18 Top-Rated Day Trips from Copenhagen

With all the tourist attractions in Copenhagen, you won't have trouble finding things to do in this exciting Nordic city. But plenty of interesting places to visit are also within easy day-trip distance. You'll find tours offered to many of these, or you can use Denmark's excellent public transportation network to visit them. Some, like the lovely fishing town of Dragør, are an easy bicycle ride away.

Denmark has some outstanding castles that you can reach from Copenhagen, the most famous of which is Kronborg Castle, the setting for Shakespeare's Hamlet. A new maritime museum and a world-class collection of modern art are nearby. Often included in a day tour to Kronborg Castle is Frederiksborg Castle, set in stunning gardens. Or you can cross the remarkable Oresund Bridge to Sweden to visit the exciting city of Malmö.

Use this handy list to plan your day trips from Copenhagen.

Kronborg Castle (Kronborg Slot)

The castle that Shakespeare called Elsinore and used as the home of his fictional character Hamlet, has stood above the water at the head of the Øresund Sound in Helsingør since 1420. This was once one of the most important towns in Europe, controlling access to the Baltic and collecting tolls from passing ships. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Kronborg Castle you see today was rebuilt in 1640 after a fire in 1629.

The Castle Chapel survived the fire, and its Renaissance interior and German woodcarvings remain intact. Tapestries in the West Wing and the Knights' Hall are the other main highlights. Various guided tours explore the castle's history, including the crypts deep beneath it.

Each summer, you can see performances of Hamlet at the annual Shakespeare Festival at Kronborg Castle. Helsingør is a 45-minute train ride from Copenhagen Central Station.

Not far from Kronborg Castle, the unique underground Maritime Museum of Denmark makes dramatic use of the former dry dock to tell the story of Danish shipbuilding and illustrate the country's rich maritime history. Along with static exhibits are large video projections that take full advantage of the museum's unique architecture.

Frederiksborg Castle

Set in beautiful Baroque gardens and reflected in the lake that surrounds it, the Dutch Renaissance-style Frederiksborg Palace was built in the early 1600s by King Christian IV. A fire in 1859 destroyed much of the original, but it was rebuilt in its former style.

The palace chapel survived the fire intact, and much of the rest of the palace is devoted to the Museum of National History, with exhibits on the history of the castle and of Denmark, along with a sizeable art collection that includes historical paintings, portraits, and modern art.

The palace occupies three small islands, and all around the castle is the Palace Garden, a romantic landscaped garden that has been re-created from the original 1725 plans and drawings. In it is the Badstueslot, the small Bath House Palace built in the time of King Frederik II, and a summer café.

Address: Møntportvejen 10, Hillerød

Viking Ship Museum and Roskilde Cathedral

Five Viking ships that were recovered from underwater are the focus of the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde, spectacularly displayed in a hall that was built to showcase them against a full view across Roskilde Harbor and the fjord. Exhibits tell the fascinating history of these ships and their recovery and preservation, and throughout the several buildings that make up the museum, you'll learn more about these ships and the Nordic maritime experience in the prehistoric and medieval eras.

As fascinating as the ships themselves is the shipyard, where you can watch the building of reproduction Viking ships and other traditional Nordic wooden ships. You can take a cruise of Roskilde Fjord on one of these from May through September.

Other boats in the museum's collection include Nordic wooden boats from throughout Scandinavia. The museum includes a studio where adults and children can learn handcrafts of the Viking age. The boats, cruises, demonstrations, hands-on experiences, and things to do here make this one of the region's most popular places to visit for families.

While in Roskilde, visit the beautiful Roskilde Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The present brick church, begun in the 1170s and completed a century later, is one of the earliest examples of Gothic architecture in Northern Europe. Inside the medieval cathedral are buried Viking kings Harald Bluetooth and his son Sweyn Forkbeard and more than 35 kings and queens of Denmark.

Roskilde cathedral holds the world record for the number of royal burials in a church, but it is the artistry, rather than the numbers that will appeal to visitors. Each is in the artistic style of its era, and they range from medieval stone carving to Baroque to Neo-classical to modern. Panels in Danish and English give more information about the history and architecture.

Roskilde is a 30-minute train ride from Copenhagen Central Train Station, and both the cathedral and Viking Ship Museum are often included in full-day tours of attractions around Copenhagen.

Address: Vindeboder 12, Roskilde

Official site: http://www.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk/en/

Dragør

One of the prettiest villages in Denmark, the fishing town of Dragør is the perfect place to visit for a 12-kilometer bike ride across the Amager Fælled moorland and along the coast. Once here, explore streets lined with small thatched cottages and visit the museum at the picturesque harbor.

You can also tour a local farmhouse to learn about local life and traditions of this town settled by Dutch farmers, who were invited here to grow vegetables for the king's household. Dragør also has a strong fishing history. In the summer, art and music festivals are held here, and you'll often find open-air markets as well.

Bring a picnic to enjoy overlooking the water or stop at one of the several cafés and restaurants at the harbor. You can also reach Dragør by bus from the city center.

Malmö

It's an easy day trip from Copenhagen to the Swedish city of Malmö, across the spectacular Øresund Bridge that connects Denmark to Sweden. You can learn about Malmö's history on a scenic canal cruise; enjoy the lively atmosphere of Stora Torget; and browse in the boutiques on Lilla Torget, which is filled with outdoor cafés in the summer.

In Malmöhus Castle, Scandinavia's oldest preserved Renaissance castle, you can find exhibits on history and technology at the Malmö Museums or tour a submarine. Stop for a snack or lunch at the café in the adjacent Slottsparken, where there are brilliant gardens.

For something more contemporary, visit the Moderna Museet Malmö and be sure not to miss architect Santiago Calatrava's spectacular Turning Torso building, 190 meters high with a 90-degree twist from base to top.

• Read More: Top-Rated Tourist Attractions & Things to Do in Malmo

Fredensborg Palace

The most used of the Danish Royal Family's residences, Fredensborg Palace is also often used for state visits and family occasions. Completed in 1722, the palace remains in its original form, and although new extensions have been added since, the complex remains harmonious.

The surrounding park is designed in long, straight avenues radiating from the palace, with pathways winding through the woodlands between them. An area known as the Valley of the Norsemen displays dozens of sculptures depicting fishermen and farmers, and more sculptures are scattered throughout the grounds.

The Fredensborg Palace Garden is Denmark's finest example of Baroque gardens and after its restoration in 2021 was awarded the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage.

Fredensborg Palace is north of Copenhagen, about 90 minutes by train or a 30-minute drive.

Address: Slottet 1B, Fredensborg, Denmark

Egeskov Castle

Among Europe's finest Renaissance palaces, Egeskov is also one of the best preserved moated castles, with the moat formed by a lake that surrounds the castle and gardens. The present house was completed in 1554, and in its furnished rooms and exhibit areas, you can see fine period furnishings and art; a collection of historic toys; and the remarkable Titania's Palace, a sumptuous doll house filled with 3,000 miniature pieces of hand-crafted furniture and small art works from around the world.

The gardens in the surrounding park are no less impressive, with formal gardens that include two mazes and hedges nearly 300 years old. More exhibits are in the castle's farm buildings and in a museum of vintage cars. For children there is a Play Forest, with a 100-meter Tree Top Walk suspended 15 meters above the ground.

Address: Egeskovgade 18, Kværndrup

Official site: http://www.egeskov.dk/en

Following Hans Christian Anderson in Funen

Writer Hans Christian Andersen was born in Odense, on Funen, Denmark's "Garden Island." The most popular places to visit on the island are his childhood home and the excellent Hans Christian Andersen Museum, which explores the world of his imagination and reveals the writer's artistic talents as well.

Follow the Hans Christian Andersen Trail to discover the island's 15 manor houses and castles that are connected to his life or writing. The charming Funen Open-Air Village (Den Fynske Landsby) includes cottages, farmhouses, and shops that have been brought here to create a "living village" from the Anderson's era.

• Read More: Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in Odense

The Cliffs of Møn (Møns Klint)

Off the coast of Zealand, south of Copenhagen, are a set of islands that the Danish call their South Sea Islands. One of these, Møn, ends at Denmark's highest cliffs, a 300-foot drop above the Baltic Sea. Møns Klint are all the more spectacular for being formed of white chalk, and the surrounding protected area is habitat for unique flora and fauna, including 18 species of wild orchid.

The GeoCenter Møns Klint, an exhibition space and activity center carved from part of the cliff, is designed as a trip back 70 million years to the Cretaceous Period and those that followed. Activities with a naturalist, such as fossil hunting and creating crafts from natural materials, are included in the admission price.

Address: Stengårdsvej 8, Borre, Denmark

Official site: https://moensklint.dk/uk?lang=en

Stevns Klint

Also on the island of Zealand, southeast of Store Heddinge, the cliffs of Stevns Klint are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for their geological significance. The 15-kilometer-long coastal cliff shows exceptional evidence of the impact of a meteorite that crashed to Earth about 65 million years ago near Mexico.

This cataclysmic event caused the extinction of about half of life on Earth, and Stevns Klint preserves a record of the ash cloud created by the impact, as well as a complete fossil record showing the succession of fauna throughout the recovery from the mass extinction.

Nearby are the quicklime kilns at Boesdal Limestone Quarry.

Den Blå Planet (National Aquarium)

Northern Europe's largest aquarium, Den Blå Planet – The Blue Planet – is surrounded by water, increasing the feeling visitors have of being in the sea. The 50 aquariums and exhibit areas, which are divided into several wings patterned after a vortex, can be viewed from above or from water level. The most colorful is the Coral Reef, where brilliant tropical fish swim in a garden of coral shapes and colors.

Amazonas creates an entire ecosystem, not just the underwater life, with tropical forest inhabited by bright butterflies and birds. The largest is the Ocean Tank, four million liters of seawater alive with hammerhead sharks, moray eels, and other ocean creatures.

Den Blå Planet is near the Danish end of the Øresund Bridge, within walking distance of the Kastrup Metro station, a 12-minute ride from Copenhagen's Kongens Nytorv station.

Address: Jacob Fortlingsvej 1, Kastrup

Official site: www.denblaaplanet.dk

Louisiana Museum of Modern Art

Not far from Helsingør, in Humlebæk, the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art holds a collection of major works by some of the greatest names in modern art: Jean Dubuffet, Max Ernst, Francis Bacon, Alexander Calder, Henry Moore, Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, and more. Several major exhibitions each year feature their works and those of new and emerging modern artists.

In addition to the works in the galleries, about 60 sculptures are scattered (some almost hidden) throughout the Sculpture Park on the museum grounds. The daily workshops in the Children's Wing, where children from four to 16 can explore art techniques through painting, drawing, and sculpture, makes this one of the most popular places to visit for families.

Address: Gammel Strandvej 13, Humlebæk

Official site: www.louisiana.dk

Lund, Sweden

The university city of Lund, Sweden, is worth visiting for its magnificent 12^th-century Romanesque Cathedral – among the finest examples from this age in Scandinavia – and the Kulturen, a living history museum that preserves many of the buildings in its historic center and others saved from destruction elsewhere.

Highlights of the cathedral are the carved stone pillars in the crypt; the 14^th-century carved choir stalls; and the golden altarpiece, also from the 1300s. An astronomical clock dates to the same period.

In addition to the historic artifacts from medieval through modern eras displayed in the 30 houses of the Kulturen, you'll find even older relics in the Lund University Historical Museum. Here are the local archaeological finds dating from the Stone Age and later prehistoric eras. Beyond the Kulturen is the university's botanical garden, with more than 1,500 species of plants.

Lund is not far from Malmo and can be reached by the Øresund Bridge or by ferry from Helsingor, then south by bus along the Swedish coast.

Forest Tower

Rising above the protected forests of the Gisselfeld Kloster, the 45-meter-high Forest Tower is built of local oak wood and weathered steel to merge with the woodland setting. Its hour-glass shape supports spiraling walkways that allow visitors to ascend and descend without stairs, and to have unobstructed views into and over the forest at various levels.

To reach the tower, 900 meters of long suspended boardwalks wind through the forest of beech and oak, curving to avoid disturbing tree roots. The views of the forest change with the seasons and are especially beautiful when the leaves have turned to bright colors in the fall.

The Forest Tower is 75 kilometers from Copenhagen, and can be reached by regional train to Næstved Station, then by bus.

Address: Skovtårnsvej 1, Rønnede, Denmark

Official site: https://www.campadventure.dk/en/

Lolland

The largest of Denmark's "South Sea Islands" is the pancake-flat island of Lolland, in the busy waters between southern Denmark and Germany and about a 90-minute drive from Copenhagen. A number of top attractions make a tour around Lolland worthwhile. Along with its historic churches are the beautiful dune-backed beaches from Maglehøj Strand to Drummeholm.

The popular Knuthenborg Safari Park, Scandinavia's largest manor-house park, has more than 900 resident animals, including antelope, giraffes, zebras, rhinos, elephants, and tigers. The town of Maribo is popular for its beautiful setting by Sønder Lake, and in nearby Hunseby is a 12th-century church with a Romanesque interior and a Gothic tower. Alholm features a 12th-century castle that now houses a vintage car museum.

Lyngby Open-Air Museum (Frilandsmuseet)

A little more than 15 kilometers from Copenhagen is the Open-Air Museum, part of the Danish National Museum, and one of the most popular things to do for families. Spread across the large property (which you can explore in a horse-drawn carriage) are farmhouses, homes, and windmills from all parts of Denmark and the Faroe islands. Other examples of traditional homes are from Schleswig-Holstein and parts of Sweden that once belonged to Denmark.

Each building has been carefully reconstructed and is furnished with authentic utensils, furniture, and decorative arts of their region and era. You can see the traditional building styles, such as roofs thatched with straw, seaweed, or heather. The museum includes beautiful historic gardens, and ancient breeds of domestic animals forage in the fields and farmyards.

Address: Lyngby, Kongevejen 100, Copenhagen

Official site: http://en.natmus.dk/museums/the-open-air-museum/

Nykøbing, Falster

From Lolland, a ninety-minute drive from Copenhagen, the Frederik IX Bridge traverses Guldborg Sound to Nykøbing, the largest town on the island of Falster. Towards the end of the 12th century, a fortress was built on a peninsula in Guldborg Sound to defend against an attack by the Wends. Later, it became Nykøbing Castle.

The town evolved around the castle, although the ruins of a tower are all that remain of the castle today. Nykøbing is now home to a marina and several tourist attractions. Highlights include the Czar's House, dating from the 1690s; the Middle Ages Center (Middelaldercentret), a living history museum; a small zoo; the City Museum (Bymuseet); and Ejegod Windmill, which displays antique toys.

Church of Our Lady, Kalundborg

A little more than an hour's drive from Copenhagen lies the town of Kalundborg with its famous five-towered Church of Our Lady (Vor Frue Kirke).

Built around 1170, the church echoes the form of a Greek cross with four arms stretching out from its center. Its walls stand on a granite base, and five towers rise high above - an octagonal one on each arm of the cross and a 41-meter-high square tower in the center. Pointed spires cap the towers, four of which are named: St. Gertrude, St. Catherine, St. Anne, and St. Magdalene.

Highlights are the sunken semi-circular columns, the Baroque-style altar-piece (1650), and the granite font adorned with palm motifs, which dates from the 12th century.

Other tourist attractions in Kalundborg include the medieval Old Town and the Kalundborg Museum with period costumes and Viking artifacts.

Map of Day Trips from Copenhagen

More Related Articles on PlanetWare.com

More Places to Visit from Copenhagen: After visiting on day trips from Copenhagen, you may want to spend more time exploring Odense and the island of Funen or to see more of the attractions in Helsingor. To the north is the lovely Renaissance city of Aarhus, and with the help of our page on the port city of Esbjerg, you can explore its nearby beaches and nature reserves.

Where to Go from Denmark: Heading south to the Jutland, you can cross the border into Germany to visit the lively city of Hamburg. The Oresund Bridge links Denmark to Malmo, and from there to the rest of Sweden and the attractions of Stockholm.