Kids guide to Christiania - Copehagen's colorful hippie commune

Have you been wondering how safe it is to visit Christiania with kids, Copenhagen’s colorful, but endlessly controversial freetown? Where to go with the kids? What to do? And, which areas to avoid?

Christiania is much more than the filthy Green Light District with dodgy men in dark hoodies. It is a laidback place for artists, old squatters and families promoting an alternative and green way of life. You will find beautiful nature along the canals and the old fortification ring, colorful street art, horses, good food, playgrounds and much more to entertain your kids. I promise you, you will be surprised how child friendly this place can be and how much you and your children can learn about the history and original thoughts of Christiania.

This post shows you 17 fantastic child friendly places and activities and informs you which areas are better to avoid for your kids' safety.

(Map of Christiania)

A note about... Safety

When visiting Christiania with kids in tow, the best and main recommendation is to avoid the Green Light District where you can still find an open cannabis sale. This area is located at Pusher Street between Tinghuset and Mælkevejen as well as on the square between Pusher Street and Mælkevejen. It is clearly marked with signs. In case you enter the area, please follow their rules and i) Do not run – it causes panic, ii) Do no take photos, which basically also means that you should avoid carrying your mobile phone in your hands. In general, watch out for any suspicious situations and avoid them.

You will find young people smoking all around Christiania, but especially in the centre and at the lakeside close to the centre. With kids you should consider to avoid sitting next to them – there are plenty of better spots around for families.

17 fantastic child friendly places and activities:

Blue beach

You can come with your kids or your grandma, wear a skiing overall or be nude, bring a rainbow flag or a Danish flag… up to you. You are all very welcome at this small stripe of beach. A few meters on the left, there is a landing stage, which is the perfect place for a dive into the cold water.

(Blue beach in Christiania - a place for everyone)

Houses from your kids’ fairy tales

People living in Christiania are historically very creative when it comes to designing and building their own homes: Here, you will not just see houses - you will find small wooden pirate boats, castles made of colored bricks, houses hanging in the trees, half-timbered houses á la Bavaria with wildflowers in their front yard and old military barracks. You can be sure your kids will suddenly see the houses from their fairy tales in real life!

(Colorful house in Christiania)

Horses

The stable with horses is a highlight for the kids in this area. Nowhere else ,you can find horses so close to the city centre (apart from the royal horses at Christiansborg Palace maybe if the stables are open). It is possible to watch them training in the yard, in an open stable next to a lovely donkey or trotting through Christiania.

(Hello horse - how are you today?)

(Watch the horses training in the yard)

Car free

Christiania is completely car-free, which makes it a great place for toddlers, who love to run around.

(No cars please)

Street art

Since there were many artists and people who wanted to live an alternative lifestyle among the founders of Christiania, you will find graffiti and artwork all around the area. There are some legal graffiti walls, where every week new pieces of art are created. Other graffiti is unique to Christiania and a very popular photo spot. If you walk around the streets of Christiania with your kids, take notice of the graffiti – most of them are very colorful and some portray social criticism.

(Street art at the main entrance to Christiania)

(Street art can be found at many places in the area)

(Beautiful artwork)

Bridge

This bridge connecting Mælkebøtten and Midtdyssen is a popular place for taking pictures. Usually, some ducks and swans are close by and adored by small kids.

(Bridge in Christiania - the perfect photo spot)

(View from the bridge)

Nature

When reading about Christiania on the web, the filthy pusher street with an open weed and hash sale is what catches the eye on the first sight. Nevertheless, there is a stunning variety of nature in Christiania if you just pass the centre of Christiania and walk further north. Make sure you take a tour along Midtdyssen/Norddyssen or Refshalevej and you will find yourself in a family friendly area with lots of green.

I strongly recommend to try a few of the small paths up or down the fortification.

(Calm street Norddyssen)

Bird watching

At the main bridge in Christiania connecting Mælkebøtten and Midtdyssen is an obelisk, which is painted beautifully, showing the typical birds and animals living in this area including their names. It invites you and your kids to go explore the animal life and learn something on your walk around the lakes.

(Bird names in English and Danish plus pictures)

Sunday concerts at Nemoland

On Sundays during the summer, Nemoland will bring a variety of different artists (both well known and unknown) to the open-air stage. Many people do bring their kids to these events, especially people living in Christiania and Christianshavn, but please be aware the some people smoke during the concerts. There are some areas further in the background on the grass, which might be better suited to families than in the front row. You can check the latest events on Nemoland.dk.

Boat watching

Most kids find it interesting to see some boats, especially, when some of them are colorfully painted and have a pirate flag on the mast. Take a walk on Refshavevej and you will not be disappointed. Some of the boats are home to people living in Christiania and it’s too interesting to see them! Some of them even fly a pirate or rainbow flag. If you are lucky, you can also watch people playing kayak polo in the canal during summer.

(Houseboats belonging to Christiania)

(Boat ashore)

Waste and recycling

Christiania promotes a green and organic lifestyle and many residents strive to be waste-free. As avoiding waste completely is not always possible, a quite advanced waste sorting system has developed over the years. When you walk to the streets of Christiania, you will also find out that many materials are recycled and reused for houses and gardens. Take the chance and talk with your kids about these topics – it’s a great inspiration.

(Different bins to sort waste)

Locomotive playground

It is just a small playground and it is not so well-kept anymore. Anyway, I have stopped by there a few times with my toddler and it is the perfect place for a short break or picnic while you walk your way around Freetown Christiania. Honestly, which kid does not want to drive a train? It is located at the far north of Norddyssen before the end of Christiania.

(Small playground for kids)

Collect fruit

The green area around Christianshavn Vold offers the perfect soil for wild growing fruits, vegetables and berries. During your walks through the calm and green parts of Christiania you will for example find apple trees, rose hip or blackberries – It is such a joy for kids to collect wild fruits and you won’t find many green areas where this is possible so close to the city centre of Copenhagen. Of course, residents of Christiania enjoy growing vegetables and fruits in their gardens, too – please do not touch or eat these.

If you speak Danish, try the App Byhøst, which makes it easy to find and collect wild vegetables and fruits in Copenhagen right where you are.

(Find apples along the streets in Christiania)

Healthy vegetarian food

A fantastic spot for a lunch retreat for families is the restaurant Morgenstedet. This alternative place has a few tables inside and a welcoming beer garden where people happily share wooden picnic benches. The kitchen is vegetarian and all ingredients come from the gardens within Christiania or are ecological. I can strongly recommend the soup of the day. Whenever I tried it, it was very delicious. Don’t forget to bring cash, as credit cards might not be accepted. You can find the restaurant at Fabriksområdet 134.

Café Loppen (Sydområdet 4), which is located close to the main entrance, has a nice seating area and offers coffee, cake and Thai food.

Ice cream and refreshments

There is a small shop called ‘Indkøbscentralen’ in the street Fabriksområdet. If you yearn for a cold drink or ice cream, that’s the place to go.

! There is a playground on the opposite site of the small shop ‘Indkøbscentralen’. The play area itself looks ok, but when the weather is good, you will also find many visitors lingering and smoking joints along the side of the playground. Even though you and your family will be perfectly fine buying something at the shop, I would not recommend you to stay there for a break, when having kids in tow.

Playground for the kindergarten

Christiania has its own childcare institutions including a playground at the waterside if you enter the street between the small shop ‘Indkøbscentralen’ and the restaurant Morgenstedet. On weekdays during the day, it is closed because the kindergarten uses it, but otherwise, you are free to play here.

! However, please be aware that this place is also a popular place for smoking. Have a look around, before you let the kids play here.

(Let's play kayak polo at Refshalevej)

Rent a Christiania bike

Do it like the Danes and cycle around the city with an original Christiania bike, where your kids can have a seat in the front (Bringing a cushion for more comfort is recommended). You can rent them at the bike shop in Christiania, which is located at Mælkevejen 83a. For more information, you can check their webpage in advance. Don’t forget to rent a helmet for your and your kids’ safety.