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From fun playrooms to free presents, the best family-friendly hotels in Copenhagen

Absalon Hotel, Copenhagen
Absalon Hotel, Copenhagen

Copenhagen is ideal for a family city break, with lots of ways to keep children entertained, from funfair rides at Tivoli to wildlife at Copenhagen Zoo and the Blue Planet. Outdoors, there are beaches and harbour pools; indoors, museums have hands-on exhibits and dressing-up boxes. Many hotels are family-friendly, with connecting rooms, children’s menus and assorted activities, especially during the holidays when a number of them convert meeting rooms into temporary playrooms. Here’s our pick of the best family-friendly hotels in Copenhagen.

This huge, modern hotel is constantly busy, with enough choice of rooms, restaurants and facilities to attract families of all ages. It consists of two towers connected by a central conference area and, as the name suggests, has links with Tivoli amusement park. Little Mermaid and Hans Christian Andersen sculptures greet you in reception and, as well as various family rooms, there’s a children’s menu in the brasserie and a fun playroom complete with climbing wall and distorting mirrors. During holiday periods they lay on extra activities, such as a gaming lounge, mini golf and bouncy castle.

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It’s a modern, mid-market hotel but one with a relaxed feel and warmth to it. In the mostly monochrome reception and bar areas, bold pops of colour come from clashing purple and orange sofas, a red bike propped up by the restaurant, and the brightly painted canvases that line the walls. Service is excellent – efficient, friendly and very helpful – and staff have to be some of the smiliest in town. Junior suites have a sofa bed and can sleep four. Other rooms can take an extra bed. There’s a children’s menu in the restaurant and, in summer, there’s also a playroom next to the bar.

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A central location, reasonable rates and friendly service ensure that this is consistently voted one of the best-value places to stay in the city. It's been in the same family for three generations but isn't stuck in the past – interiors, channelling the owner's love of Designers Guild, are colourful and contemporary. Occasional oddities add to the character – a Cow Parade statue by the front door, an Elephant Parade statue in the courtyard and, tucked in a nook at the bottom of the stairwell, a replica Little Mermaid. Some of the larger standard rooms double as family rooms, with a sofa bed that sleeps two children.

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Nimb impresses on all fronts, from its fairy tale façade and amusement park location to the impeccably styled interiors, excellent service and many dining options. Inside, high ceilings, crystal chandeliers and plush fabrics provide a glamorous backdrop for typically tasteful Danish design. It’s undeniably pricey but if your pockets are deep and you want to spoil your family, don’t think twice. Connecting rooms are available; other rooms can take extra beds or cots. Children get a small welcome gift and there are kids' menus in the restaurants.

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There’s an eclectic mix of influences behind Manon les Suites' design – New York urban, Bali tropical, Ibiza beach, African safari. Exposed piping and steel landing walkways meet luxuriant planting and four-poster day beds around a patchwork-effect tiled pool, where glowing fish lamps and giant terracotta pots dangle on chains from girders supporting the glass roof five storeys up. There are no special facilities for children, but the presence of a pool and the fact that all rooms have sofa beds means the hotel is popular with families.

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This high-rise hotel, with knock-out views from rooms on the higher floors, was built in the 1970s and still hits you with a sense of that era as you walk in to reception. It’s a huge open space, with lots of curves incorporated in the design – a freeform ribbon of polished inlaid woods undulating along the rounded wall and bright swirls of colour on a circular carpet. International flight crews checking in and out at all hours add to the retro jet set feel. Family rooms come with sofa beds; they can also add a cot or extra bed. In summer they lay on more family facilities; it could be extra child-friendly options at breakfast, a free gift at check-in or, if there are lots of families staying, a children’s playroom.

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Danhostel Copenhagen Amager sits right on the edge of the leafy Amager Fælled, so you can step out of the door right into a nature reserve. There’s an open informal hangout area with colourful sofas and trendy lighting and Icelandic graffiti artist Gunni is behind the huge murals on the walls. Elsewhere, décor is minimal (the focus is very much on the outdoors). The hostel could not be better suited to families, with special family rooms and several children’s play areas. Bedrooms are built in wooden cabins attached to the main building and are quiet and peaceful – most come with views over the green parkland.

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A&O Copenhagen has a huge, bright reception room with a smooth, polished concrete floor that’s filled with various clusters of seating areas, from soundproof orange booth chairs to grey sofas. There’s a mix of little wooden cube tables, green armchairs and a small library. Corridors are long with grey carpets, white walls and graphic prints, while lighting ranges from low-hanging orange lamps to long circular tube lighting above the reception desk. Rooms are split into single and family rooms, classic hotel rooms or shared dorms (both mixed and female). None of the rooms have double beds; all are single beds pushed together.

Contributions by Sara D'souza