Day Trip Denmark: How To Visit 2 Fairytale Castles From Copenhagen

There are so many incredible things to see and do in Copenhagen, but I have to admit that the highlight of my weekend there wasn’t seeing the iconic Little Mermaid statue or the colorful Nyhavn harbor. Nope. For me, the highlight of the weekend was…the fairytale castles just a day trip outside of Copenhagen!

Perhaps it is the little girl inside of me who used to play princesses, or maybe it is my fascination with European monarchies. It could just be the art historian within me loving every detail of these ornately decorated palaces.

Whatever the case may be, one could say I’m a little obsessed with castles. When I wound up in Copenhagen for the weekend and realized that I could visit not 1, not 2, but THREE castles/palaces in the city itself, I was excited.

When I realized that there were 2 more castles that I could visit in 1 day just outside of the city, I was ecstatic.

In this post, I’ll be sharing the perfect itinerary for squeezing in two incredible castles (Frederiksborg Castle and Kronborg Castle) in one day. You’ll learn how to get to both locations, why you’ll need to stay on track, and how to choose between the castles if you are short on time! 

Don’t forget to check out my Copenhagen weekend itinerary for help planning the rest of your trip!

 

The Route

I decided to visit Frederiksborg Castle first because the castle closed an hour earlier than Kronborg at the time of my visit. Additionally, if I somehow was only to make it to one of these two castles, I was already certain that Frederiksborg was my first choice to visit.

That being said, the following itinerary could easily be reversed if you would prefer to see Kronborg first, or the castles opening hours are different.

 

Train Tickets and Times

Both Frederiksborg and Kronborg are easily reached by train. I made the mistake of purchasing separate tickets for each leg of the journey, but there is a 24-hour bus, train, and metro pass available for DKK 130 (~21.50 USD), which would have been a much simpler solution!

Tickets can be purchased at the machines located in train station right before you depart from Copenhagen.

The trains you will be boarding go from the following stations:

• København H-Hillerød (Stop for Frederiksborg): 40 minutes
• Hillerød-Helsingør (Stop for Kronborg): 30 minutes
• Helsingør-København H. (Return to Copenhagen): 45 minutes

Trains to and from each castle (the stops are called Hillerød and Helsingør) from Copenhagen typically leave around every 20-30 minutes, meaning you don’t have to worry too much about when you arrive at the station. The castles are both within a 20-minute walk from the stations, so you will want to factor this in when determining your timing for the day!

IMPORTANT NOTE: You will want to pay attention when you arrive in Hillerød to see Frederiksborg castle-trains to Kronborg Castle (Helsingør) only depart once an hour! If you are trying to squeeze both castles into one day, you absolutely will want to plan which train you’ll be catching in advance.

 

My Suggested Timeline:

It is important to note that I visited both castles in winter when the hours for visiting are reduced. Therefore, staying on schedule was essential if I wanted to see both castles in one day. I will admit, I did feel a little rushed to “see it all,” particularly when visiting Frederiksborg. If you prefer to take your time when visiting, you may want to decide to only visit one castle. If you are willing to rush a little though, you should be able to see both castles in one day!

This suggested timeline was designed with the castles’ reduced hours in mind. Therefore, if you are visiting in the summer, you will have more time to play with and can readjust the schedule accordingly. Before visiting, be sure to check out the hours of Frederiksborg (here) and Kronborg (here). You’ll also want to check train schedules, in the event that they have changed since my visit!

• ~9:30: Depart from København H (Copenhagen Central Station) to Hillerød
• ~10:15: Arrive at Hillerød Station
• 10:15-10:30: Walk from Hillerød Station to Frederiksborg
• 10:30-11:00: Walk around the castle, take photos before opening
• 11:00-1:20: Visit Frederiksborg Castle and Gardens
• 1:20-1:40: Walk back to Hillerød Station
• 1:54: Train from Hillerød Station-Helsingør Station
• 2:22-2:35: Walk from Helsingør Station to Kronborg
• 2:35-4:00: Explore Kronborg Castle until close (either 4:00 or 5:30)
• 4:00-4:15: Walk from Kronborg to Helsingør Station
• ~4:20-5:00: Train from Helsingør Station to København H (Copenhagen Central Station)

 

Visiting Frederiksborg Castle

Once you’ve arrived in the town of Hillerød, a short 20-minute walk from the train station will lead you to the incredible Frederiksborg Castle. The castle is surrounded by a lake which you will pass on the way. I visited in winter and happened to arrive as the sun was rising. The combination of the sky’s beautiful purple and pink tones and the castle seeming to emerge from the surrounding lake made for a pretty majestic sight upon arriving. To top it off, I even spotted a couple of swans.

I highly recommend arriving to the castle at least 30 minutes before opening so that you can walk around the lake, take pictures of the castle and the castle grounds, and be one of the first visitors inside.

Entrance to Frederiksborg castle is 75.00 DKK (~$12.40 USD). Once you purchase a ticket, you can also exchange a form of ID for a complimentary MP3 player audioguide. Typically, I must admit that I dislike audioguides, however, I found this one to be particularly well done and it was a great resource when navigating the castle’s many rooms.

 

About Frederiksborg Castle

Frederiksborg was one of my top 2 favorite castles I visited during my weekend in Copenhagen (I also found Rosenborg to be quite impressive). Frederiksborg Castle was built in the 17th century by King Christian IV. It is built in the Renaissance style and is actually the largest Renaissance castle in Scandinavia.

Today, Frederiksborg Castle is also the Museum of National History, and hosts a phenomenal collection of painting, sculptures, and decorative arts, some of which date all the way back to the middle ages!

One of the things I loved most about visiting Frederiksborg Castle was the way it felt as if I had stepped back in time. The rooms were perfectly preserved, and one really got a sense of the royals who once inhabited the castle.

As someone who loves art, this was certainly impressive. There weren’t very many other tourists there on the day I visited in January, so it was pretty incredible being able to explore the castle practically alone.

Some of my favorite rooms were the Chapel, Great Hall, Rose Room, and the Royal Apartments. The interior really is as beautiful as the exterior, if not more so.

Unfortunately, I visited in January when it was quite cold, so the gardens and grounds surrounding the castle weren’t as impressive as they would be during a spring or summer visit. This did help me stay on top of time though!

After touring the castle at a rather quick pace, I spent a brief amount of time walking around the grounds before heading back towards the train station to head to the second castle of the day, Kronborg.

 

Visiting Kronborg Castle

Once you arrive in the town of Helsingør, you’ll exit the train station and begin walking towards the castle. The castle is visible from the station so it is pretty much impossible to get lost, and the walk is quite short!

Entrance to Kronborg Castle is between 90 and 140 DKK (~14.00-23.00 USD).

 

About Kronborg Castle

Kronborg castle is a UNESCO World Heritage site and Renaissance castle located in Helsingør. The castle is well-known for being the site of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, as the Anglicized version of Helsingør is “Elsinore.”

The castle and fortress date back to the 1400s, and from the castle, you can look across the North Sea over to Sweden.

I have to admit…as much as I am a Shakespeare fan, I wasn’t as impressed by Kronborg as I was by Frederiksborg. While the exterior of Kronborg is just as visually striking as Frederiksborg, I found the interior to be far less exciting. The rooms are more sparsely decorated, with the exception of some very large tapestries and furniture here and there.

That being said, Kronborg does have a tower one can climb which has some pretty amazing views over the sea and the Swedish city of Helsingborg.

 

Kronborg also feels much more like a fortress, so if you are more interested in military architecture than decorative arts, it is possible that you’d prefer Kronborg to Frederiksborg. Additionally, if you are a Shakespeare fan, the knowledge that Hamlet was set at Kronborg will make you happy you made the trip!

I arrived with about 1.5 hours left to explore the castle before closing and felt this amount of time was perfectly acceptable to see everything.

 

If you only have time for 1 castle…

Only have time to visit one castle? That’s okay! Use the following bullet points to help you decide which castle you’d prefer!

Visit Frederiksborg Castle if:

• You love ~fancy~ decor and decorative arts
• You are interested in learning about the castle’s history (there’s a free audioguide)
• You’d like to wander around the castle’s grounds

Visit Kronborg Castle if:

• You are a Shakespeare fan
• You are more interested in visiting a fortress/militaristic castle
• You’d like to see a castle overlooking the North Sea

Personally, my favorite castle was Frederiksborg, and I wish I had more time there so I didn’t feel rushed during my visit. That being said, I am very happy that I decided to visit both castles in one day. Though I did have to shorten my visits, squeezing in both castles was an awesome way for me to visit another Shakespeare location! (The first one I visited was Verona, from Romeo and Juliet!)

I really enjoyed spending the day visiting two of Denmark’s fairytale castles, and felt like it was the perfect way to and my weekend in Copenhagen!

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Which castle do you think you’d prefer? Frederiksborg or Kronborg? Would you prefer to see both castles in one day, or take your time and only visit one? Let me know in the comments below!

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