What to Wear to Christmas Markets in Copenhagen

Packing philosophy

Dress for wind, not cold. NOAA NCEI's daily record for Copenhagen-Kastrup, the station the Danish Meteorological Institute runs, averages a December maximum of 4.9°C and a minimum of 0.3°C, with rain on about 15 days: the mildest of Europe's market cities, and the only one that does not routinely drop below zero overnight. What makes it feel colder is the wind off the harbour and a sunset at about 3:38pm. Christmas in Tivoli is an outdoor amusement park in winter, open from 13 November to 3 January, and Nyhavn is a quayside. So wear a hooded insulated coat, a chunky knit that comes off in one movement in a warm restaurant, and one piece of red.

What the dress code actually is

Danes dress for Tivoli the way they dress for the rest of the winter, in a restrained palette of charcoal, navy and ecru, and the paired December guide notes that bright technical outerwear stands out here. The one colour that belongs is red, which runs through Danish Christmas from the paper hearts to the nisser, so a red hat or gloves reads local rather than loud. Tivoli charges admission and is closed on 24 and 25 December. Along Nyhavn the stalls are free, and the gløgg comes with æbleskiver. Hygge is not a dress code, but it is the reason every interior is warm: dress so the outer layers come off.

The capsule

1. 
   01

   Charcoal insulated hooded parka, knee length

   At 4.9°C the cold is the wind off the harbour, and rain on about 15 days arrives sideways. A hooded insulated parka at knee length blocks both, where an umbrella turns inside out on the Nyhavn quay. It is insulated rather than expedition-weight, because Tivoli's restaurants run hot.

2. 
   02

   Charcoal marl merino crew base

   A thin merino base keeps you warm on a ride at Tivoli and does not overheat in a restaurant after it. Charcoal marl sits under the ecru knit without showing.

3. 
   03

   Ecru chunky fisherman-rib crew

   The warmth under the parka, and the thing you wear in a warm room when the parka comes off. A fisherman rib is a North Sea knit, and ecru is the Danish winter colour. Raglan sleeves sit easily under a coat.

4. 
   04

   Charcoal fine-wale corduroy trousers

   Corduroy is warmer than denim in the wind and dries faster after a shower. A straight charcoal leg goes into knee boots or over them, and it passes at a Nyhavn restaurant.

5. 
   05

   Black leather lug-sole knee boots, shearling cuff

   Nyhavn's cobbles are wet on about 15 days, and a lug sole grips them. Knee height keeps the wind and spray off your shins between Tivoli's rides, and the shearling cuff seals the top. Leather takes rain that marks suede.

6. 
   06

   Tomato-red knit gloves, leather palms

   Red is Denmark's Christmas colour, and on the hands it is the piece that makes a charcoal look festive. Leather palms grip a hot gløgg cup, and touchscreen tips let you pay. At 0°C a knit glove is enough.

7. 
   07

   Cranberry rib wool beanie

   Wind off the harbour takes the heat from your ears first, and a rib beanie sits under the parka hood. Cranberry pairs with the red gloves, which is all the colour a Danish winter look needs.

8. 
   08

   Brick-red leather zip camera crossbody

   A small zip crossbody holds the Tivoli ticket, a card and a phone, and sits in front of you in the crowd at the lake. Brick red continues the one colour of the look. Leather wipes dry after a shower.

A suggested look — charcoal hooded parka, ecru fisherman-rib sweater, charcoal corduroy trousers, black lug-sole knee boots, cranberry rib beanie.

What to avoid

• An umbrella — harbour wind
• An expedition parka — 5°C and hot interiors
• Suede — sideways rain
• Tivoli on 24–25 December — closed