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.
Opening hours of the church are daily from 11.00 – 15.30.
Please note that the church is closed for sightseeing during services.
In the case of rain, snow or heavy wind, the tower closes temporarily for safety reasons.
The tower closes on December 31. Closed on 24 and 25 December. Please note that the tower closes at 15 pm. on December 31.
Photo: Frederiksborg Slot
Photo: Frederiksborg Slot
Photo: Frederiksborg Slot
Photo: Frederiksborg Slot
Photo: Frederiksborg Slot
Photo: Frederiksborg Slot
Photo: Daniel Rasmussen
Photo: Frederiksborg Slot
Photo: Daniel Rasmussen
Photo: Daniel Rasmussen
Frederiksborg Castle
Experience Frederiksborg Castle and Museum of National History with magnificent halls, portraits, history paintings, and special exhibitions, located just 35 minutes north of Copenhagen.
The impressive Renaissance castle was built by Christian IV to showcase the king's power. With its fairytale-like location in the middle of the Castle Lake, surrounded by the Baroque Garden and the romantic landscape garden, Frederiksborg Castle offers a unique destination with great cultural experiences, garden walks, and boat trips with the Little Ferry on the Castle Lake throughout the summer.
Museum of National History Museum and National Portrait Gallery
Christian IV's (1588-1648) magnificent castle from the early 17th century now serves as the framework for more than 500 years of stories and myths that shaped Denmark into what it is today. Frederiksborg Castle is both Museum of National History and the National Portrait Gallery, where hundreds of portraits give faces to individuals who have shaped Denmark's history. The portrait collection is the country's largest and most significant, and the collection of paintings, busts, drawings, and photographs is continuously supplemented with new works. History paintings also communicate important national events.
Experience the pomp and splendor of bygone times up close. The museum's fine period interiors and the castle's impressive grand rooms, such as the Castle Church, the Great Hall, and the Audience Hall, provide insight into changing periods and styles. Additionally, changing special exhibitions on portrait art and the history of both Denmark and Frederiksborg Castle are shown each year.
The museum has been housed at Frederiksborg Castle since 1878 when it was established by the founder of Carlsberg, brewer J.C. Jacobsen, after a devastating fire in 1859. The museum continues to operate as a department of the Carlsberg Foundation.
Frederiksborg for children
Experience Frederiksborg Castle from a child's perspective with one of the museum's treasure hunts or the children's audio guide. During holiday seasons, there are special activities for children. Visit dnm.dk for current activities.
Make the most of your visit
Download the Smartify app for the museum’s audio guides. Use the app to scan and explore portraits and paintings. Download the app before your visit to be well-prepared.
Also, keep an eye out for the museum's podcast PORTRÆT, which delves into both the castle and its collection.
Dine at Rabarbergaarden Slottet
The museum's restaurant, Rabarbergaarden Slottet (meaning the Rhubarb farm at the castle) brings the flavors of North Zealand to the table. Enjoy a gastronomic experience with local, organic ingredients from the sustainable farm-to-table kitchen. The restaurant is located in a former carriage port and stable building, offering views of both a lake and the castle at Northern Europe's largest Renaissance complex.
The Castle Gardens
Frederiksborg Castle was completed by creating gardens around the grand building complex. Christian IV had his own garden, but in 1720, architect J. Krieger was commissioned to create a Baroque garden. The Baroque Garden was recreated in the 1990s. The lowest terraces in the garden feature four monograms in tightly trimmed hedges: Frederik IV, Frederik V, Christian VI, and Margrethe II. These are the four monarchs under whom the garden has existed, from its establishment by Frederik IV to its restoration in Queen Margrethe's time. However, the Baroque Garden is not the only garden at the castle. Next to the Baroque Garden is the romantic, English-inspired garden, where a small Bath House Castle is also located. With its small lakes and groves, the romantic garden is designed to convey moods and showcase the beauty of nature. In contrast, the Baroque Garden with its straight lines and sharp edges represents the beauty that lies in human control over nature.
Getting There
The museum is open every day of the year. It takes approximately 35 minutes to drive from Copenhagen. If you are coming by train, the easiest way to reach Frederiksborg is via the S-train line A. 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.
Special Exhibitions:
12/01 2024 - 21/04 2024: Images of a queen
Frederiksborg commemorates the succession to the throne with an exhibition featuring portraits of Her Majesty Queen Margrethe. Explore Andy Warhol’s iconic glitter-adorned silk screen print portrait of Her Majesty, official portraits such as Rigmor Mydtskov’s photographic portrait from 1972, as well as a wide range of photographs, paintings, and drawings created between 1940 and 2022. From gala events at Fredensborg to gray weather on the beach, Her Majesty is depicted as introspective, dreamy, and creatively expressive. The young heir and Princess Margrethe. Her Majesty in different stages of life and situations.
Related Attractions
Kronborg Castle in Elsinore, north of Copenhagen, is one of northern Europe's finest Renaissance castles. It is located at the entrance to Øresund and was built in 1574-1585.
Kronborg Castle is probably the most famous Danish castle, known worldwide from Shakespeare's Hamlet.
Hamlet's spirit is still roaming the hallways of Kronborg, and every summer you can experience Hamlet Scene perform Hamlet on an open-air stage in the courtyard.
Frederik 2's Kronborg is at once an elegant castle and a monumental military fortress surrounded by considerable fortifications with bastions and ravelins. It has not been inhabited by the royal family since the late 1600's.
The castle houses collections of Renaissance and Baroque interiors, and among the main attractions is the 62-meter ballroom, the very well-preserved chapel and the mythological statue of Holger Danske below the castle.
Queen Caroline Mathilde under house arrest
In 1772 Kronborg Castle played a minor role in the fatal drama between the insane King Christian 7, his wife Queen Caroline Mathilde and her secret lover Johan Friedrich Struensee.
After the arrest of Struensee in Copenhagen 17 January 1772, Caroline Mathilde was taken to Kronborg Castle, where she was under house arrest for a period of time. Her fate was long uncertain.
She was accused of infidelity, and although her defender Peter Uldall did what he could, she was convicted, divorced from the king and banished to the town of Celle in northern Germany. She never saw her children again and died a few years later of an epidemic.
A trip to Kronborg is the perfect start to a day in Elsinore. With Copenhagen Card you can also visit the Maritime Museum, the Øresound Aquarium and much much.
From 1785-1923 Kronborg Castle was inhabited by the Danish military. The castle was added to UNESCO's World Heritage List in 2000.
Closed Dec 24, 25 and 31
The ”Frederiksborg” ferry sails ”Denmark’s most beautiful nautical mile” on the Castle Lake round 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 15.5.24-15.9.24 and 14-10-24-22.10.24
Departures:
1 Hillerød Torv:
Approx: On the hour and half hour, Last departure 4:30 pm
2 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.
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 houses 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 pool where, in a small Funen house, women bake bread and arrange wool, or find out all about the manor's bees 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 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 Freddy Frogface 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 our 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 Frilandsmuseets north entrance.
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 is about Jægerspris’ giant oaks, pictured by artists since the 1840s. After a visit to the museum, you can go for a walk in the castle park, where 54 memorial columns from the 1780s lead you from the park to the forest and Roskilde Fjord.
Opening Hours
23.03.2024 - 31.10.2024: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 Slot
3400 Hillerød