The Viking Ships in Roskilde The Viking Ship Museum exhibits the five 1000-year-old original ship finds from the Viking Age (the Skuldelev Ships) as well as a fleet of sailing reconstructions. Several of these reconstructions and other Nordic boats are also available to sail in. You can also meet the craftsmen who keep up the traditions of the old maritime trades, and you can try your hand with axes, ropes and many other activities. The permanent exhibitions are focused on the five Skuldelev Ships. The goal of these exhibits is to tell the story of these ships and of the many Nordic maritime adventures during the Viking Age. The five original Viking ships stand majestically with the Roskilde Fjord as a living backdrop. With this view, it becomes easy to imagine how the merchant set off for distant shores with his goods, the warriors waved goodbye to their families before the voyage and the fisherman embarked on the fjord with the hope of returning with a good catch. Sailing trips on Roskilde Fjord - Climb on board! Board a Viking ship and get up close!The Museum is the only place in the world where you can experience seeing 1000-year-old Viking ships, and then go directly out to the Museum harbor, where the full-scale reconstructed Viking ships lie moored at the quayside. The Viking Ship Museum invites its guests to take part in unique sailing trips with either Viking ships or traditional Nordic boats, which are the descendants of the Vikings' ships. Viking ships were originally used for war, trading, fishing and transport during short every day trips or on longer voyages to foreign shores. We go sailing on Roskilde Fjord every day during the summer season and timeslots are posted and updated daily on our website. You buy your sailing ticket as an addition to your Copenhagen Card.  

Experience an architectural masterpiece, where 1000 years of Danish history and 40 kings and queens lies buried under beautifully decorated vaults and in dark crypts. The Cathedral is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  NOTE: Opening hours can vary. We kindly ask you to check the website. Venture on a time travel from the Middle Ages up until today. The cathedral’s long history and numerous chapels take you through 1000 years of Danish history and 800 years of European architectural history. This magnificent red brick Cathedral is a truly unique structure, and considered to be one of Denmark’s most important buildings. Its history can be traced as far back as the Viking king Harald ‘Bluetooth’. He is believed to have been buried on this site around 987. Construction of the present church began around 1200. The church is the first Gothic church buildings in Scandinavia built in bricks, and with its soaring arches and huge windows, it provides you with a fantastic impression of the Gothic idea of creating churches filled with light. With its many royal chapels, all built in their own distinctive architectural style, a visit to Roskilde Cathedral is a fascinating architectural odyssey. The royal family’s burial church In Roskilde Cathedral, 40 kings and queens lie buried in beautiful sarcophagi and coffins, from the Middle Ages until the present day. Get close to the woman behind the union of Denmark, Sweden and Norway Margrete I or Europe’s parents-in-law King Christian IX and Queen Louise. The sepulchral monument of the current Queen Margrethe II his already in place. As something unique, you can sit on the bench covering the monument until the death of the regent.      

Experience the history of Roskilde, once one of the most powerful cities in northern Europe and a religious epicentre in the medieval ages. Follow the traces of the past and meet the people who once lived here. It is the story of an unusual city that has put its clear marks on Denmark as we know it today.  At Roskilde Museum in the heart of one of Denmark’s most historical and culturally rich cities you can get a closer look on the pre-Christian times in Denmark, you can get to know the mysterious double Viking grave from Gerdrup, the story of the rise of a powerful catholic church in the Middle ages – and you can grasp the modern Roskilde. Join us on a journey, which takes its start before the foundation of the city in approximately 980 before Christ, experience the unique Ely book where ‘Roskilde’ was mentioned for the first time in history a 1000 years ago, and go through our special exhibition about trash and recycling in the contemporary city. AMAZING ARCHAEOLOGICAL FINDINGS The exhibitions in Roskilde Museum contain many amazing objects found in excavations in and around the city of Roskilde. Ranging from the full skeleton of a prehistoric auroch and the mysterious tomb of Gerdrup to medieval silvercoins, chesspieces and weapons, and so much more! 

According to written sources from the middle ages, it was in the area surrounding Lejre Museum, that the birth of the Danish realm took place. It is here, you find the first line of Danish kings, Skjoldungerne, who, according to the legend, had their base during the Iron Age and the Viking Age in Denmark (500-1000 A.C.). Lejre Museum reopened with a brand new exhibition in March 2016. The exhibition combines digital installations and archaeological treasure findings, which gives unique historical experience. The legend tells, that just outside the doors of Lejre Museum, in the beautiful, scenic landscape, lay the great castle of Skjoldungerne, who descended from King Skjold. Skjoldungerne were mythical kings, but archaeological findings in the area suggest, that Gl. Lejre was one of the most important centers in the Viking ages. The exhibition is divided into three general themes. The first presents the original sources – the written myths and the archaeological evidence. Here you can experience the legendary myths through sound, light, and film, and it is here, that you get an introduction to the history of Lejre. The second main theme is shaped like a big digital wall map, where you actively can seek information about the monuments and the excavations in the area surrounding the museum. In the third theme, you find the museums archaeological treasures from the area – the world-renowned Odin-statue, the Gevninge-finding and Denmarks largest silver treasure, Mannerupskatten. Lejre Museum also has a cosy bookstore and shop, where you can immerse yourself in the ancient myths while you enjoy a delicious cup of organic coffee.

NB: The castle has closed for the winter, and reopens in the spring of 2025. Jægerspris Castle is one of Denmark's oldest royal castles. It is beautifully located, surrounded by forest and fjords. The royal history goes back to the 13th Century and the castle has served as a hunting and summer residence for kings and queens. In 1854 Frederik VII and Countess Danner moved into Jægerspris Castle. They decorated the castle as their private residence and the rooms still stand as they did in the 1850s. The living rooms at Jægerspris Castle are decorated according to the taste of the time by the fashion- and style-conscious Countess Danner. Incidentally, the castle is the only place in Denmark where the interior design of the 1850s can be experienced as a whole. During a visit to the museum, you can also experience King Frederik VII’s archaeological collection, which contains several unique gold finds from the Bronze Age. You can also see an exhibition about the orphanage that Countess Danner set up at the castle. The exhibition tells how the children lived in the orphanage wards around the castle in the 1920s, 30s and 40s, and here it is shown how this large private orphanage has had an impact on childcare in Denmark. At the castle is a small cozy café, Cafe Danner, with organic coffee and tea, delicious cakes baked with care and cozy lunch. There is also a small shop with lots of gift ideas. The café and shop offer sheltered employment for people who find it difficult to find and maintain regular work. This year's special exhibition: In Eternal Memory. Countess Danner’s Jægerspris The history of Countess Louise Danner’s life sounds like a fairy tale. She was born in Copenhagen in 1815, as the daughter of an unmarried maid. Yet, fate would have her marry the King of Denmark one day and become one of the country’s significant benefactors. Who would have seen that coming? 1850 was the turning point of her life. That year, she married Frederik VII and received her noble title, Countess. But their love was continuously put to serious tests as King Frederik VII could not shield Louise from envy and gossip. According to the elitist opinion of the time she was not worthy of a king. Louise was courageous and experienced more than most. She transcended social and geographical boundaries – and yet she never forgot her own story. Before her death, she bequeathed her fortune to charity in two foundations which she established in the name of the king. One foundation was established to support the poorest women of the working class in Copenhagen, while the other was to aid vulnerable children by running an orphanage at Jægerspris Castle, and, aside from this, preserve the castle in memory of Frederik VII. 150 years have passed since Countess Danner’s death, and King Frederik VII’s Foundation at Jægerspris Castle still runs Danner’s orphanage and preserves the memory of Frederik VII and Countess Danner.