4 Daytrips to Take from Copenhagen

Your family will find a lot to see in Copenhagen and you may have trouble tearing your kids away from the wonders of Tivoli. But not far from the city are three castles and a museum full of Viking ships. You can take public transport to visit these or take day tours to several of them.

Kronborg Castle
The setting for Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the impressive fortress of Kronborg once controlled access to the Baltic and profited from tolls charged to passing ships. Guided tours include the chapel, with wood carvings from 1420, and crypts deep below it (always popular with kids). Helsingør is a 45-minute train ride from Copenhagen’s Central Station.

Frederiksborg Castle
Near Kronborg (and often included with it in a day) is Frederiksborg Castle and its beautiful gardens. Set on three small islands and surrounded by a lake, which reflects the castle in post-card perfect views, the castle is also surrounded by perfectly landscaped gardens. Admire these on your way to Bath House Palace, where there’s also a café.

Viking Ship Museum
Overlooking Roskilde Harbor are five Viking ships that were recovered from under its waters. In the Viking Ship Museum built to display them, you’ll learn the fascinating story of how they were sunk in the harbor and how they were recovered centuries later and restored. But more interesting to most kids than the history are the boats themselves and the demonstrations, hands-on experiences and other things to do here. You can even watch the building of a reproduction Viking ship or take a cruise on one through Roskilde Fjord.

Egeskov Castle
Farther away, but of special interest to kids, is Egeskov Castle in Kværndrup. One of Europe’s finest Renaissance palaces, Egeskov stands in a moat created by a lake surrounding the castle and gardens. Inside its splendid interior is a collection of toys, the highlight of which is Titania’s Palace, a large and elegant doll house filled with handcrafted miniature furniture and works of art. Kids won’t want to miss the gardens, with two hedge mazes, a Play Forest and the 100-yard Tree Top Walk.