I hyped everyone up for the Church of Our Saviour. My kids know it as the Tower of Doom…read more
First up, it is a church that is still in use, but it also gives you a breathtaking view of the city. It's included on the Copenhagen Card but you still need to book your entry time online to avoid crowds. They do not allow walk ins - or at least they didn't in July. They also close the climb up if there's rain or is excessively windy for safety reasons.
I took my friend and my two kids, ages 4 and 8. They did not want to go. I gave them a choice to stay at the front desk and they ended up making it up, since they didn't want to be left behind. You can store your larger bags (like backpacks) by the front desk at your own discretion. You should. It gets a bit cramped. I kept my purse on me though.
As opposed to the Ruundetarn, there are a lot of steps. Roughly 400 up and another 400 down. It's not terrible but the closer you are to the top, it can get narrow and cramped. If you're tall, watch your head. It also gets to the point that groups going in one direction need to stop to let the ones coming down go just so you have room to go up. The last set of stairs to get outside is more like a ladder and you really feel it when you're getting ready to get back inside the church and you look down to see how steep and narrow those steps are.
It is a beautiful view though! Your heart is pumping from the climb up, the wind hampers your breathing a bit... I heard a number of people breathing quite hard - but you're there! You go up further until you can go no more. When I went, there was a lady who was seemingly stuck at the very top and didn't budge from it, but no matter. (She spoke to us... just didn't let go.)
Both of my kids made it up too despite their reservations. It took time to get them moving at first but they did it! My eldest got down without issues but going down those ladder steps, I just held my 4 year old in one arm and took us both down 2 flights before I let him down. But yes, younger kids can do it! (They got ice cream afterwards.)
If you have a fear of heights or claustrophobia.... You can definitely turn around if you really can't do it. I couldn't stare down at the ground for long while at the very top (it is a bit high) but I didn't feel unsafe while up there. That was definitely an experience to remember! A bit of a thrill at the very end, haha.