Copenhagen itself has more than enough to keep you busy for a few days (see this guide for ideas), but some of Denmark’s best castles, museums, coastal towns and Viking sights are surprisingly easy to reach from the capital. You can even cross the Øresund Bridge and spend the day exploring southern Sweden.
Most of these day trips from Copenhagen are easy to do by public transport, while a few are close enough to reach by bike. From the colourful old streets of Dragør and the castles of North Zealand to Malmö, Roskilde and the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, here are our favourite places to escape the city for a day.
Best for castles: Helsingør or Hillerød
Best for Vikings: Roskilde
Best for art: Louisiana
Best for families: Bakken
Best seaside escape: Dragør
Best day trip to Sweden: Malmö
Best for Hans Christian Andersen fans: Odense
Explore Hamlet’s castle in Helsingør
45km from Copenhagen
One of our favourite day trips from Copenhagen is Helsingør, overlooking the Øresund Strait around 45km north of the capital. Also known as Elsinore, the town’s main attraction is the impressive 16th-century Kronborg Castle, which was the setting for Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
Sitting at the Øresund’s narrowest point, the UNESCO World Heritage castle looks over the water to the town of Helsingborg in Sweden, opposite.
Entrance to Kronborg Castle is included with the Copenhagen Card DISCOVER, or you can buy your entrance ticket here if you don’t have a Copenhagen Card. To find out if it’s worth buying a Copenhagen Card for your trip, read our handy guide. Alternatively, you could splash out on this private tour which includes train tickets from Copenhagen, entrance to the castle and an expert guide.
Also in Helsingør, you shouldn’t miss the M/S Maritime Museum of Denmark, close to the castle, which is also included on the Copenhagen Card.
The award-winning building, designed by Danish architecture firm BIG and built around a former dry dock, is worth seeing even before you step inside. Inside there are plenty of interactive exhibits that tell the tale of Denmark’s maritime history.
Our favourite place to stay the night in Helsingør is the Marienlyst Beach Hotel, just 1km from the castle and right on the beach.
Getting there
The best way to get to Helsingør is by direct train from København H, which takes 45 minutes.
Or you could do it the easy way and visit Helsingør on a guided day trip from Copenhagen that takes in Frederiksborg and Roskilde too.
Hop across the bridge to Malmö, Sweden
30km from Copenhagen
One of the most obvious day trips from Copenhagen is Malmö. Not only is it a cool city, it’s also in a completely different country. All you have to do is make your way across the Öresund Bridge (details here) and you’ll be enjoying Sweden in no time at all.
There’s a lot to like about Malmö, Sweden’s third-biggest city. It’s probably the most multicultural part of the whole Öresund region, with a big migrant population and a compact central area that’s dotted with cosy bars and restaurants.
Further away from the train station, around Möllevångstorget, you’ll find a surprisingly diverse food scene. Falafel is a seriously big deal here; go hungry and be prepared to leave full.
The museums and galleries in Malmö are interesting enough to keep you busy for a whole day – try Moderna Museet, which puts on some great modern art exhibitions, or Malmöhus Castle, a huge fortress that contains a history museum and a more traditional art gallery.
Not a culture vulture? You can always make a beeline for the beach, or go and check out the whacky Turning Torso.
Better still, see the sights from the comfort of a boat on this fun guided boat trip on the city’s canals. Or take a guided bike tour and see the city’s sights on two wheels with a knowledgeable guide.
Malmö is also a good place to spend the night, with slightly cheaper rates than Copenhagen.
Our top tip is the stylish eco-friendly More Hotel Mazetti, in a converted chocolate factory.
Getting there
This guide tells you everything you need to know about making the border crossing between Denmark and Sweden.
While the actual journey time is quite short you should allow yourself around an hour to get from Copenhagen to Malmö – that should give you time to buy tickets, grab a coffee and deal with any passport checks.
Or, to make things really easy, just book this self-guided tour from Copenhagen, which includes train tickets, map and a choice of bus, mini-train or electric bike to explore Malmö once you there.
Is the Copenhagen Card worth buying?
Read this guide to see how much you could save during your trip!
Get your art fix at Louisiana
35km from Copenhagen
Although it’s within easy day-tripping distance of the city and still along the same stretch of coastline, Louisiana feels a world away.
This is one of Denmark’s most popular galleries, focusing on all things modern art.
Now before you yawn yourself to sleep, we’ll jump in and say we love Louisiana! There’s a lot more to it than just rooms full of paint-splashed canvas.
The gallery building itself is a work of art, like a James Bond villain’s hideout with sleek panes of glass poking out from behind the trees.
There are sculptures dotted around the grounds, and the views across the water towards Sweden are definitely worthy of a picture or two.
Inside, the collection spans modern and contemporary art, with works by major international and Danish artists (including Andy Warhol and Richard Mortensen), while temporary exhibitions change throughout the year.
If you get peckish during your visit, refuel at the gallery’s café, which offers panoramic views, outdoor seating, and a whole load of salads and sandwiches.
Entrance to Louisiana is included for free with the Copenhagen Card – DISCOVER, which also covers the train fare out to the museum. For more on Louisiana, read our guide to Visiting the Louisiana art museum from Copenhagen.
Getting there
Unless you’re super fit, we wouldn’t recommend cycling to Louisiana – it’s a good 35km from the city centre.
Taking the train is easy. Head to København H and jump aboard a service bound for Helsingør. After around 35 minutes you’ll reach Humlebæk Station. From there it’s around a kilometre on foot to the museum.
Discover Denmark’s Viking past in Roskilde
30km from Copenhagen
Say the word Roskilde and most people think of the music festival – around 130,000 people attend the super-sized event each year, making it one of Scandinavia’s biggest festivals. There’s also a whole town called Roskilde, just north of the festival site, and it’s a cool place to visit in summer or winter.
Roskilde was once Denmark’s capital and remains one of the country’s best places for getting to grips with Viking and royal history. The star attraction is the Viking Ship Museum, where five original 11th-century Viking ships are displayed overlooking Roskilde Fjord.
Several of Roskilde’s main attractions and the journey from Copenhagen are covered by the Copenhagen Card DISCOVER.
The dining scene in Roskilde can’t quite match up to Copenhagen but it’s still worth exploring, if you stay overnight.
We like this comfortable B&B with a pretty garden, close the town centre.
Getting there
Roskilde is easy to get to from Copenhagen. Trains leave København H roughly every 10–15 minutes, taking around 20 minutes to reach Roskilde.
Or you can take the easy route, and visit Roskilde on this guided day trip from Copenhagen that takes in Frederiksborg and Kronborg too. If you’d rather have more time in Roskilde to take in the town and museums, this tour includes the Frederiksborg Palace, all the sights of Roskilde, plus all entrance fees.
Escape to the seaside in Dragør
12km from Copenhagen
The sleepy town of Dragør is a former fishing community and one of the easiest day trips from Copenhagen. It’s only around 12km south of the city, and is even closer to Kastrup airport.
Why should you bother visiting? Well, apart from the fact that Dragør offers a bit of relief from Copenhagen’s hustle and bustle, it’s also one of Denmark’s best-preserved old towns, and it’s bursting with history and charm.
Wander along the cobbled streets of the old town and you’ll find rows of distinctive yellow houses, many dating from the 18th and 19th centuries, with thatched roofs and neatly tended gardens.
Boats and ducks bob around in the harbour – and when the weather’s decent enough you can join locals at one of the pavement cafés near the waterfront.
If you’re visiting between May and October or at Christmas, make time for a look around Amagermuseet in the adjoining village of Store Magleby.
Set in one of the area’s oldest buildings, the museum gives a nice introduction to the region’s history and has some friendly farm animals, too.
If you want to extend your day trip, consider a stay at the Dragør Hotel, in the town’s historic centre.
Getting there
The 250S runs directly to Dragør from København H (the main train station), but it’s a bit quicker to take a combination of train and bus (around 35 minutes).
You can either take a train from København H (the main train station) to Tårnby Station, then pick up the 250S there for Dragør Stationsplads. Or, you can take the train to airport and catch the 35S bus.
The trip from Copenhagen is also easy enough to do by bike, with cycle paths running along the whole route. It’ll take you around an hour to cycle from Copenhagen, or slightly longer if you take the scenic coastal route.
Play king or queen for the day in Hillerød
40km from Copenhagen
If you fancy a nice relaxed train journey from Copenhagen, try Hillerød. It takes about 40 minutes to reach and is surrounded by serene countryside.
The main reason to visit is spectacular Frederiksborg Castle, the largest Renaissance castle in the Nordic region, set on islands in a lake right in the centre of town.
It’s set amid gardens and houses a museum that delves into the last 500 years of Danish history through portraits, furniture and lavishly decorated rooms.
Admission to the palace is included on the Copenhagen Card – Discover, as is the public transport to get there.
When you’re done exploring the museum and palace grounds, take a walk through the town’s quiet streets, which are home to a few nice restaurants and cafés.
There’s not a huge amount to see, but it’s a traditionally Danish kind of place where foreign tourists are few and far between (compared with Copenhagen, anyway).
If you want to stay the night, we recommend Danhostel Hillerød, surrounded by woods but just 3km from the town centre and station.
Getting there
Hillerød is about 40km from Copenhagen by road. Going by public transport? Direct trains leave København H roughly every 10 minutes, with a total journey time of around 50 minutes.
Or take the easy route, and visit the palace on a guided tour that includes the coach trip, plus entrance fees to Frederiksborg, Kronborg and Roskilde.
Ride the rollercoasters at Bakken
12km from Copenhagen
One of the first things that tourists see when they emerge from Copenhagen’s main train station is Tivoli, a cutesy theme park that’s home to rides, lakes and gardens. (Our guide has info on whether Tivoli is worth the hype.)
A lesser-known but equally fun alternative is Bakken, around 12km north of the city centre.
Founded in 1583, Bakken is considered the world’s oldest surviving amusement park. You could easily spend a full day here, riding on the teacups and rollercoasters, and a fun log flume.
Bakken isn’t open every day of the year, so check the calendar before you go. The main season runs from spring into early autumn, with additional opening dates for Halloween and Christmas.
You’ll have to pay for the rides at Bakken but it’s free to get in and wander around, absorbing the happy atmosphere as you go.
There are shooting and throwing games to be enjoyed, and you can stuff your face with as much candy and ice cream as you like.
A brief warning for coulrophobics: the theme park’s mascot is a slightly scary white-faced clown.
If you’re going to make the trip to Bakken you may as well have a wander through Jægersborg Dyrehave – it’s a huge area of parkland offering cycle trails, picnic spots and a couple of thousand deer.
If you want to stay nearby, we’ve always liked Bernstoff Castle, a real-life 18th-century palace with comfortable rooms, just a ten-minute drive from the park.
Getting there
Bakken is around 12km north of the city centre. The best way to get there is by train: services from København H take about 20 minutes to reach Klampenborg.
From there the entrance to the theme park is a 10-minute walk to the east. Cycling? The journey from central Copenhagen is nice and flat and will take you around 50 minutes minutes – and there are plenty of bike racks to park your bike.
Explore the cobbled streets of Lund
60km from Copenhagen
Just across the Øresund in southern Sweden, Lund makes an easy-going alternative to Malmö. This compact university city is known for its cobbled streets, colourful old houses and impressive Romanesque cathedral, which dates back to the 12th century.
The historic centre is small enough to explore on foot, and highlights include Lund Cathedral, the university quarter and Kulturen, an open-air museum with historic buildings and gardens. There are plenty of cafés too, making Lund a good choice if you want a relaxed day out rather than a packed sightseeing itinerary.
Direct trains run from Copenhagen to Lund in around an hour. Alternatively, this guided day tour combines Lund with Malmö, giving you a taste of two Swedish cities in a single day.
Lund is also home to a few good museums, the best of which is the Kulturen open-air museum, with beautiful gardens that gives an insight into life in the city from medieval times onwards. Click here for more on Lund’s museums and check out our guide to Free things to do in Lund. If you fancy staying the night here, we like the Magles Smiley Inn in an attractive 19th-century building just five minutes walk from the cathedral.
Getting there
Öresundstag direct trains leave København H and arrive in Lund just 55 minutes later.
Or, why not sign up for this fun round trip bus tour that takes in Kronborg castle in Helsingør, a ferry across to Helsingborg in Sweden, a tour of Lund, time for shopping in Malmö then back across the famous Øresund bridge to Copenhagen.
See cutting-edge art by the sea at ARKEN
If you like modern art but don’t want to travel as far as Louisiana, ARKEN Museum of Contemporary Art makes an easy escape from Copenhagen. Set close to the coast at Ishøj, the museum combines changing exhibitions and contemporary art with striking modern architecture and an outdoor sculpture park.
The seaside setting is part of the appeal, especially in summer, when you can combine a museum visit with a walk around the surrounding Køge Bay Beach Park. And unlike some of the longer day trips on this list, ARKEN is surprisingly quick to reach.
Getting there
S-trains from Copenhagen Central take around 16 minutes to Ishøj station. From there, you can catch a bus directly to the museum or follow the 2.6km ARKEN WALK, which takes around 25 minutes on foot.
Follow in Hans Christian Andersen’s footsteps in Odense
170km from Copenhagen
Despite being Denmark’s third largest city, the harbourfront town of Odense is easily explored by bike or on foot, with a historic castle, attractive old town and a fifteenth-century cathedral.
Its pretty old town, with cobbled streets and half-timbered houses, is home to the H.C. Andersen Quarter and the immersive H.C. Andersen’s House, which brings the writer’s life and fairy tales to life through art, architecture and interactive exhibits.
And fans can visit a museum dedicated to the famous Danish writer of fairy-tales, as well as look round the renovated house he grew up in.
Odense is also known for its parks and green spaces, and one of our favourite things to do here is to take a river boat trip along the peaceful waterways, past gardens, woods and beach forest.
If you want to stay the night, we like the cosy Odense City B&B in the centre of town, close to the cathedral and the station.
For more ideas on things to do in Odense without breaking the bank, see our guide to 34 free and cheap things to do in Odense.
Getting there
Although it’s quite a distance from Copenhagen, a day-trip to Odense is perfectly feasible on the ICL high-speed train from Köbenhavn H station ,which takes just one hour and ten minutes. Driving takes just over two hours.
Go Lego crazy in Billund
270km from Copenhagen
We’ll be honest: LEGOLAND Billund is a long day trip from Copenhagen. But if you’re travelling with LEGO-mad kids and only have one day to spare, it is doable with an early start – particularly if you have a car.
The best option is to drive – you should be able to cover the 270km journey in about three hours. Is it worth the effort?
Well if you love Lego and big, whizzy rides, then the answer is definitely yes. Plus, you’ll get to drive past a place called MIDDELFART, which is always fun.
We like these one-day and two-day tickets, which include skip-the-ticket-line entrance to the park plus all the rides.
If you want to stay at the park, rather than drive back from Copenhagen and back on the same day, consider staying over.
Some of the rooms at Hotel Legoland are colourfully themed (pirate room, anyone?) and some have views over the theme park. Rates are high, though, even by Danish standards.
Opening days vary throughout the year, so check the official calendar before planning your trip.
Getting there
After driving, the next-best option is public transport. The quickest combined train and bus journey from Copenhagen to Legoland takes just over three hours.
Take a train from København H to Vejle station, then bus #43 from there to the park. You can use the Rejseplanen site to get up-to-date departure times.
Which is the best day trip from Copenhagen?
If you’ve only got time for one day trip from Copenhagen, we’d choose Helsingør for its combination of history, sea views and the spectacular Kronborg Castle. But there’s really no bad choice: Roskilde is unbeatable for Viking history, Louisiana for art, Dragør for a relaxed seaside escape and Malmö if you fancy adding another country to your trip.
Have you taken a day trip from Copenhagen that deserves a place on this list? Let us know your favourites in the comments below!
See also:
82 cheap and free things to do in Copenhagen
The best guided tours in Copenhagen
10 of the best bike tours in Copenhagen
