Best day trips from Copenhagen by train

Copenhagen is compact, and the trains of eastern Zealand are frequent, so a lot is within an hour: Hamlet's castle on the Øresund, a cathedral full of royal tombs, real Viking ships, one of the most beautiful art museums in Europe, a Renaissance palace on a lake and, across the bridge, a second country. The short answer: Roskilde is the best for history, Helsingør with Kronborg the classic castle trip, Louisiana the trip for art and the sea, and Malmö the easy way to add Sweden to your trip. Helsingør and Louisiana lie on the same line and combine well into one day.

Day trips from Copenhagen at a glance

Times are typical connections from Copenhagen Central Station (København H). Trains run often, so you rarely need to plan to the minute. Check whether your Copenhagen travel pass covers the zone of your destination; for Malmö, you need a ticket across the border.

Roskilde: royal tombs and Viking ships

How to get there: regional trains run from Copenhagen Central to Roskilde in about 25 minutes. The cathedral is a few minutes' walk from the station; the Viking Ship Museum on the fjord is about 20 minutes on foot, downhill through the park.

What to see: Roskilde Cathedral, the burial church of the Danish kings and queens for centuries, with chapels from every period and a UNESCO World Heritage Site; and the Viking Ship Museum, which shows five original Viking ships that were deliberately sunk in the fjord around 1,000 years ago and raised in the 1960s. In the museum harbour, boat builders make reconstructions with old techniques, and in summer you can sail on some of them.

How long: half a day for one of the two sights, a full day for both.

Best for: history, families, anyone interested in the Vikings.

Malmö: Sweden across the bridge

How to get there: Øresund trains run from Copenhagen Central, via the airport and across the Øresund Bridge, to Malmö Central in about 35 minutes. Bring your passport or national ID card: Sweden can check identity at the border.

What to see: the cobbled Lilla Torg square with its half-timbered houses and cafés; Stortorget and the St Peter's Church; Malmöhus Castle in its park, with museums; and the Western Harbour, a modern district with the twisting Turning Torso tower. On the beach of Ribersborg, the old cold-water bathhouse on a pier has saunas and sea swimming all year round. Lund, with its cathedral and university, is only about 10 to 15 minutes further by train.

How long: half a day for Malmö, a full day with Lund.

Best for: a second country in one day, architecture, a swim and sauna.

Helsingør and Kronborg: Hamlet's castle

How to get there: trains on the Coast Line (Kystbanen) run from Copenhagen Central along the Øresund to Helsingør in about 45 minutes. Kronborg is a walk of about 15 minutes from the station along the harbour.

What to see: Kronborg Castle, a Renaissance fortress at the narrowest point of the Øresund, where for centuries ships paid the Sound Dues. It is known around the world as Elsinore, the setting of Shakespeare's Hamlet, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visit the royal apartments, the ballroom and the dark casemates underneath. Next to the castle, the Maritime Museum of Denmark is built into an old dry dock. Ferries cross from Helsingør to Helsingborg in Sweden in about 20 minutes.

How long: a full day, especially with Louisiana on the way back.

Best for: castles, Shakespeare, a day by the sea. Tickets for Kronborg^* are also on Tiqets.

Louisiana Museum of Modern Art

How to get there: the Coast Line trains towards Helsingør stop at Humlebæk after about 40 minutes; from the station, the museum is a walk of about 15 minutes.

What to see: Louisiana is a museum of modern and contemporary art in an old villa with low modern wings, set in a sculpture park that runs down to the Øresund. The collection includes works by Giacometti, Henry Moore and many Danish and international artists, and the museum shows large temporary exhibitions. On a clear day, you can see Sweden across the water from the lawn.

How long: half a day; combine it with Helsingør for a full day.

Best for: art, architecture, a calm afternoon with a view of the sea.

Frederiksborg Castle in Hillerød

How to get there: the S-train runs from central Copenhagen to Hillerød in about 40 minutes. From the station, the castle is a walk of about 15 to 20 minutes through the town.

What to see: Frederiksborg Castle, a Renaissance palace built by King Christian IV on three islands in a lake. Today it houses the Museum of National History, with portraits, furniture and the richly decorated chapel where Danish kings were anointed. Behind the castle lies a baroque garden that has been restored to its original design.

How long: half a day.

Best for: Danish history, Renaissance architecture, a quiet garden.

Train or guided tour?

For every trip in this article, the train is the best choice: frequent, fast and with stations close to the sights. You can buy tickets in the DSB app or at the machines in the station. A guided tour mainly saves time if you want to see Kronborg, Frederiksborg and the coast in a single day; castle tours from Copenhagen^* can be compared on Viator. If you plan to travel on to Stockholm or Hamburg, long-distance trains^* can be compared on Omio.

How many day trips fit into a Copenhagen trip?

With three days, stay in Copenhagen: Nyhavn, the palaces, the museums, Tivoli and Christianshavn fill them. From four days, one trip fits – Roskilde or Malmö. With five days or more, add Helsingør and Louisiana. Our article how many days in Copenhagen explains the split, and our 5-day Copenhagen plan already includes Roskilde and Malmö.

How YesTrip helps you plan

YesTrip has a ready-made plan for Copenhagen, including a five-day version with Roskilde and Malmö. With one tap you copy it into the app, swap a trip for Helsingør and Louisiana and add your hotel. The app shows the weather for your travel days, which helps to pick a clear day for the coast, and with the offline package you have the map without a connection, also in Sweden. YesTrip is free.

Copenhagen trip planDay by day, with map and tips

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