How to Visit Roskilde Denmark from Copenhagen + Things to Do

Just west of Copenhagen is the historic capital of Denmark, Roskilde, where Vikings and Rock-n-Roll meet. This historic town holds the famous annual Roskilde Festival, drawing over 100,000 music-lovers worldwide. But besides its famous music festival, it also has many other exciting attractions, including the UNESCO world heritage Roskilde cathedral and the Viking Museum. If you’re looking for a day trip from Copenhagen, Roskilde is the perfect place. It’s easy to get to, there’s loads to do, and easily navigated by bus, foot, or bike. So, here’s how to take the perfect day trip to Roskilde, Denmark!

History of Roskilde Denmark

Roskilde dates back to the pre-Christian Viking Age and founded by King Ro thousands of years ago. It’s a part of the Most Ancient European Towns network, and one of the oldest cities in Denmark! Its name comes from the King ‘Ro’ and ‘kilde’ for springs, as it is also the city with the most number of springs north of the Alps. Now, it has the largest rail junction on the island of Zealand, Denmark’s largest island (which includes Copenhagen).

How to Get to Roskilde from Copenhagen

The best and easiest way to get to Roskilde from Copenhagen is by train. Roskilde is 30 km west of Copenhagen and easily accessible with a 30 minute train ride. DSB (Danske Statsbaner), Denmark’s major rail company, runs a train to Roskilde almost every 10 minutes.

Roskilde Denmark Train Information

Starting Point: From Copenhagen, trains to Roskilde depart from most of the large train stations like Copenhagen Central Station (København H), Nørreport or Østerport, which are easily accessible from anywhere in the city. So no matter where you are staying, there is always a station closes to you.

Frequency: Trains leave for Roskilde roughly every 10 minutes during peak times and every 20 minutes during off-peak hours.

Travel Time: The journey takes about 25 to 30 minutes.

Ticket Price: One-way standard ticket to Roskilde from Copenhagen costs 58 DKK during peak hours and 46.40 DKK during off peak hours using a Rejsekort. It costs 60 DKK with a standard single ticket from DSB.

Train Coaches: Unless you buy a first class train ticket, you cannot sit in the first coach. Make sure you sit in any of the other cars where standard ticket passengers sit.

Paying for the Train

You can pay for the train in three ways: buying a single ticket, using a Rejsekort card, or having a tourist card like the Copenhagen Card.

Rejsekort vs. DSB

You can buy a single standard ticket directly from DSB on their website, on their app, from ticket machines, or at the DSB ticket counter. You can also use the DSB app to purchase digital tickets. This is also the same ticket you pay for when you use a top-uppable transit card like the Rejsekort. Both methods cost roughly the same—60 DKK and 58 DKK. The difference is that if you travel during off peak times with the Rejsekort, you get a 20% discount off all fares. You can see the hours here. This saves you about $3.50 roundtrip, which is nice!

You can get the Rejsekort Anonymous card at any main train station at the information or ticket stall. Read this blog for more information on how to use and pay for public transportation in Copenhagen.

Buy a Single Ticket Here

Tourist Cards

You can also “pay” for the train to Roskilde using a tourist attraction card like the Copenhagen Card. These cards include admission and public transport for many different attractions, which include the public transportation to Roskilde. So, you don’t pay for any additional tickets. This means that you can hop on and off the train worry-free!

My First Impressions of Roskilde

Immediately after stepping out of the train station, it’s apparent that Roskilde is a much more calm and family friendly city than Copenhagen. There are lots of single family homes, which you only see on the outskirts of Copenhagen. It’s very calm, people are relaxed, and there’s lots of space to run or bike around. If it wasn’t so cold when I went, it’d be the perfect seaside town for a getaway! There’s also much less foot traffic in general, which I liked! A nice change of pace from the bustle of Copenhagen.

Getting Around Roskilde

You can easily get around Roskilde by bus, foot, or bike. There are buses running throughout the city and you can pay for it using the DOT app, Rejsekort, or getting a City Pass. Personally, I think biking is the best way to get around. It’s fast, convenient, there are bike stands everywhere, and you don’t have to wait for a bus to come! If you don’t know how to bike in Denmark, no worries, I have you covered. Read this blog for all the information you need on riding a bike in Denmark.

You can use the Donkey Republic bike sharing app to rent bikes for the day or by the minute. Read my guide on how to rent a bike in Denmark here. Additionally, walking is great to get around the downtown area, but a bus or bike is best for getting to the marina or attractions North of the train station area.

Tip: The train station and main shopping area of Roskilde is on a hill. If you go North to the Viking Museum or marina, you go down a slope. It’s super fun to bike down and feel the wind in your face. However, it’s terrible when you have to go back up… I recommend either busing back to the train station or biking until the hill starts to incline and walk the rest of the way up. It’s quite steep.

Best Things to Do in Roskilde

Now the fun part! Here are the top things to do in Roskilde on your day trip:

• Roskilde Cathedral
• Viking Ship Museum
• Roskilde Harbor
• Musicon
• Downtown + Greyfriairs Cemetery

Roskilde Cathedral

Price: 70 DKK (~$11)

Hours: Opening Hours Vary, See Website Calendar

Roskilde Cathedral is probably the most famous site to visit in Roskilde, besides the Roskilde Festival. It is Denmark’s royal burial church with over 30 graves of Danish Kings and Queens. It was built around 1200 and was the first Gothic church in Scandinavia. The architecture is stunning with Gothic pointed arches and vaulted ceilings, and beautiful brick walls. You can find and see the most famous Danish king’s tomb here, as well as an astrological clock, and numerous royal tombs with life-size statues. In 1995, it was awarded the title of UNESCO World Heritage Site for its outstanding architecture and lasting authenticity.

It’s about a 12 minute walk from the train station or a 3 minute bike ride. There’s also a bus you can take to get closer to the cathedral (you ride one stop). In the cathedral, there’s a museum on the second floor that’s sort of hidden. The museum is up a small set of stairs to the left of the staircase leading to the second floor. Definitely don’t miss going to the second floor and taking in the church views from higher up. The astrological clock also rings every hour, which is cool to witness if lucky! There are free toilets as well.

I absolutely loved this museum and would go to Roskilde just to visit it—it’s that beautiful! The organ is stunning and the architecture is amazing. There are so many chapels and vaults to see as well, it’s definitely worth the price. Although, the staff member was so kind and let me in for free 45 minutes before closing. If there’s anything you do in Roskilde, let it be this.

Buy Roskilde Cathedral Tickets Here

Viking Ship Museum

Price: 125 DKK per adult (160 DKK during summer)

Hours: Mon – Sun from 10:00 – 16:00 (17:00 in summer)

Explore the fascinating and integral part of the Scandinavian world through Vikings and their well-preserved ships. Vikings helped found Scandinavia, sailing thousands of years ago along the Atlantic Sea. Their ships are an important part of their culture and lifestyle and without ships, there would be no Vikings.

The Viking Ship Museum sits in the Roskilde Harbor, north of the train station. You can bike or bus to the museum, but I recommend biking as you bike down this long hill that includes nice scenery. It’s so fun going down a fast hill! The museum itself includes an outdoor exhibit that is free to explore. Outside, there are many replica Viking ships and different exhibits to check out, including marine and wood biology. Inside the museum you’ll find 5 preserved Viking ships and all about their stories and preservation methods.

Personally, I think this is a great place for kids. There are so many interactive exhibits (indoor and outdoor) and plenty of space to run around. There’s even a playground next to the museum! If you’ve seen a Viking ship already (for example, the Viking Museum in Stockholm), then I don’t think it’s necessary to pay to go into the museum. Unless, you’re a lover of archaeology and Vikings. The outdoor portion has fun information tablets about the replica ships and the wood biology, which was great to read about.

HOWEVER, what most people come here for is the Viking ship cruise where you sail on a Viking ship in the harbor. This is only available during the summer, and the ticket for the boat includes admission to the museum. I wish I got to take a sail, but it wasn’t available when I went in March. It’s not necessary to buy tickets in advance; you can get them at the door.

View Museum Practical Information Here

Roskilde Havn (Harbor)

If you’re at the Viking Ship Museum, then you’re already at the harbor! The harbor opens into the Roskilde Fjord and it stretches quite far into nature preserves and houses on both sides. There’s a marina with tons of sail boats, as well as waking or swimming piers jutting into the water. Besides the museum, there’s also a cafe and restaurant on the water in case you get hungry. But, you can also pack your own food and have a picnic on the grass in warmer months.

I think swimming is the most popular thing to do in the harbor, especially in the summer months. But even in March, with 40F weather, people were still jumping into the water for a quick cold plunge. There are toilets, showers, and BBQ areas at the harbor which makes it the perfect summer spot. But if you can’t swim, it’s a nice area to take a stroll and enjoy the views (given that it’s not raining, haha). It was nice to walk around after enjoying parts of the museum, and I saw lots of people enjoying the harbor either swimming, running, or walking.

Downtown Roskilde

Just behind the Roskilde Cathedral is the main street for shopping, entertainment, and eating in Roskilde. The main shopping area connects the train station and cathedral, so you’ll walk or bike past many shops while commuting. There are tons of little boutiques, cafes, and restaurants that you can pop into for a souvenir or snack. Sometimes music buskers play on the street. The entire street is pedestrian and bikers only, so you don’t have to worry about cars. There’s also the Roskilde Museum and the old city hall that you can look into if interested.

This little hub was kind of dead when I went on a Sunday in March, and there weren’t many people out and about. Most of the stores were closed, as well. But it was still nice to bike through and envision how popular it would be in the summer months!

Tip: Definitely check out the Greyfriars Cemetery, which is right in front of the train station facing the main street. It’s a cemetery, but it looks more like a park! The entrance has this long walking path lined with trees and it’s so beautiful.

Musicon

The cultural district of Roskilde, with the popular Ragnarock Museum and its cool architecture. Its nickname is “Rock City” and is right next to the permanent home of the Roskilde Festival. There’s plenty of street art, microbreweries, cafes, and restaurants and places to sit to enjoy your food. If you’re interested, go to the Ragnarock Museum which is a museum about the Roskilde Festival and rock and roll. Personally, I would just go to see the cool yellow building, as I’m not that interested in learning about the Roskilde Festival. But it’s a cool artsy area to have a beer with some friends and enjoy the weather.

Tips for Visiting Roskilde

Here are some things I would do differently for a day trip to Roskilde Denmark:

• Don’t go on a Sunday: A lot of places like cafes, restaurants, and shops are closed. So if there’s a particular cafe you want to try, go on any other day of the week! The Roskilde church also has less open hours on Sunday due to Sunday service, so it’s less flexible to work around.
• Go when its warm: Roskilde was still nice during late March, but it would be stunning in the late spring or summer. There’s less crowds (which is a bonus if you don’t like crowds) during winter, but it doesn’t have the same vibes.

And some things to check before you go are:

• Major Danish holidays: It would suck to go during a holiday and find everything closed. Save yourself the heartbreak and check beforehand! Big ones include Easter Sunday + Monday, Whit Sunday + Monday, and Constitution Day.
• Attraction website for openings: Sometimes the hours may change depending on construction, events, etc.
• The weather: It may be raining or sunshine, so prepare and dress accordingly!

Have a Great Time in Roskilde Denmark!

Explore outside of Copenhagen and enjoy the small town vibes of Roskilde. Walk through downtown, check out the cathedral, Viking museum, and harbor. There’s so much culture and history in this small town, it might surprise you! Luckily, it’s only a quick 30 minute train ride from Copenhagen and can be a great half or full day trip. Don’t forget to check opening hours for the attractions and shops you want to visit, and try to go in the warmer months. Happy travels!