You do not need a car to reach castles, coastal museums, and historic towns from central Copenhagen. Trains and buses run directly from the city centre to destinations across Zealand and across the bridge into Sweden. Check opening schedules before setting out, as some major sites close on Mondays or adjust their access over the winter.
Helsingør and its castle
The coastal railway line, Kystbanen, runs from Copenhagen Central Station (København H) to Helsingør roughly every 20 minutes. The journey takes around 46 minutes. Kronborg Castle is an easy 10-minute walk from Helsingør station along the harbour.
Kronborg Castle is a UNESCO World Heritage site and part of the National Museum of Denmark. The site presents itself as the home of Hamlet. A standard visit covers spaces ranging from the underground casemates where the mythical hero Holger Danske (Holger the Dane) sits, up to the top of the cannon tower.
From 1 November to 30 December, Kronborg is closed on Mondays and open from 10:00 to 16:00 from Tuesday to Friday according to Kronborg Castle opening hours. Over the holidays, the castle is closed on 24, 25 and 31 December, but it opens on Monday 28 December. Christmas at Kronborg takes place from 30 November to 19 December 2026, which you can read about alongside other seasonal stops in our guide to Copenhagen Christmas markets.
An adult ticket costs DKK 150 at the counter, or DKK 135 when bought online, and children enter free of charge. The purchased ticket remains valid for an entire year.
Modern art by the sea in Humlebæk
Louisiana Museum of Modern Art sits on the coast north of the capital. Several direct trains an hour depart Copenhagen for Humlebæk station. The rail ride takes about 40 minutes, followed by a 10 to 15-minute walk from the station to the entrance.
The museum opens from 11:00 to 22:00 Tuesday to Friday, and from 11:00 to 18:00 on Saturdays and Sundays. It is closed on Mondays. Over the festive season, Louisiana closes on 24, 25 and 31 December, as well as on 1 January 2027. It makes an exception to its Monday closure by opening on Monday 28 December.
Adult admission is DKK 145, students pay DKK 130, and visitors under 18 enter free. You must hold an admission ticket to access the seaside sculpture park, the museum shop, or the café. You do not need to reserve a specific entry time slot in advance.
Roskilde, for a royal cathedral and Viking ships
Roskilde lies west of Copenhagen and is fast to reach by rail. The train ride from Copenhagen takes 25 minutes, and almost every westbound train departing Copenhagen Central Station stops there. With daylight hours shifting considerably outside summer, check sunrise and sunset in Copenhagen to plan an early start.
Roskilde Cathedral (Roskilde Domkirke) stands on the UNESCO World Heritage List and showcases architectural styles spanning 800 years. It contains the royal tombs of 40 Danish kings and queens. From October to April, the cathedral opens from 10:00 to 16:00 Monday to Saturday, and from 13:00 to 16:00 on Sundays. Because the building functions as an active parish church, it can close at short notice for church ceremonies and is often closed to tourists on Saturdays. Always check the schedule for the specific date of your trip before travelling. Admission costs DKK 80 for adults aged 18 and over. Children and young people up to 17 enter free, and Copenhagen Card holders receive free admission.
The Viking Ship Museum (Vikingeskibsmuseet) sits on the shore of Roskilde Fjord, built around five original 11th-century vessels recovered from Skuldelev. From Roskilde railway station, bus 203 runs to the museum, or you can complete the walk in 20 to 25 minutes. The museum stays open every day of the year. During its winter period, running from 19 October to 30 April, visiting hours are 10:00 to 16:00.
A winter-season adult ticket costs DKK 130, compared to DKK 165 during the summer season, while children up to 17 enter free. Purchasing your adult ticket online saves DKK 10. During the winter season, outdoor sailing trips and the climb-aboard ship in the harbour are closed, and the traditional boatyard opens only on weekdays.
A castle on a lake in Hillerød
Frederiksborg Castle (Frederiksborg Slot) is located in Hillerød, about 40 minutes from downtown Copenhagen on S-train line A. From Hillerød station, you can walk roughly 15 minutes to the gates or board local bus 301 or 302 to drop you nearby.
The complex sits on three small islets in the castle lake. Between 1600 and 1620, King Christian IV demolished his father's earlier residence on the site to construct the Renaissance castle seen today. Since 1878, the building has housed the Museum of National History, run as a department of the Carlsberg Foundation.
According to Frederiksborg Castle visit information, the site is open every single day of the year, including Mondays and through holidays such as 24, 25, 26 and 31 December and 1 January. Standard opening hours are from 10 am to 5 pm. An exhibition titled Icy Christmas, focusing on Hans Christian Andersen and the Snow Queen, runs from 31 October 2026 to 3 January 2027.
Standard adult admission costs DKK 125. Students and seniors aged 65 and above pay DKK 105. Children up to 17 enter free, as do holders of the Copenhagen Card. There is no requirement to book admission tickets ahead of time.
Malmö, across the bridge in Sweden
Malmö is located about 30 km from Copenhagen across the Sound (Øresund). The direct train crosses the Øresund Bridge and arrives in central Malmö in 38 minutes. For detailed route information, consult our guide to the Copenhagen to Malmö train.
Because Malmö is in Sweden, national border controls can apply. Official tourist organisation Visit Copenhagen instructs all travellers to carry a passport when undertaking the cross-border journey.
The deer park at Klampenborg, and Bakken
Jægersborg Dyrehave, commonly called Dyrehaven, is a royal deer park located a 20-minute train journey north of central Copenhagen. Trains run frequently to Klampenborg station from central rail hubs. The landscape contains more than 2,000 free-range deer.
In 2015, Dyrehaven joined the UNESCO World Heritage register as a key component of North Zealand's par force hunting landscape. The park retains historical star-shaped road grids laid out specifically for tracking stags with packs of hounds. In the centre of the grounds stands the Hermitage (Eremitageslottet), an 18th-century royal hunting lodge.
Situated inside the park boundaries is Bakken, which holds the title of the world's oldest operating amusement park. Outside its regular summer schedule, the park stages Christmas at Bakken every weekend from 21 November to 20 December 2026.
Old farmhouses at the open-air museum near Lyngby
The Open-Air Museum (Frilandsmuseet) lies just north of Copenhagen near Kongens Lyngby. To reach it, take the S-train to Sorgenfri station—using line E on weekdays or line A at weekends—and walk approximately 10 minutes. Alternatively, bus lines 184 and 194 stop right outside the main entrance.
The museum grounds recreate Danish rural and village history from the 1800s through to the 1960s, featuring historical farmsteads, mills, cottages, domestic gardens, and farm animals.
The seasonal schedule operates as follows:
- From 28 November to 26 December, the museum opens exclusively on Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 to 16:00.
- An exception occurs between 21 and 26 December, when the museum opens every day from 10:00 to 14:00.
- The entire museum closes on 27 December and remains shut until the Danish school winter break in week 7, when a new season starts.
Standard tickets bought at the entrance cost DKK 150 for adults, or DKK 135 if bought online. Children and young people up to the age of 17 enter free.
Dragør, the fishing village by the airport
Dragør is a coastal village situated on the southern tip of Amager, roughly 30 minutes from central Copenhagen. Bus line 350S departs the city centre and takes passengers straight to the settlement.
Fishermen established Dragør in the 1300s as a trading and herring port. The historical centre is characterised by narrow cobblestone lanes, preserved yellow-painted cottages, and hollyhocks. Today, the village functions with working harbour facilities alongside independent local shops, restaurants, and cafés.
Møns Klint, a summer trip rather than a winter one
The chalk cliffs of Møns Klint on the island of Møn are often suggested as an excursion, but transit and access make the trip unsuitable for winter visitors without private transport. GeoCenter Møns Klint closes entirely for the winter season from 31 October 2026 to 20 March 2027.
Public bus connections directly to the cliffs are severely restricted by season:
- Bus 678 runs directly from Stege to the GeoCenter only between 29 March and 31 October.
- Bus 667 runs from Stege to the village of Magleby throughout the year, but reaching the cliffs from Magleby requires travelling a further 5.5 km on foot or by bicycle.
When open during the main visitor season, day admission tickets to the GeoCenter cost DKK 155 for adults and DKK 100 for children between the ages of 3 and 11. If you are organising a wider itinerary across the region, explore our general directory for Denmark to evaluate seasonal transit options.