A Castle Day Trip from Copenhagen
A castle day trip from Copenhagen to Kronborg and Frederiksborg: the four ways to do it, tour or train, what each castle costs and opening hours by season.
The two castles worth a day out of Copenhagen are Kronborg in Helsingør, the castle Shakespeare set Hamlet in, and Frederiksborg in Hillerød, Christian IV’s Renaissance castle and Denmark’s Museum of National History. They are about 23 km apart in a straight line and on different train lines, so the simplest way to see both is a tour. The Grand Day Trip around Copenhagen adds Roskilde to them and includes every ticket.
The calendar below is Hamlet Tours’ day on GetYourGuide; the same day is on Viator from US$199 (checked October 2026).
The two castles
| Kronborg, Helsingør | Frederiksborg, Hillerød | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Frederik II’s Renaissance castle on the Sound, 1574 to 1585; the setting of Hamlet; UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000 | Christian IV’s castle, built 1600 to 1620; the Museum of National History since 1878 |
| Adult ticket | DKK 150 at the door, DKK 135 online | DKK 125; under-18s free |
| Hours | Every day 10:00 to 17:00 from late March to October; closed Mondays from November to late March, otherwise 10:00 to 16:00 (weekends to 17:00 in December) | Every day of the year, 10:00 to 17:00 |
| By train from Copenhagen | About 45 minutes on the coast line, then a 10-minute walk | About 40 minutes on S-train line A, then a 15-minute walk |
Prices and hours from kronborg.dk and frederiksborg.dk, checked October 2026; Kronborg’s 2027 winter hours are not yet published.
Kronborg closes on Mondays in winter, which matters if you go by train; the Grand Day Trip’s winter days, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, avoid it. Kronborg has many stairs and no elevator. At Frederiksborg, leave time for the baroque garden, laid out from 1720 and recreated in the 1990s. kronborgfrederiksborgcastle.com covers both castles’ tickets, hours and the two operators’ days in depth.
Four ways to do it
- The Grand Day Trip (Hamlet Tours): both castles plus Roskilde Cathedral and the Viking Ship Museum, with every ticket included and at most 16 guests. Frederiksborg is on your own for 2 hours 15 minutes including lunch; Kronborg is guided for 75 minutes. From US$199 on Viator (checked October 2026).
- A two-castle day at an easier pace (Ophelia Tours): Kronborg with a one-hour guided tour, then about three hours in Hillerød for Frederiksborg and lunch, for at most 16. On GetYourGuide it is the Easy Pace Tour, with entrance to both castles and the guided Kronborg hour included, from US$150 (checked October 2026). It runs from April to September; the next date on GetYourGuide is 2 April 2027. Viator sells a customizable version of the same day without admission tickets.
- A private car (Dinturia Tours): about two hours at each castle for your group of up to six, from US$1,407 for the car (checked October 2026), entrance fees on top: the private castles day.
- By train: one castle makes an easy half day; both in one day means long transfers, because the two towns are on different lines out of Copenhagen. The Copenhagen Card DISCOVER covers the trains and both castles.
Hamlet Tours and Ophelia Tours both run the full castles day, and their winter versions differ on the Viking Ship Museum; vikingshipmuseumroskilde.com compares the two operators month by month.
Which castle, if only one
Choose Kronborg for Hamlet, the casemates under the castle, the cannon tower’s view of Sweden and the coastal town of Helsingør. Choose Frederiksborg for the interiors: the chapel and the Audience Chamber survived the fire of 1859, and the museum’s portraits run through 500 years of Danish history. In late October, parts of Frederiksborg close for a few days while the museum installs its Christmas exhibition.
Both Castles, Plus Roskilde, in One Day
Hamlet Tours' Grand Day Trip: Frederiksborg on your own with lunch, a guided visit to Kronborg, and Roskilde Cathedral and the Viking Ship Museum, tickets included.
Check dates