4 best museums in Copenhagen

Museums in Copenhagen

Museum · Indre By

1.National Museum of Denmark

Denmark's largest museum of cultural history, in a former royal palace near Slotsholmen, runs from prehistory to the present: the Bronze Age Sun Chariot, the 3,400-year-old grave of the Egtved Girl, Viking weapons and silver hoards, and a hands-on Children's Museum.

Time needed

2–3 hours

Cost

Mid-priced

• History
• Kids
• Rainy day

Museum · Vesterbro

2.Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek

Brewer Carl Jacobsen's art collection fills a museum beside Tivoli with Egyptian, Greek, Roman and Etruscan sculpture, French Impressionists and Rodin, arranged around a glass-domed Winter Garden of palms and a fountain.

Time needed

2 hours

Cost

Mid-priced

• Art
• History
• Rainy day
• Architecture

Gallery · Indre By

3.SMK – National Gallery of Denmark

Denmark's largest art museum covers Danish Golden Age painting, European art from Mantegna to Rubens and a strong 20th-century collection including Matisse, in a 19th-century building joined to a modern extension overlooking the Østre Anlæg park.

Time needed

2 hours

Cost

Free

• Art
• Free
• Rainy day

Museum · Frederiksstaden

4.Designmuseum Danmark

In an 18th-century former hospital near Amalienborg, Designmuseum Danmark traces Danish and international design and crafts, including a long gallery of chairs by Hans Wegner, Arne Jacobsen, Kaare Klint and other Danish modern designers.

Time needed

1.5 hours

Cost

Mid-priced

• Art
• Rainy day
• Architecture

Grouped by area

Booking and timing

Of these 4, 1 free, 3 mid-priced. None needs booking far in advance. The longest visit is National Museum of Denmark; group the rest by area to save travel time.

How to fit them into 2 half-days

Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.

• Half-day 1 (Indre By): National Museum of Denmark → SMK – National Gallery of Denmark, at least 4 hours.
• Half-day 2 (Vesterbro and Frederiksstaden): Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek → Designmuseum Danmark, at least 4 hours.

The quietest months for queues

• February: highs of 3°C (37°F), about 8 rainy days, very quiet crowds. Often the coldest month, with occasional snow; one of the lowest-priced times to visit.
• January: highs of 3°C (37°F), about 10 rainy days, very quiet crowds. Cold, dark and often grey, with short days; museums, cafés and candlelit hygge come into their own.
• March: highs of 6°C (43°F), about 8 rainy days, quiet crowds. Still chilly but the days lengthen quickly, and café tables appear outside on sunny afternoons.

The neighbourhoods they are in

• Indre By — Medieval lanes, Strøget shopping and the Round Tower in the old city
• Vesterbro — Old working-class streets turned bars, cafés and the Meatpacking District

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