Copenhagen 2025: Discover the World's Happiest City and Its Eco-Friendly Attractions
In an era where many global cities struggle with environmental challenges and quality of life issues, Copenhagen has emerged as a shining example of what's possible when a city prioritizes both its citizens and the planet. According to the recent 2025 Happy City Index by the Institute for Quality of Life, Copenhagen has claimed the coveted title of the world's happiest city, topping the list with an impressive 1,039 points. This achievement reflects Copenhagen's remarkable commitment to sustainability, innovation, education, and overall quality of life that has positioned the Danish capital as a model for cities worldwide.
What Makes Copenhagen the World's Happiest City?
Copenhagen's path to becoming the world's happiest city is paved with intentional policies and cultural practices that prioritize citizen wellbeing. The Danish capital ranks exceptionally high due to its commitment to education and innovation, as well as its transparency in governance, sustainability initiatives, and universal access to healthcare. The city's approach to balancing work and life is particularly noteworthy, with residents working an average of just 37 hours per week while enjoying a life expectancy of nearly 80 years.
The 2025 Happy City Index evaluated cities based on 82 different indicators across six major categories: citizens, governance, environment, economy, health, and mobility. Copenhagen excelled particularly in the "citizens" and "environment" categories, showcasing its success in creating a city that not only functions efficiently but also nurtures the wellbeing of its inhabitants.
Behind Copenhagen in the rankings are Zurich, Switzerland (993 points) and Singapore (979 points), followed by another Danish city, Aarhus (958 points), and Antwerp, Belgium (956 points). It's worth noting that Denmark has an impressive seven cities in the top 50, demonstrating the country's nationwide commitment to happiness and quality of life.
Copenhagen's Sustainable Urban Design: The Foundation of Happiness
Copenhagen's happy residents benefit from thoughtful urban planning that prioritizes people over cars and green spaces over concrete. The city is renowned for its extensive network of bike lanes, making cycling a safe, convenient, and enjoyable mode of transportation. This infrastructure encourages active lifestyles while simultaneously reducing carbon emissions and traffic congestion.
Urban spaces throughout Copenhagen are designed with dual purposes – they're aesthetically pleasing places for people to gather and enjoy, but many also incorporate clever climate adaptation features. For example, former parking lots have been transformed into public spaces, and water management systems are integrated into the urban landscape to mitigate flooding risks. The result is a city that feels open, accessible, and connected to nature.
As one urban expert described it: "Copenhagen seems to me like a fairy tale. The harbor is home to the original Little Mermaid as well as a giant offshore wind farm. It is inspiring..." This blend of historical charm and forward-thinking sustainability creates an environment where residents and visitors alike can thrive.
Eco-Friendly Attractions and Experiences
CopenPay: Rewards for Climate-Friendly Actions
One of Copenhagen's most innovative initiatives is CopenPay, scheduled to return in summer 2025 in a "new, bigger and better" format following its successful 2024 launch. This unique program rewards visitors for climate-friendly actions with free or discounted access to attractions throughout the city.
In the 2024 version, visitors could earn rewards ranging from free museum entrance to kayak tours, coffee, or meals by engaging in sustainable activities like cycling instead of driving, helping with urban clean-up efforts, or volunteering in community gardens. For example, visitors to the National Gallery of Denmark who arrived with plastic waste could participate in a workshop to transform it into art, while those who traveled to Copenhagen's iconic heating plant by public transport or bicycle were rewarded with the unique experience of skiing down its roof slope.
While the specific attractions participating in 2025 have not yet been announced, the program promises to build upon its previous success, encouraging tourists to make environmentally conscious choices while exploring the city.
Sustainable Urban Spaces
Copenhagen's commitment to sustainability is evident throughout its urban landscape. Visitors can explore the harbor area, which has been transformed from an industrial zone into a recreational space clean enough for swimming. The city's climate-adapted urban spaces, such as Sankt Annæ Plads and Tåsinge Plads (Copenhagen's first climate-adapted urban space), demonstrate how environmental planning can enhance rather than detract from urban beauty.
The Nordhavn district represents Copenhagen's newest sustainable urban development, where sustainability principles were integrated from the very beginning of the planning process. This area showcases the future of urban living, with energy-efficient buildings, green spaces, and smart infrastructure.
Copenhagen's Ambitious Climate Goals
Behind Copenhagen's reputation as the world's happiest city lies an ambitious climate agenda. The city is actively pursuing its goal to become carbon neutral by 2025, making it one of the most environmentally progressive cities globally. Unlike many climate strategies that exclude difficult sectors, Copenhagen's approach includes comprehensive measures across all aspects of urban life, including transportation, energy, buildings, and waste management.
In February 2025, Copenhagen launched a new tourism strategy that includes a detailed climate roadmap, addressing the fact that tourism contributes nearly 8% of global CO2 emissions. This strategy aims to reduce emissions significantly by 2030 and 2035, with the ultimate goal of achieving carbon neutrality (net zero) by 2050 at the latest.
Mikkel Aarø-Hansen, CEO of Wonderful Copenhagen, emphasized the importance of taking "concrete and ambitious steps to reduce tourism's climate footprint," noting that the city's CopenPay initiative has already demonstrated genuine motivation among travelers and attractions to make green choices.
Experience Copenhagen Like a Local
Cycling Through the City
Rent a bike and explore Copenhagen as locals do – on two wheels. The city's extensive network of dedicated cycling lanes makes this one of the safest and most enjoyable ways to get around. In 2025, visitors can expect even more cycling infrastructure as the city continues to prioritize sustainable transportation.
Urban Gardens and Green Spaces
Engage with Copenhagen's urban gardening initiatives, such as Øens Have (Northern Europe's largest urban organic garden), where visitors can volunteer and enjoy a free vegetarian lunch made from locally grown produce. These community spaces demonstrate how urban agriculture can contribute to sustainability while fostering social connections.
Harbor Swimming
Join locals for a refreshing swim in Copenhagen's clean harbor waters. The transformation of the harbor from an industrial waterway to a recreational space clean enough for swimming represents one of the city's most tangible sustainability success stories. In summer, the harbor "beaches" (docks with diving boards) attract swimmers enjoying the sun and clean water.
Planning Your Visit to the World's Happiest City
As you plan your trip to Copenhagen in 2025, consider incorporating these eco-friendly practices to align with the city's sustainable ethos:
- Use public transportation or cycling to get around the city
- Participate in the CopenPay program to earn rewards for sustainable actions
- Stay in eco-certified accommodations
- Try local, organic cuisine
- Join guided sustainability tours to learn about Copenhagen's innovative green solutions
By experiencing Copenhagen through this sustainability-focused lens, you'll gain insight into what makes it not just the world's happiest city, but also a model for how urban centers can thrive in harmony with the environment.
Copenhagen proves that happiness and sustainability are deeply interconnected. The Danish capital's success story offers hope and inspiration for cities worldwide: by prioritizing people and planet through thoughtful urban planning, innovative programs, and ambitious climate goals, it's possible to create urban environments where happiness flourishes naturally. As climate challenges grow increasingly urgent, Copenhagen's example becomes ever more valuable – showing that the path to happiness lies not in unlimited consumption, but in creating balanced, sustainable communities where people and nature can thrive together.