My husband and I (we are 70ish in case that makes a difference) will be in Copenhagen August 23-26. We arrive by train in the afternoon the 23rd and leave by boat on the 26th. That gives us two full days in addition to the afternoon/evening on arrival and mid-afternoon on the 26th since we are taking the overnight ferry to Oslo and I believe it leaves mid-afternoon.
I have seen tours that take a group of around 16 people to all of the places mentioned in the title for around $170 per person. I feel like that would be pressing the easy button in terms of not having to worry much about details of transportation, entry fees, walking from train stations to each place and probably having to split getting to all of these attractions over two days instead of all in one. However from some reviews, we might feel rushed at some of the attractions and not as independent to do it in our own time. I haven't gotten to the point of breaking down the cost of everything if we do this independently or on the tour and I realize it will also depend on whether or not we are getting the Copenhagen Card for some of the costs of transportation and attractions. I would love some opinions before I do that research since I don't mind paying a little more for the ease of a tour sometimes, especially since this is the only tour we are considering for this trip besides Norway in the Nutshell and we will be doing everything else on the fly in Helsinki, Tallinn, Stockholm, Oslo and Bergen.
BTW, our favorite things to do on trips to Europe HAVE been castles, fortresses, churches and just exploring by walking around whatever cities, towns and villages to see the architecture, people watching, enjoying a drink and a meal, preferable outdoors. We don't spend very much time in art museums. We find that the art you see in castles, palaces, churches is enough for us. Thank you for your advice in advance!
Posted by
Corvallis,OR, USA
117 posts
I can provide info regarding Roskilde and the Viking Ship Museum. I did get the Copenhagen card which covered the train ride there and entrance. It is a bit of a walk to the museum, but it’s a very nice town and I enjoyed the walk. It’s downhill to the museum, so some uphill on the way back. I think the Rick Steves guidebook may have mentioned a taxi option but I’m not positive. That could be something to look into. I am glad I did this on my own, not part of a tour, as the museum was interesting and I spent extra time there including a drink at the cafe. Then took my time strolling back into town on a nice day and took wonderful photos of the church. The tour, if it covers all of those places in one day, seems like it would be rushed. I took a bus from my hotel (stop was right outside the door) to the train station and then about 35 minutes on train to Roskilde. I walked around, went to museum, relaxed at a cafe, walked back to train and had time to walk around Tivoli when I returned to Copenhagen. Tivoli is very close to the train. And, I’m 61 and overweight - so not someone young and in shape! But, I do like doing a lot on my time clock, not someone else’s. I also felt like finding my way to Roskilde and the museum was not difficult, but I researched and used my RS guidebook. I really liked Copenhagen and all there is to see and do in the area. I wish I could of had a couple more days. Have a great trip.
Posted by
Duluth 🛶
6323 posts
I did the same as Connie - I took the train from Copenhagen to Roskilde, which was very easy, and then walked to the cathedral from the station. It was a very easy walk and if you follow the directions in the Rick Steves guidebook, you will not have any problems getting there. And getting to the Viking museum from the cathedral was very easy - again, I just followed the guidebook.
I loved Roskilde and I loved having the freedom to move around on my own. There was plenty of information in the guidebooks and the brochure I got. I spent so much time there - it was one of my favorite places in Copenhagen, next to Tivoli Gardens. Same with the Viking Museum - I enjoyed it a lot (not as much as Roskilde, since I am a history buff) but enough so that I really liked just walking around to the various exhibits on my own. I am a very visual person so I think trying to listen to a guide would be extremely distracting for me.
For what it's worth, I am 68 and have been traveling solo for many years now. Also, I used the Copenhagen card (I was there for 3 nights) and found that I came out ahead considering it paid for all the attractions I went to, plus public transportation.
Posted by
Australia
863 posts
For all these destinations we (59 and 73) did it by ourselves by train from Copenhagen in September 2022.
For Roskilde, we walked from the station to the cathedral and Viking museum (downhill) and then caught a bus back from the Viking museum to the station. We allocated a full day for this and it took us around 6 hours door-to-door. But we like to linger and enjoyed glorious weather.
We spent some time at the Viking museum talking to one of the staff who had taken part in the reenactment voyage to Dublin (1,000 miles in an open boat). He said the biggest challenge was seasickness as the ship moved very differently in rough seas compared with a modern boat. There is a short film about this voyage and the sailors did look a bit green. We also had our lunch there.
We also did Fredericksborg and Kronborg on our own by train. We went to Fredericksborg first and then caught the train that runs between Fredericksborg and Helsingor - so our trip looked like a triangle: Copenhagen to Hillerod, Hillerod to Helsingor, then Helsingor to Copenhagen.
For Fredericksborg we caught a bus from the station to the castle but then walked back to the station. We liked the gardens more than the castle and spent time enjoying the sunshine.
We really enjoyed Kronborg castle. There are explanatory signs everywhere so you don't need a guided tour. We also visited the maritime museum so took our time. Again, we allocated a full day and it was around 8 hours door-to-door.
We bought a 72 hour City Pass Large that covered all these trips (train, bus and metro) and did them on consecutive days. On our third day we went to Louisiana modern art museum at Humlebaek.
We didn't get a Copenhagen Card as it didn't offer a seniors discount and it was less expensive for us to pay separately for transport and entry fees as we could get a seniors discount on museum tickets.
Posted by
Connecticut
610 posts
A couple of friends and I did these on our own primarily using the Copenhagen Card last September over two days.
Posted by
OP
227 posts
Thanks to all of you very much, this is extremely helpful. We will probably do the same based on your advice. It sounds like you had great weather too! We will take the same weather too, ha ha!
Posted by
Malmö, Sweden
137 posts
That is four places in three areas that are far apart that you need to cover inside the opening hours, likely between 10 and 17. All on one day will be rushed even if you go by helicopter. Do the castles and do the maritime museum if you've got time left. Roskilde the other day if that interests you more than the sights in Copenhagen.