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6 Easy Day Trips from Copenhagen (Castles, Vikings & a Trip to Sweden)
Copenhagen is wonderful, but some of Denmark’s best bits are just outside the city, and these day trips from Copenhagen are all easy to do in a day. Within an hour you can be exploring Hamlet’s castle, standing on a Viking ship, or crossing the Øresund Bridge into Sweden for lunch.
You can reach most of them by train, but a guided day tour is often the easiest way to see more: no timetables, entry tickets sorted, and a local guide bringing the history to life. Here are our favourites, the best tours for each, and how to get there if you’d rather go on your own.
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🗺️ Which Day Trip Is Right for You?
| Day trip | Perfect if you… | Time from Copenhagen | Best way to visit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🌉 Malmö & Lund | Want to tick off another country | 35–50 mins | Tour or train |
| 🏰 Helsingør (Kronborg) | Love history and drama | About 45 mins | Tour or train |
| ⚔️ Roskilde | Are mad about Vikings | About 25 mins | Tour or train |
| 👑 Frederiksborg Castle | Dream of fairytale castles | About 40 mins | Tour or train |
| 🌿 Møns Klint | Need a dose of nature | About 2 hours | Tour or car |
| 🧌 Troll hunt | Are travelling with kids | Around 30 mins | Tour |
Air-Holiday Insight
💡 Copenhagen Card tip: the Copenhagen Card (DISCOVER) includes trains around the wider Copenhagen region and entry to several places in this guide, including Kronborg, Frederiksborg and the Viking Ship Museum. Check the current list before you buy. It doesn’t cover trips to Sweden – Find out more.
🌉 Malmö & Lund, Sweden
Crossing the famous Øresund Bridge into another country is a bucket-list day trip, and it takes less time than most London commutes.
Malmö is relaxed and easy to explore on foot. Wander the cobbled squares of Lilla Torg, visit Malmöhus Castle, and spot the twisting Turning Torso tower on the waterfront. Just up the line, Lund is a pretty university town with a striking medieval cathedral and leafy streets full of cafés.
🤓 Did you know? The Øresund Bridge doesn’t go all the way to Denmark. Halfway across, it lands on an artificial island called Peberholm (“Pepper Island”, named as a playful partner to the natural island of Saltholm, “Salt Island”) and dives into a 4km tunnel under the sea.
Book a tour:
Prefer to go on your own? Direct trains take about 35 minutes to Malmö and around 50 to Lund. Once you arrive, join a Guided Walking Tour of Malmö’s City Highlights or visit the brilliantly weird Disgusting Food Museum.
Air-Holiday Insight
💡 Take your passport, since ID checks between Denmark and Sweden can happen. Sweden uses kronor, but cards are accepted almost everywhere.
🏰 Helsingør & Kronborg Castle
Kronborg is the castle Shakespeare chose for Hamlet, and it’s every bit as dramatic as you’d hope. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site perched right on the water, with Sweden visible across the strait.
Explore the royal apartments and the grand ballroom, then head down into the gloomy casemates to find the statue of the legendary Holger Danske. Afterwards, wander Helsingør’s colourful old streets or visit the M/S Maritime Museum of Denmark, built into an old dry dock.
Book a tour:
Prefer to go on your own? Trains to Helsingør take about 45 minutes, and the castle is a short walk from the station. Book a Kronborg Castle Entry Ticket before you go.
Air-Holiday Insight
💡 Two countries, one ferry: from Helsingør, a short ferry hops across to Helsingborg in Sweden.
⚔️ Roskilde
Roskilde is a must for anyone who loves a bit of Viking history. At the Viking Ship Museum, you can see the remains of five original Viking ships, and in summer you can even try rowing a reconstructed one on the fjord.
The town is also home to Roskilde Cathedral, another UNESCO site and the resting place of Danish kings and queens for centuries.
🤓 Did you know? The Viking ships in the museum weren’t lost in a storm. Around 1070, the Vikings sank them on purpose to block the fjord and protect Roskilde from enemy raids. They stayed on the seabed for nearly 900 years.
Book a tour:
Prefer to go on your own? Fast trains take about 25 minutes, so it’s one of the quickest trips in this guide.
👑 Frederiksborg Castle (Hillerød)
If you picture a fairytale castle, it probably looks a lot like Frederiksborg. This grand Renaissance palace sits across three small islands in a lake, surrounded by formal Baroque gardens.
Inside, the Museum of National History fills room after room with portraits, painted ceilings and the gilded chapel where Danish monarchs were once crowned.
🤓 Did you know? When much of Frederiksborg burned down in 1859, it was rebuilt with help from J.C. Jacobsen, the founder of Carlsberg, who also founded the museum inside. So you can thank Danish beer for one of Denmark’s finest castles. 🍺
Book a tour:
Prefer to go on your own? S-trains to Hillerød take around 40 minutes, followed by a pleasant walk through town.
🌿 Møns Klint & the Forest Tower
For something completely different, head south to Møns Klint, where dazzling white chalk cliffs rise above the turquoise Baltic Sea. Wooden stairs lead down to the beach, and the forest trails along the top are perfect for a walk.
On the way, many visitors stop at the Forest Tower at Camp Adventure, a striking spiral walkway that climbs above the treetops.
🤓 Did you know? The white cliffs are made from the shells of tiny sea creatures that lived around 70 million years ago, so fossils are easy to find on the beach. Møn is also one of Europe’s official Dark Sky areas, making it a brilliant spot for stargazing.
Book a tour:
Prefer to drive? It’s about two hours by car, and public transport is slow.
🧌 The Six Forgotten Giants Troll Hunt
Hidden in the woods around Copenhagen are six giant wooden trolls, built by artist Thomas Dambo from recycled wood. Each one is tucked away in a different spot, and finding them feels like a real treasure hunt. It’s a brilliant, completely different day out, especially with kids.
🤓 Did you know? Thomas Dambo has built more than a hundred trolls around the world, and each one is made from scrap wood and has its own name and story.
Book a tour:
🚆 Tips for Your Day Trips
- Combine with a tour. Guided tours often fit two or three places into one day, which is hard to manage by train. Find all Copenhagen day tours
- Or go by train. Trains leave frequently from Copenhagen Central Station, ideal for Roskilde and Helsingør. Find Train Tickets.
- Use the Copenhagen Card. If you’re travelling independently, it can cover your train fares and several entry tickets. Discover the Copenhagen Card options.
- Check winter hours. Some attractions have shorter opening times or close on certain days outside summer.
🏨 Plan Your Copenhagen Trip
🏨 Where to stay: for day trips, staying near Copenhagen Central Station or Vesterbro makes early starts easy. Hotels are ideal for a short city break, while self-catering apartments give you more space and a kitchen, which is handy for families or longer stays. See our Copenhagen Travel Guide for a map and guide of where to stay.
✈️ Getting to Copenhagen: direct flights from the UK take under two hours. Search flights to Copenhagen, or bundle your flight and hotel with a Copenhagen holiday package, which is often cheaper than booking separately.
🧳 Last day, late flight? Drop your bags near Copenhagen Central Station with Bounce luggage storage and squeeze in one more day trip before you head to the airport.
🛡️ Before you go: sort your airport parking and travel insurance early. Both are usually cheaper when booked in advance.
📖 Planning the rest of your trip? Our Copenhagen Travel Guide has everything else you need: where to stay, getting around, the best food spots and more.
🎄 Visiting in December? Spend your days exploring castles and your evenings at the city’s Christmas markets. See our Copenhagen Christmas Markets guide.