At the end of November 2025, my best friend and I travelled to Copenhagen, Denmark, for a magical few days welcoming in the festive season. My new YouTube video includes the vlog of our experiences plus *all* my advice for anybody with a chronic illness planning a similar trip, but keep on scrolling for my top tips and takeaways…

Please note that I’m an ambulatory wheelchair user with a chronic illness, and therefore I don’t speak for or represent every disabled person. We’re all wonderfully unique so always double-check information for yourself before your visit!

TRAVEL

• We travelled from Leeds Bradford Airport to Copenhagen Airport in November 2025, on a Jet2 package holiday. I’d pre-booked airport assistance as usual, and it went well on both sides – I’ve always had a great experience with the Jet2 assistance team at Leeds Bradford and we were immediately struck by how kind and welcoming the assistance staff were in Copenhagen too.

• Copenhagen Airport’s assistance team have *excellent* buggies for zipping around the airport if you struggle to walk long distances. It felt like we were on our first ride of the trip hours before we actually set foot in a theme park.

• It’s worth saying that Copenhagen Airport is huge, so definitely leave extra time if you have assistance booked or struggle to walk. On your return flight, look out for assistance check-in points – here you’ll find a phone to speak with staff and notify them that you’re there, so they can come and meet you and provide the help you’ve requested.

ACCOMMODATION

• It was more difficult than I expected to find an affordable hotel that was wheelchair accessible. My needs aren’t complex, so in the end we booked a standard room in Tivoli Hotel which I was able to get my hired powerchair into – more on the chair soon!

• Tivoli Hotel is about a 15-minute walk away from Tivoli Gardens, so worth noting that it’s not right on the doorstep if that’s where you’re heading. However, it had great facilities including a swimming pool, restaurant, and a rooftop Sticks & Sushi which we thoroughly enjoyed.

• It also had a good buffet breakfast, with some vegan and gluten-free options and an excellent selection of non-dairy milks and yoghurts. I wasn’t the biggest fan of their allergen labelling system which seemed more confusing than it needed to be (more on this in the video), but it got easier with time!

RENTING A WHEELCHAIR

• If you’ve watched my other travel vlogs, you may know that I tend to rent a wheelchair in the country I travel to rather than fly with my own.

• For this trip I hired a powerchair from my usual trusted company, Motion4Rent, who operate globally and can deliver and pick up your mobility aids from the hotel or accommodation you’re staying in. This has always worked seamlessly for me in the past, but unfortunately this trip was my first negative experience – the chair I was given had an issue with the battery which really impacted our holiday and my health/sanity.

• Hopefully this turns out to be a one-time issue, but this trip was the first time I ever wished I’d just flown with my own Whill C2 powerchair, despite my fears that it might be damaged in transit. I elaborate more on this in the video, but it’s given me a lot of food for thought for future trips…

ACCESSIBILITY

• Copenhagen as a city is fairly flat (yay) but rather cobbly (less yay). If you have pain and use mobility aids, be aware that you may be in for a painful ride at times.

• Denmark is famously a very happy and egalitarian culture which was easy to see in the warmth and kindness radiating from everybody we spoke to. Knowing this, though, I was quite surprised that it wasn’t more physically accessible than it currently is. However, in our experience it seemed doable if you’re prepared to be patient and look for alternative routes around things.

• The dropped curbs on roads could be difficult to spot, and we did encounter issues where pavements or routes would be blocked with no accessible option around them – sometimes it was easier for me to pop into the cycle lane and hope for the best. However, I’ve heard great things about Copenhagen’s public transport networks being accessible – we only did a bus which was easy enough to figure out once we’d downloaded the correct app, but apparently the trains and metro system are fairly easy to navigate too.

TIVOLI GARDENS

• Visiting Tivoli Gardens was the main reason for our trip – it’s the second-oldest theme park in the world, the inspiration behind many of Hans Christian Anderson’s fairytales, and renowned for how magical it feels… especially at Christmas time. We booked a Gardens Ticket and a Ride Pass, and you may be able to get a free Carer Ticket if you have the relevant evidence. I enquired about this, as I met the criteria and had the correct evidence, and was told to just book one ticket and show my evidence at the gate so that my companion could enter for free – I’m happy to report we did this with no issues.

• Getting around the grounds was fairly easy – there were some areas with uneven surfaces and some of the Christmas Market stands and food pop-ups were on raised platforms that weren’t accessible, but I could generally get to most places I wanted to in my wheelchair. The area was mostly flat, and so I imagine it wouldn’t pose any major issues if you’re pushing somebody in a manual wheelchair either.

• Some of the rides had excellent access – the wooden rollercoaster had an elevator up to the ride platform, and I could leave my wheelchair only a few steps away from where you boarded the ride. I was disappointed to not see any rides suitable for somebody who needs to stay in their wheelchair rather than transfer (but I could be wrong so please double-check this), and even the accessible entrances I could use as an ambulatory wheelchair user involved more standing and walking than I expected. It felt worth it, but be mindful of this and make sure you plan for plenty of rest breaks.

MANAGING FOOD ALLERGIES

• Before every trip, I print allergy translation cards like these Chef Cards in the language of the country I’m travelling to. I handed these to staff at every place we ate and was confident my allergens were always checked and taken seriously.

• There’s a huge Food Hall at Tivoli and plenty of food halls around the city centre – these are a great option if you’re travelling with people who don’t have the same dietary requirements or preferences, as you can each order what you want. Well, within reason. Food in Copenhagen was expensive.

• Wandering around Christmas Markets and enjoying the delicious scents in the air is a unique kind of torture when you have multiple allergies and can’t eat the food your heart is telling you that it wants. However, I always managed to find a suitable meal and even enjoyed safe churros at the Tivoli Christmas Market!

COPING WITH THE COLD

• Cold sensitivity is something I really struggle with as part of my chronic illness, so I knew that coping with the colder climate was something I’d find difficult on this trip. I highly recommend planning in even more rest breaks than you think you’ll need, and also planning indoor contingency activities for days you’re really struggling.

• I wore a thermal ski jacket from the brand Colombia, had my thermal layers from HeatHolders* under every outfit (code LIFEOFPIPPA will get you 10% off*!), and of course took hats, scarves, and gloves.

• As a wheelchair user, I also took my trusty BundleBean wheelchair cosy* (again, code LIFEOFPIPPA will get you 10% off*!) and a mini hot water bottle I could fill using the kettle in our room and keep on my lap as we went about our day. Reusable hand warmers might be worth looking into as well!

If you’re a fellow Always Cold human being, you might be interested in these accessible tips for keeping warm, and my gift guide for friends with cold sensitivity – I believe all of the discount codes in this post are still active!

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If you’re planning a trip to Copenhagen as a wheelchair user and looking for even more tips and advice, head to my YouTube video here. First up you’ll find the vlog from our trip, followed by all my advice for how we made it work around my access needs!

Have you visited Copenhagen before? I’d love to hear how you found it!