Which is better for 9 year old

I haven’t been to Trelleborg but my 10 year old son liked the Viking ships in Roskilde. And it’s an interesting town very close to Copenhagen. The ships in Oslo are better but that museum is currently closed for renovation. Roskilde had a Viking rowing experience which looked really good but was sold out by the time we heard about it, you might want to look into that.

I think a nine-year-old boy would love the Viking ship museum in Roskilde. Much of it is outdoors and there are ships and all kinds of interesting things for him to explore. You can even climb on board some of the ships. It’s in a lovely area and you can walk down there from Roskilde Cathedral if you have a mind to go there.

Speaking of Roskilde cathedral , I absolutely loved the cathedral and highly recommend that as well. As I said it’s a quick walk from the Viking museum and as long as you’re there, you might as well see it. It’s a beautiful building and I think he might be interested. Many kings and queens of Denmark were buried there and even the current queen has a room ready for her remains when she passes.

I also think most nine-year-olds will prefer the Viking Ship Museum. In addition to the remnants of the original ships in the indoor exhibition, there are workshops outside, so be sure to check those out as well. As mentioned above, they do offer sailing trips on replica ships in the summertime, which can be a memorable experience, just be sure to pre-book online.

Trelleborg is further away from Copenhagen. They advertise to have a shuttle bus from Slagelse Station in the summer, in which case it’s not difficult to get to. Otherwise a car is probably a good idea (or a taxi from Slagelse). It’s been many years since I’ve been to Trelleborg, so I don’t have the clearest recollection of the exhibition - and things can easily have changed since I was there. What I remember is the ring fortress itself, which is interesting, but as you can see on the photos only the outer ring is left. Thus, I think the Viking Ship Museum will be more interesting.

Another attraction, which may be of interest to you (and especially the nine-year-old), is Sagnlandet Lejre. It’s very hands-on and family friendly. They don’t have original houses or ships, it’s all replicas, but is a bit of a time capsule. So it’s different, but I wouldn’t say it is better or worse than the viking ships (at least for children/child focused families).

Speaking of Roskilde cathedral , I absolutely loved the cathedral and highly recommend that as well.

I’m no royalist, but still find it interesting to see the sarcophaguses from the different time periods. There is a lot of history in that cathedral, and it’s well worth a visit if you end up going to the Viking Ship Museum - though likely not as exciting for the boy. Margrethe II is not queen anymore as she abdicated last year, though she has kept her former title. You can indeed visit the church room which will be her resting place, but her sarcophagus is covered up.

We did the Viking rowing experience at the Roskilde museum (we went on the site and reserved ahead of time) and it is a treasured family memory that brings laughs to each of us to this day.

Margrethe II is not queen anymore as she abdicated last year, though she has kept her former title.

That's interesting and I must have missed that piece of news. Thanks for the information! As was mentioned, the sarcophagus is covered up but it's kind of cool to see it and know that once she dies, it will be unveiled as she is laid to rest.

This is all useful - thank you!

In addition to what's already been said about the Viking Ship Museum, they have a small hands-on workshop area where kids can "build" a boat (out of blocks of wood, sticks for a mast, things like that) in the boat yard area. Read about it here: https://www.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk/en/visit-the-museum/activities/build-boat-workshop The indoor museum also had a couple of kid-oriented spaces, including one called The Hamlet (https://www.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk/en/visit-the-museum/activities/visit-the-hamlet-a-window-to-the-viking-world ) and also this ship with an audio/visual component (https://www.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk/en/visit-the-museum/activities/climb-aboard-an-exhibition-that-unleashes-the-imagination ). We didn't have any kids with us on our 2025 trip but I know mine would have loved them when they were that age (especially the build a boat).

Doh! We’re going this April so we’ll miss these things. 😕

...most nine-year-olds will prefer the Viking Ship Museum.

Agree, but you know your own child better than anyone. Perhaps run both options by him and see which sparks his interest. Not that bored nine year olds are ever a problem.