Danish castles and palaces

Hi Jim, Rosenborg Castle is one of the best castles to visit in all of Europe, in my opinion. There is a changing of the guard ceremony at noon. Beneath the castle is the vault where you can view the crown jewels. Christiansborg Castle is the one used today for State occasions and has incredible contemporary artwork personally commissioned by Queen Margrethe ll . Amelienborg Palace is the winter residence of Denmark’s current monarch, King Frederik X along with his family. He became king just last year upon the abdication of his mother, Queen Margrethe ll.

All are really interesting and I’d prioritize them in the order listed.

I fully agree with the above ranking for Copenhagen castles/palaces - I've visited them all as well as those outside Copenhagen. Last trip with day trips - 2023. Some of the Copenhagen castles in 2023, Rosenborg previous trip only maybe 8 years ago.

I visited all the below with a Copenhagen card - transport out of town and admissions included (except ferry ride to Sweden). Very easy!!

I would rank (as noted above) -
In Copenhagen proper (all walkable!!!) - Rosenborg, Christiansborg, Amalienborg (above explanations of differences is very good)

Then outside of Copenhagen, I would rank -

1) Kronborg in Helsingor - an older castle, Shakespeare's Hamlet castle model. Access easy by train day trip. Lots of interest in the town of Helsingor in addition to the castle. I was surprised at how much I liked the Maritime Museum and strolling the city center (historic). We also took a ferry to Sweden (bring passport) and strolled Helsingborg. Long day, but doable.

2) Followed by Frederiksborg Castle. I list this below Kronborg only because the building is now the Museum of National History, so I was less aware of the "castle" aspects than of the portraits and museum exhibits aspects. The Museum is certainly well worthwhile - I wish I had reviewed my Danish history as I would have appreciated things more. Some unique features here - organ concerts, chapel.

All preferences highly personal, of course. None are "losers"!

Edit - check where the changing of the guard ceremony in Copenhagen occurs if interested. We watched them leave from Rosenborg area one day and saw a full changing at Amalienborg on another day.

I agree with the posters above, and as pointed out they are all good attractions, and preferences differ from person to person. No matter what you do, you can’t go wrong. For example, I would rank Frederiksborg above Kronborg. That preference is also based on architectural preference, but let me emphasize I don’t have anything bad to say about either of them. If you do visit Frederiksborg, I’ll recommend exploring the recreated baroque garden too.

As you are staying in Copenhagen, Rosenborg, Christiansborg and Amalienborg are all very easy to reach - you can literally walk there from the central station (or take public transport if your legs get tired).

There are trains from Copenhagen Central Station to both Helsingør (home to Kronborg) and Hillerød (home to Frederiksborg), running at regular 10-15 minute intervals all day. That makes them very easy to reach too, but of course the travel time is a bit longer. There is also a small rail line between Hillerød and Helsingør, so you can visit both Frederiksborg and Kronborg on the same day if you want.

Rosenborg have timed entires, and as a Copenhagen Card holder it is not possible to pre-book a timeslot online. You will have to get them in person. I’d recommend going there early in the day to avoid long waits or (arguably worse) risiking there being no more timeslots available for the day (I’ve seen it happen in the afternoon).

Watching the changing of the guard is a good suggestion. It happens daily at Amalienborg at 12 noon. How many soldiers, if they have music, etc. depends on who is home at Amalienborg at that time.

^^^^ Yes to the garden at Fredriksborg as mentioned above. I meant to mention it also. don't know your timeframe, but a relaxing place for a break with light snacks if weather is nice.

Last year when we went to the Frederiksborg castle in Hillerod in August we were very disappointed because there was so much scaffolding on the facade and construction equipment in the gardens. I was not able to get the lovely photos that I had imagined. The gardens were not in very good condition. You may wish to check on the renovation scaffolding status before you decide to go there.

The Rosenborg Palace in Copenhagen was definitely worth it. There was a lot of English signage which was helpful and it was very well done.

We also loved the personal aspect of the Amalienborg Palace with photos and videos of the new King and his family on the top floor.

There was still scaffolding on Frederiksborg as of two weeks ago when I was there but only a small part. The bigger issue I had was that there was a private wedding going in on the chapel, so visitors were not allowed to go in there, which was a disappointment. If you are planning to go maybe call ahead to see if it will be blocked off or just go on a weekday maybe. We were there on a Saturday.

Rosenborg was very busy when we visited. If you are using the Copenhagen Card, then I definitely recommend getting there at opening or later in the day. If you aren't using the card, then it's probably worth booking ahead.