least partially shoes/boots. With good tread to deal with snow or worse ice.


Other than that it really depends on where you're coming from and your tolerance. I went to Berlin a couple winters ago and the locals told me to bring a heavy coat. Personally? I'm not going to say it was spring but it wasn't anything extreme. Certainly not up to my heavy parka. But that's me.

I recommended not wearing jeans. When they get wet, they take forever to dry and you will freeze in the meantime. I have a few pairs of water resistant thermal pants. I bought them at a sporting goods store. At my store they only have men's styles, (I'm female) but the waist is adjustable so I had no difficulty finding a good fit. You'll also want a water resistant jacket with a hood, and some type of hat. I bought a tight knit wool hat in Iceland and it's great. Don't forget your thermal socks and waterproof boots. I've found mittens to be warmer than gloves. My sporting goods store sells hand warmers to put inside you mittens and those work very well.

it just makes cycling harder

I'll point out if you're visiting a city the advantage is when cold stop. Get a hot drink or a meal. Enter a museum or browse a shop. Plus if you're walking you'll be a little warm

The tricks you need to manage the tundra shouldn't be needed in an urban environment.

February and March are pretty dry months in Copenhagen, and whilst it will be cold, it is unlikely to be seriously cold, maybe 37-45F, though you could be unlucky(?) and hit a freezing period which often means sunshine and dry crisp days rather than grey or rain/sleet. Days will be getting noticeably longer too.

Jeans not only stay wet but aren't very warm. Pack layers, and waterproof coat and shoes. Sunglasses may be needed if it is cold and sunny.

Have fun!

Just so you know, after 24 hours in Copenhagen, I was ready to move there. I was MORE than willing to "do" weather to make it happen. I am envious.
Tip: WIND will be the problem. It will come at you from all directions. Just think about how to windproof with layers and you are good to go.

We went to Copenhagen in early November a few years ago. We live in Boston so we are used to COLD, so relatively speaking Copenhagen isn't that cold. What we wore were light/medium weight down jackets. Nowadays many companies make warm down jackets but they are really lightweight, instead of michelin man of yesteryears. Layers underneath, hats (or hooded jackets), gloves and scarves. In Boston winters we live in the Uniqlo heat tech long underwears so we wore those in Copenhagen as well. Warm socks and Merrill hiking shoes.

When we went in November, there were few tourists, no lines for anywhere. Even though it was chilly, there are still plenty of restaurants in Nyhavn with outdoor seating — they have heat lamps and blankets. Definitely a huge contrast to my friends' experience of visiting in the summer when everywhere is packed elbow to elbow. Of course, the biggest downside of November is the short daylight, sunset is around 4:30pm. But looks like by late Feb/ early march, sunset is 5:30pm so that's definitely better!

Another downside for us was that we visited the Viking Ship museum in Roskilde, and while the indoor museum is open, most of the outdoor exhibits are covered up. The museum docent told us that during the summer months, they offer rides out into the fjord in replica viking ships. Obviously that wasn't available in November.

One last consideration is Tivoli — if that's important to you? I'm not sure if it's open in Feb or March. We went with my son so I definitely wanted to take him there. We lucked out as we arrived on the last day of their Halloween period. After that day they were closed for the entire time we were in Copenhagen.

Hello yk,

Regarding Tivoli, I was there in March 2023 and it was not yet open for the season. I was able to enjoy the nearby food hall.

I was at a meeting in Maui many years ago during January. Many attendees from Copenhagen. Asked why they were at the meeting as it was quite a distance from Home. They all answered, “Have you ever been in Denmark during the winter?. “