The 10 Best Saunas in Copenhagen for 2026: A Local's Guide

Copenhagen has built its sauna scene around water. The harbor — which transitioned from industrial port to swimmable amenity over the last 25 years through the city's pioneering harbor cleanup — is the central organizing feature, and the Copenhagen sauna scene is essentially a harbor-bathing scene with sauna structures attached. Floating saunas at La Banchina, Fisketorvet, Sluseholmen; beach saunas at Amager Strand and Svanemølle; and a small but growing set of historic public bathhouses that survived from the early 20th century.

What's interesting about Copenhagen specifically is how recently this scene crystallized. As late as the early 2010s, "sauna in Copenhagen" essentially meant your hotel or your gym. The harbor sauna boom is a 2015–2020 phenomenon, paralleling the city's broader transformation into one of Europe's most water-oriented capitals. Copenhagen now has more accessible public sauna infrastructure than larger cities like Berlin or Vienna, despite being a fraction of their size.

This is a list of ten places that, between them, capture how Copenhagen actually does sauna in 2026: the iconic harbor floating saunas, the beach saunas anchoring the city's bathing culture, the historic public bathhouses, and the design-led hotels that have integrated sauna into the polished hotel-stay experience.

A note on prices: Copenhagen public saunas typically run DKK 150–400 (€20–55) for a drop-in. Mixed-gender is standard. Most facilities allow swimwear (Danish convention rather than Finnish); a few are textile-free. Bring a towel for sitting and a swimsuit unless the booking specifies otherwise.

1. La Banchina Sauna

La Banchina is the iconic Copenhagen harbor sauna — wood-fired, floating, with direct cold-water access on the Refshaleøen waterfront. The location is part of the broader Refshaleøen redevelopment that's turned a former shipyard into one of the city's most-visited cultural districts (Reffen street food market, Copenhagen Contemporary art museum, Empirical distillery — all within walking distance).

Drop-in is around DKK 170. The sauna is small and books out fast in winter (booking ahead is essential). The atmosphere is contemporary Danish minimalism — wood, glass, restrained design — and the fjord-water plunge is the differentiator. La Banchina also runs a respected restaurant adjacent to the sauna, which makes a sauna-and-dinner pairing a strong evening plan.

2. Amager Strand Sauna

Amager Strand Sauna sits on the Amager Strandpark beach, the artificial sandy beach south of central Copenhagen that became one of the city's most popular summer destinations after its 2005 expansion. The sauna is wood-fired and faces directly onto the Øresund — the strait between Denmark and Sweden, with views toward the Øresund Bridge.

Drop-in is around DKK 180. This is the easiest beach-and-sauna combination in the city, particularly for a summer visit when the beach itself is part of the experience. The sauna is quieter and less booked than La Banchina; year-round operation includes winter sea-bathing for the regulars.

3. Fisketorvet Havnebad Sauna

Fisketorvet Havnebad Sauna is the central-harbor floating sauna, attached to the Fisketorvet harbor bath complex on the Kalvebod Brygge waterfront. The location is one of the most central in Copenhagen — walkable from the central station and from most downtown accommodations — and the harbor bath itself has been one of the city's most-used summer swimming destinations since opening in 2017.

Drop-in is around DKK 150. Mixed-gender, swimsuit-required. The combination of central location, harbor swimming, and electric sauna makes this the easiest add-on for visitors short on time. Less atmospheric than La Banchina but much more convenient.

4. Svanemølle Strand Sauna

Svanemølle Strand Sauna is the northern Copenhagen counterpart to Amager — a beach sauna at the Svanemølle Strand bathing area, about 4 km north of the city center. Wood-fired, smaller and more local-feeling than the more touristed harbor saunas, and oriented toward the long-term winter-bathing community of Østerbro residents.

Drop-in is around DKK 200, with private group bookings available. The vibe is closer to Copenhagen-resident than visitor; if you want to see the sauna scene the way locals use it, this is where to go. Particularly popular in winter when the cold-water dip is at its most extreme and the beach culture is at its most committed.

5. Sofiebadet

Sofiebadet is the historic counterpoint to all the contemporary harbor saunas — a 1909 public bathhouse on Sofiegade in Christianshavn, restored and reopened in 2018 as a working bathhouse-and-spa. The building is one of the most beautiful surviving examples of early-20th-century Danish public bath architecture, with original tilework, vaulted ceilings, and period detailing.

Drop-in around DKK 250. Combines a Roman-style heated bath circuit, sauna, steam room, and hammam. This is the Copenhagen sauna with the deepest historical resonance and arguably the most architecturally satisfying space. Pairs well with a walk through Christianshavn, which has retained its 17th-century canal-house character.

6. Sluseholmen Havnebad

Sluseholmen Havnebad is a modern harbor bath in the Sluseholmen district, southwest of central Copenhagen — a former industrial harbor area redeveloped in the 2000s and 2010s into a residential and recreational district along Dutch-canal-housing principles. The harbor bath complex includes pools, sauna, and direct harbor access.

Less centrally located than Fisketorvet, less iconic than La Banchina, but a meaningful stop if you're spending time in the city's reinvented harbor districts. The Dutch-influenced architecture of Sluseholmen is interesting in its own right; pairing the sauna with a walk through the neighborhood gives you a fuller sense of how Copenhagen has been reshaping its waterfront.

7. Hotel d'Angleterre

Hotel d'Angleterre is Copenhagen's most iconic luxury hotel — operating since 1755, on Kongens Nytorv square at the head of Nyhavn. The Amazing Space Spa includes a traditional Nordic sauna, steam room, and a 10×12 m indoor pool, alongside a Michelin-starred Restaurant Marchal and the Balthazar champagne bar.

For a luxury hotel-stay built around the sauna-as-amenity rather than sauna-as-destination model, this is the reference. Day-spa passes are sometimes available to non-guests on lighter occupancy days. The hotel's location at the head of Nyhavn is unmatched in central Copenhagen and the sauna becomes one element of a polished urban-luxury experience rather than the main reason for visiting.

8. Nimb Hotel

Nimb Hotel occupies a Moorish-style palace inside Tivoli Gardens — one of Copenhagen's most photographed buildings, with the spa (Nimb Wellness) underground. The spa includes a traditional Finnish sauna, hammam, steam bath, cold plunge pools, and a large indoor pool. The dramatic architectural setting beneath the Tivoli grounds is unlike any other hotel sauna in Northern Europe.

Spa access for hotel guests, with limited day-pass availability. Best treated as part of a multi-day Copenhagen stay rather than a quick visit. The sauna itself is excellent; the experiential differentiator is the architectural drama of the underground spa beneath the Moorish palace inside an amusement park.

9. Manon Les Suites Guldsmeden

Manon Les Suites Guldsmeden is the boutique-design entry — a Bali-inspired hotel in Vesterbro with an indoor jungle pool, lush vegetation throughout the public spaces, and a rooftop sauna with terrace views over the city. The aesthetic is deliberately tropical — palm-trees-in-Copenhagen — and the sauna is integrated into the broader fantasy.

Spa access is for hotel guests. The hotel itself is one of the more visually distinctive in Copenhagen and the rooftop sauna pairs naturally with the rest of the experience. Best for design-conscious travelers who want the sauna as part of a stylized hotel package rather than as a serious sauna circuit.

10. Villa Copenhagen

Villa Copenhagen opened in 2020 in the converted General Post & Telegraph headquarters next to the central station — a 1912 historic building given a contemporary design refresh. The property includes Kontrast Spa with a sauna, steam room, and the city's only year-round 25-meter indoor heated pool.

For a luxury stay in central Copenhagen with a serious sauna-and-pool circuit included, this is one of the strongest options. The historic building combined with the contemporary spa design makes the property visually distinctive. Spa access is for hotel guests; day-pass availability varies. Best paired with a multi-night central stay.

How to plan your visits

A few sequencing tips.

For a one-night visitor. Pick La Banchina for the iconic Copenhagen harbor floating-sauna experience, or Fisketorvet for the most central convenience.

For a long weekend. Pair La Banchina (iconic harbor) with Sofiebadet (historic bathhouse) and either Amager Strand or Svanemølle Strand (beach context). Three saunas, three different facets of how Copenhagen does sauna.

For a sauna-focused trip. Add Hotel d'Angleterre or Nimb for the luxury-hotel experience, and Sluseholmen for the redeveloped-harbor district context. Five saunas across four days is a serious immersion.

For a winter visit. All the harbor and beach saunas (La Banchina, Amager Strand, Fisketorvet, Svanemølle, Sluseholmen) include direct cold-water access. Copenhagen winter is wet rather than ice-cold, but the contrast between heated sauna and harbor water is meaningful even in milder Danish winter conditions. The vinterbadning (winter bathing) culture is well-established and welcoming to visitors.

For a cultural-luxury trip. Sofiebadet for the architectural-historical experience, Nimb for the Moorish-palace setting, Hotel d'Angleterre for the polished urban-luxury experience. The combination tracks Copenhagen's particular blend of historic architecture and contemporary wellness.

Beyond Copenhagen

If you have more time in Denmark, the country's broader sauna scene extends beyond the capital. Aarhus, the second city, has its own waterfront sauna scene including Sauna Society Aarhus. Aalborg, Odense, and Silkeborg all have growing scenes oriented around their harbors and lakes. The Danish vinterbadning culture is particularly strong in coastal communities; finding a small-town sauna-and-cold-bath association is one of the more authentic ways to experience the broader Danish wellness landscape.

For broader Nordic context, our Why Scandinavia loves sauna culture covers the regional tradition, and our companion city guides on Helsinki, Stockholm, Oslo, and Bergen compare with the immediate neighbors.

Bottom line

Copenhagen's sauna scene is younger than Helsinki's and less culturally weighty than Stockholm's, but built around a uniquely well-developed harbor-bathing infrastructure that makes sauna feel integrated into urban water culture rather than tucked away as a separate wellness amenity. The harbor floating saunas (La Banchina, Fisketorvet) are the contemporary heart of it, the beach saunas (Amager, Svanemølle) extend the tradition into the city's coastal stretches, and the historic public bath at Sofiebadet plus the design-luxury hotels (d'Angleterre, Nimb, Villa, Manon) round out the polished urban-luxury layer.

Pick three from this list across a long weekend and you'll leave Copenhagen with a clear understanding of why the city has become one of Europe's most water-oriented capitals — and how the sauna scene has evolved as part of that broader transformation.

Browse all Copenhagen saunas. See our Copenhagen destination page for the full directory.