Our Saviour's is one of Denmark's most famous churches. Ever since the serpentine spire was inaugurated in 1752, is has been a popular passtime to climb the 400 steps to the top.
Please note: The entrance to the church is free of charge for all. If you wish to climb the tower you must book your visit in advance. Please choose the free 'Copenhagen Card' option here.
Every year, more than 200.000 people climb the stairway to the top where Our Saviour stands on his globe and overlooks the royal city of Copenhagen.
Our Savior's Church's iconic tower contains six large bells and a fantastic carillon which holds special meaning to Christianshavn. With as many as 48 bells, the carillon plays its delicate melodies over the neighbourhood daily.
On the last 150 external steps, you will, as far as the eye can see, experience one of the best views over Copenhagen with an overview of the city from every angle at 86 meters. This is not an ascent for the vertiginously challenged!
The large baroque church, consecrated in 1696, holds a magnificent organ from 1698 and a beautiful altar. Furthermore, the church has 40 elephants symbolising the absolute monarchy and the Order of the Elephant, the highest order in Denmark. Can you find all the elephants in the church?
Access to the tower is limited during crowded hours because of narrow stairs and pathways. Therefore, we recommend prior booking to avoid waiting time for purchasing tickets on-site and to reserve a spot in the tower at a preferred time.
The staff can require online booking upon arrival during busy hours if the tower has reached its maximum visitor capacity.
Please note that the church is closed for sightseeing during services and special events.
In the case of rain, snow or heavy wind, the tower closes temporarily for safety reasons.
Please note that the tower closes at 3:30PM on December 31st., and that it is completly closed on the 24th and 25th of December.
Photo: Daniel Rasmussen
Photo: Jonathan Damslund/Frederiksborg
Photo: Jonathan Damslund/Frederiksborg
Photo: Jonathan Damslund/Frederiksborg
Photo: Mark Tanggaard
Photo: Mark Tanggaard
Photo: Mark Tanggaard
Photo: Mark Tanggaard
Photo: Mark Tanggaard
Photo: Mark Tanggaard
Photo: Mark Tanggaard
Photo: Mark Tanggaard
Photo: Mark Tanggaard
Frederiksborg
CASTLE, EXHIBITIONS, AND CASTLE GARDENS
The museum is open every day of the year – including Mondays! Frederiksborg is also open on the Christmas Days and New Year’s Days.
CASTLE
Discover Christian IV’s magnificent castle, dating back to the 1600s. This impressive Renaissance castle unfolds the story of a king with power and ambition. You’ll be greeted by the stunning Neptune fountain in the outer courtyard and the elegant Marble Gallery in the King’s Wing. Step inside and let yourself be captivated by the splendid decorations and atmosphere of rooms like the Great Hall, the Audience Chamber, and the Hall of Angels.
EXHIBITIONS
Today, Frederiksborg Castle is home to the Museum of National History and the National Portrait Gallery. In addition to its vast permanent collection, the museum presents a series of changing special exhibitions. From 2 November 2025 to 4 January 2026, you can experience BLUE CHRISTMAS – an immersive mirror installation in the castle’s magnificent Great Hall, featuring Royal Copenhagen’s Christmas plates on the occasion of the porcelain manufacturer’s 250th anniversary. Set against iconic history paintings and Denmark’s most extraordinary portrait collection, Frederiksborg invites you to stand face to face with the individuals who have shaped the Danish nation from the 15th century to the present day.
CHAPEL
Royal weddings and the anointing of absolute kings — the Chapel at Frederiksborg bears witness to Denmark's history. It also serves as the Chapel of the Royal Danish Orders of Chivalry, featuring coats of arms belonging to the Knights of the Order of the Elephant and the Grand Cross Knights of the Order of Dannebrog hanging on the walls. The lavish chapel also functions as a parish church and is included in your museum visit.
CURIOUS CHILDREN
Frederiksborg is brimming with quirky details and stories for inquisitive minds of all ages. During Danish holiday breaks, extra activities for children are on offer. Entry is free for all under 18!
DINE AT RABARBERGAARDEN SLOTTET
Don’t miss the museum’s highly acclaimed farm-to-table restaurant, Rabarbergaarden Slottet (meaning the Rhubarb farm at the castle), where local ingredients from Royal North Zealand are transformed into unique gastronomic experiences.
CASTLE GARDENS
Frederiksborg is situated on three islands in the Castle Lake, surrounded by two grand garden designs: the Baroque Garden from the 1720s, characterized by its neat lines, shaped trees, and royal monograms, and the romantic landscape garden featuring free-growing woods, winding streams, and the idyllic Bathhouse Castle from the 1580s. The Little Ferry sails across the Castle Lake all summer long.
VISIT
Frederiksborg Castle is in Hillerød, under normal circumstances a 35-minute train ride via the S-train line A from Copenhagen. It takes about 15 minutes to walk from Hillerød Station. You can walk along the Castle Lake or through the city's pedestrian streets with cafes and shops.
Related Attractions
Historical Experiences for the Whole Family at Kronborg Castle
At Kronborg Castle, the entire family can meet Holger Danske, experience fascinating history, participate in lively guided tours with the skilled castle hosts, view changing exhibitions, and immerse yourselfes in engaging historical quests during all school holidays.
During your visit to Kronborg Castle, you can explore the castle with the knowledgeable castle hosts, who vividly share information about all the things you didn’t know you wanted to know. Dive into Kronborg’s significance for the Danes in the exhibition “Forever and Always Kronborg,” featuring a brand-new painting by Thomas Kluge. In school holidays, they offer immersive historical quests for the whole family.
For over 500 years, Kronborg Castle has stood in a strategically important location where the Øresund Strait is the narrowest, allowing control over the entrance to the Baltic Sea. It’s here that King Christian IV ran around the castle’s stairs as a child and through its magnificent halls. And it’s here that Holger Danske sleeps in the casemates, ready to awaken when Denmark is in need.
Today, Kronborg Castle is open to the public and is part of the National Museum of Denmark. You can explore the old Renaissance castle, where there are clear traces of its inhabitants, including old inscriptions of names on the walls. In the Dance Hall, you’ll quickly sense the castle’s grandeur during its heyday. The king’s parties were so extravagant that Kronborg Castle was once known as Europe’s wildest nightclub. Allegedly, these parties inspired the renowned playwrighter William Shakespeare to set his famous drama “Hamlet” right here.
In 2000, Kronborg Castle was also designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Open Air Museum (Frilandsmuseet) is one of the oldest and largest open-air museums in the world.
Here you can experience farms, cottages, and mills from Denmark, Sweden, and the Faroe Islands. Each building has been carefully dismantled, moved and reassembled in beautiful natural surroundings. Spread across 86 acres of land, the Open Air museum houses more than 50 farms, mills, and rural buildings from the period 1650-1940, and gives you a chance to step back into old Denmark, as it was in the past.
At the Open-Air Museum, you can step back in time and walk through fully furnished homes, meet adorable farm animals and talk to the museum peasants about life in the olden days. The museum provides a fully interactive experience. Meet the volunteers who operate the old wooden windmill, gather at the village pond where, in a small Funen house, women bake bread and arrange wool, or find out all about the manor’s beekeeping traditions from the beekeeper’s guild. There's plenty to get involved with as you discover the past come to life.
Country life as it wasThe buildings were re-erected with gardens and surrounding landscape to give visitors an impression of the history and environments of the country life as it was. Historic houses, open-air theatre, livestock and a petting zoo, old-fashioned food and grocery sales from the cooperative market in the railway town all stand ready to be explored. The buildings have been restored exactly as they appeared when farmers, craftsmen and the distinguished people of the estate inhabited the buildings.
Virtually every region in Denmark and the Faroe Islands, as well as the former Danish provinces of southern Sweden and northern Germany, is represented at the Open Air Museum so you can travel the length and breadth of Denmark in a single afternoon - just an easy train ride from Copenhagen city center. The museum also boasts 25 historic gardens with flowers, fruit trees and utility plants showing different practices throughout time, as well as three beautiful old windmills and several watermills.Activities Throughout the year the Open Air Museum is full of fun and hands-on activities for the entire family. During the opening season the museum puts on activities that include everything from the fictional character Freddy Frogface's Festival to cozy garden days. The museum also puts on seasonal events and drama productions, and has an intriguing murder mystery from 1865 that you, as a visitor, are asked to solve.
Changes in programming and visitor guidelines may occur. Please check their website to see the opening hours and programming.
Transport
Take the S-train line E to Sorgenfri and a 10 minute walk to the museum. Bus 184 and 194 stops at the main entrance, Kongevejen 100. The Jægersborg-Nærum train stops in Brede near The Open Air Museums north entrance.
The ”Frederiksborg” ferry sails ”Denmark’s most beautiful nautical mile” on the Castle Lake around the splendid Frederiksborg Castle.
The round trip lasts half an hour and the ferry sails, when the flags are set at the bridges. In case of bad weather the ferry stops and the flags are taken down.
When you take a trip with The Little Ferry, you will pass the symmetrical Baroque garden with trimmed trees and shrubs and royal monograms. Experience Frederiksborg Castle from the water to get the full view and and excellent photo-opportunity.
The Ferry sails from 15.5.25 - 15.9.25 and 11-10-25 - 19.10.25
Departures:
1 Hillerød Torv: Approx: On the hour and half hour, Last departure 4:30 pm2 Rosenhaven: Approx. 5 minutes later.3 Barokhaven: Approx a quarter to and a quarter past the hour.It is possible to disembark and re-embark at all three bridges.
Opening Hours
01.11.2025 - 23.12.2025:Monday: 10:00 - 17:00
Tuesday: 10:00 - 17:00
Wednesday: 10:00 - 17:00
Thursday: 10:00 - 17:00
Friday: 10:00 - 17:00
Saturday: 10:00 - 17:00
Sunday: 10:00 - 17:00
Location
Frederiksborg
3400 Hillerød
Restaurant
Café
Wheelchair Accessible