7 Best Day Trips from Copenhagen

Copenhagen is surrounded by cities, natural spaces and castles that are tourist destinations to visit during your stay.

Among the best things to do in Copenhagen you will find a series of day trips that depart from the city. You'll see the interior of Frederiksborg and Kronborg Castles, take in the natural surroundings close to the sea at Møns Klint Cliff and stroll around the city of Malmö and Roskilde, among other places mentioned below.

During your stay of 2 days or more in Copenhagen you can book an excursion to Roskilde to explore its streets and discover its history with a guide. This is the ancient Danish capital created by the Vikings and the seat of kings and bishops.

You will depart from central Copenhagen by car and travel approximately 30 minutes to your destination. Upon arrival your guide will take you on a tour of the city and discover its main attractions while telling you about the history of the place.

The Viking Ship Museum

A must-see in Roskilde is the Vikingeskibsmuseet or Viking Ship Museum. There, you will see an exhibition of ships found in the Roskilde Fjord, including the world's largest Viking ship with a length of 37 metres.

You will have the opportunity to climb aboard a replica of a Viking ship, where you will feel like you have travelled back in time. You will also be able to learn about the construction process of these fleets.

Roskilde Cathedral

On your way through the city you will see the imposing Roskilde Cathedral, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. In this major temple you will be amazed by its architectural beauty, representative of the Gothic style.

In addition, the site houses an important part of the history of Denmark, preserving around 40 tombs of the Danish Royal House. Among them are the remains of the wife of Frederick IX of Denmark, Ingrid of Sweden.

During this activity, considered among the best day trips from Copenhagen, you will also have free time to explore the town on your own. You can walk through the streets, buy souvenirs and take some pictures. You can also pop into the local bars or restaurants for a drink, a bite to eat and some rest.

Details of interest

• Price: approximately €60 per person.
• Duration: about six hours.
• Means of transport: by train.
• Disadvantages of this option: the tour does not include admission to any of the attractions visited.

Joining one of the day trips to Sweden from Copenhagen is another interesting option during your stay in the Danish capital. On one of them you'll get to know the city of Malmö, whose streets combine old and new.

You'll travel by train from Copenhagen to Malmö, crossing the iconic Öresund Bridge, considered one of the largest in the world. Upon arrival in the Swedish city, your guide will accompany you and take you on a walking tour. Some of the sights you'll see include:

• Lundagard Park, with a series of runic stones erected by the Vikings around 970.
• Lund Cathedral, a Lutheran compound of great historical importance to Denmark despite being in Sweden.
• The Turning Torso, the tallest skyscraper in Scandinavia. It is a true architectural symbol of the city.
• The Little Square, where you will see preserved medieval buildings from centuries past.

Interesting details

• Price: around 252€ per person.
• Duration: about six hours.
• Means of transport: by train.

Make the most of your time in the Danish capital to book a tour to Roskilde, Frederiksborg and Kronborg and take part in one of the best castle tours in Copenhagen.

Accompanied by a local guide, you will delve into the history of Denmark by visiting two great monuments: Frederiksborg Castle and Kronborg Castle.

Frederiksborg Castle

The first stop on this tour is Frederiksborg Castle, located approximately 45 minutes drive from Copenhagen.

There, you will be amazed by this imposing Renaissance-style architectural work built on three islets and surrounded by a beautiful baroque garden. Inside, you will also find the National History Museum.

Kronborg Castle

The next destination is Kronborg Castle, a 40-minute drive from Frederiksborg Castle-Palace.

It is an important Danish UNESCO World Heritage Site. You can see the exterior and interior of this Renaissance-style building that inspired William Shakespeare to write Hamlet.

Interesting details

• Price: from 146€ per person.
• Duration: just over eight hours.
• Means of transport: minibus.
• Disadvantages of this option: this activity is not suitable for people with limited mobility, wheelchairs or pushchairs.

If you like museums and nature, then you will be fascinated by the Louisiana Museum in Humlebaek. You can take this trip on your own by car or public transport, which can take anywhere from 45 minutes to a little over an hour from Copenhagen.

Once at the museum, you will be amazed by the contrasts between the landscaped gardens and the art installation, which consists of a series of sculptures. You will walk freely through the different exhibition rooms, which are connected by glassed-in corridors. Some of them overlook the lake.

During the tour you will find permanent collections with works by great artists such as Picasso, Yayoi Kusama, Monet, Andy Warhol and Giacometti, among others. You will also see a series of temporary exhibitions that follow a theme or are dedicated to a guest artist.

Interesting details

• Price: around €20 per person.
• Duration: approximately six hours.
• Means of transport: private car or public transport.
• Tip: if you have the Copenhagen Tourist Card, you can skip the queues and go straight into the museum. Booking the Copenhagen Card costs around €68.

Any time of year is the best time to visit Copenhagen and explore the natural areas surrounding the Danish capital. Such is the case of the Isle of Mons and its cliffs, considered the highest in Denmark.

For this tour you will travel by minibus from Copenhagen, taking a route of at least two hours. During this time you will see different panoramic views while the driver-guide tells you about the history of the city.

Upon arrival, you will go directly to the GeoCenter Mons Klint, where you will learn about the flora and fauna, the characteristic rocky environment, the prehistory and some fossil discoveries. Afterwards, you will walk along a path to discover the whitish cliffs, which are about 120 metres high. You can also go down some stairs to the seashore.

Interesting details

• Price: approximately 192€ per person.
• Duration: about eight hours.
• Means of transport: minibus.
• Disadvantages of this option: due to the route along the cliffs and areas with stairs, the experience is not suitable for people with limited mobility.

If you plan to be in Copenhagen for 3 days or more, then you can incorporate into your itinerary a day trip to the town of Odense, a place with a lot of history and attractions that will surprise you.

The journey to Odense can be by train for about 90 minutes or by private car for a couple of hours. This will depend on the guided tour you connect with. In fact, if you wish, you could go on your own. Among the attractions you'll see on the tour are the following:

• The Museum of Hans Christian Andersen, Danish writer and author of The Little Mermaid, The Brave Little Tailor and The Ugly Duckling, among others.
• The Railway Museum, with old locomotives and carriages.
• The Funen Village, an open-air museum recreating a Danish village from 200 years ago. You'll see houses, stables, workshops and real people.
• Odense Cathedral; an interesting Gothic-style building, inside which lie the remains of King Knud.
• H.C. Andersens Park, with sculptures dedicated to the writer and a small Chinese Wall.

Interesting details

• Price: around €190.
• Duration: approximately six to eight hours.
• Means of transport: train or private car.

If you are a fan of the famous Lego blocks and want to remember your childhood, then you should make the most of your stay in Copenhagen and take a day trip to Billund, where you will find Legoland with more than 50 attractions for all ages. There you will find Legoland with more than 50 attractions for all ages.

For this activity, you will drive about 2 hours and 40 minutes from Copenhagen to Billund. Upon arrival, you will buy your ticket at the park's ticket office and you will have access to all the fun.

You will ride a medieval roller coaster, navigate a canal on board a mini boat and the little ones can have their first experience as drivers. You'll also discover the world on a small scale through a series of replicas of world-famous buildings: the Taj Mahal, the Burj Khalif, etc. This is definitely an ideal experience if you have travelled to Copenhagen with children.

Interesting details

• Price: admission to the park starts at 52€ for adults and around 50€ for children and pensioners.
• Duration: one day.
• Means of transport: private car.
• Recommendation: due to the high number of visitors to the park, you may not be able to find tickets, so you should book them in advance.

The duration of tours from Copenhagen usually varies between six and eight hours. This time frame includes the transfer to and from the Danish capital, and may actually be a little longer if you're doing the tour on your own, as the itinerary is usually more flexible.

Whether you join a guided tour or travel on your own, you'll want to start this kind of adventure in the morning. This way you can make the most of the day and get back to the city in time for a stroll through the Old Town and discover Copenhagen by night or take one of the Copenhagen pub crawls.

Guided tours from Copenhagen are the most popular option, as all you have to do is hop on a minibus and enjoy the ride. In the meantime, the driver-guide tells you about the history of the city and the places visited.

Also, with this type of guided activity you save time and money, because unlike self-guided tours , you don't have to rent a car, drive and even risk getting lost along the way.