Copenhagen is a beautiful, vibrant city with so many wonderful things to see and do. There are also some amazing places to day trip from Copenhagen, including the nearby Frederiksborg Castle. Only a quick train ride away, this amazing 17th century castle is a great day trip from Copenhagen. There’s a lot to see inside the castle, including a museum of national history. It also has a large and amazing garden out the back that is great to wander through after. If this sounds like something you’d enjoy, then read ahead to find out all about this wonderful day trip!
How To Get There
Getting to Frederiksborg Castle from Copenhagen is very easy and doesn’t take long at all. The train leaves from the central station in Copenhagen and gets into Hillerød Station near the castle. The journey only takes around 38 minutes and can be as cheap as €10 per way depending when you book. You can book your tickets at the Copenhagen central station on the self service machines. Just make sure to check out the website for train times before you go. Once you arrive at Hillerød Station, it is about a 15 minute walk from the castle. It’s a lovely walk along the main road or alongside the pond. There’s also two public buses from the station to the castle: the 301 or 302.
If you’re visiting between mid May to mid September, there’s a cute little ferry you can catch across the pond outside the castle. It leaves from Hillerød central square, a 10 minute walk from the station toward the castle. It goes to a rose garden out the front of Frederiksborg Castle and then to a port inside the castle garden. A round trip to all three stops only takes 30 minutes. A ticket costs 40DKK or £5, and you can get off and back on with one ticket. The ferry only runs when the flags are up at the stops. You can check specific dates and times on this website but it’d be a fun thing to do if you can!
If you want to fit more than just Frederiksborg in your day, this is a great tour to book. It picks you up and drops you off in Copenhagen and stops at Frederiksborg and Kronborg castles. It also gives you time to explore a previous capital of Denmark, Roskilde, as well as it’s famous cathedral and a Viking ship museum. It’s a great option if you’re short on time and want to see more of this wonderful country.
The Castle
Built in the early 17th century by King Frederik II’s son, Frederiksborg Castle was a royal residence for the first 100 years of its life. At the end of the 18th century, it was being used as a home for a collection of royal portraits. During the next century, King Frederik VII and his wife moved in, however in 1859 a devastating fire ruined a lot of the interior. It was then decided it would not be used as a residence anymore, so in 1878 was turned into a museum. Since then, Frederiksborg Castle has housed the Museum of National History. There are also some remaining original parts of the castle that were untouched by the fire.
One of these untouched parts is the chapel, a stunning room covered in original gold and silver decorations. At the end of the chapel is a beautiful organ, built in 1610, which is played for free every Thursday at 1:30pm. Another part that survived the 1859 fire was the audience hall which has a beautiful Baroque dome with woodcarvings and paintings all over the walls. There’s also other amazing halls which have been reconstructed after the fire to be as close to original as possible. The section that houses the Museum of National History takes visitors through 500 years of Danish history through paintings, furniture and other art.
Entry
The castle is open 10am to 5pm every day and entry tickets are 125DKK or around £15 each. You can buy tickets here or at the entrance when you arrive. It includes entry to all public parts of the castle, the museum and any exhibits that are on. Just make sure to check out their website for the latest updates before you visit. You can also book an entry ticket here where you can get a full refund up to 24 hours before if you want to book in advance with safety. There are various free audio guides available on an app including a science guide, a room guide and a children’s guide. There is also a restaurant and a café on site, and a museum shop. Those along with the gorgeous castle and the museum, means there is so much to see and enjoy in Frederiksborg Castle.
Garden
Out the back of the castle is the amazing baroque style castle garden. It was built in 1720 and used until the late 1800s when it fell into disrepair. The garden lay abandoned for around 100 years until 1993 when it was recreated in its original style. It reopened three years later. The garden has lots of neat manicured hedges in patterns which is in the style of baroque gardens.
Behind the hedges are a couple of ponds, a monument and open green spaces. There’s also a café in the garden called Café Havehuset which is open 12pm to 5pm Monday to Saturday. It’s a nice place to stop for a drink and a pastry as you wander through the garden. The garden also connects to the lake that the castle sits on, so once you’re done you can walk out and around the lake back to the station.
Final Thoughts
Frederiksborg Castle is a great day trip from Copenhagen as it’s got history, it’s got beauty, and it’s got a lovely garden. It’s easy to get to with a direct train right from central Copenhagen. Once you get into Hillerød Station, you can walk through the lovely high street or around the lake to the castle. The entrance price isn’t too expensive, and once you’re in there’s some gorgeous original rooms. You’ll also find the Museum of National History here so the entrance ticket is really a two for one. Out the back there’s also a beautiful manicured baroque style garden that’s great to relax in after your visit to the castle. It’s a wonderful place to escape the big busy city for the day!
If you want to see our day trip to Frederiksborg Castle, check out our vlog: