How to Visit Islands Brygge Harbour Bath in Copenhagen (Havnebadet Islands Brygge)

Since we live in Denmark, we’ve visited Copenhagen many, many times. We’ve taken multiple trips on our own to the city, plus we’ve shown loads of visitors around. I’ve even compiled the perfect (in my opinion) 1-day Copenhagen itinerary plus loads of other helpful Copenhagen articles.

However, on our most recent visit to Copenhagen, the weather was finally nice enough to try out one of Copenhagen’s harbor baths! It’s been on my list of ‘things to do in Copenhagen’ for a long time so it was nice to finally try it out.

It was a bit tricky finding all of the information we wanted to know about the Islands Brygge Harbour Bath in Copenhagen, so this post is to help you learn everything you need to know before you go.

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Things to Know Before Visiting Havnebadet Islands Brygge (Harbor Bath)

• Swimming in Copenhagen’s canals is only allowed in designated harbor baths and bathing zones
• It’s free to swim at Islands Brygge Harbour Bath
• Water quality is tested each morning
• Lifeguards are only on duty at Islands Brygge from 10 am – 4 pm: June 1st – August 31st
• Islands Brygge Bath is open year-round (for both summer and winter bathing) but lifeguards are only there during the summer months as previously mentioned
• The water is COLD
• The shallow pools can be pretty mossy (kind of gross to me, but the kids loved it)
• There are next to no facilities (like changing rooms etc)
• There is another swimming area called Kalvebod Bølge right across the water from Islands Brygge, however, it does not have any shallow pools
• Smoking and alcoholic drinks are not allowed

Best Time of Year to Visit The Islands Brygge Swimming Area

Unless you’re looking to take a winter dip, the best time to visit the harbor bath in Copenhagen is in the peak summer months (think June-August). However, summers in Denmark are notoriously unpredictable so it’s hard to say if you’ll luck out and get warm, sunny weather or cloudy, rainy weather on the day you hope to go swimming.

It’s quite common to hear Danes say things like, “summer is the best two weeks of the year” and other similar sentiments (and since I have lived in Denmark for years, I can attest to the truth of these statements).

We went swimming at Islands Brygge the first weekend of September on a day that was sunny and about 68° F. The water was SO cold, but the longer we stayed in, the more comfortable the water felt.

All of this is to say that if you are visiting Copenhagen in the summer, fingers crossed that you’ll have perfect swimming weather. You may just want to have a backup plan in case the weather isn’t as nice as you’d like it to be.

One great alternative is to book a GoBoat picnic boat to explore the canals on your own. It’s so fun and located RIGHT next to the harbor bath.

When is the Harbor Bath in Copenhagen open for swimming?

Islands Brygge Harbor Bath is open year-round (yep, even in the winter) from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. However, lifeguards are only there from 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. from June 1st- August 31st. It may also be closed at times during the month of April each year for maintenance.

Are there kid-friendly areas at the Harbor Bath in Copenhagen?

Definitely! Out of the 4-5 pools at Islands Brygge, two of them are shallow. One of the pools has a shallow beach-like entry that only gets about 1-foot deep while the second small pool has a ladder entry and is about 3-feet deep.

I will say that the shallow pools were very mossy (which I wasn’t expecting but it makes sense). It grossed all of us grown-ups out a bit, but the kids had a blast. If anything, the moss made it more fun for them.

There is a fence with two gates that lead to the deep swimming pools to help keep the kids in the kid-friendly area. There is also an awesome jumping/diving platform with three different heights to jump from (3 feet, 9 feet, and 15 feet), plus a large, deep rectangle pool.

How to get to the Harbor Bath at Islands Brygge in Copenhagen

Public Transit: Taking the bus generally seems to be the best way to get to Havnebadet Islands Brygge (Islands Brygge Harbor Bath). There are multiple bus stops within a 3-5 minute walk away. My recommendation is to use Google Maps to map a route from your starting point in Copenhagen and then choose the best route.

Bike: Like anywhere in Copenhagen, it’s super easy to cycle to the harbor bath. There are amazing bike lanes and loads of bike parking everywhere you go. We’ve biked in Copenhagen many times and it’s always a highlight of our trip.

You can check out e-bike rentals in Copenhagen here if you want to bike to the harbor bath. There are also plenty of guided bike tours in Copenhagen to check out including a guided cargo bike tour (cargo biking is one of our top fav things to do in Copenhagen- I even have a guide all about cargo biking in Copenhagen).

Car: Arriving by car is by far is the trickiest way to get to the harbor bath, but it’s doable! We drove to the harbor bath on our visit and it was totally fine. The only parking options are street parking so you’ll just need to circle around a few times or go down some side streets to find a spot.

We had about a 5-7 minute walk from our parking spot. And be sure. to pay for parking for the ‘blue zone’! The easiest way to do this is the Easy Park App or you can search around for a parking meter, sometimes they are a couple of blocks away.

What facilities are at Islands Brygge Harbor Bath?

There are next to no facilities at the Islands Brygge Harbor Bath. However, there are two small shower heads near the deep pool for rinsing off and one public toilet on the grassy lawn in front of the harbor bath. We didn’t use the toilet, so I can’t make any promises on how clean it is.

There are no lockers, no changing rooms, no buildings at all at the harbor bath… only the platform decks around the water. As far as changing clothes in public goes, Danes are much more comfortable wrapping a towel around them to change or just changing in the open quickly.

We changed into our swimsuits beforehand but then dried off and changed back into our clothes at the poolside with the help of some towels.

Onlookers seem to be much more respectful in Denmark than in the US and don’t make a big deal about changing in public. You’re also much more likely to encounter Speedo-style swimsuits on men and topless women sunbathing in Denmark (just as an FYI).

Map of Additional Harbour Baths in Copenhagen

Islands Brygge isn’t the only place to go swimming in a canal in Copenhagen. There are actually quite a few different spots to take a lovely Copenhagen canal swim. Although Islands Brygge is one of the most popular harbor baths, there are other terrific options as well.

Right across the water from Islands Brygge, you’ll see Kalvebod Bølge. This swim area in Copenhagen has some piers and decks with places to take a dip and even a kayak slide (yes, a kayak slide).

The Havnevigen Harbour Bath has an artificial beach next to it and La Banchina is a cozy restaurant with a swimming area and sauna. You can check out the map above to see if there are any other harbor baths you’re interested in.

Click on the rectangle with an area in. the top left corner to see each harbor bath and click on the name to see a short overview of each one.

Things to do Near Copenhagen’s IslandS Brygge Harbor bath

The area around Islands Brygge Harbor Bath is quite lovely with a fun vibe and lots of things to do. Locals come out in huge numbers on warm, sunny days and lounge by the water soaking up the sun. It’s quite a time to be in Copenhagen.

While we were there, there was even an adorable Hansens Is ice cream truck (yummy Danish-made ice cream) which I’m sure makes an appearance often.

Right next to the harbor bath are boats you can rent (called GoBoats) that you get to skipper yourself through Copenhagen’s canals. The GoBoats have seats surrounding a picnic table on board so that you can bring food and drinks with you to have an amazing picnic on the water. Or you can even order food directly from them so that you don’t have to worry about packing your own.

The boats are a really lovely way to experience the beauty of Copenhagen’s colorful canals. You could have a picnic on a GoBoat and then go swimming afterward in the harbor (or vice versa).

I’d recommend a 2-hour rental to have enough time to both eat and cruise. For more information can check out GoBoats here.

On the other side of the harbor bath is an area where you can play kayak polo (like water polo but on kayaks). You can book a time for kayak polo here.

And that’s everything I think you need to know before visiting Havnebadet Islands Brygge. It’s definitely one of Copenhagen’s hidden gems! Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below, I’ll be sure to get back to you.

Check out these other posts, I know you’ll love them:

• The Only Itinerary You Need for One Day in Copenhagen
• 13 of the Best Playgrounds in Copenhagen to Add to Your Itinerary
• 10 Things You Need to Know Before Renting a Cargo Bike in Copenhagen
• 24 Things You Need to Know Before Visiting Copenhagen Denmark
• 8 Unique Canal Tours in Copenhagen You Need to Book
• The Ultimate Cheaps Eats Copenhagen Food Guide
• 8 Incredible and Budget-Friendly Copenhagen Hotels
• 8 Awesome LEGO Things You Need to See in Billund Denmark

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